How to Become an Expat: Third Edition ("For Expats")

By Ann Fourt

Completely revised and updated for 2024, this third edition tells you what you need to know to become an expat. Greatly expanded information about residency visas now has a separate chapter; a chapter about relocating with pets is new to this edition by reader request. Learn whether you are a good candidate for moving abroad, how to research destinations and decide where to go, what to do with your belongings and how to ship them to your new country of residence, and much more. Chapter 6, Keeping in Touch with the U.S. , now goes into more detail two-factor authentication apps and eSIM smart phones, and the chapter on Social Security discusses the new identity and address verification requirements to set up a new online account or to apply for benefits. Chapter 10, Digital Entertainment, News & Sports Outside the U.S. , has been updated for new developments in streaming apps and bundled packages from the major entertainment companies. Chapter 11, Healthcare, Medicare & End of Life Planning , discusses the unique issues facing expats in maintaining Medicare benefits while living outside the U.S. and the interplay between Social Security and Medicare regarding your address of record. Expats face additional issues when it comes to wills and estate planning, as well as planning for possible elder care issues such as dementia and Alzheimer's. Medical facilitators are another area where expats' well-being can be jeopardized in the case of unethical or incompetent providers. Chapter 12, Computer Security , addresses this critical topic, including matters such as password management, two-factor authentication needed to access bank and financial accounts, VPNs, and backing up your data. Chapter 13, Identity Theft & Medical Billing Problems , outlines steps to take to prevent identity theft - expats are more vulnerable to these problems by virtue of distance; it's much more difficult to address the consequences of identity theft from outside the U.S. Topics addressed include medical identity theft and income tax return fraud, and steps to take if you are a victim of identity theft. Chapters 14 and 15 delve into the intricacies of U.S. income tax law, including the foreign earned income exclusion, the foreign tax credit, self-employment taxes, foreign bank account and asset reporting, and state income tax issues such as domicile, working remotely online for a U.S. company, driver's license, voter registration and international driver's licenses. Where you have your driver's license and register to vote can create state income tax issues. Chapter 16, Relocating with Pets , is new by reader request and discusses some of the issues involved with moving abroad with a cat or dog, but has a fraction of the information that an upcoming book (Autumn 2024) will have on this topic. Additional topics in this third edition cover purchasing real estate abroad, investing in a local business, notarizing documents, renewing your passport, romance frauds, tips for learning a new language, common sense safety precautions, tips about departing the U.S. shopping for local cell phone service in the foreign country. Throughout the book are links to additional online resources.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0DCZG2FYT
• ISBN13: 9798335668750
• Release Date: August 2024
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 310 Pages
• Weight: 1.18 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.7" x 6.0"