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Which residence/company location is beneficial for an Italian freelancer


by @saschamayr 7yr  | 6 comments

I am an Italian citizen currently living in Italy. I am starting to work as a freelancer and want to open a company in order to invoice the client.
Besides that, I also want to move my main residence away from Italy for multiple reasons.
In which countries should I place my company and/or residence so that the combination of both would be beneficial for me (cost and taxwise)?
Goal would be to rent an apartment and actually move (preferably in Europe), and from there travel as a digital nomad.
Has anyone been in a similar situation or knows an answer to this?

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@levelsio I agree with you that the name of the program is highly misleading, nearly got into that trap tooโ€ฆ

@tkrunning I spoke with a tax professional once and he told me Italy has a whitelist of countries I can move to without them doing further investigation if I actually reside there. This is because specifically for Italians it is/was very popular to just officially move their residence to say Monaco (0% income tax) and rent there a 20m2 flat without actually living there and then pay no taxes at all in Italy. So the gist of it is that Italians canโ€™t just move their residency to tax heavens without getting investigated (which makes sense of course).

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@levelsio 7yr

Please remember Estonian E-Residency does not give a personal tax residency and is therefore useless because any country you will live will claim you as a personal tax resident. In addition if they have CFC laws they will also be able to claim all tax on your foreign Estonian E-Residency company.

Estonia E-Residency (and its agency LeapIn) is a misleading program that markets itself to gullible people who have no idea about tax law and they will get burned when their countryโ€™s tax institution finds out.

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@tkrunning 7yr

@levelsio thatโ€™s true if youโ€™re a full-time resident of most (western) countries. Malta is not most western countries, and the Estonian company would most likely (and worst case) be treated as a non-dom resident there as well, only being liable to Maltese taxation on profits generated thereโ€”which would be almost negligible if you spend most of the year traveling. But again, my recommendation to speak with a Maltese tax professional on this matter still stands.

Also, note that I did not say that Estonia would give you a personal tax residencyโ€”quite the opposite. For it to have any significant tax benefits youโ€™ll need to be a non-tax resident of Estonia, and resident of a tax friendly country (like Malta or many othersโ€”mostly non-European ones).

First, of course, you (@saschamayr) would have to make sure that Italy is considering you as a non-resident for tax purposes. If they still consider you a tax resident that can cause a lot of trouble.

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@tkrunning 7yr

You could look at the combination of Estonia (for incorporation-itโ€™s easy and cheap, and fairly tax efficient for non-residents who draw a salary) and Malta (for moving to). As a non-domiciled resident, Malta will not tax you on the income earned while abroad (as long as you donโ€™t bring the earnings into a Maltese bank account within at least 12 months). It sounds like you would be traveling a lot, so that would be one easy option.

On the Estonian side you could sign up for e-residency, then use a service provider like LeapIn to deal with all accounting and regulatory requirements.

Registering in Malta (as โ€œself sufficientโ€) is easy as pie and you can do it yourself. Hereโ€™s everything you need to know: https://nomadgate.com/register-as-self-sufficient-malta/

You should also speak with a tax professional on the Maltese side to be 100% sure of your liabilities there (both personally and for the company), but it shouldnโ€™t be much if anything as long as you do most work outside of Malta and for non-Maltese clients.

If youโ€™re making a decent amount of money (say 100 000 EUR or more per year), it could be worth it to shell out for professional help with getting an even more tax efficient setup (possibly not in Europe). But as far as low costs and ease comes, this setup is hard to beat in the EU.

Regular disclaimer: Donโ€™t trust a word of what I just said, nor anything else you find on an internet forum. Speak to a professional.

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Yes I was thinking too about opening a company in Estonia, probably with LeapIN. Thanks for the throughout information! Even though you are right, I need and I will speak to a professional.

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@busdriver 7yr

well, that depends on how much money you will be makingโ€ฆ if a lot, Labuan might help you with taxes for your company. Philippines do not charge foreign residents taxes for income from overseas and living can be cheap and beautiful (and so are the girls :wink: ). Within EU - sorry, I can not really advise on that. Maybe Ireland โ€ฆ

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Read and participate in 14,117 discussions on Nomad List

Suggested topics

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How do I set current location? I've looked everywhere for this option.


by @yousifyalda 4yr 4 years ago  | 5 comments

All I see is section to add trips, but I reside here. Home and all.

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What age did you start out and went location independent?


by @raynesio 4yr 4 years ago  | 11 comments

Eager to find out what age most start out as a DN? (Me)โ€ฆ 27 and just started out in the last 6 months or so. Not presently 100% location independent, probably more like 90% as still required to visit the office from time to time

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Best way to create a company as web dev freelancer to work with French companies


by @faby 5yr 5 years ago  | 4 comments

Iโ€™m French and Iโ€™m leaving Paris and my current full time job. In a few month, Iโ€™ll move to Bali to be a fresh digital nomad in web development. I learn about the different possibilities to create my own business and I would have feedbacks. whatโ€™s the best ? Iโ€™ve an opportunity to work with my actual french company as a freelancer, remotly, on specific missions.
But I donโ€™t know If I have to create my company in France to continue working with them or maybe one in Singapour like with sleek.sg. I donโ€™t know if itโ€™s it easy to work with a french company with a singapore company. I then plan to find other missions with fewer time differences, (Australia โ€ฆ)

If someone could help me :slight_smile: thanks!

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Do you have a system for how you plan your next location?


by @mitch_dina 5yr 5 years ago  | 3 comments

It seems to be taking me days to plan my next trip. Its so complicated and seems to be a domino affect. Example: Iโ€™m in Dubrovnik and want to go to Bari, Italy next because it is close, and I can get there by ferry, (so not using so much carbon,) but the ferry only starts running in April and 90-day visa is up on March 15, so I need to move on. Cheapest flight out is to Rome, but Rome can be pricey and Iโ€™m more of a small town person, so I go looking for beautiful small towns in Italy, a BIG research project. Then how to get there?.. oy! I need a system, please!

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What you think about salary based on the location of where the employee lives?


by @augustomna2010 6yr 6 years ago  | 2 comments

I see that some companies do this, they pay the remote worker based on where he lives, I would like to know what do you think about this?

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How do you manage your location independent business as a Nomad Entrepreneur?


by @vzablocky 6yr 6 years ago  | 3 comments

Iโ€™d like to invite nomad entrepreneurs in this topic to discuss what are the challenges you face in filing taxes, insurance and banking complications, while travelling and running your business remotely.

Please share your thoughts! I would be happy to help!

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Any good coworking + surfing locations?

 

by @mike2381 6yr 6 years ago  | 31 comments

Anyone been to some nice spots for surfing that have fast internet and coworking offices in SEA?

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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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Best ways to get travel/nomad companions in different locations?

 

by @madelineb 7yr 7 years ago  | 24 comments

Hi,
Do nomads like to travel together? I mean, not in each otherโ€™s pockets, but look for accomodation together, meet with each other daily or regularly, help out in new cities, motivate/inspire each other in the business? :slight_smile: Iโ€™ve done nomad lifestyle in the past in 2009/2014 and this time I want to collaborate and support with other people, each on their own mission. I love this nomad endeavour but to be honest I admit it can be quite time-consuming and lonely. :wink:
*Message on NomadList locations?
*Message on Couchsurfing groups? (without sounding like Tinder!)
*Message on other??
Iโ€™m currently in Portugal and heading back to Estonia for January/February (Iโ€™m from Australia). Later in 2017 I am open to places, though Iโ€™m not keen on high pollution, high humidity, high cost cities.
Feedback, interest or ideas welcome!
Thanks, :sunny: Madeline

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Any nomads who practice Krav Maga in spite of constantly changing locations?


by @petar_np 7yr 7 years ago  | 3 comments

When I think about nomadic life style I often think of one disadvantage, not being able to continue to practice Krav Maga as I do now. How do you keep up with training and progress if you are constantly moving?

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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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Relocation to country


by @nomadtimne 7yr 7 years ago  | 7 comments

Hello,
I currently live in a EU country,to relocate somewhere where I can

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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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What's the best location to incorporate an online business?


by @dmftaras 8yr 8 years ago  | 14 comments

Hey nomads,

Iโ€™m looking for the best location to incorporate my online business (offshore programming and so on).

The main requirements:

  • Low cost incorporation/yearly fee
  • Preferred with no audits (or other kind of paperwork)
  • With no local office/secretary/director needed
  • With low or 0% taxes
  • Easy to get paid from US/EU
  • Easy to send payments worldwide ( I can use Transferwise/Stripe or something like that, i donโ€™t care )
  • With corporate credit/debit cards

Iโ€™m only one owner of the company (not EU/US resident).
Iโ€™ve checked jurisdictions like BVI/Belize/Nevis and iโ€™m interested in it. It would be appreciated if you could give me some kind of advice, if you have experience with one of these jurisdictions.

My budget for incorporation < $1500

Thanks!

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What options are available for a pension plan for remote EU citizens, not registered as freelancers?


by @akisl 8yr 8 years ago  | 11 comments

Hi people,

Iโ€™m Greek, Iโ€™m now transitioning to fully remote. I think I have solved the first part: Creating a remote legal entity, a business bank account and having health insurance but I donโ€™t know how to solve the pension issue.

As an EU citizen, either your employer contributes X% of your gross salary to the national/private pension funds, or if you are a freelancer you pay the equivalent to the freelancer pension fund of your country, which in many cases is also attached to the national insurance fund.

So as a fully remote person, not registered as an employee or freelancer in any EU country, only having an EU company for invoicing and money transfers, where and how do you contribute to a pension fund for you? And what fund would that be?

Iโ€™m talking about a core pension fund, similar to the one that you would have if you were registered as an employee or freelancer in your country. Not ancillary pension funds offered by insurance companies, as these mostly focus on covering additional aspects that may not be covered by the core pension fund you have and they assume you already have a core pension fund.

Thank you so much for the help.

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Any nomad freelancers moving from Elance to Upwork?


by @eduardocruz 8yr 8 years ago  | 13 comments

I didnโ€™t become a nomad, but I joined Nomad Forum to understand more about it. I have been freelancing remotely thru Elance for the last two years so I would like to know if there are other who have been impacted by their merge with Odesk and migration to Upwork.com. Just curious to hear more about it.

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What do you think about my location scoring app?


by @miquel 8yr 8 years ago  | 5 comments

Hi Nomads,

Iโ€™ve been traveling Europe with my gf and visiting a new place every month for about 9 months. Picking AirBNBโ€™s and rentals has been hard for a variety of reasons. One is not knowing how close the rental will be relative to the places we want to visit.

So we made this app: Distance Score: Prague. Right now it is just featuring Prague, but Iโ€™m curious to get your thoughts on other cities youโ€™d like to see, as well as general feedback.

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Does your freelance rate fluctuate per location?


by @jasonmwomack 8yr 8 years ago  | 3 comments

I am a web developer and content writer. As of right now , I reside in Atlanta, Georgia . My plan is to move abroad soon. At this point , I am not sure where to set up my home base . Anyways , my real question is about rates. How do web developers decide the most suitable charging rate ? Letโ€™s say a client is in need of a full website and e-commerce platform. That client resides in Paris , but another client in a low income country wants the same service. Does your charging rate depend on the clientโ€™s location ? That was a hypothetical situation. I am a new to this stuff! I do not have any clients yet .

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Can anyone advise on the structure (and location) for setting up a digital agency?


by @matttutt1 8yr 8 years ago  | 4 comments

Hi there,

This might be a bit vague but hopefully someone out there can help. Iโ€™m from the UK and am registered as a Sole Trader currently. Iโ€™m looking to create a new business, and am unsure of the best structure to use. I donโ€™t really want to continue in this business as a Sole Trader because I donโ€™t think it has so much credibility compared to something like a limited company.

The business is going to be a digital marketing agency in a specific niche, itโ€™s going to be very small scale with very low overheads. Iโ€™m not going to be based in any specific location so Iโ€™m also unsure about which location to officially base my business (base in the sense that it will be my registered business address for example, I wouldnโ€™t have any offices unless just Virtual).

I also donโ€™t imagine that Iโ€™ll be turning over much as it will likely just be me, I may hire some freelancers at a later date but that depends on whether I can find enough clients.

Appreciate any help on this, thanks for reading!

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Are you a remote employee, freelancer or entrepreneur?

 

by @vincentnguyen 8yr 8 years ago  | 29 comments

Thereโ€™s a pretty good mix of nomads here. Itโ€™d be interesting to see if thereโ€™s a significant difference in terms of amounts of people belonging to certain camps.

Some are remote employees working for a specific company, others are freelancers who are picking up gigs here and there to fuel their travels, and the others are location independent entrepreneurs who are building businesses (however you may define it).

Which camp do you belong to? Do you belong in multiple groups? What does your past look like and were their transition periods?

I myself started out in the first group and transitioned into the third.

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