Hey all, so for the past 2 years I’ve been running a blog (in English ofc). Currently I am earning some from it but I intent to grow it to my full time income in the next 2-3 years. I also have a couple of newsletters that will bring in some cash by then.
After that I want to move out (from India). And that’s where I’m stuck.
Yes I know that 2-3 years (I’m 24 right now) is a pretty long time and visas/policies will change by then. But I would like some advice.
It’s a combination of things that’s giving me this headache. It’s the complicated visas for self employed people, the possibility of learning a language, the housing/rental crisis every country I’m interested in seems to be going through.
By the time I move, I predict I will be making 6-8k$/month. I am willing/and even tentatively excited to learn a new language. I will primarily be living alone, with my family visiting sometimes. Weather, food etc are a non-factor.
Here are the places I’m interested in (from most to least):
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Germany - Germany seems to be THE place people mention when it comes to self employment. But it also seems to be the most difficult to get, which is why I’m iffy. It’s one of thode visas that seems really simple but we all know it’s not.
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France - Yes I know. But I know. I visited France back in 2019 and immediately fell in love. And the french self-employed visa does seem relatively gettable. But France, atleast the bigger cities, seem to be going through a nightmare when it comes to renting.
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Ireland - My best bet seems to be the Stamp-4 visa. Now the requirements for it seem really favorable. But Ireland also seems to be going through a rent issue.
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Australia - For Australia, I cannot really find any dedicated visas. It’s one of the countries I’m most interested in.
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Spain - Spain does seem to be the most likely option. They have not one but two visas. But I’m scared that there would be some requirement which would trip me up.
There are some other places like Britain, the US but they are completely out of reach.
I’m willing to answer any questions. And before you comment me to go visit iwantout, yes I have. IWantOut requires me to focus on just one and I ain’t there yet.
Please be kind 🥺.
Germany has a freelance visa for people who do work for clients in Germany. It is not a self-employment visa and it is not a digital nomad visa. You cannot get a visa to live in Germany and run a blog unless your work involves invoicing German clients and there is a strong business reason why you need to be in Germany for this work. Otherwise your application will be rejected. Germany is *not* one of the countries where you can just come and work online. You’d need to submit a detailed business plan (in German) proving your business requires you to be in Germany, and no more than 60% of your income can come from a single source. I’d cross this one off your list, unless you’d actually be doing invoiceable work for clients who are physically in Germany. If you manage to be approved for a freelance visa, German freelance taxes are stiff. I worked freelance in Germany and the taxes and deductions (you pay for your own health insurance, your complete social security contributions, etc., – things your employer would normally pay half of if you worked for a German employer) came to a little over 40% of my earnings. I was better off in a lower-paying salaried job when all was said and done.
Spain’s visas are teletrabajo (digital nomad) and autonomo (freelance). Teletrabajo is for people who have a salaried job with an employer outside of Spain. Autonomo visas require a business plan written in Spanish and allow you to work for clients physically located in Spain. It’s the visa used by freelance teachers, designers, and so forth.
"This visa is for any foreigner planning to live in Spain as a resident, working remotely for a Company or an employer (or self-employed) located outside of the Spanish national territory, and using exclusively computer telematics and telecommunication media and systems.
When the applicant is self-employed, he/she can also work for a company located in Spain, as long as the percentage of this particular work doesn´t exceed 20% of the total amount of his/her professional activity" - this is from Spain’s Gov site.