Questions and Answers Forum

Hey there! My girlfriend and I are thinking of moving to Ecuador, and in preparation we are planning a few months there to see how we like it. We fly into Quito and spend a few days there. We are then taking a bus to Banos and after a few weeks there we are taking a bus to the coast and a bus back to Quito before we fly out of the country. We are worried about the violence. We do not want anything to do with violence, murder or robberies. We think Banos is very safe. We are unsure about Quito or the coast.

Hi expats,

I am moving within a month to Qatar and I am looking for your suggestions of good schools for 9 years old boy and nursery for 3.5 years old girl.

We prefer going to:

- a British otherwise American curriculum school/nursery,

- hiving extracurricular activities,

- with European/North African/Filipino/Lebanese or American teachers.

Waiting your suggestions based on you experience...

Thank you

Hello i am planning to move to Greece Chalkidiki for cheaper living costs.Do you suggest Chalkidiki as a cheap and calm destination for living and working.Also i have found this greek real estate website.Do you recommend any of these appartments in Nea Kallikrateia?

Thanks

Hello.

I'm on a process at the company I work for and probably will move to Johannesburg.

I was doing some research and I'd like to have more information about current energy situation in SA.

How often are we having blackouts? how long? how is this affecting the daily life?

Hi, 

I am looking to relocate back to Nigeria and I'm wondering how I can go about getting an expat job?

Also how much should I look to save ideally, my accommodation etc... will be sorted as I'll be living at home.

I’m going to be living in Madrid for six weeks and was wondering if there is a good eSIM option would rather not swap my physical Sim

any suggestions on the best plans and pricing and if eSIM is not available what Sim cards do you recommend will also be traveling a little bit throughout Europe

Hello,

We are moving to Berlin (long term) from India in October 2023 with 15-year-old son (english speaking). 

He just started 11th grade in India this month.

Wondering how would his schooling continue in Berlin? What are the options?

He is open to learning German (we all are). 

Would highly appreciate any insight.

thank you! 

Hello!

As an American citizen living in Sweden (residency in Sweden), will the IRS in the US require me to pay taxes on any money I withdraw from a Traditional IRA (not ROTH IRA)? Does anybody have any personal experience with this? It is my understanding that Sweden is solely responsible for taxing retirement related income according to the USA-Sweden bi-lateral tax agreement, if you are deemed a resident of Sweden. However, I'd like to find out from somebody who has experienced it themselves.

Thanks!

I have seen this question asked a number of times on the forum but no real answer. Is there a forum to talk to expats already here who know about accommodation availability? I am in a hotel but really want to join an expat community in a compound. My employer is of no help what-so-ever so I am on my own. My contract is a 3 month rolling-renewal so I can't commit to a year up front. My wife cannot really come to stay whilst I am in a hotel - she needs the company of others and a bit more freedom than being stuck in a hotel room all day on her own whilst I am at work. Any ideas?

So I will be graduating from an American university next year and am looking to join a graduate scheme in the UK for two years. It is no secret that salaries in the UK are lower than the US, particularly for my field (engineering). I will be graduating with a good amount of debt, and will have a monthly payment of about $700 USD for the foreseeable future. Living in the US, this would be a very maneagable amount, but most of the roles I'm applying to in the UK pay about 28-31,000 GBP per year, and I'm worried this will be hard to manage.

I'm a university prof relocating to Glasgow for the year with my spouse. Can anyone suggest a letting agent who would work for us to locate suitable rental property? We don't arrive until mid August. Would it be better just to wait until we're there to find a place? 

Since this is such a crucial topic, I thought we could have a thread for people to post their suggestions to new group members looking for such banking experiences in #Dubai / #UAE, especially those who are intending to move from overseas and have several questions before getting hold on to the right bank or considerably a ‘Expat friendly bank’.

While there is no 'one size fits all' approach, there are still many things we consider before choosing a #bank. So please take a moment to share your tips and suggestions, specially for #Expats like me who are planning to relocate ASAP.

Hi there,

Good day all! My husband will soon be working in Hong Kong. We were just wondering when can we apply for a dependant visa if he will just start work by August? Is there a required period of stay before the principal sponsor can apply for a dependant visa for the spouse?

Thank you. 

Hi I’m thinking of moving to Hungary from the UK for a period of 12-18  months and registering as a resident. I will be travelling extensively from Hungary to the USA in that period. Can someone please advise me of the process for registering as a resident and the minimum amount of time annually I would need to be in Hungary to be considered as such?

Thanks

I want to retire early from office job to live off somewhat meager investment money. How do I know how much is enough?  Just myself. I buy mostly used items, including my clothes. I do want to travel mostly in summers. I’m not looking for a fancy home. I just want to see the world before I kick it and not work to death like everyone else in the USA with almost no time off to travel. I’m done with that soon hopefully.  How do I figure any of this out?  I’ve never been a landlord here even, and I don’t speak Spanish. Willing to learn when I move.

Hello.  I am from the USA and considering retiring in Vienna.  I would appreciate any information regarding whether it is difficult to rent an apartment in Vienna as a retiree. While I would not be employed, I would be receiving US social security payments and I would have retirement and other savings.  I have Austrian citizenship.  Thanks in advance for any responses. 

I  am American and will be visiting New Delhi in three months but not certain which part of the city to make reservations ie North, South, East or West of the city.. Can anyone give me an idea of the differences for a tourist; I will probably book with AirBnB the first month.Thanks, 

I have a substantial collection of  contemporary American ceramics as well as some historic Oriental ceramics which I would like to bring to our newly purchased house in France to present as a museum. I would like the collection to be available as a study environment. Is this possible? Will I need to pay a tax for the collection? 

My wife and I are moving to Cordoba, Argentina in a couple months and we're going to settle down awhile while we pursue some degrees, learn the language, and maybe even start a little business if everything goes right.

The problem we're facing right now is finding affordable insurance, as we need the insurance before we can enter the country.

I am trying to figure out the logistics of moving to Norway from USA with a chronic illness. I have Chron's Disease and have infusions of a certain medication at the hospital every two months. I'm worried that if I move to Norway I won't be able to have everything set up, see a GP, then a specialist, then start infusions in a quick enough manner.

Any insight into this problem is appreciated. I know it's specific, but I can't seem to find any helpful information anywhere. 

Hi, we (my husband and 8 year old daughter) currently live in Oregon and are planning to spend a year in Barcelona, probably in the l'Eixample area, starting in September 2023. Currently we homeschool our daughter and are thinking we will continue with that in Barcelona. However, we would like to find extra-curricular activities for her so that she can interact with other kids her age. She plays the violin and enjoys soccer. Does anyone know of any soccer clubs for her age that practice every day? Or any music academies that have a youth orchestral component would also be great.

We are thinking about relocating to Denmark from Jersey, CI (not New Jersey, US). My wife and I are both EU citizens (Irish and Polish). I am a lawyer, my wife is a teaching assistant. We have a 4 year old daughter. We would be quite relaxed about where we might want to go, would depend on where I can get a job...

I am completely new to this forum - but any information or advice would be welcome!

Hi there, I am moving to Athens later this year (2023) and bringing my 16 year old son with me. I would love any feedback, please, on the British International Schools in Athens as the reviews I am reading are quite mixed and so some on the ground experiences would be amazing!  If anyone has any feedback, good or bad, on St Lawrence's, Byron College or St Catherine's I would be SO grateful. Many thanks in advance, best wishes Nicola

Hello,

I'm planning to relocate to Poland from Lithuania. I received LT BlueCard 1 year ago and it is valid for 2 year more. As I learned from https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=LEGISSUM:4559508 it is allowed to change EU country after 12 months of working in a 1st country. If I understand correctly, if I have job offer from PL company, I can immediately move to Poland, start working and apply for PL BlueCard. Am I right? Do I need to apply for PBH visa in this case?