2 Things You Must Consider.
Living a global life is exhilarating. Everyone who writes for International Living has a personal story of the joys of finding a new home in a foreign country.
But to live in another country long-term, you need a residency visa…
Officially, there are 195 countries in the world. In terms of the ease of getting residency, countries like Costa Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic are at the top.
There are a few countries you probably never want to move to—like North Korea and Afghanistan.
Among the rest, the most difficult destinations to move to are places like Switzerland and Monaco, which require super-high income levels; and Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Bhutan, who want to protect their ethnic and racial identity.
In between are several dozen countries that are both appealing and have a practical pathway to residency and/or citizenship. They include most nations in southern Europe, like Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Italy; several in Latin America; and a few in Southeast Asia.
Then there is another group of countries with relatively quick (but often expensive) citizenship-by-investment (CBI) options. These are mostly island nations: five in the Caribbean (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia); one in the Mediterranean (Malta); and one in the South Pacific (Vanuatu). Getting citizenship and a passport is a matter of putting up the right amount of money.
Before I go further, let’s clear something up…
Citizenship is the legal status of permanent membership of a national community, with all the rights and responsibilities that go with it (such as the right to vote). A small group of countries don’t allow dual citizenship, but most have no objection. Citizens of the US, Canada, and most of the nations in Western Europe can also be citizens of other countries.
Residency, on the other hand, is legal permission to stay in a country, either for a set period or indefinitely.
Here are the main types of residency visas, from least to most secure:
- Temporary residency is permission to stay in a country longer than a tourist visa, but not indefinitely. Digital nomad visas for remote workers are a form of temporary residency.
- Long-term residency is permission to stay in a country if you meet certain requirements, like minimum income. Retirement visas fall into this category.
- Permanent residency is the right to live in a country as a non-citizen for as long as you like. Although you don’t get the same rights as citizens—like the vote—you are allowed to work.
The type of residency you choose will be decided by two things:
1. Your own preferences and plans, and
2. The immigration rules of the country in question.
It’s so important to think carefully about your plans when considering types of residency.
I know plenty of people who took the easy route of “visa runs” (entering and exiting only as a tourist) or a string of temporary residencies to establish a permanent life abroad.
Eventually, they run into policy changes or bureaucratic scrutiny that can easily cost everything they’ve put into that effort.
So… getting some form of long-term residency is essential.
But choosing the one that fits best, depends on your circumstances—particularly your age and income.
Younger people who want a permanent life abroad should aim to qualify for permanent residency as quickly as possible. That typically involves spending a certain amount of time living in the country on a valid residency status, such as renewable temporary residency or a digital nomad visa. Once you qualify to apply for permanent residency (typically after a number of years), you’ll be able to work in the country and come and go as you please.
More common, however, are people who have waited until near the end of their working lives, or even until retirement, to start the process.
The older you are, the more difficult it can be to get permanent residency unless it’s via some form of investment, like a Golden Visa. For people in that scenario, retirement visas are the best option…
Of course, the other big variable is the immigration policy of the country in question… Every country has different visas, different rules, different criteria.
It’s easier to get long-term residency in some parts of the world than in others. For example, the countries of southern Europe, like Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece, have attractive visas and tax deals for foreigners. As you go farther north in Europe, the conditions become less attractive and more difficult to meet.
In the Western Hemisphere, Central America leads the way in terms of immigration-friendly policies. In South America, Columbia, Uruguay, and Ecuador also have attractive visa and citizenship policies.
Beyond that, the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East and Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia in Southeast Asia have launched accessible long-term visa programs in recent years….
Fortunately, the countries that tend to offer good residency options are also popular expat destinations. They’re the sort of places people fall in love with on vacation and decide to try to live in permanently.
But there will always be some countries that some of us will want to live in that just aren’t accessible under current government policies. As much as you might like to live in Central Europe, for example, there just aren’t very many good options, other than Hungary’s Golden Visa. Germany, Switzerland, and Austria are gorgeous—but difficult to get residency in.
So as always, the best route is to make sure that you know your own goals and criteria well… and have a realistic understanding of where you might be able to make that work overseas.
