For many people, the first question that comes to mind when considering moving abroad is “Will they let me live there?” Countries tend to be like country clubs and the particularly affluent and desirable ones are picky about who they let in. By contrast, other nations, usually poorer, have a much more open-door policy. Latin American and Southeast Asian countries are magnets for expats in part because being able to legally reside there is so easy. Western Europe tends to be more difficult and much of Scandinavia, as well as Iceland, pretty much a pipe dream for most people. Unless of course you have lots of money. Or a job offer. Or needed talent. Any number of factors can add to the odds or the ease with which you establish legal residency.
For just about anyone who moves abroad, regardless of the length of time they’ve been away and how many times they’ve been through it before, applying for and waiting for approval of their visas and permits is the most stressful and nerve-racking aspect of life in a foreign country.
An almost universal residency requirement for any functional state, unless you qualify for refugee status or as an asylum seeker (these categories are seldom if ever applicable to Americans and other Westerners, and are not covered in this book), is that you be able to demonstrate that you can support yourself. Often this is calculated as a function of the subsistence wage in that country—thus in the poorer countries, you might find requirements as low as a few hundred dollars a month. While this requirement might seldom exceed $2000 a month in more affluent countries, in practice, without a compelling reason to grant you permission to stay (e.g. a spouse), your actual requirement can be many times higher. For most of the nations on earth (who aren’t choosing to isolate themselves for political, religious or ethnic reasons), having sufficient wealth means you’ll find few obstacles to extended residency even among the most selective and exclusive nations of Europe. Should you invest money into the economy, or better yet, hire local labor, then your entry obstacles evaporate even further.
Doing business can also be an “in.” In some cases, like in Mexico, just setting up a company that only exists on paper is sufficient. More often, you’ll be required to demonstrate (through accounting records, business licenses, etc.) that you are engaged in real and legitimate business. Freelancers, too, can also sometimes squeeze in under this rubric.
Arriving somewhere with a job offer (where the employer has received permission or is otherwise allowed to hire or contract foreign labor) means not only will you have proof of self-sufficiency, but generally speaking, you should find getting your visas, permits and residency to be little more than bureaucratic formalities and paperwork—most of which your employer will do for you. Countries whose industries are short of certain skills or background (construction, IT, etc.) may relax visa requirements as a way to attract people with those qualifications. Often, these categories are posted on the country’s visa/immigration website.
Students have a pretty easy time getting permission to study in almost any country. Academics get easy treatment, too. Artists, particularly established ones, can often get special visas in many parts of the world as do journalists and religious and volunteer workers. And of course, if you have a relative, spouse or even a fiancé in that country, there’s likely a special path in for you, as well.
Only a tiny percentage of Americans who leave make it all the way to foreign citizenship. In fact, it’s possible to live your entire lifetime abroad and never become more than a guest of your adopted country. Even if citizenship is your goal, and even if you can place yourself into one of those fast-track categories, you’re still going to enter on a visa, and often you’re going to have to establish years of legal residency before you’re sworn in and given your new passport. And certainly, if you’re only planning a few-month reconnaissance trip to your prospective homeland, or just want to take a short “America break” for a year or so, the visa game is all you need to know.
Although the word visa is commonly used generically to refer to all documents that govern your stay in the country, in some places a visa merely allows you to cross the border and enter the country. To remain there for any realistic length of time, non-citizens must have a residency permit. These are often coupled with the visa. Other times, they must be applied for separately and in different places (one, say, at the consulate in the U.S. and the other at a police station in your new country). Often approval for the former renders approval for the latter a mere formality (indeed, having the former is a condition of getting the latter) but in some cases, you might feel like you’re starting again from scratch. Some are rubber-stamped into your passport; others are affixed with a sticker or issued as a separate document. Each government has devised its own diabolically confusing system by which visas can either have names, letters or numbers, or some combination of all three. Some are given out freely, with only the barest of formalities, while others involve a lengthy bureaucratic process. Sometimes you’re required to state the purpose of your visit (immigration, retirement, business, tourism, university study, work, etc.) and stick to it. Other times, you can arrive as a tourist (often without any kind of application beforehand) and switch to another type of visa/residence permit after you arrive.
You must get the specific requirements for your particular visa from the consulate of the country concerned and it’s critical that your information be current because these requirements can often change like the seasons. Rules can often be long and complicated, and while Canada and the U.K., for instance, have moved much of the immigration and registry process to the Internet, you will most likely wait in lots of lines and in some cases be better off hiring an attorney. In Southeast Asia and Latin America, where expats are considered an industry, there are armies of these competing paper-pushers who will, for as little as a few hundred dollars, navigate the bureaucracy for you, leaving you little to do except show up and sign the papers. In first-world countries, this type of help is as expensive as what you would imagine any kind of qualified legal advice and assistance to be.
Generally your visa has three important components:
Length of Stay/Re-entry Allowance
All visas state how long you are allowed to remain in the country. You can be issued a three-day transit visa, good for simply crossing the country on your way to somewhere else, or one that’s good for the rest of your life. Typically, once you graduate past tourist status, your permit will allow you to enter and leave the country as often as you like, but some do require that you reapply if you leave the country. Because visas are, strictly speaking, the document that allows you to enter the country (as opposed to a resident permit which technically allows you to remain, although in practice these two are often lumped together), they often have a “validity period.” Although confusing, this usually does not refer to the length of time you can stay, but the window of time in which you must enter the country—which is to say, after the validity period, your visa will have “expired” and if you haven’t entered the country already, you likely won’t be allowed in the country even if you have a valid resident permit (obviously, this is only pertinent to visas not issued at the border, upon entry).
Prohibited Activities
This usually means work. Sometimes no employment is allowed at all. Other times, you are allowed to work in a specific industry or at a specific place of employment. Other common restrictions include the ability to take advantage of social services, buy/own property or a business, or occasionally live outside a designated region or regions.
Renewability/Changeability
How many times can your visa be extended, if at all? Can you apply for a different class of visa while you hold your current one? Renewable visas are the surest path to permanent residency and citizenship.
Important Note:
Not all visas are issued within the destination country. Some must be applied for in advance at an embassy or consul and still others can only be issued while you’re still in your home country. Be sure you know the terms before you leave. For example, if you were to arrive in Spain on a tourist visa and decide to change your status, you could find yourself having to return to the United States before your visa can be changed—a pretty significant detour. At the very least, you will have to leave the country or the region before your new paperwork is sorted out.
Depending on the country and the type of infraction, violating the terms of your visa can lead to repercussions as mild as a small fine and as severe as jail and deportation. In some countries, such as Argentina, overstaying your allotted time is part of some expats’ strategy, since they regard the fine as simply the price of staying in-country. In most cases, however, violating your terms (of length of stay, employment or other proscribed activities) is risky business... and should be avoided.
Applications for visas can require a host of documents:
Police Report
Because most countries are not interested in accepting criminals, particularly those on the lam, you may be asked to present yourself at your local police precinct and request a document which states that you’re not wanted for any crimes in the United States. The document will also list your police record, if any. In some cases, you’re required to get this from the FBI, a process which involves being fingerprinted and having the results sent to Washington D.C. before a letter is issued clearing your name.
Evidence of Sufficient Funds
Bank statements, pay stubs, pension plans or other documents that demonstrate you have enough funds or income to live on for the specified period of the visa. Sometimes these even must be certified by an accountant. The amount is usually calculated to be slightly above the local minimum wage. In cash-strapped nations, you probably won’t encounter more than a cursory nod at these requirements. But the higher up the food chain you go in terms of per-capita GDP, the more deeply you can expect your solvency to be scrutinized.
Proof of Health Insurance
Likewise, many countries want to be certain that should you fall ill or meet with a life-threatening accident, someone other than the State will pick up the bill.
AIDS Test
More countries are requiring a certificate stating that you have been recently (usually within the past six months) tested and have been found to be HIV-negative.
Vaccinations
Unless you’ve traveled through some infested area, which, for the time being anyway, won’t be the case if you’re coming from the U.S., you do not need vaccinations to travel anywhere on the planet.
Depending on what kind of residency or citizenship status you are seeking, birth certificates, marriage licenses, separation agreements, divorce decrees, and death certificates might all be required. Start collecting those today. There will be applications to fill out, photos to submit, and finally, money: excepting most tourist class visas, you will be Euro’d and Yen’d to death. In Cambodia, you might pay as little as $25, while a Swiss residency permit (depending on where you settle) can go as high as €1500. If you’re looking to relocate to a large European country, costs can easily run into the thousands of dollars before you reach permanent residency or citizenship. Again, poorer countries treat these visa fees as revenue generators and unless you present yourself as a truly undesirable specimen, they aren’t in the habit of peering into the paperwork too closely, as long as legal tender is being ponied up. The greater the affluence of the country, however, the tinier role your ability to pay the administrative fees will play in the decision to approve a visa or residency. In any case, you’ll need to factor these additional costs into your overall budget.
You don’t have to expect much in the way of language or cultural literacy requirements in the early going, but should you attempt to reside in a country permanently or acquire citizenship then these will likely be put to the test. There is also the not-insignificant factor that few countries will provide you with the necessary forms and instructions in English.
So, where do you find out more?
In most cases, to get the requirements for a particular visa, you’ll need to contact the embassy or consulate of the country in question. You can usually visit their websites and find the info under “Consular Affairs.” Also check the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Immigration Bureau website. It’s becoming rarer and rarer for information on these sites not to be presented in English. A comprehensive list is maintained online at www.gettingoutofamerica.com.
Apostilles:
When sifting through the requirements for visas, residency or citizenship, you’ll often come across the word “apostille.” This is something akin to an international notarization in countries that are signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention (“Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents”) as a simplified method of certifying documents that might be required by a foreign government, in cases where it’s impractical or impossible to submit the original document (say, a passport). In the United States, the certifying (apostille) agency is the office of the state’s Secretary of State in which the document was issued (i.e., birth certificate), though depending on the document (court documents, military documents, etc.) and the state in question, different procedures may apply. Further information about apostilles can be found in the “Specialised section” on the Hague website www.hcch.net and through the Secretary of State (usually, this information is posted on their website) of the relevant state.
The following countries are signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention (note: the list of Hague signatories can differ depending on the particular Convention in question):
Albania
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Bulgaria
China, People’s Republic of
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Estonia
France
Finland
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
India
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malta
Mauritius
Mexico
Monaco
Montenegro
Morocco
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Panama
Peru
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
South Korea
Suriname
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine
United Kingdom
USA
Venezuela
Visas come in all shapes and sizes. Visas granted to refugees don’t really apply to the U.S. expat, although the way things are going, that may change. Ditto, asylum seekers. The Transit Visa (allowing you to cross a country’s territory on your way to somewhere else) or Medical Visa (allowing you to visit for the purposes of medical treatment), are too specific to bother considering. Some countries issue specific visas for every application category, while in other places they are lumped into three or four overall types, with multiple possibilities for acquiring each one. Eligibility for any visa or permit is seldom 100% clear-cut and can be subject to legal hairsplitting and the caprice of random bureaucrats. Still, most people who succeed in staying on long after all the holiday-makers are back home, generally do it via the following types of visas. Again, names, terms and availability vary widely from country to country.
Permanent Resident
The equivalent of the U.S. Resident Alien or “Green Card.” The Permanent Resident Visa usually allows you to do almost anything a citizen can do except vote and travel under that nation’s passport, though there are more than a few exceptions to this rule. Often, you are also required to spend a certain percentage of your time residing in that country. After a given number of years, you can usually qualify for citizenship. The rules for obtaining permanent residency often don’t veer too far from rules for citizenship. In other cases, they’re not really “permanent” at all, but simply allow for longer-term stays than other permits offered by that country.
Temporary Resident/Settlement/Long-Stay Visa
Often a stepping stone to permanent residency, this sort of visa has a specific designation (three, five, or 10 years) and can come with none, some or all of the restrictions placed on other visas.
The following visas are sometimes issued on their own and at other times are used as a consideration for offering one of the residency permits outlined above:
Family Reunion/Marriage/Relative Visa
In the interest of keeping families together, governments often make allowances for family members of citizens or residents to come over and stay. Sometimes these require that you actually live with your family or that your family make a pledge to financially support you while you are in the country. In any case, should you have family living there, you’re more than likely to be fast-tracked into residency.
Marriage/Spouse Visa
Marry a citizen or permanent resident and you’re granted one of these, usually on your way to permanent residency or citizenship. In countries like New Zealand, these privileges extend even to fiancés and domestic partners, though eventually you’ll be expected to tie the knot or get out. Many progressive governments (Canada, Holland, Germany, etc.) recognize same-sex partnerships for visas and immigration.
Visas for Dependents
In many cases, if a family member is granted any residence visa, there will be some accommodation for family and spouse (though financial self-sufficiency requirements will be adjusted accordingly). Work or business visas often come with visas for spouses/dependents (generally children under 18, but if you can make a case that you have to take care of your old mother, that can sometimes fly). With investment and retirement visas, there is usually an additional amount added to the minimum investment or stipend (much lower than the original amount) for each additional dependent. Malta, for instance, requires an additional $2,500/year over and above the minimum required income, per dependent. In the case of Hong Kong, though, once you’ve sunk $1.2mil into their economy for their investment visa, the wife and kids are on the house.
Pension/Retirement Visa
The Pensionado, as most people know it, is how countries attract people who will spend money, won’t make trouble, and won’t enter the job market. If you can prove you have a guaranteed income, usually in the form of some kind of pension (in Costa Rica, $1,000 a month; in Thailand approximately $2,100), and are over a specified age (as low as 45, as high as 60), this is the option best worth taking. Often your Social Security benefits are enough. Though also aimed at retirees, the rentista visa offers similar terms with no minimum age limit. In Mexico and Panama, for example, anyone who can provide evidence of a guaranteed income of approximately $1,000 a month (plus a few hundred for each additional family member) can qualify for a visa.
Investment Visas
Few countries say no to money. If you have deep pockets and are willing to invest in a given nation’s economy, you shouldn’t encounter too many obstacles obtaining residency. For example, Vanuatu’s five-year residency is yours with an investment of around $200,000. In Australia, you wouldn’t get by without sinking over $600,000 in a designated investment in the national business economy. The U.K. would like to see you pony up around $360,000 if you’re actually going to be working in your business (you must also hire at least two full-time employees), $1.35 million if you’re just going to sink money into the country and do nothing else (“passive investment’). In the low-rent countries of Latin America and Southeast Asia such visas are within middle-class means, especially since in many cases, real estate qualifies as an investment. Panama will allow you in if you simply deposit $300,000 in a savings account. If your politics are as green as your bank account, investing a mere $60,000 in Panama’s rainforest reforestation program ($100,000 in Costa Rica) gets you in, too.
For many people, moving abroad without being allowed to work is a nonstarter. How easy or difficult it is to get permission to make a living depends on where you go, what you do, and most importantly, who you work for (i.e., yourself, a local company, a foreign company). These permits can be issued as standalone visas or as an addition to your residency visa. Generally, they fall along the following lines:
Work Permit
Few nations have any incentive to allow foreigners to take jobs that could possibly go to locals. Typically you have to beg, cajole or otherwise convince a local employer to sponsor you. That means he vouches that he couldn’t find a qualified candidate domestically. Usually, the government’s ministry of labor or equivalent bureau must approve the request. If you truly have mad skills in what you do, then somebody might be motivated to do that on your behalf. Many of the finest restaurants in the world for instance, have their meals cooked by foreign-born chefs. Obviously, the bar tends to be lower with highly technical and specialized skills but quite high if you just want to tend bar or wash dishes. Jobs requiring native English speakers are usually allowed (including of course, English teaching, where the school can be expected to handle the details for you). Work permits can sometimes restrict you to one location, one job, one company. If you’re fired or you quite, you’re back to square one, unless there is some allowance to seek other work. Some even allow your husband or wife to work, too. In almost all cases, a permanent residency allows you the right to seek employment just like any other citizen. Spousal visas, too, often allow unrestricted employment. For further information on work issues, see Jobs Chapter.
Overseas Employee Visa
If a U.S. company sends you to work at the São Paulo office, often you’ll get one of these from the government and moving expenses from the firm. In many cases, you can simply set up a company or corporation in the U.S. and declare your new home to be a “branch office,” with yourself, of course, as the main employee, since immigration officials often recognize “branch offices” as a valid visa category.
Business Visa
Sometimes these are issued to businessmen and aren’t much different from ordinary tourist visas. Others are geared toward people who will stay and conduct business for stays of one to five years or more. People who export local goods, buy and sell real estate, or work in the tourist trade often operate under one of these. Sometimes solo freelancers must file for these (other times, there is a separate self-employment visa). In many countries, it’s possible to set up an empty holding company and get one. In other places, you might be required to actually demonstrate that business is being conducted. Such places usually generate armies of immigration attorneys and consultants who charge a fee to process the pro forma paperwork. If you actually do have a company AND you hire local labor, your chances of being welcomed with generous visa terms increases dramatically.
Self-Employment Visa
Freelancers who can take their game overseas usually aim for one of these. You’ll usually be asked to present documents—bank statements, business invoices, etc.—that you really do have a career and that it earns you income so that you won’t be hitting up the local job market. The Internet, social networking, cloud computing, online videoconferencing and other virtual tools have spawned countless possibilities for independent contractor types to conduct their business wherever they are. Because expatriates tend to be independent-minded to begin with, a large percentage of non-retirees of ordinary means fall into this category.
Needed Skill/Expert Visa
This kind of visa allows you to surf the job market like any other local. The catch is, you have to match certain designated skills and occupations that the government would like to attract. Canada, New Zealand, and Australia post their current needs on their websites.
Canada: www.cic.gc.ca
Australia: www.immi.gov.au
New Zealand: www.govt.nz
Working Holiday/Travel and Working Visa
Ireland, U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Canada all offer some kind of short-term work scheme for recent college grads under the age of 30. Ireland gives you a stingy four months; Canada and New Zealand give you a year. The U.K. has a slightly different “scheme,” as they call it, which lets you work for six months. If you’re a skilled networker, you can use this time to make the necessary connections that will allow you to stay on more permanently. For Americans, these visas are managed through a private foundation, usually BUNAC, www.bunac.com, which will take care of all the paperwork for you for $400–$750, depending on the country. You’ll arrive with permit in hand, and have some resources at your disposal, but finding an actual job is up to you.
Other types of visas...
Artist/Performer Visa
For the struggling creative geniuses so they can contribute something to the local color and culture.
Instructor or Academic Visa
For English teachers and college professors. It’s a pretty cushy way to go. Austria even offers a special legal mechanism whereby prominent academics can be granted citizenship.
Journalist/Media Visa
Freelancers can try it, but it works better if you have an accredited media organization behind you. These visas, however, tend to be issued for shortterm (30–90 days) assignments, geared toward journalists working in-country to cover a particular event. Long-haul journos will probably need to apply for a work or self-employment visa.
Religious/Missionary Visa
If you’re willing to spread the Good News about Him (usually through some established evangelical organization), bring your Bible and get your visa. This is also good if you want to retreat to an overseas monastery for a couple years.
Student Visas
They’re recognized almost anywhere there are universities. They usually expire when your studies do. Canada and Australia allow you to hold a parttime job. The U.K. offers employment schemes for students in their “gap year” before college and some even allow employment for up to two years after graduation. Expect to provide documentation that you’ve been accepted and enrolled at an approved university/course of study, that you have sufficient funds and other basic requirements, though the typical student that has been accepted and enrolled at a foreign university or other institution should not experience too much trouble in landing one of these. In most cases, the university will help guide you through the process. Be aware: often these visas must be applied for BEFORE you enter the country, though some countries do allow you to convert a tourist or visitor visa to a student visa after you arrive.
Volunteer Visa
If you’re working for a humanitarian or even missionary program or for recognized organizations, you will probably be issued one of these, usually through the organization you work for. While these don’t allow you to take employment, anyone who wants to make a career of helping the less fortunate of the world will find this a valuable stepping stone—as this is how all the contacts are made.
Tourist Visa
Aside from a transit visa, which allows you nothing more than direct passage through a country, this is the bottom rung on the visa pole. Since almost all countries depend to some degree on tourism, they tend to be given out like candy, usually free, often right at the point on entry—especially to Americans, who still have a reputation as reckless spenders. These visas are usually loaded with restrictions, the primary ones being that you can’t work and you must leave when it expires. Often, tourist visas cannot be renewed and require that you leave the country before you can return. Still, many people manage extended stays either by overstaying and paying the fine, or making the (usually) 90-day “visa run”—stepping over the closest border just before your visa expires, then getting it stamped on the way back. In Thailand, visa buses make daily trips to the Cambodian border and back, while twilight operations, typical in many Third World countries, actually allow the lazy to have someone else ferry your passport to the border and back. Be warned: letting your passport out of your sight and control is risky business. U.S. passports are worth their weight in gold on the black market.
The Schengen
Twenty-six European nations are signatories to a treaty that allows for one single border. The good news is that Americans can travel through the entire Schengen zone without a visa (though it’s generically referred to as a Schengen Visa). The bad news is that it’s only for a maximum of 90 days during any 180-day period, meaning you have to essentially leave the entire Schengen area for at least the same amount of time as you had stayed. Some countries, Germany for instance, will allow you to “convert” to a residency permit after you arrive. Others, such as Spain, will not. This makes settling down tricky but not impossible. Note that residency and work permits are only valid in their respective countries and these are NOT valid in the entire Schengen zone, though in the case of residency at least, the absence of border checks and passport control within the zone makes such a distinction difficult to enforce. In 2011, Denmark reinstalled customs controls within the Schengen, though it’s not clear that this will have any effect on passport, visa and residency issues.
Be aware that the Schengen countries, while located in Europe, are NOT synonymous with the E.U. (European Union) countries, nor are they synonymous with the Eurozone (which refers to all the countries that use the Euro as a form of currency). For a list of Schengen countries and other European treaty organizations, see pp 190–191.
NOTE: Regardless of the human rights situation in the country you choose, as a non-citizen (and likely non-permanent resident, as well), you can be certain to enjoy less rights than a national. Caprice can play a large role in whether your application is approved or denied and your recourse options are likely to be few to none. Also, while most countries might tolerate some low-grade misbehavior by its citizens, you’ll likely have no such luxuries. Political rabble-rousing (or even being caught at a political demonstration in some of the more, uh, sensitive countries) can be grounds for deportation as can even misdemeanor criminal activity.
Barbara Warwick
Visa Exempt
Germany
I don’t need a visa because I am a U.S. military employee dependent. But when I first came I found a job teaching English at the VHS Heidelberg, which allowed me to get a special visa for English teachers that was valid for the duration of the class(es) I was teaching. I had to get that visa renewed with every new class.
Ted Hung
Permanent Resident
Australia
My journey to gaining permanent residency was a long and involved process. When I was working in Australia, I really wanted to find a way to stay in the country without having to be sponsored by a company. I really loved the lifestyle that living in Australia gave me, but the work was not as fulfilling as I had hoped. The company that I was currently working for offered to sponsor me for permanent residency here, but they required that I stay with them for a minimum of four more years or pay all the fees myself. Thus, I set out to apply for permanent residency on my own using a migration lawyer. The migration lawyer roughly doubled the cost of applying for the permanent resident visa, but I feel it was worth it given the fact that during my application period I needed to move back to the U.S. If I were to do it again, knowing what I know now, though, I would probably do it myself and save the money.
The migration lawyer provided counseling, document certification services, and a local point of contact for the government during my application. One of the surprising things during the application process that I encountered was that Australia did not recognize any of my degrees from the U.S. Ironically, even though I was being sponsored to work as a computer professional in Australia, they still needed evidence that I was certified to be a computer professional in Australia. In order to do this, I needed to contact all of my employers from the last four years and have them write a letter certifying that I worked as a computing professional. This took the most time of the entire application process—a year just to get in touch with the companies (many of which only keep records for four years). Once I was certified as a computing professional in Australia, I was able to apply for permanent residency and within three months I was granted the visa.
In terms of sponsoring my partner for permanent residency, Australia is one of the countries that recognize de-facto spouses (i.e. non-married couples of either gender) for sponsored permanent residency. The main proof the Australian government needed for this was that my partner and I lived together for one year. Since we were aware of this before we started living together, we needed to keep thorough documentation of our ongoing relationship through pictures, bills, personal statements from friends, and shared flight tickets. The main difficulty for us was that we planned on moving to Australia together when we had only lived together for six months. During that period, she was able to stay in Australia for three months at a time on a tourist visa. She needed to leave twice during that period in order to renew it. Australia is very strict about their tourist visas only being used for tourist purposes, so it was always a tricky process for her to come back in. In fact, the first time, we arrived in Australia together, and a large angry woman interrogated her for 10 minutes. We had to emphasize that my partner was only “visiting.” We eventually made it through one year living together, and once we submitted the application, there were no issues and my partner was granted a de-facto spouse visa within a few months. After being de-facto spouses for around one year, we decided to make it official and get married.
Bob Hand
Permanent Resident
Nova Petrópolis, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
I came to Brazil on a Business (VITEM II) Visa which does not permit me to receive pay and only allowed me to stay 180 days maximum out of the year.
In order to be married, both Cidinha and I had to assemble various documents. I needed a birth certificate not more than 90 days old. I needed a certificate of divorce, and a certificate of that marriage, so I had to obtain these from New Jersey (birth), Illinois (marriage), and Colorado (divorce). Then each certificate had to be authenticated by the Brazilian consulate nearest each of those states. I also had to obtain an authenticated certificate of my Social Security income, my passport, and my visa. Cidinha had to obtain similar documents from her sources. Any discrepancy noted by the cartorio (recorder’s office) would have further delayed the process. Fortunately, my attorney guided us well.
Of course, for each document obtained, a fee was charged by the issuing office and the consulate, and for each step of the procedure a fee was charged by the Brazilian bureaucracy, including the Federal Police.
After the marriage was finalized, we took that certificate to the Federal Police who then created an application for a Permanent Certificate due to marriage. I received that certificate in January 2011. The certificate is not the final document. Some day I’ll receive a card with ID number as a Resident “Estrangeiro.” That comes from Brasilia and can take a couple of years to be issued.
Meanwhile, I can stay here indefinitely with the certificate that I have.
Frank
Permanent Resident
Costa Rica
We came here when my girlfriend was six months pregnant. A year after my daughter was born, we had a son. If you have kids in this country, you still have to apply for residency but they cannot deny it to you. You have a child and the child has rights and the government can’t tell a child that her parents are no longer welcome in the country. I’m a permanent resident. I can stay. I can legally work. I can hire people.
Bill Agee
Permanent Resident
Denmark
If one has the opportunity, I absolutely recommend moving out of the U.S. with a company, or at least a job offer. The company takes care of all your residency and work permit, finds you a place to live for the first couple of months, and moves your stuff. It is not easy to get residency as an American. There are no special exceptions for the U.S. of which I am aware, so as an American you stand in line with people from all corners of the world. I moved here with a company which gave me the work and temporary residency, and then later married my Danish partner. We were married in the Copenhagen city hall by the mayor in 1999. After we were married, I received a residency permit, which needed to be renewed the first three years, and then became permanent. The process for gaining residency through marriage has become a bit tougher in recent years for non-E.U. nationals, but I think the biggest matter is that you must be 24 years old.
Libby Hansen
Permanent Resident
Denmark
When I came in 1993 it wasn’t all that difficult to gain residency here. Because my husband is a Danish citizen, I applied and submitted the necessary information about my background and received both residency and work permit. Because the lax residency requirements have been abused by too many immigrants who have managed to bring their families to Denmark once they have secured residency for themselves, now the rules have changed to make it harder to gain residency in the first place.
Noemi S.
Permanent Resident
New Zealand
I started at the bottom of the barrel as a student on a “Working Holiday” visa when I first arrived as a nanny. I never knew about these visas until I was 28 years old and on vacation, so I quickly returned to the U.S., saved my pennies and returned to New Zealand 10 months later so I’d still be eligible for the working holiday visa prior to the cut-off age of 31. The immigration website is super simple to use and the application took no time to submit. There is a limit for each country as to how many they’ll accept under this working holiday visa program, so it’s best to apply early in the cycle. After leaving my nanny job, I obtained a job for a web company who helped me get a work permit. A work permit is attached to the place of employment and as much as I liked working there, I knew I needed more employment flexibility so started the process for permanent residency. This process can be time-consuming and expensive but many people do it so it’s not all that daunting. After gathering all your education and work history, getting a medical check, X-rays, and the police check, I submitted it all with my application and money to the immigration services who took about three months to process and grant me permanent residency. After being an employed permanent resident, you are eligible for indefinite permanent residency, which means no matter how long you leave NZ for, you’ll always have residency. You have to be a permanent Resident for five years in order to earn citizenship. I plan on doing this in the next two years as it’s always good to have options and I’ve grown quite fond of this little set of islands in this corner of the world.
D. Richard Carlson
Permanent Resident
Philippines
Anyone can stay in the Philippines as a tourist for up to two years. After that s/he would have to leave the country for at least 24 hours. I came on a tourist visa designated as 9(a) for two and a half years and later with Resident Visa by Marriage, known as 13(a). Just completed 13(a) Probationary stage and have been approved as a Permanent Resident since Dec. 12, 2010.
James Lindzey
Spouse Visa
Colombia
Visas, well, I actually did the opposite of what most people do as I was married to a Colombian woman in Fort Lauderdale before I came here. Her family lost a petition for asylum, and from the American side of things, if you are already in Immigration Court, then getting married is not going to guarantee that the foreign spouse can stay. Besides having a baby, living overseas for a year or two can prove you have a real relationship. I came into Colombia on a Spouse visa. We did everything at the consulate in Miami before we came over, although you can actually do this in Colombia on a tourist visa. Current rules have made it harder, but not that much. The first marriage visa must be applied for in person in Bogotá or at a consulate. Yes, just like everywhere else in the world, the spouse visa is used as an easy method to migrate to Colombia.
Just don’t stay in the country after you get divorced, AND THINK because your visa says you have two or three years that you’re OK. Many people that get stuck in this situation call me (I run ColombiaVisas.com), and you can get kicked out for two or three years, requiring a visa to reenter the country. Fines are not too bad, and you should pay before you leave the country or your six months will turn into two or three years, easily.
I had a divorce drag on for about 1.5 years or so, and my ex-wife didn’t get me the divorce papers quickly after they were filed. She was living in another city so the final divorce papers took months to show up. DAS (departamento administrative de Seguridad) made me file a report and come back the next day to pay a fine, which could have been up to 4,000 USD, but luckily it was just 250 USD. Luckily, in that time I had started a vacation rental company, Paradise Realty, and met a beautiful young woman who I had married. I did not have to leave the country, but standing in lines for three days was not any fun. Luckily, I have messengers that work for me in Bogotá now.
MOST POPULAR VISAS: Retirement, Business, Spouse, Business Owner. No consular fees for retirement, business, business owner visas for U.S. citizens. Generally speaking, visas are much easier than other former hot spots like Costa Rica, where they examine papers and require large sums of money in a bank account for many years. Maybe one day Colombia will get there. Right now there’s a great window of opportunity. Pension earners just have to show about 850 USD a month, or small entrepreneurs starting up or buying an existing business at just 30,000 USD can qualify for a residency visa. Business visas for foreign companies allow people to stay six months at a time, with financial supporting letters from a host company in Colombia and a foreign company, along with business licenses of course. Retirement is the easiest because the first application can be done with a power of attorney. No presentation in person is necessary.
Many people also come to Colombia and get married, the only hangup is that they must prove they are single, and come with a birth certificate, and they can get married in Colombia. Of course usual rules apply to getting documents legalized and translated before taking them to the local notary. Civil marriages have a five-day cooling-off period before you can marry. After that you get your official marriage certificate issued in one to three days on average and you are qualified to get married. Women with children must prepare other paperwork re child support before getting married. After three years with the same wife you can get a permanent foreign residency card.
Michael Luksetich
Self-employment Visa
Amsterdam, Holland
Getting a permit in the Netherlands is a lot like a Catch-22. You need a job to get the permit and a permit to get the job. However, there are some ways around this requirement. Anyone getting work with a major/international company will probably have access to in-house lawyers familiar with the immigration system so not too many problems involved there. Also people with special skills, IT work, healthcare and such can get legal without too much difficulty at all. Another way is with a partnership permit. Basically what this mean is if your boy- or girlfriend (either one, they don’t care here) is a resident of the European Union and has a full-time job paying more than €1400 a month after taxes then you can get a permit to live and work as well.
Of course, I did none of these things. One other option if you’re from the USA is the Friendship Treaty of 1948. Among its many provisions is a statement saying that any person from the USA that wants to invest in or start a business in the Netherlands must invest 10,000 guilders. In 1948 that may have been a lot of money but now days that’s not even €5,000. So if you have a business idea that you wish to try there is basically no barrier to immigrating. I started Mike’s Bike Tours, Amsterdam and I used the local accounting firm Van Noort Gassler and Co. They are extremely qualified and have helped me out with my paperwork to such a degree that I don’t even think about it anymore.
Art F.
Business Visa
Sihanoukville, Cambodia
Upon entering the country, I got a 30-day business visa ($40). After 30 days, I applied for a one-year business visa ($295). There is no permanent visa being issued at this time. Residence permits are available, but you have to have connections, and it will cost thousands of dollars. Khmer government is really greedy, and corrupt. So people just stay here on Business Visas for year after year. Doesn’t seem to be a problem as long as the local gov’t gets its $295 a year. Border runs are not needed if you have the business visa. It allows you multiple entries and exits.
Jim Cotner
FM2 Business Visa
Baja California, Mexico
There are many ways of becoming a legal resident in Mexico, some easy, some difficult. How I did it was I formed a corporation called Chongo Bravo. You go to a Notary Public or Notario Publico as it’s called here. A Notario in Mexico is a lawyer that’s been granted by the state the function of certifying business deals. And their seal gives these deals official approval. They also do property titles, as well. So you get one of these Notario Publicos to file the paperwork with the government of Mexico for a permit to open up a foreign business. Then you can start a 100% foreign-owned business in Mexico as long as they are not fishing concerns or various extraction industries like oil, but in all those other things like real estate property, trade or manufacturing, retail or anything else you can imagine, a 100% foreign-owned company is A-OK. It’s been this way since 1992.
The Notario Publico gets approximately $1500 to set this corporation up. It comes in little parts, you know, fees here and there. Then after about a month, you come back to the Notario and you enter the country with a visa—a regular tourist visa, usually—and you sign the corporation into law.
You assign yourself president in the articles of the corporate constitution and if you come in with a partner, you can grant that partner full Power of Attorney so they can do any activity on the corporation’s behalf.
Now, here is the trick. In order to engage in any business activity in Mexico you have to already have a business visa or you have to be a Mexican citizen. In order for this plan to work, the business has to request that the government issue the company’s president or any other employee, for that matter, a business visa. So how does an American get around this Catch-22? What you do is grant a Mexican accountant (many of whom specialize in this sort of thing) the rights to perform certain duties within your corporation. One of those duties is to file on your behalf the request for a FM2 business visa, which can be renewed annually. It looks like a passport. The accountant submits the paperwork to the Mexican IRS which they call the Hacienda and to the Bureau of Immigration. Expect to pay an additional $1,000 for this service.
With that visa you get your Mexican driver’s license and with that you engage in all the other activities as a Mexican citizen (including renewing your own visa) besides voting and holding a Mexican passport. So in essence the company is legally regarded as a Mexican citizen; they call it a persona morale, a moral entity.
You have to forego your rights to sue in U.S. court. You have to pay taxes, but for that you get an accountant. The accountant has to file every month for this Mexican corporation (I pay around $75 a month for this service. Others can try and do it alone, if they feel bold enough). They just put in zeros. Zero income and zero expenses and then every year you have to file an annual report, but it’s kind of like an EZ form. And then you have to file the same form with the Office of Foreign Affairs or Foreign Businesses. Potentially, after two or three years, you have to show that you are conducting business. This could be something like you say the place that you purchased or rented was leased to an American for three months in holiday season, and they gave you cash and you spent cash. The government is not what you’d call aggressive about looking into these things, so in reality you don’t actually have to earn any income. You just have to create this shell company and you’re in.
Of course, you can conduct real business, which I intend to do. Through Chongo Bravo, I purchased some land in Baja, and I will soon develop it into a surf camp.
Edna Vuong
Work Visa
China
I moved to Beijing on a tourist visa since I didn’t have a job at the time. It is possible to secure a job before moving, but I felt that it would be easier to get a job if I was already in Beijing. I also wanted to actually visit the offices and see the work environment and get a sense of what I would be working on before committing to any one office. The office I eventually decided on is a U.K.-based firm and was not registered with the Chinese government at the time. So I worked on a tourist visa for about six months before getting a work visa. The longest tourist visa I could get at the time was a three-month L visa. Every time the visa ran out I would have to leave the country and reapply. Since the office was not registered, they paid for these visa runs.
Visa runs are pretty easy and are a good excuse for more travel. Most people go to Hong Kong, but Korea, Singapore, and Japan are also good options. It is important to make sure you don’t stay past your visa date. The fine is pretty hefty.
For a work visa, I had to have a health check, which consists of X-rays, ultrasounds, EKG, and giving blood to test for HIV, syphilis, and drugs. You also have to provide a copy of a diploma from a university and a formal invitation letter from your employer. It isn’t cheap, but your employer should pay for all of this. The visa has to be renewed yearly, but the health check only needs to be done the first time.
Marshall Creamer
Work Visa
Hong Kong
I had to fill out a work visa application form, send a copy of my résumé, copy of my passport, and send a few reference letters. It was a very simple process for me, but that might be because I was able to transfer with my company. I don’t know any of the steps my company had to go through.
Paul Schuble
Three-year Work Visa
Japan
As a member of the JET Programme [Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme], I wasn’t required to do very much. After being accepted, my visa was taken care of for me. The only real paperwork I’ve had to do has been while in Japan. Is when I take a trip away. In order for someone who’s not a permanent resident to leave the country and come back, one must apply for a reentry permit.
Cara Smiley
FM2 Work Visa
Mexico
From 2002 to 2004, I worked part-time for an American organic certification agency and I represented their company in Mexico. I simultaneously worked as a consultant to a certified organic processing facility located in Northern Mexico, traveling four to six times a year to visit the operations. My FM3 work visa was the category of “visiting non-immigrant non-lucrative company representative.” This allowed me to work in Mexico and get paid in the USA. I obtained the work visa when I represented a U.S.-based organic certification agency in Mexico.
In 2004, I struck out on my own and created my own business. I own my own company, Integrated Organic Services, Inc., which is incorporated in the USA. I am an employee of my company. I have had an FM2 Immigrant work visa for the last five years. My visa states that I am authorized as the Company Representative and as an Organic Inspector. Although I: 1) am contracted by U.S. organic certification agencies to perform on-site inspections in Mexico and Latin America, 2) am contracted by U.S. organic certification agencies to perform desk audits of certified organic operations and 3) am contracted by Mexican companies to perform consulting work, for the sake of simplicity, I ONLY report the first to Immigration.
Once a year, I complete a two-page Application that is on the Instituto Nacional de Migracion (INM) website. I present copies of the three months’ most recent USA bank statements (my personal bank account and my business bank account) with translations into Spanish. All documents that are in English must be translated into Spanish and the Spanish translation (which I do) must be “certified” by a INM recognized translator. I present a letter from SAGARPA (equivalent of the USDA in Mexico) clarifying that I am allowed to practice my profession (inspect organic operations in Mexico) in Mexico. I present a letter stating my desire to continue living and working in Mexico. I present a letter stating that I continue to be the owner, company representative and employee of my company here in Mexico. I present a payment of approximately $250.00 USD. In previous years, I have been required to present Apostiled and translated (into Spanish) USA birth certificate, USA certificates of training as an organic inspector and USA business incorporation certificate and a notarized Mexican marriage certificate. Every year, in addition to the regular stated requirements, INM always requires something “extra” which is not a stated requirement.
Of the 10 times that I have requested and obtained a Work Visa, I have only hired a lawyer once. Frankly, it was not worth the expense. I ended up having to invest the same amount of time, stress and anxiety as when I have requested it on my own. I find that I generally have to go to the INM office (there is one in Oaxaca City) about four times: once to get the “current” list of requirements, once to turn in the required documents and for them to identify what “extra” previously unspecified documents will be required this year, once to turn in the “extra” documents and once to pick up the Visa.
Being married to a Mexican does not help one obtain a Work Visa.
This year, I will apply for Mexican citizenship. The paperwork required is relatively simple—Apostiled birth certificate, Mexican State and Federal penal checks, marriage certificate, etc. and a written test on Mexican culture, history, politics, etc. It took me about three months to compile the documents and the government will take about three months to review and reject/approve my citizenship.
Name Withheld by Request
FM3 Residence Visa and Work Permit
Mexico
I got an FM3, which looks like a U.S. driver’s license, by using a “facilitator” here. It was so easy. In order to move your possessions across the border you need an “FM3” so that you don’t pay duty on anything. Many people try to fill out the forms themselves and wind up frustrated and having it take way too long. I took people’s advice and hired someone to do the paperwork for 75 USD, and he got my FM3 for me in 6 days. The cost was around $200.
I did not have time to get a work permit when I got my FM3 as I was leaving too soon to return to Chicago to pack and sell things to prepare for the move. When I got down here permanently, I went back to the same person who then filed “work permit” papers for me that just get added to my FM3. You must choose only ONE specific occupation. I chose “painter”—though I wish it could have included graphic design, it does not.
Karen (and Jack) Dague
Work Visa–Residency Permit
Poland
My husband started the process to get his work visa in Oct. 2010. This ended up taking about five months to do. The paperwork was finally together but he then had to take the paperwork and his passport to the Polish Embassy in Washington DC, USA. Since he began his job here officially Jan. 1, 2011, it was impossible for him to take off the time to go to the States in January or February...so the middle of March my husband arrived in the States and went to the embassy and finally received his official work visa. Part of the reason this process took so long was that they kept transferring his case to several different people in different countries.
With the work visa finalized now it was time to move on to the residency cards... different documents had to be acquired and that has taken over two months. Again, our case has been transferred to different people and we finally have someone local who is supposed to be helping us get them done. I went to the immigration office with passport, marriage certificate, five passport photos, Jack’s work permit, our lease agreement and finally got my residency card finished.
Doug and Jennifer St. Martin
Work Visa and Family
Lisbon, Portugal
When Doug was offered the associate doctor position, he immediately set to work acquiring a work visa, with the hiring doctor’s sponsorship. By default, the family is allowed to come and live. He has a work visa, and temporary residency here. It only took about two months from the start of the process to acquire the work visa, because his job (chiropractor) is unique here, and he was being hired by someone with Portuguese citizenship. However, there were some complications to get fiscal numbers and everything for tax purposes straightened out, and that took us six weeks from the time we arrived to complete (and that was with a connection in the Social Security office). It requires a lot of patience. However, after two years here, I am still not 100% finished with my process of acquiring residency, and am currently consulting with a lawyer to move it along a little faster.
The only trick is to be extremely patient. Go a couple times to the immigration office if you don’t like one person’s answer there, as the next person will probably tell you something different. It is a process that requires a cool head. They also don’t mess with lawyers from this country much, and they can speed the process along, and do not charge outrageous fees. Definitely come with time and money on your hands.
David Morrill
Residency Visa
Ecuador
I have a residency visa, which is relatively easy to get in Ecuador. The two most popular ones are the pensionada, or retirement, visa (9-I) which requires an “income for life” of $800 (Social Security, a pension or trust income qualify); or, the investor visa (9-II), which requires an investment in Ecuador of $25,000 or more, which can be in real estate or a CD. My university retirement qualifies me under the retirement visa.
Scott
Work Visa (resident visa)
Saudi Arabia
I’ve been here since 2009 but I’ve spent a total of 18 years in Saudi Arabia. A work/residency card (Iqama) is mandatory—failure to have one can lead to deportation. The company/sponsor provides the visa and maintains it.
Paul Tenney
Work Visa
Singapore
You must have a job, initially, to get a work visa, and I already had that as I was coming here on a work assignment. I really marveled at the process, it felt like applying for college all over again—they wanted detailed work history, college transcripts and a copy of my diploma, etc. They want the best, the brightest, and the most productive people in the world to come to Singapore so that they will contribute to the country’s prosperity. It is the exact opposite of U.S. immigration policy. “Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses” is replaced with a critical evaluation of each prospective immigrant to ensure that they will become a positive factor in their society.
Dealing with the bureaucracy in Singapore is like taking a shortcut compared to just about anywhere in the world. Efficient, predictable service is their goal and they achieve that with great success.
If I remain in Singapore, I would likely elect to become a resident alien, but Singapore does not allow dual citizenship. I would have to give up my U.S. citizenship.
Turner Wright
E2 (English Teacher) Visa
Bugu, South Korea
I am on an E2 visa [English Conversation Teacher], which required extensive paperwork—a copy of my university degree and transcript, a criminal background check (soon to be federal), passport photos, and a few documents issued by the recruiting agency. For Korea, in-person interviews at a consulate or embassy are required to receive a visa. I made a special trip to Houston and interviewed during the final World Cup match.
Tinuola
Residency Permit
Czech Republic
I have my “long-term” residency permit and work visa through my employer. (That Czech immigration uses the word “long-term” to describe both documents is quite funny because they have to be renewed annually.) For work, almost all the international companies in Prague help their non-Czech employees through the residency/work permit process. I can’t think of any that don’t—unless they only hire Czechs. Even the podunk language schools offer some level of assistance. This was a key factor in my decision to move to the Czech Republic—that companies are open to do this. I was extremely fortunate that my firm—an American multinational—hired a consulting company to handle all immigration issues for its employees, thus I did not experience any difficulty with my status.
Chris Jacobs
Residency Permit
Estonia
As an American, you can be in Estonia up to three months without a visa. After that, you need a residency permit. A residency permit can be issued for several reasons. I received one first as an exchange student, and again as an employee. The entire process of obtaining residency is pretty simple. It took two months for student residency, and four months for working residency because I ran into a few problems along the way.
J.M.
RVP–Temporary Residence Permit
Pushkin, Russia
We started out on yearly business visas (me and my wife) and ‘accompanying family’ visas (the kids). However, in 2009, the rules for visas changed—and it got to be too much of a pain in the ass to work around them—that we moved into the “RVP”—a temporary residence permit that is good for three years at a time.
Getting a business visa is as easy as finding one of the thousands of “visa-obtaining” Russian companies, having them apply for an official invitation permit from the Russian immigration authorities, filling out the forms available online, and dumping it all (and money, naturally) with a Russian consulate for a couple days.
The biggest hassles with business visas:
First, one can only have a single Russian visa at a time, and visas can only be obtained outside Russia. This means staying to the end of a visa, leaving the country on the old one, then being stuck out of the country for at least three or four days (it used to be possible to do in a single day, but that changed in 2009) while you get your new one issued. At least the easiest way to avoid getting stuck in lines at the consulates is to get your visa in a country whose citizens have the right to travel to Russia visa-free. We tended to get ours in Kiev; only non-Ukrainians need Russian visas, so these were the only visas they had to process all week.
Second, while the multi-entry visa is technically valid for a year, it only grants permission to be in Russia for six months out of that year—in two three-month parts. This is a potentially serious problem, although we never had a problem since they’re just not tracking compliance with that particular aspect of the rules very closely.
As for the residence permit, it IS obtainable and extendable inside Russia, so there’s no need to leave every year. Getting it, however, is a year-long process, with interviews, collection of a vast number of documents, including birth and marriage certificates, police records from other countries you’ve lived in (or documents confirming that you have no police record), proof of income, etc, etc.—all translated into Russian by a notarized translation service. Permits are granted on a quota system, with no regard given for the nationality of the applicant. This means that an American waits in the same line for one of the same couple-thousand (in Saint Petersburg, they issue 1500 a year; in Moscow somewhat fewer; out in the eastern provinces, it varies) permits as do the numerous Uzbek, Kazakh, Tajik, etc. migrant workers.
One of the best things about Russia, however, is that there is practically no problem which cannot be solved. In this case, it took a chat with a policeman, the application of a couple hundred rubles (six USD or so equivalent) and a visit to a scanner and printer later on to gin up a new registration doc.
Name Withheld by Request
Residence Visa
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
They have what they call a residence visa that the company pays for and is sorted through them. It’s an interesting system because you usually have to work for the employer before a year and if you want to change you have to have a “no objection letter.” If you do not have this, your company can place a ban on you and you will be forced to leave the UAE for six months. I have changed employers and most are pretty flexible with this.
As for citizenship in this country, you are not eligible unless you stay for 20 years and speak Arabic. For me, it’s not really an issue.
Tyler Watts
Temporary Resident
Vietnam
All foreigners living in VN for a prolonged period must apply for a work permit and thereafter a work visa or residence card. To receive a work permit, one must submit notarized degrees, and complete a criminal background check and a health check. Vietnam seeks highly skilled workers so a bachelor’s or higher is expected at least. Many expats here did visa runs to Cambodia or nearby countries but the government has cracked down and the possibility of extended runs has decreased, though it is still possible.
I initially came here single and as a recent grad and I met my wife after about a year and a half of living and working here. She is Vietnamese and her hometown is in a rural area of the Mekong Delta. We both taught at the same university in the Mekong Delta (An Giang University). It is certainly helpful to have her assistance in doing all manner of paperwork here but my legal status with work permit, residence card, etc. is unrelated to our marriage. It’s possible to get a temporary residence card based on marriage, however each province seems to look at the law differently (this is true for most documents and processes).
If you have a work permit then getting a visa is usually no trouble. However some companies are reluctant to get the work permit for foreigners and in that case it seems one can still do visa runs across the border but it’s a risky option. If you have a work permit the process for getting a temporary resident card seems not too difficult.
I have had various visas but have always gone through my organizations and companies here. I did get my own visa with a letter from the ministry of education for about a year when I was working with a nonprofit volunteer organization as their in-country representative. Never had any big issues except when a ‘friend’ was to pick up my completed visa and passport in Hanoi and mail it to me and he never did (saying it was lost). The visa department never let me know they had the passport so I went through the process of getting a new one only to find it was sitting in their office the whole time.
Overall I have found the government employees to be helpful. There is loads of bureaucracy but the people in the cogs of it all can’t help being in such a red-tape-littered system. I have given a bribe or two to get things done quickly (though in the States this is called the “expedited fee” so I don’t have too many qualms about it). I have had kindly people who have turned bribes down as well. I find that attempts at the language, respectable dress, a patient attitude and a kind heart go a long way. I make an effort to remember the names of those working in government offices (particularly in places I frequent) and it is certainly appreciated.
Sharon Hiebing
Retirement Visa (Qualified Retirement Program)
Belize
I didn’t just move to Belize sight unseen. I made a preliminary “research” trip, and during that trip I met with an attorney to review which of the three immigration choices that Belize has to offer was right for me. I decided on the Qualified Retirement Program (QRP). You must be 45 years or older and have a monthly pension of at least $2,000 USD to qualify. One of the perks is that you only need to live in Belize one month out of the year, and they let you bring all of your household goods and either a car, boat or airplane over duty-free! Some of the cons are you are not allowed to work for pay (although you may buy or start a business), and none of the time in the QRP counts toward permanent residency, if you ever decide to go that route.
The process was very straightforward—simply fill out an application, provide copies of various documents (birth certificate, passport, etc.), a police report, two reference letters, and a physical exam, along with your fees. I did it all via FedEx prior to moving to Belize. All in all, getting into the program and paying for the attorney cost about $3100 USD (it’s about half that without an attorney, and you need to add another $750 USD for your spouse and each dependent/child). Every year I must renew.
Belize has two other immigration options—Tourist Visa or Permanent Residency. They are both quite straightforward, and each of the three options has its pros and cons. I think Belize’s immigration process is one of the easiest of any country I’ve seen.
Camille Moreno
Resident Permit (Student)
Germany
I am now on my second student visa. To get the student visa I had to provide bank statements and display an interest in studying in Germany. I had told the Office of Foreign Relations that I would study in Berlin, and they had allotted me two years to learn German and get accepted to a university. I continued to learn German at school and later by doing some internships in art galleries around town. I took the CI language test and failed. I did some more internships, took it again, passed, and within a month or so had been accepted to one of the art universities. Having done what I said I would do within the first two years, getting the visa the second time around really just involved providing a new photo and giving them €60.
Tim
Student Visa
United Kingdom
I am in London on a student visa, working on a Ph.D. in the humanities. I’ve been here for a few years, working part-time and subsidizing my stay with a few student loans. I came here with my partner, who enrolled in a two-year Master’s degree program in art. School seems expensive but luckily I won a studentship at the last minute and tuition was waived for the first three years of my four-year program. For most people, it is still actually cheaper than paying full price for art schools in the States, so if you are trying to make a decision, don’t discount London just because it sounds expensive.
Technically, I can work 20 hours a week on my student visa, but the current administration seems to be making it harder and harder for students to use their visas as a way into U.K. society. The Conservatives in the U.K. are trying to cut net immigration in half and they have identified the student visa as the most abused category of immigration. On top of closing down an armada of bogus language and business schools running out of offices in central London, they are getting rid of legitimate opportunities, like the post-study work visa, which allows graduates to apply for a two-year extension. Despite all this, it is still the best and easiest way to get into the country other than marriage.
Vina Rathbone
Tourist Visa
Argentina
I am an illegal resident, unfortunately. It is very easy to do this in Argentina. Many people come here on three-month tourist visas, and then renew their visas every three months by taking a short ferry trip across the river to Uruguay. You can do this several times without being questioned. If you overstay your tourist visa and it expires, the next time you leave the country, you must pay a 300 peso (U.S. $75) fine.
Kelly Kittel
Tourist Visa
Costa Rica
I have a tourist visa so I have to leave every three months. It stinks and is a pain in the, um, passport. Rumor has it that CR is finally realizing they are sending all this income out of the country every three months and hopefully someday soon you will be able to pay right here to extend your three months instead of leaving the country.
To live under the most hassle-free status in a foreign land often means going all the way and becoming a citizen. Your right to live there would become unquestioned, as is your access to all the perks—health insurance, the right to work, and the ability to collect unemployment benefits, where available.
Will the feds snatch your passport out of your ungrateful hands once they discover that you’re taking your citizenship elsewhere? Not likely. To get your U.S. passport revoked, you have to do more than just live somewhere else. A lot more. On the other hand, your adopted country may not allow you to hold two passports, in which case you’ll have to decide which one you’d prefer to keep (see Dual Citizenship section).
Of course, for most people, foreign citizenship is far from an absolute necessity. Many long and happy lives are lived by Americans abroad on far weaker documentation. Others can’t wait to escape the U.S. government, particularly the IRS.
Many people interested in opening offshore accounts where large sums of money can be discreetly stashed seek passports from less inquisitive governments. The web of international rules and by-laws you would need to navigate without running afoul of any powers-that-be are complex. Assuming you have an asset portfolio that makes this worthy of consideration also assumes you have some spare change left over to hire an international legal team to sort it all out for you. It is not a game for do-it-yourselfers. Using the offshore banking system for money-laundering, financial hijinks or other criminal activity will land you in trouble with just about every law enforcement organization on the planet. We don’t recommend it.
Seven Paths to Citizenship
Despite what many people believe, only in a small minority of cases in a minority of countries is national identity given away “automatically.” Returning exiles, particularly in certain cases of political upheaval, secession and/or displacement, exiles are given the opportunity to reclaim their citizenship. In this, as in many cases having to do with birth and descendancy, it is often not so much a question of being “granted citizenship” as merely getting the government to recognize what has always been a legal fact.
Immigration laws change frequently, are applied capriciously, and are full of contingencies and exceptions. A criminal record in the U.S., undesirable political activity, or simply a lack of visible means of support might cause your prospective government to spurn your petition. This is not to say that there aren’t a few tried and true methods that you can count on to work most of the time. Before making your move, however, you are encouraged to contact the appropriate embassy to find out the most current immigration laws and how they apply to your particular situation.
By Birth
If you were not born in the United States, ask your land of birth if you could have citizenship. Chances are, they’ll say yes. Not every country recognizes anchor babies (or jus solis). And those that do may require that you can produce one parent that was a citizen, as well. If the country in question gained independence or radically transformed its government (e.g., the former Soviet Bloc) after you were born, things get trickier. In other cases, the laws acknowledge in some way that birth, while not automatic, constitutes a valid reason to petition the government for your papers and sets a lower bar than it does for other would-be citizens.
By Ancestry
Where’s your daddy from? If he was a citizen of the country you want to move to, you’re often in better shape than if you were born there to non-citizen parents. If it’s just your mother who’s the citizen, it’s usually, but not always, just as good (unless you were born out of wedlock or your father is unknown, in which case a mother counts like a dad). Indeed, ancestry is usually the fastest track to citizenship, often demanding no other requirements (i.e., language proficiency, residency, etc.). In some rare instances, it takes both parents to lock in citizenship. Since this is known as jus sanguinis (citizenship by blood), there’s also a preference for native-born parents over the naturalized kind. Ireland, Greece and Croatia, for instance, will even grant citizenship to grandchildren. Germany will grant citizenship to descendents of citizens who were expelled or lost their citizenship during the Nazi period. This is worth knowing even if you don’t want to live in those countries, because you’ll receive E.U. citizenship and passport entitling you to live and work anywhere among the 27 member states. Likewise, having a parent or sometimes grandparent from any member state (as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) can be your key to living and working just about anywhere on the continent. While it seldom puts you on the express lane to citizenship the way a native-born parent would, even the merest drop of the motherland’s blood in your veins—or a close relative who still lives there—can grease the wheels of your return.
Marry In
Many who journey to foreign citizenship take the marriage path, either from love or by other means. There will be other demands besides the usual ones that go along with having a spouse—continuous residency in the country, proving cohabitation, etc. Some countries, particularly conservative Latin American and Islamic countries, grant citizenship to women marrying a male citizen, but not male outsiders marrying that country’s women. Other governments recognize marriage in a way that lowers or waives other requirements for a prospective citizen. In either case, you will likely be granted residency while your paperwork moves through the system, a process that can take years. Even in the cases where you’re not going to be granted citizenship, you’re usually allowed to stay there as a permanent resident, which is almost the same thing. Marriage in a foreign country subjects you to another legal apparatus. In conservative Catholic and Muslim countries, those laws favor men.
Gay Marriage/Civil Union
The following countries allow immigration based on same-sex partnerships: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K.
Wait For It
This is known as “Naturalization” and involves a long protracted slog. Getting a government to grant an outsider the rights to become a member of their particular country club, as it were, often requires fulfilling a mosaic of requirements that vary greatly from country-to-country. You will, with few exceptions, be required to put in years of residency and to stay out of trouble and not be a pain or burden. And there’s the rub, since living and working are difficult (though far from impossible) without the privileges of citizenship or at least permanent residency. If you get your toehold and can put in the years, you’ll only have to face the battery of tests on the language, history, and culture of your new land, submit a stream of letters of recommendation, pay outrageous fees and grind away hours in bureaucratic red tape before you obtain your prized new passport. If family ties, adoption, and marriage aren’t specifically acknowledged in the laws of that country, they can still lower the residency bar, making employment and living permits easier, as well as being considered as part of the case as to why you should be naturalized.
Earn or Beg For It
Often known as “citizenship by petition,” this method involves demonstrating to immigration authorities that you have performed some great service to that country and thus deserve to be accepted as one of them, or that you would become a great asset to that country. In 2005, the former World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer (now deceased) was granted Icelandic citizenship under article 6 of the Icelandic Nationality Act that allows the Althingi (Icelandic Parliament) to bestow citizenship by statute. Fischer’s “in” was that he put the country on the map in 1976 when he played Soviet Chess Champion Boris Spassky in a widely-watched match held in Reykjavik. This earned Fischer the affection of Icelanders. This method also works well for distinguished scientists, artists and celebrities whose mere presence can be said to confer prestige upon the nation. Unless there’s a Nobel prize or something similar among your important papers, this method is probably not an option for you.
Buy It
Economic citizenship, as it’s called, where a passport is issued to anyone who makes a “significant investment” in a given country, was once a big revenue generator for nations in the tax haven business. Post-9/11 arm-twisting by the U.S. government shut down the majority of these mills, most notably Grenada’s where citizenship and cheap tropical surroundings were for sale for a mere $40,000. Nowadays, only the Caribbean nations of St. Kitts and Nevis (that’s one country) and Dominica (pronounced “dah-min-EEK-uh” and not to be confused with the Dominican Republic) remain in the citizenship mill business. St. Kitts has a rather pricey program, costing as little as $200,000 (for an individual) as a straight-up payment or around $350,000 if it goes to a long-term (minimum five years) designated real estate investment. Dominica is the Wal-Mart of economic citizenship, allowing you to snap up a passport for $75,000–$100,000. In the case of Dominica, it’s truly an “economic” citizenship (more about getting your money out of the USA than your actual person) since they don’t even require that you actually live there.
But for the truly rich, this is of little consequence, as there are myriad ways that money buys citizenship or at least long-term residency (which in many cases makes you eligible for citizenship). In Austria, for instance, this is not spelled out in law, but it does occur in a few cases per year. Investment visas can easily be issued until residency requirements are fulfilled. A well-paid attorney can petition the government on your behalf. Only the most blindly Marxist or paranoid totalitarian regimes shut the door to rich people.
BE WARNED: Much of what is being offered as a “Second Passport,” particularly if it’s over the Internet or of the “pay a guy in a back room” kind of deal, is a scam. If you’re not a diplomat, then you’d better not be in possession of a diplomatic passport, regardless of who sold it to you and how. If you’re not required to be physically present at some government office(s) in the country in question, what you’ll receive is likely bogus—if you receive anything at all. If you are caught traveling with any kind of forged or otherwise sketchily-acquired passport, you could easily find yourself in jail. If you’ve used it to open up an offshore bank account, your assets can be seized.
Play the Race Card
In less than a handful of countries, your ethnicity is your ticket. The African nation of Liberia still offers citizenship to any person of “Negro-African descent.” Perhaps the most famous and often-used ethnic entry is Israel’s Law of Return, which basically grants any Jew, whether by descent or conversion, automatic Israeli citizenship.
Wikipedia has decent, though occasionally confusing or inaccurate, explanations of the general terms of nationality laws (the laws that determine who is, isn’t, can and cannot be a citizen of a given country). A better bet is to contact the embassy or consulate of the country you’re interested in or see if they post their nationality laws online (many do).
Second Passport Without Citizenship
A few countries, such as Panama and Uruguay, offer a “passport” that confers no rights of citizenship. Panama allows foreigners (usually retirees) to deposit enough money in a five-year interest-bearing (4%) CD with a designated (state) Panamanian bank. As long as the monthly interest exceeds around USD $850 (meaning a balance of over $260,000 or so) you are considered a “retiree” and offered a passport valid for five years and renewable as long as you keep fulfilling the requirements of the program. Unlike the citizenship-for-sale deals in the Caribbean, the money is not paid but deposited and thus, it’s still yours. Obviously, you’ll be making less interest than other banks might pay, plus you’ll be paying a few thousand to a lawyer to push the paperwork, but it’s still the most achievable method of obtaining a second passport. Because the document does NOT make you a citizen, it is essentially a travel document and is of limited use for American citizens, particularly in relation to the cost.
Join the French Foreign Legion
Believe it nor not, the French Foreign Legion, that last-ditch repository of misfits, ne’er-do-wells and adventurers, still offers a chance to leave your old name and country behind. If you’re between the ages of 17–40, are in good health and don’t mind quelling a Third World upheaval should you be called upon to do so, France needs you. Pay starts at €975 a month (roughly $1,285) and room, board and medical benefits are included. After three years of a five-year contract, you are eligible for French citizenship. On October 12, 2000, the legion was ordered to accept women into its ranks. As of this writing, compliance has not yet begun.
Dual Citizenship
Does acquiring a foreign citizenship require that you give up your American one? Probably not. While the United States government does not officially encourage you to share allegiance with another land, or even recognize it, it does not outlaw the practice of dual citizenship and likely won’t outlaw it in the foreseeable future. The reason for this has a lot to do with the needs of multinational corporations in the global marketplace, but implications can accrue to the benefit of the disgruntled citizen.
As a dual citizen, you would still be allowed to vote in U.S. elections, but conversely, you would still be liable for income tax—see The IRS and You. And should the draft be reinstated, you’d still be eligible. Then again, you might be drafted into the military services of your new country.
In some cases, however, a foreign government will not grant you citizenship until you give up yours. The necessity to renounce citizenship in order to become a citizen of another country is getting rarer and rarer. Almost 100 countries and territories recognize dual citizenship. And the list grows by the year, the latest being Chile and Portugal.
Countries Which Do Not Recognize Dual Citizenship
Brunei
China
Denmark
Ecuador
Fiji
Indonesia
Japan
Kazhakstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Kuwait
Malaysia
Mauritius
Myanmar
Nepal
Papua New Guinea
Peru
Poland
Romania
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Solomon Islands
Turkey
Venezuela
(some restrictions apply in Austria, Egypt, Germany, Iran, Latvia, Norway, Pakistan, Peru and Spain)
Freeing yourself of the IRS certainly has appeal, and for many wealthy people, it’s almost a no-brainer, but before taking such a drastic step, think hard. The U.S. will not release you of financial obligations incurred prior to renunciation, nor of any military service you are obligated to fulfill and certainly won’t let you off on any criminal charges (quite the opposite: you’d be considered a fugitive from justice). You will likely still have to file returns for many years afterwards. Your Social Security payments would still be paid, but you would forfeit any military pension. Of course, one day you might want to return to the U.S. As a non-citizen you will be subject to the same requirements and humiliations as the average foreigner now endures. In some cases, this means long application processes in American embassies overseas, fees, long lines, and various other frustrations. You can be turned away at the U.S. border simply because a Customs agent doesn’t like the way you look. In fact, depending on the country you adopted, considerably worse things can happen. ‘Nuff said.
Jude Angione
Dual Citizen, U.S. + Canada
I became a Landed Immigrant in 1972 and a Canadian citizen in 1977. It was dead simple in the ’70s. All you had to do was show up at the border with a job offer in Canada. It’s much more expensive and time-consuming now, somewhere in the neighborhood of $4,000 to get through the landed immigrant process.
Alessandra
Dual Citizen, U.S. + E.U.-Italy
(lives in Porto, Portugal)
I started looking for visa options and a way to legally live and work in Spain. While securing a Spanish visa seemed difficult, through online research, I discovered I was eligible for Italian citizenship through blood (jure sanguinis). My great-grandparents on my father’s side of the family had all immigrated to the United States from Italy in the late 1800s, after laws had been passed in Italy allowing the right to citizenship to be passed on to future generations. As an Italian citizen, I would be able to travel, live and work throughout the E.U., which sounded like a dream to me.
I made an appointment to file the citizenship application with the Italian consulate in New York City, where I was still a resident. The application preparation required a great amount of determination, paper shuffling, and help from my family to locate old birth, death and marriage records for my Italian relatives from the Italian govenrment and U.S. offices at the Federal and State level. I prepared and completed the application on my own, but there are agencies or law offices that will prepare the documents for you, if you prefer to pay someone. The process from start to finish took about 18 months, and required a great amount of determination, paper shuffling, and help from my family to locate old birth, death and marriage records for my Italian relatives.
After receiving my approval letter, I filed for and received a passport.
Seven Ways to Lose Your Citizenship
Revocation of U.S. citizenship is rare, and despite the erosion of citizens’ rights and much talk about revoking citizenship by executive fiat, it is highly unlikely that you’ll lose your citizenship unless you make a conscious choice to do so. The following are the seven ways Americans can have their birthright legally revoked:
1Being naturalized in a foreign country, upon the person’s own application made after reaching 18 years of age;
2Making an oath or other declaration of allegiance to a foreign country or division thereof, again, after reaching 18 years of age;
3Serving in the armed forces of a foreign country if those armed forces are engaged in hostilities against the U.S., or if the person serves as an officer;
4Working for the government of a foreign country if the person also obtains nationality in that country, or if to work in such a position an oath or other declaration of allegiance is required;
5Making a formal renunciation of U.S. citizenship before a U.S. consular officer or diplomat in a foreign country;
6Making a formal written statement of renunciation during a state of war, if the Attorney General approves the renunciation as not contrary to U.S. national defense; and
7.Committing an act of treason against the U.S., or attempting by force or the use of arms to overthrow the government of the U.S.. Renunciation by this means can be accomplished only after a court has found the person guilty.
Source: www.visalaw.com
Those required to renounce or otherwise gung-ho to give up their American passport for political reasons or taxation purposes will likely make use of option #5. And if you choose to go through with it, you have to go to a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad (it cannot be done in the United States) and formally renounce your citizenship. U.S. consular officials often take umbrage at such requests and the experience of relinquishing your passport is likely to be unpleasant. For some, this renouncement becomes the opportunity to make the ultimate political statement...or at least an interesting blog post.
It can’t be stressed often enough that this is a big step, and careful thought should be given before doing something as irrevocable as renunciation.
Renunciation of U.S. Citizenship
IMMIGRATION & NATIONALITY ACT
Section 349(a)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) (8 U.S.C. 1481(a) (5)) is the section of law that governs the ability of a United States citizen to renounce his or her U.S. citizenship. That section of law provides for the loss of nationality by voluntarily performing the following act with the intent to relinquish his or her U.S. nationality:
“(5) making a formal renunciation of nationality before a diplomatic or consular officer of the United States in a foreign state, in such form as may be prescribed by the Secretary of State” (emphasis added).
ELEMENTS OF RENUNCIATION
A person wishing to renounce his or her U.S. citizenship must voluntarily and with intent to relinquish U.S. citizenship:
1. appear in person before a U.S. consular or diplomatic officer,
2. in a foreign country (normally at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate); and
3. sign an oath of renunciation
Renunciations that do not meet the conditions described above have no legal effect. Because of the provisions of section 349(a)(5), Americans cannot effectively renounce their citizenship by mail, through an agent, or while in the United States. In fact, U.S. courts have held certain attempts to renounce U.S. citizenship to be ineffective on a variety of grounds, as discussed below.
REQUIREMENT—RENOUNCE ALL RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES
In the case of Colon v. U.S. Department of State, 2 F.Supp.2d 43 (1998), plaintiff was a United States citizen and resident of Puerto Rico, who executed an oath of renunciation before a consular officer at the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia rejected Colon’s petition for a writ of mandamus directing the Secretary of State to approve a Certificate of Loss of Nationality in the case because the plaintiff wanted to retain one of the primary benefits of U.S. citizenship while claiming he was not a U.S. citizen. The Court described the plaintiff as a person, “claiming to renounce all rights and privileges of United States citizenship, [while] Plaintiff wants to continue to exercise one of the fundamental rights of citizenship, namely to travel freely throughout the world and when he wants to, return and reside in the United States.” See also Jose Fufi Santori v. United States of America, 1994 U.S. App. LEXIS 16299 (1994) for a similar case.
A person who wants to renounce U.S. citizenship cannot decide to retain some of the privileges of citizenship, as this would be logically inconsistent with the concept of renunciation. Thus, such a person can be said to lack a full understanding of renouncing citizenship and/or lack the necessary intent to renounce citizenship, and the Department of State will not approve a loss of citizenship in such instances.
DUAL NATIONALITY/STATELESSNESS
Persons intending to renounce U.S. citizenship should be aware that, unless they already possess a foreign nationality, they may be rendered stateless and, thus, lack the protection of any government. They may also have difficulty traveling as they may not be entitled to a passport from any country. Even if they were not stateless, they would still be required to obtain a visa to travel to the United States, or show that they are eligible for admission pursuant to the terms of the Visa Waiver Pilot Program (VWPP). If found ineligible for a visa or the VWPP to come to the U.S., a renunciant, under certain circumstances, could be barred from entering the United States. Nonetheless, renunciation of U.S. citizenship may not prevent a foreign country from deporting that individual back to the United States in some non-citizen status.
TAX & MILITARY OBLIGATIONS/NO ESCAPE FROM PROSECUTION
Also, persons who wish to renounce U.S. citizenship should also be aware that the fact that a person has renounced U.S. citizenship may have no effect whatsoever on his or her U.S. tax or military service obligations (contact the Internal Revenue Service or U.S. Selective Service for more information). In addition, the act of renouncing U.S. citizenship will not allow persons to avoid possible prosecution for crimes which they may have committed in the United States, or escape the repayment of financial obligations previously incurred in the United States or incurred as United States citizens abroad.
RENUNCIATION FOR MINOR CHILDREN
Parents cannot renounce U.S. citizenship on behalf of their minor children. Before an oath of renunciation will be administered under Section 349(a)(5) of the INA, a person under the age of eighteen must convince a U.S. diplomatic or consular officer that he/she fully understands the nature and consequences of the oath of renunciation, is not subject to duress or undue influence, and is voluntarily seeking to renounce his/her U.S. citizenship.
IRREVOCABILITY OF RENUNCIATION
Finally, those contemplating a renunciation of U.S. citizenship should understand that the act is irrevocable, except as provided in section 351 of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1483), and cannot be canceled or set aside absent successful administrative or judicial appeal. (Section 351(b) of the INA provides that an applicant who renounced his or her U.S. citizenship before the age of eighteen can have that citizenship reinstated if he or she makes that desire known to the Department of State within six months after attaining the age of eighteen. See also Title 22, Code of Federal Regulations, section 50.20).
Renunciation is the most unequivocal way in which a person can manifest an intention to relinquish U.S. citizenship. Please consider the effects of renouncing U.S. citizenship, described above, before taking this serious and irrevocable action. If you have any further questions regarding this matter, please contact the Director, Office of Police Review and Inter-Agency Liaison (CA/OCS/PRI), Overseas Citizen Services, Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State, 4th Floor, 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington D.C. 20037. email: askpri@state.gov
Anthony D.
Madrid, Spain
Part of the process of becoming a citizen is having to get fingerprints made. The Spanish National Police made them, I sent them into the FBI, they sent them back because they weren’t done right, and I had to get them done again. I got in the line to submit documents at 3 a.m. because they only let 100 people in every day to submit...or so I thought. Guys from South America sleeping in boxes come out like caterpillars from cocoons around 8 a.m. to sell their places to the highest bidder...or so I thought. Turns out that the mafias are now gone. It’s just paperwork...nothing too interesting. Well, the U.S. embassy made it a bit more fun when they told me (when I expressed my concern about Spain’s insistence that I “renounce” my U.S. citizenship) that if they take my passport to just come by and get another one. Just a silly game, really.