As an American, How Can I Live in Another Country?
Preparation, Preparation, Preparation
Many people have had similar questions, whether just as a thought or a serious consideration. We may ask, “How can I move to another country?” “How long can I stay in another country?” “What steps do I need to take to move out of the U.S?” And many more questions of the like. I can only speak about my experience as I plan a move to Germany, but some of these answers may be universal, while more pertain particularly to the European Union, and even more particularly to Germany.
There’s a surprising amount of ways to accomplish a move. Let’s knock out the obvious and least likely options first, shall we?
Are you independently wealthy from an inheritance of some kind?
Are you an American ambassador/diplomat?
Are you a scientist?
Are you in the military?
Are you a student?
These are, sadly, the “easiest” ways to get into another country and each one brings a different kind of dilemma. Seeing as how a majority of the population aren’t rich, political figures, or scientists, then you we look at feasible options. Being in the military is a sure way to land you at an American base. We have bases all over the world, so this seems doable. That is until you realize you don’t always get the choice of where you live or for how long. Military life isn’t for all of us, either. Then, there’s the student option. This is the easiest and most convenient option. In Germany, many things are free or drastically cheaper for students and if you work with a school to get you over to that country, they’ll hold your hand through it. You can learn the language, be in situations to make friends, and use your breaks to do some sightseeing. This, too, doesn’t always work for us as many of us are out of school with jobs or if you’re in school, you’re just trying to survive in a familiar environment as it is.
There’s another option that’s more feasible for regular, average adults. Try to work for an American company that has branches in the country you’d like to visit, or vice versa. If you speak the language of the country, then you can try and seek a job as some sort of a liaison, company representative, etc. As an American citizen, you’re allowed to stay in Germany for 90 days (three months) on just your passport. I believe this is true for all European countries, but I could be wrong. Other countries, like the U.K, may also have a very similar system (seeing as how they’re, technically, no longer in the E.U, things are different for them). But this is a short-term, easy option where you know you wouldn’t stay in the country for too terribly long. What if you want to stay for longer than 90 days? This, boys and girls, brings you to Ehron’s world of pain. This is what I spent all summer (from May to September) planning and preparing for.
Being a freelancer, entrepreneur, or working remotely/working a remote job is our new-age option. This makes you an “expatriate” or “expat,” which basically means you live outside of your native country. And if you work for an American company while living abroad, you’re, luckily, only responsible for federal taxes since you don’t live in a state. According to my H&R Block advisor, that is. And if you want to stay in Germany for longer than 90 days, then you’ll need a permit.
Permits are different than visas currently. Some time ago, one could apply for a residence visa, or a work visa, etc., and it’d be stamped in their passport. Now a days, visas are separated from permits. As I’ve seen, every permit is a residence permit and then you look for a more specific version, e.g., I need a residence permit to go to school, find a job, be a scientist, etc. Applying for these permits are done at an immigration office at the nearest, biggest city (usually the capitol of a province). And if you want to apply for this longer permit, you’ll need healthcare (the best option I found for expats is provided by BDAE).
You will most likely have to provide a bank statement as well so you can prove you can support yourself. And finally, you’ll have to know enough of the language that you don’t sound like a complete idiot while requesting this permit. Even then, you’ll need a mountain of paperwork proving who you are and where you come from, you’ll have to tell the clerk a good story on why you need to stay longer than 30 days, and you’ll need a German address or place of residence before applying (and if that wasn’t enough, once you find an apartment, you have to “register” your address and then take that registration with you to apply for the permit). You may also need contact info to put down when you apply, which means getting a German phone as your American phone and phone plan will be way too expensive to maintain.
If all of the above sounds as overwhelming as it’s felt to me these past few weeks, you quickly gain a deep appreciation for immigrants who don’t have the luxury of sitting on their bed and using wifi to do all of this research. While you plan on living in a foreign country, you also have to ask yourself what you’re going to do with all of your “crap.” For me, Goodwill, Half Priced Books, gifting to friends/family, storage, packing it with me — and don’t forget my favorite thing so far: throwing things away. If you have a car, you’ll have to sell it like I did or ask someone to watch over it. But let’s quickly combine a clean list of the above so you can get a better idea of what a trip takes.
Ask yourself what you want to accomplish on a trip and why
Decide which way is best to make the move (student, military, or “entrepreneur”)
Research a country and which city you want to go to
This has many levels. Looking at a cost of living index calculator, what type of life you want (city, rural, etc.), what type of scenery you like the most (mountainous, hills, flat, forests, etc.)
Get a plane ticket many months in advance (also try and use a travel agent so you can get a deal and save money)
Get an AirBnB — usually, but not always cheaper. Plus side is that you can usually find a host/hostess that will ask about your visit and offer advice and tips versus a hotel where the best they can do is hand you a pamphlet about the region
Buy expat healthcare
Research and be prepared to buy a monthly, public transit pass (about £60 a month in Germany)
Research what to do with your phone and phone plan
Go on the trip, research places to live and how close they are to public transit
Get a place to stay and then register your address
Use that registered address, your mountain of paperwork, your contact info, etc., to apply for a permit that allows you to stay in the country longer than 90 days
Pass out and suck your thumb
See, it’s easy!… Stay tuned for the next post as I write about my experience flying, arriving, and beating jet lag. Until then, stay cool.