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up vote 13 down vote

added by Thilo Mar 5 '12 at 2:11

Swap out "good" with something more objective (e.g., "comprehensive", "low-deductible", etc.), and I'd say this is an excellent question. – todofixthis Aug 15 '12 at 21:42

up vote 13 down vote

added by todofixthis Jul 28 '12 at 0:26

(as posted by a person who is not currently a resident of [country]) – todofixthis Jul 28 '12 at 0:28

up vote 11 down vote

added by Thilo Mar 5 '12 at 2:11

up vote 11 down vote

added by JMax Mar 9 '12 at 9:07

If you are just looking to save money, pay taxes in the country in which you work. Otherwise, I would suggest you pay taxes in both so you can claim a pension from both. In the US you can pay social security, and in France, I believe you can make minimum payments like any other country in the EU. My Father pays taxes in the US and Spain so he can claim a pension from both, so I don't think it will be very different. – DrewStefanJames Aug 1 '12 at 7:49

Most pension systems have minimum years of participation required to receive full benefits. If you stop contributing in France you may not be able to receive a full pension there or in the US, and are just hamstringing yourself. As for income taxes, each country is different, though most countries do not require you to pay income taxes in your home country for income earned in the country of residence (the US is an exception to this rule if you are a US citizen). – jmac Mar 29 at 4:11

up vote 11 down vote

added by myhd Aug 8 '12 at 17:02

e.g. may be useful for residents from Germany ("Zweitwohnsitz" concept) – myhd Aug 8 '12 at 17:04

up vote 10 down vote

added by Sklivvz♦ Mar 4 '12 at 10:03

up vote 10 down vote

added by Thilo Mar 5 '12 at 2:15

As posted by someone who is not a citizen of Japan, I assume? – todofixthis Aug 24 '12 at 6:52

Might be relevant for Japanese citizens that move abroad, too. – Thilo Aug 24 '12 at 7:33

Yes. If you are an American citizen upon moving back to the US you can transfer the balance of your pension payments in to the Japanese system in to US Social Security. If from another country without a similar agreement, you can apply for a refund of up to 3 years of national pension payments. If you work for over X years and do not do one of the above, you can receive pension payments from the Japanese government even if not a citizen (X depends on level of benefits, I believe you require 30 or 35 years for full benefits, and 10+ for minimal benefits) – jmac Mar 29 at 4:19

up vote 10 down vote

added by Thilo Mar 5 '12 at 2:28

That depends on what country you're from. If you're from america, you can request an absentee ballot from your embassy for every election you are eligible for in your city, county and state as well as all Federal elections. – DrewStefanJames Aug 1 '12 at 7:56

up vote 10 down vote

added by Sklivvz♦ Mar 5 '12 at 21:20

up vote 10 down vote

added by Sklivvz♦ Mar 5 '12 at 21:23

Does cost of living changes over time? We should discuss whether or not this question is "Too Localized". What does everyone think? – jmort253 Jul 29 '12 at 22:21

There's a "rapidly changing event" post notice for that. – Sklivvz♦ Jul 29 '12 at 22:24

I am a serial expat and write a blog for people who want to become expats. When I'm doing research for the cost of living in an area, I use numbeo.com as a starting point (numbeo.com/cost-of-living/…). However, the cost of living is a dangerous metric because it tends to be measured in absolute terms when what you often want are relative measures. In other words, how much does it cost if you live there and earn a typical salary? See also: overseas-exile.com/2011/03/… – Curtis Poe Dec 23 '12 at 13:11

up vote 10 down vote

added by Sklivvz♦ Mar 5 '12 at 21:24

Not a real question example – Sklivvz♦ Mar 5 '12 at 21:24

How is it not a valid question? It follows the general "I'm moving to [country] and don't understand [cultural question]." pattern that seems to define this community. – Doches Jul 20 '12 at 13:38

It's too generic? – Sklivvz♦ Jul 20 '12 at 19:28

It might be useful to indicate how this question is specific to expatriation as opposed to travel. Also, the degree of difficulty you will encounter varies greatly depending where in the country you are living. I can't speak specifically to France, but for instance in the US, if you only know Spanish, you will have a much easier time of things if you live in, say San Antonio than if you were moving to Minneapolis. – todofixthis Jul 29 '12 at 17:53

This is the sort of question which should be used to guide FAQ creation. When people ask questions here, they'll need to understand how to ask them. In this case they should be prompted to be as specific as possible. For example, if they live in Paris (as I do), they can get by without French, but it will be difficult. In Aix-En-Provence it would be much harder. Like any question, more information leads to better answers. – Curtis Poe Dec 23 '12 at 13:15

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up vote 10 down vote

added by todofixthis Jul 28 '12 at 0:28

(as posted by a person who is not currently a resident of [country]) – todofixthis Jul 28 '12 at 0:28

up vote 10 down vote

added by todofixthis Jul 28 '12 at 0:29

up vote 10 down vote

added by todofixthis Jul 28 '12 at 0:30

up vote 10 down vote

added by todofixthis Jul 28 '12 at 0:31

up vote 10 down vote

added by peteroak Aug 5 '12 at 10:50

this could be too localized – Sklivvz♦ Jan 14 at 21:47

up vote 10 down vote

added by peteroak Aug 5 '12 at 10:54

up vote 10 down vote

added by GorrillaMcD Oct 16 '12 at 4:24

up vote 10 down vote

added by GorrillaMcD Oct 16 '12 at 4:34

Assuming that my home country doesn't allow dual-citizenship. That's an honest question that I've always wondered and will probably ask if the site goes to beta (and if it's deemed on-topic). Of course, the body of the question would have more detail to explain what I mean. – GorrillaMcD Oct 16 '12 at 4:37

Often they won't find out. However, it depends on where you're becoming a citizen of. Many countries forbid dual citizenship and some (allegedly Mexico and Japan are examples), take your word that you renounced your previous citizenship. Others, such as Germany, require proof that you've renounced your previous citizenship. All of this is very contextual because there are often exceptions to the "no dual citizenship" rule. – Curtis Poe Dec 23 '12 at 13:18

If you travel on your home country passport when entering/leaving, but use the second passport in the second country when entering/leaving, especially if you are in the second country for an extended period (over 6 months), they will wonder how you managed to be there without leaving or a visa over an extended period. Passport agents usually don't care, but they also likely know (as all that data is logged, and an audit may pick it up). – jmac Mar 29 at 4:15

up vote 10 down vote

added by bytebuster Nov 14 '12 at 5:37

Under current US law, if you are a US citizen (who's previously resided in the US), your child is almost guaranteed to be a US citizen with NO action on your part. That being said, you still want to contact your consulate and register your child as it's often hard to prove after the fact. However, you may be saddling your child with a lifetime of debt: overseas-exile.com/2011/02/… – Curtis Poe Dec 23 '12 at 13:27

@CurtisPoe, this site is not for answering questions. Instead, it's about defining what Q's are valid for the proposed site. Our role here is up\down- voting the questions and offering our own. – bytebuster Dec 23 '12 at 14:20

@bytebuster: Thanks for the clarification. – Curtis Poe Dec 28 '12 at 14:17

up vote 10 down vote

added by Vince Jan 14 at 15:21

up vote 10 down vote

added by igelkott Mar 3 at 21:05

up vote 9 down vote

added by Ricardo Altamirano Aug 1 '12 at 21:48

Depends on the group. It also depends on whether or not the US will find out and how "desirable" of an immigrant you are. I've a good friend who is technically barred from entry to the US due to a political affiliation four decades ago. She's since disavowed the affiliation and didn't mention it when she moved to the US. If you're unsure, I would strongly advise contacting an immigration attorney. – Curtis Poe Dec 23 '12 at 13:20

In my personal case, I don't mention it when I come in and out of the US, since when I came to the US my passport was from the UK, not my home country. I meant the question generally, also because in my case, the group (the FSLN) is no longer considered very problematic to US officials. I was quite young when I was a member as well. – Ricardo Altamirano Dec 24 '12 at 4:46