The biggest myth about living abroad:
You’ve got to be independently wealthy OR have connections abroad that will get you a job.
The truth:
There are ways for almost anyone to move abroad, and the most mobile group among us is the independent entrepreneurs and the work-from-anywhere crowd.
Back in the day, moving abroad did require either a lot of money or a lot of connections. If you didn’t have either, it took a lot of guts. Today, between increased WiFi and broadband connectivity and an increasingly remote or asynchronous work culture, there is almost no reason why you can’t bring a job or a business abroad.
That can come in the form of being an entrepreneur, a freelancer, a self-employed worker or even those looking to launch a startup from the ground up.
A move may not be all business — maybe you’re looking to move out of the U.S. seeking a lifestyle change, more balance in life, or to immerse yourself into a new culture without sacrificing your business.
Whatever the motivation, there has truly never been a better time to move abroad than right now. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies adapted to allowing more flexibility for employees to work from anywhere.
Reliable and strong WiFi connections around the world allow us to do business with anyone, anywhere. You can be in Nicaragua talking to a client who's in Japan and no one will bat an eye.
So, can you just move anywhere as a business owner? Are there rules around where and how you move to a new country? And do you have to actually found your business in the country you move to or else live as a digital nomad?
Let’s talk about the business of running a business abroad.
Taking Your Business Abroad
Step 1: Define the type of lifestyle feels best to you
One of the first questions I ask clients is this: how do you want to move around with your business? More specifically, when you think of moving abroad, what kind of a life do you picture?
Do you want to spend a few months out of the year working from a beach? Do you want to officially live in a country that offers great schooling opportunities for your children? Do you want to take your startup idea to the next level? Do you want to run an online business or passive income business and move where your profits stretch further for a better lifestyle?
Step 2: Define your business type and style
What kind of business do you run? Are you a freelancer or do you run any agency with multiple steady clients? Are you a small business owner who makes products? You might also be an artist, author, or a musician.
The type of business you run and the way you operate it can be an important factor in determining where you can move to. If you’re a freelancer who wants to hop around to different countries as a digital nomad, you’ll be less constricted by visas and be able to move more freely. Of course, you’ll only be able to stay in a country for a limited time and won’t be settling in one place, which is fantastic if that’s what you envision for yourself.
If you’re looking to settle down in one place and develop your new life abroad there, you’re going to want to find that sweet spot of a country that really interests you that has visas that allow you to run your business, and, for the majority of my clients, one that is also LGBTQ+ friendly.
Step 3: Determine the available business visas in your desired country.
Different countries around the world offer a variety of visas for business owners. The key is to determine whether you can secure a visa that allows you to run your business while being an official resident in your desired country. If you can obtain residency and a work permit that allows you to run your business, you can officially reside in that country. If your desired country doesn’t have a visa that fits your needs for residency, then you can consider a different country, a different visa, or a different length of stay.
Favorable Visa Types for Business Owners
Of course, when it comes to favorable visas for moving your business abroad, a lot of that depends on the country you’re moving to and the work you’re looking to do. In general, nations around the world have common visa types to start your research.
Digital Nomad Visas
With digital nomadism on the rise, a number of countries have adapted to be more friendly and welcoming to this transient lifestyle. Of course, traveling entrepreneurs have been living as digital nomads for years, staying only for the length of their tourist visa issued on arrival, leaving for the next country when it expires.
Without an official visa, you’re usually limited to staying in a country for 30-90 days before having to move around again. It’s great for remote freelancers who want to explore the world and maybe feel out where they want to settle long term.
However, many countries — like Thailand, Costa Rica, and Malta — have started an official digital visa program that allows you to stay up to a year, and is sometimes renewable up to five years. In most cases, you’ll need to prove a minimum monthly income and show that you have clients outside of the country.
This allows you to settle in, live officially and run your business without leaving every three months or when your tourist visa runs out. If you have children, they can also attend public school in the country and legally reside as well.
Passive Income Visas
Along similar lines, many countries offer a passive income or retirement visa. This may not seem like something a business owner would apply for, but this visa type has become very popular for relocating to countries like Spain and Portugal due to the requirements.
You are not required to be retired, instead you are required to have a certain amount of money reliably hitting your bank account each month from your home country. In a previous era of relocation, this was usually a pension, hence the ‘retirement’ visa designation.
Nowadays, it is just about the reliable monthly income that a business brings. Your spouse gets a visa and your kids get to attend school. Even better, and what distinguishes this from a digital nomad visa, these visas can lead to resident status and a path to citizenship.
Business and Startup Visas
For those of you looking to build businesses abroad or develop a start-up company, there are programs that encourage and support that. The requirements for these visas are very different depending on the country.
Generally, these visas best serve people with developed ideas that have some investment backing or a sponsoring organization (like an incubator or venture capital firm).
Read my blog post on the ten most popular LGBTQ+ friendly expat countries to explore even more options.
The sweet spot: LGBTQ+ and business-friendly countries
Now’s the point when you look for that sweet spot of countries that are LGBTQ+ friendly while having favorable conditions for the type of business you do. This varies depending on your personal situation, but here are some of the most highly recommended options to consider.
You can read more in-depth info about the top countries for LGBTQ+ expats here.
Puerto Rico
As a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico is an exciting and increasingly popular option for Americans because you don't need a visa to live there. That also makes navigating the logistics of working there much easier and more straightforward. Another bonus that makes Puerto Rico particularly friendly to entrepreneurs and freelancers is that you don’t have to pay income tax while you’re living there.
The Netherlands
The Netherlands has a very interesting opportunity only for American business owners called the Dutch American Friendship Treaty (DAFT). Basically, as an American you can move to the Netherlands on a tourist visa, apply for the DAFT, register a business, and deposit €4500 into a Dutch bank account. You’ll receive a residence card that is good for two years and renewable for more. The residence card allows you to bring your partner and family with you, and they can also legally work and study in the Netherlands. Your business doesn’t even need to be previously established, and can be any type of business - from button-making to graphic design.
Malta
Malta has a digital nomad visa that allows you to live and work in the country for a year and renew it for longer. The island country is very favorable and open to expats and it's super LGBTQ+ friendly. Malta was the first country in Europe to pass gay marriage rights, and leads on trans rights as well.
Portugal
Over the past 15 years or so Portugal has become a very open and friendly place for foreign expats, including LGBTQ+ folks. The D7 visa, aka a retirement visa, is a fantastic way to move to Portugal and work there no matter what kind of work you do. You simply need to prove you have a steady passive income when applying and you’ll receive a two-year renewable residence permit. Your spouse and kids can live, work and study in Portugal as well.
Spain
Spain has friendly options for remote workers, freelancers, and entrepreneurs who make their money from work outside of Spain via its Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV). This is very similar to Portugal’s D7 visa. After one year on the NLV, you can apply for a work visa if you no longer want to run your business and want to look for a day job. You and your dependents can also participate in Spain’s school system on an NLV.
Germany
Germany allows foreigners to arrive on a tourist visa and look for a job during that time. As an American, you can stay and travel in Germany visa-free for up to 90 days. Even more interesting for business owners, however, is the Artist Visa that’s unique to Berlin and Hamburg. If you qualify as someone who works in a “liberal profession,” you can apply for this visa, which is usually awarded on the spot at your interview in Berlin or Hamburg.
Mexico
Mexico is becoming an increasingly popular spot for LGBTQ+ expats because of the quality of life, cost of living and welcoming attitude towards queer folks. It’s easy for business because of its proximity to the U.S. and the fact that it shares the same time zones. In Mexico you can get a residency card for one year (Temporary Residency / Residente Temporal) or a 10 year residency (Permanent Residency / Residente Permanente), which really allows you to settle down long term. You can work on this visa and run your own business without much trouble.
Chile
Chile is farther away than Mexico in terms of flight times, but has the same benefit of sharing time zones with the U.S. It's a relatively LGBTQ+ friendly country and has several exciting visa options for small business owners, freelancers or entrepreneurs, including the Startup Chile program, which offers startup capital to successful applicants to base their startup in Chile for at least six months out of the year.
Costa Rica
LGBTQ+ friendly and familiar with American expats, Costa Rica has a freelance visa and a newly introduced digital nomad visa as well. You can build a small business from scratch or work remotely, and do it with a high standard of living, quality healthcare and a lower cost of living than back home.
Thailand
Thailand offers very LGBTQ+ friendly communities and the potential for a high-quality of life as an expat. It has become a popular landing spot for digital nomads traveling in Southeast Asia. The affordable cost of living and ease of settling down and even starting a business in Thailand make it an attractive option for many. You can apply for the new digital nomad “SMART” visa and run your business legally from here for extended periods of time.
About Jess Drucker
Jess is an International Relocation Strategist supporting LGBTQ+ folks, their families and allies to move, live and thrive abroad. She spent 15 years abroad, 10 of those years as an expat in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Germany and England, followed by nearly 5 years as a digital nomad spending weeks and months in over 40 countries worldwide.
Work with Jess
Start with her book: How To Move Abroad And Why It’s The Best Thing You’ll Do.
Pick up a copy of her International Relocation Guide.
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