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Moving to Florida for tax reasons: DMV question


by @ileitch 8yr  | 15 comments

Hey all, this is a bit of Hail Marry, hopefully someone knows the answer!

So Iโ€™m โ€œmovingโ€ to Florida from CA because FL has no income tax. Iโ€™m using one those websites that provide a physical address and scan all your mail for you. For CA to be satisfied from a Tax perspective that I am in fact a resident of FL, I need to transfer my driverโ€™s license.

The downside is that my new address is out in the middle of nowhere, and Iโ€™d really rather not have to visit the county unless absolutely necessary.

So, does anyone know if itโ€™s necessary to transfer my license at a DMV in the same county as my new address, or can I do it from any county in FL?

Oh the joys of being a nomadโ€ฆ :grin:

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@ileitch 8yr

Iโ€™ve decided to just stick with being a CA resident for now. โ€œMovingโ€ to another state sounds like the easy part. Proving to CA that I am in fact a resident of that state sounds like it might not possible for me, as I think Iโ€™d like to live in CA again in a few years.

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In Texas, at least, the right of indefinite travelers to have a driverโ€™s license issued to the address of their Mail Receiving Agent, and to declare legal domicile there, has been established and secured in court. This is used by many people who live in RVs, for example members of the Escapees RV club. I couldnโ€™t find any other state where this was the case, so thatโ€™s the principal reason I decided to โ€œmoveโ€ to Texas (the other being that my vote would go farther there). I think I would do it even if there were additional taxes involved, but as luck would have itโ€ฆ

I didnโ€™t think of Puerto Rico as an option, though. What choices are there for mailing address providers?

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@lucha54 8yr

I left California in 2008 and moved temporarily to Seattle for 4 months, set up a mailbox (I was subletting a room in a flat so couldnโ€™t use that on my license) then used the mailbox address on my license. (I think it was a UPS store).

I never went back to California. You really canโ€™t move your domicile out of California if you are still physically residing there. That is super illegal.

So letโ€™s assume you arenโ€™t doing that. You may be talking about St Brendans Isle in Green Cove Springs, outside of Jacksonville. I started using them and 6 months later (Jan 2015) traveled there to get my license since my other one was about to expire. (I think my Seattle one had been in a wallet that got stolen so was still carrying an old CA one that never got canceled). Luckily the sister of a friend of my mom lived in the suburbs south of Jacksonville so it was only a 30 min drive from her house!!!

I donโ€™t know if they changed the rules at the DMV but at the mailing serviceโ€™s office when I filled out the domicile forms I said, โ€˜are you sure this is OK?โ€™ because it said โ€œI swear โ€ฆ blah blah blahโ€ฆ that I live at this addressโ€ which wasnโ€™t true. But I was living abroad on tourist visas so what was I to do? They said, yes itโ€™s totally fine, no worries. Think of all the RV and yacht peeps.

I had asked them (before deciding to travel to Northern FL to do it) if I could do it at the DMV in Miami and they said youโ€™re welcome to try but theyโ€™re not going to give it to you; it has to be in our county. So I just went for it and the DMV was totally empty and I took care of it in a day. Also the DMV had some weird evangelical propaganda on the counter which was pretty messed up but thatโ€™s Florida.

Then I got back to my foreign country and lost the license in the first week back. Well Iโ€™m in the system now so I just went online and paid $25 more for a new one and they sent it to my FL address, easy peasy. The thing is valid for 10 years. I donโ€™t know if Iโ€™ll have to go back in person in 10 years anyway.

Sorry for the longwindedness but hope that helps!

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@db8871 8yr

If you have no ties to Florida and your objective is to lower taxes, why not establish residency in Puerto Rico and take care of federal taxes at the same time. It has been discussed here last year.

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@mwp 8yr

Have you looked into the safe harbor clause for California taxes? If you are actually out of the USA most of the time, you may very well qualifyโ€ฆ

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@db8871 8yr

Your biggest problem may not necessary be Florida, it might just be getting out of California. They may wait a couple of years but then, they audit you and made you prove you are bone fide resident of another state. It might be wise to think ahead of time and prepare yourself for it. DL is only a first step, you need to sever all official relationships with the state. If Ca finds out you are receiving bank statement to to the old address, you are toast.

Yes, you need a residential address in Fl and they make you prove it but nothing stops you from moving out next day and neglecting to update records. They send no postal mail unless you get a ticket. First online dl renewal is 4 years and every 7 years after that.

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@leerosen 8yr

Iโ€™m a Florida resident. Over the past year or so they changed their system and they require a physical address. You can still use a mailing address (for mail), but the physical address is a requirement.

Iโ€™d encourage you to talk to a California (not Florida) tax lawyer about your plan if you have any significant tax liability in California. Youโ€™ll want to fully understand (1) the requirements for terminating residency (does it require abandonment of California plus establishment of residency in Florida - two independent parts?), (2) what criteria they use in the California courts for determining whether youโ€™ve established residency elsewhere, (3) the statute of limitations and how you trigger it so that itโ€™ll begin running.

Itโ€™s not extraordinary for some states to pursue outstanding taxes (plus penalties and interest) a decade after a resident leaves the state.

My guess is that youโ€™ll want 15 or 20 data points to indicate your residence in Florida (lease, utilities, voter registration, drivers license, vehicle registration, library card, voting history, charitable donations, Citibike registration, credit card history, bank account, doctor visits, mail forwarding notice, civic group membership, religious group membership, professional license, use of local grocery, publication subscriptions, etc.). Itโ€™ll also be helpful if you have family in Florida and some reason for selecting Florida as your home.

Good luck.

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@ileitch 8yr

Perhaps I donโ€™t even need a license, my only intention for the getting the license is for proof of domicile in FL.

Perhaps there are other ways to prove to CA that Iโ€™m no longer a resident?

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@ileitch 8yr

Their website states in the FAQ:

Will I be able to use my new address to establish residency in Florida?
Yes. We provide each member with a unique physical address which can be used to obtain a driverโ€™s license, vehicle registration, and setting up a bank account.

The DMV needs two items for proof of address, and their requirements include:

Mail from financial institutions; including checking, savings, or investment account statements, not more than two months old

So, two letters from different banks should cover it?

At this point I donโ€™t have much choice. Renting an apartment is not a feasible solution as I need someone to handle my mail (and the USPS will only provide mail forwarding for 1 year.)

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DMVs are different, though. They need to see your PHYSICAL address. Meaning where you live. They typically want to see a lease or a utility bill or something that ties you to the property. The virtual address for mailโ€ฆetc, can work for your billing address and other things, but it wonโ€™t work for obtaining a license. In any state, I suspect.

I am running into the same thing. Iโ€™m going to actually have to rent a small apartment and keep it for long enough to get utility bills and be able to say truthfully that itโ€™s my home residence on the DMV paperwork (Iโ€™m choosing NV.)

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@db8871 8yr
  • Changes are Fl DMV will not accept โ€œone those websites that provide a physical addressโ€ as they keep list of convenience addresses. It is also a felony to provide false information to them.

  • You have to visit DMV office in county you reside.

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@ileitch 8yr

Thanks @db8871

Iโ€™m pretty sure the website is legit, itโ€™s used mostly by people that travel the states by RV. The website says the address is good for registering to vote etcโ€ฆ

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@meredal 8yr

Curious as to why you chose Florida compared to the other states that donโ€™t have the income tax?

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@ileitch 8yr

@meredal Simply because Florida is a more convenient location for me

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Read and participate in 14,117 discussions on Nomad List

Suggested topics

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Are there any tax issues I have to be aware of?


in Germany by @clara 3yr 3 years ago  | 0 comments

Hi everybody. I live and work in Germany and want to go to Canary Islands for 6 months to work from there. I'm going to keep my current job, just change the "home" in the home office part of things. Are there any tax issues I have to be aware of? I was reading about becoming a residence after 183 days, thus having to pay taxes there plus my employer having to register there. Does anybody know how it works exactly? Thanks a lot!

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Tax advisor for permanent nomads?


by @eljaques 3yr 3 years ago  | 1 comment

I'm in need of a tax advisor who understands "our" typical situation. I'm all good on being legal on taxes at this point, but as I'm doing more investing and there's more compliance and KYC and such, it's getting more complicated to deal with this topic. Not living in my country of citizenship, company in another country, resident in yet another country, banking in a different country ... you know how it is, a pile of red flags.

Would be great to find a good tax advisor to sort things in a way that makes my situation as "explainable" and easily dealt with as possible. Any leads?

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Issues with not being a tax resident anywhere?


by @lightworker 4yr 4 years ago  | 2 comments

Anyone with knowledge regarding complications of not being a tax resident anywhere in the world? Iโ€™m aware that primary health care, bank account opening and incorperation can be problematic but are there other practical or legal factors I should be aware of?

And what about paying myself salary from a self-owned OECD company? I would like to know if I risk potentieal issues with the tax authorities in the jurisdiction of the company, especially regarding withholding tax.

Appreciate your input!

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How do digital nomads pay tax?


by @rodriigovieira 4yr 4 years ago  | 19 comments

Hello everyone! Iโ€™m new here and probably this is a very newbie question, but it doesnโ€™t leave my head.

How do you, nomads, pay your taxes? I mean, if youโ€™re constantly traveling, how are you going to pay taxes for a certain country if you are going to stay there a short period of time?
Or do you return to your โ€œoriginal countryโ€ and then pay them?

By the way, this forum has very nice cool formatting features! :smile:

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Where to move for tax purposes as a non-US citizen?


by @mender 5yr 5 years ago  | 5 comments

I am a New Zealander looking to travel for a couple of years in different countries. For this purpose I would ideally like to shift my company to a lower tax territory where I will live part time, as I am currently taxed at roughly 33% in New Zealand, however itโ€™s closer to 40% when I add in all the hidden taxes.

With a move I wonโ€™t be living in NZ so Iโ€™ll no longer be obliged to pay any tax after 320 days.

I ideally would wish to be a tax resident of the country I incorporate in. What country is easiest to do this through? A large chunk of my business relies on PayPal which requires your bank account to be from the same country your company is registered. Thus I canโ€™t do anything such as BVI or small islands.

Tbh my best bet looks to be Dubai Free Zones at this point and I can do some travel in europe from there.

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How to be sure of new tax residence?


by @analogmario 5yr 5 years ago  | 0 comments

Hi, Iโ€™m new here.
I am moving out forever.
So I am going to move to another country my residence.
But, in the new country I donโ€™t plan to spend more than 90 days a year for sure, at least itโ€™s not the plan for the first years.

But I want to be sure that my tax residence is in my new country, even if I spend less than 90 days a year.
I want to be sure I wonโ€™t be reclaimed by my original country or any other country that I might end up spending less than 180 days, but more than the less than 90 I expect to spend in my new country(looks like itโ€™s going to be Portugal).

Hope that was understandable.

Does anyone know where I can get information about this kind related to nomadism?

Thanks

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How does Lima's new municipal taxi app compare to Uber?


in Lima , Peru by @robertomasymas 5yr 5 years ago  | 0 comments

How does limaโ€™s new municipal taxi app TaxiMML compare to uber?

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Remote worker in Amsterdam: taxes and legal status?


in Amsterdam , Netherlands by @think 5yr 5 years ago  | 1 comment

Hi all,

I am moving to Amsterdam in January and looking for advice regarding legal status.

I work for a small French company. They agreed to let me move to Amsterdam as a remote worker starting January. :v:

However, they have no business entity and no employee in the Netherlands, so we have no idea how to set up the whole thing legally speaking. Should I remain an employee of the French entity, should I charge them as a consultant/contractor?

Of course, I am looking for a solution that is both simple and with minimum taxes :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

Thank you for your help!!
Steph

PS: If you can recommend a good accountant that is competent on the topic, I an happy to pay for the service too!

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Tax Planning advice (Primarily contracting for US company)


by @kartman92 6yr 6 years ago  | 7 comments

Hello nomads,

Due to a recent US work visa rejection (H1B), Iโ€™m considering turning to freelancing and being a digital nomad. My former employer (US based start-up) wants me to continue rendering my services as a contractor/freelancer (so I have a confirmed major client and Iโ€™ll probably take on other minor clients on the side). From the get go I want to get my taxes right and I was hoping you seasoned nomads can assist me. Some of the key aspects of my case are:

  1. I hold an Indian passport and as long as I donโ€™t stay in India for 182 days Iโ€™m considered non-resident (No taxes on foreign income as long as services are not rendered in India, otherwise 30% tax).

  2. I may have to visit the US occasionally, so having a tax-residency in a country with a US tax-treaty may be beneficial (I maybe incorrect here).

  3. Iโ€™m willing not to be a perpetual traveller and put down roots in a low tax country that offers easy tax residency with low-taxes.

  4. Will incorporating in a tax-friendly help my case? Or will just perpetual travel be enough to completely avoid taxes?

P.s. If any of you offer sound tax advice for a fee and are aware of international taxation laws (especially US tax laws), do let me know.

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Where to pay taxes if self employed non-resident of the UK, travelling Europe?


by @jadi4nd 6yr 6 years ago  | 5 comments

Hi, I know there are a few posts around this topic but none of them quite answer my questions.

I am British and currently a resident in the UK.
Next year I am going to become a non-resident and spend over a year traveling mostly around Europe, moving every few weeks never staying anywhere longer than a month. (My first venture into becoming a digital nomad!)

I am remote, self employed, software developer working mostly for one client based in the UK.

Where am I liable to pay taxes?
From what I have read I will not be liable to pay taxes in UK, can anyone confirm this?
If not the UK then where if I am moving every few weeks?
If possible I want to avoid starting a company as this seems unnecessarily complicated for my work setup.

Thank you in advance for any help :slight_smile:

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How do taxes work for perpetual travelers?


by @whirledover 7yr 7 years ago  | 5 comments

Hereโ€™s a question (actually a bunch of related questions) thatโ€™s been a bit of a thorn in my side lately. Iโ€™ve already combed this forum as well as several others but would love some more insight from more knowledgable people.

So, here goesโ€ฆ

Background: Iโ€™m a perpetual traveler and havenโ€™t stayed in a single country longer than 6 months for around 5 years now. Iโ€™m a non-US person so no IRS worries but my country of citizenship (Korea) has a residential tax system and since I havenโ€™t claimed residency anywhere else, it seems possible for my government to claim me as a tax citizen.

Which brings me to my first question: At what point does forming a solid business structure to cover your taxable a** become worth the hassle? $100K/year? At $200K/year? I sort of feel like most governments wouldnโ€™t bother with this because itโ€™s relatively โ€œsmall fishโ€ - thoughts?

And that brings me to another question: If Iโ€™m not needlessly spending time worrying and I should finally pull the trigger and set something up that makes me more โ€œlegitโ€ - even if it requires paperwork - whatโ€™s my best option? Hereโ€™s what Iโ€™ve come up with:

Set up an offshore company - Iโ€™m leaning toward RAK Offshore since it seems to have no paperwork requirements and has no taxes - and use that to hold and re-invest the income I receive while paying myself a nominal amount every month, like $3,000, which I then file Korean (income) taxes for. This makes sense in my head since thatโ€™s roughly the amount I spend every month anyway but would this qualify as tax evasion?

Last question: for all of you who are perpetual travelers and arenโ€™t filing tax returns with your country of citizenship/last tax residency - what are you doing in terms of investing the money youโ€™ve saved? From what Iโ€™ve read, banks will report accounts that hold over a certain amount to the country of the account holder and online brokerage accounts seem to be the same.
Oh, and is the money accrued (without being reported tax-wise) considered black money?!

Okay, Iโ€™m done for now. Apologies for writing a book - Iโ€™m not so learned on this topic. Would appreciate any insights. Thanks in advance! :slight_smile:

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Moving to Thailand for 6-9 months in August. Bangkok or somewhere else?


in Bangkok , Thailand by @andrea3018 7yr 7 years ago  | 14 comments

Hello Nomads,
I would like to move in Thailand for 6-9 months starting from August.
Iโ€™ll definetely stay in Chiang Mai as base for most of the time but Iโ€™d like to do the first month (August) in Bangkok or somewhere else.
What place would you recommend to visit first?
Would Bangkok be a good place to be during August?
I was also checking at the east coast isles but I got a little frightened out by the moonsoon idea but still, it would be cool to go to beaches and have some sun during that month :slight_smile: .
Would the moonsoons or the rain really be a problem?
Iโ€™ll move to Chiang Mai from september anyway but I would just like to start somewhere else since I have to wait for my girlfriend to come during september.

Thank you in advance for your advices,
Sorry for the bad english,
Andrea

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Are coffee shop expenses tax deductible?


by @octavient 7yr 7 years ago  | 7 comments

I often spend upwards of $150 per month in coffee shops, where I do much of my (remote) work (25+ hours per week). Since I donโ€™t pay office rent, I perceive these expenses as replacing my fixed rent costs, and I tend to spend more money at coffee shops when Iโ€™m camping out for a 2- to 4-hour work session, so these expenses strike me as legitimate business expenses. Has anybody gone down this road with the IRS? Is anybody aware of any official guidance or precedence for this?

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Advices about tax, location for incorporation, etc


by @anadesigner 7yr 7 years ago  | 2 comments

Hi nomads,

I and my husband are graphic designers and we work from home mainly doing services for UK. We have personal bank account in UK as we lived there for a while and we use it to receive payments and then use transferwise, but we are worried because we have no company there to declare these payments.

We are at the moment in Malta but moving to Portugal soon and we really would like to make the things right to avoid problems but also we need avoid pay lots of taxโ€ฆ I am researching a lot but not sure what to do. Would be very good to have a bit of advice to what way to go, where is the best country to open an offshore business for exemple?
We earn together about 25k euro year (brut).
Any advice or tip would be very welcome.

Thanks!

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Which is the most viable location for a young couple moving to Seoul?


in Seoul , South Korea by @iamjamesrodgers 7yr 7 years ago  | 4 comments

Out of the 3 Areas which would be most beneficial for a foreigner moving to SK?
(If you have experience with areas specifically Iโ€™d love to discuss the specific schools that are offering her a position - Not posting that here for obvious reasons.)

My Girlfriend has received 3 contract offers in Seoul/Surrounding area:

i) Dobonggu
ii) Songpa-gu
iii) Bundang, Gyenggido

Background knowledge:
We love being physically active through sport and weight-lifting, love exploring food culture, need good Coffee and live very modestly in terms of going out/expenditure.

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Help: Canada Taxman (CRA) Coming After Digital Nomad Who Has Not Lived in Canada since 2011. Advice or Recommendations?


in Canada by @bestscifireads 7yr 7 years ago  | 7 comments

Hey guys.

Iโ€™m in the unfortunate situation (and true Digital Nomadโ€™s worst nightmare) where the Canadian tax man (i.e. the CRA) has decided to come calling. And calling hard.

Any recommendations for Canadian Tax Accounts / Tax Lawyers specializing digital nomads / expats / non residents?

Hereโ€™s the deal:

Iโ€™m a digital nomad living in Thailand who has NOT lived in canada since the middle of 2011, and in that time, only been back to canada three times for a brief visit (with a total period between all those years of less than 90 days out of the 5 years).

I make an online income (affiliates, adsense, and such) of which all if it does not derive from Canada. And as stated, I donโ€™t live there anymore and havenโ€™t in many years. I donโ€™t own houses, cars, or anything (I do have a personal bank account though and a DL โ€“ you need those to function mostly). Iโ€™ve only used Canada as my bank account, from which I would send money abroad to live while outside of Canada, which was the entire period of time.

Anyways, the taxman back in Canada doesnโ€™t know this (that Iโ€™m a non resident) and of course has now come to collect. I had income tax demands sent to an address (parentsโ€™) stating I owe a very high five figure balance in income tax and owe it right away.

The whole digital nomad thing has just come to life the past years and when I left Canada in 2011/2010, no one new much about making money online, how to pay taxes when you donโ€™t live in your home country, etc. I was doing this earlier than most (from this forum, I gather itโ€™s common now).

I assume Iโ€™ll probably need a Canadian tax accountant and mayhaps a tax lawyer versed inโ€ฆwellโ€ฆdigital nomads. Iโ€™m going to call the CRA (Canadian Revenue Agency) and try to explain that I donโ€™t live there and havenโ€™t (and I can prove it), but yea. It may take more than that.

At this point, Iโ€™ve been looking how to properly structure my affairs (creating an Estonian Corp, creating an Thailand corporation) to properly handle how I should structure things in the future, but in the meantimeโ€ฆ

Advice or a recommendation for a specific tax specialist (iโ€™m from BC, Canada if that helps) would be awesome.

Ben

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Tax: what are the best options for a nomadic Dutch freelancer?


by @maarten 7yr 7 years ago  | 11 comments

Originally, I am from the Netherlands. Since january 2016, I have been working remotely all around the world. But even though I havenโ€™t been in the Netherlands this year, I am still paying taxes there. Iโ€™m still registered as a citizen.

I have to unregister in the Netherlands as a citizen. But if I donโ€™t register somewhere else, or have a freelance status or company somewhere else, I would still have to pay 50%+ taxes. This is, of course, not fun at all.

So I decided to move my business elsewhere. Either get freelancer status in another country, or create a business there to send invoices from. Which brings me to my question:

What is the best country tax-wise for a Dutch freelancer?

As of now, I found two solutions:

  • Have an agency set up a company in Bulgaria. It will kost 3000 euro a year, once 3300 euros and extra money if I want residency. And then of course 10% income tax on my earnings.
  • Have an agency set up a company in Dubai. It will cost around 2000 euro annually and 5000 euro once. No income tax.

Wether residency in an other country is required for the Dutch tax authority to not tax your world income, seems to be a grey area. However, if I unregister in Holland and send invoices from a company in a whole other country, it should be fine.

I have little or no experience. People with know-how: would you be so kind to comment on these options?

Are there alternatives I should consider?

I donโ€™t really like to hire an agency. Iโ€™d rather just fly to a country, fill out paperwork, incorporate there and from then on invoice from that company. If itโ€™s too bureaucratic, I wouldnโ€™t mind hiring a local lawyer or accountant to do it for me.

Do you know a country where there is no or a low income tax and this process is relatively easy and suitable for Dutch freelancers?

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Australians - are you an Australian resident for tax purposes?


in Australia by @kathrynoh 7yr 7 years ago  | 8 comments

If no, how do you get around the being in one place for two years or more requirement?

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Any experiencie airmailing your stuff to yourself when moving from one place to another?


by @chelocoach 8yr 8 years ago  | 5 comments

Hi there!

Iโ€™m going Nomad in about 3 months. Mainly Iโ€™ll stay in some places for at least 1 month, but Iโ€™m planning some backpacking trips in between movings. So Iโ€™m planning to travel carry-on only on this trips. But I also would like to carry with me some non-indispensable stuff that helps me to keep up with my lifestyle and work on the places where Iโ€™ll stay for a longer period. For example a blender, coffee and an Aeropress to prepare my bulleproof coffee. Also my guitar, some camera gear, a good quality screen to work, etcโ€ฆ

Except for the guitar, everything fits into a medium size luggage.

I know I can check in this stuff when moving. But if Iโ€™m going to backpack I donโ€™t want to carry this stuff around.

  • Is airmailing this stuff to myself a good option?
  • Any experience on this?

Iโ€™m a newby on this lifestyle so any advice is welcome :slight_smile: . Many thanks!

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Permanent virtual Legal Domicile for mail forwarding and tax declaration


by @youarehere 8yr 8 years ago  | 1 comment

I am looking for a best virtual Domicle to declare as permanent legal USA address and Legal Domicle where I can receive Virtual mail and have it mailed to my current geography. Please inform if you have recommendations or experience. Thanks!

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