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 🥺.
Your statement about weather, food etc being a non-factor indicates that you do not have the maturity to become an expat yet. Neither do you have the skills, background or education where countries will care to invite you as a temporary resident. Blogging is not a real job neither is it a real freelancing career in 2023. Also, stop putting your home country down on the internet. There are many places in India that are absolutely beautiful to live in but seems like you are too busy blogging to notice. Also, blogging was relevant 10 years ago.
Heh “blogging was relevant 10 years ago”. You sound like my grandpa.
I never said I hated it here, I just said I want to leave. Why is everyone so up in arms to get me to stop considering what subreddit this is.
Georgia might be a possibility.
You will have to check the details for your country, but typically, the visa is good for a year, and you can extend it by exiting Georgia for as little as a day.
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.
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.
I lived in Germany for most of my life and seriously cannot imagine that people consider it to be business friendly. There’s a video of a guy tilting when talking about the hoops he has to jump through to use an old barn as warehouse. It’s in German but catches the vibe: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3mnB5Q5Hay4&pp=ygUSbmRyIHNlbGJzdHN0w6RuZGln What I want to say is: Do thorough research of requirements, registration, permits and taxes.
Have you thought about Durres?
Easy visa, in Europe (EU in 5 years). English is widely spoken and if you like to learn a new language, try Albanian.
Check this web site for country info and how to find accommodation:
If you are making 6-8K USD per month as a self-employed person, you won’t need to worry about affording housing in any of the places that you mention.
Probably France. They love a go-getter.
Well, being self employed in many European countries comes with high taxes and insurances. Plus high rent in large cities. Think about it
You only mentioned high cost of living countries. Since you’re income won’t depend on where you live you need to think low cost of living. There are developed good countries that are low cost of living. also some good countries that are still developing but have developed cities or regions you can live in and are quite low cost.
If you’re stuck on Europe think south and east, not north and west. As a foreigner from India you probably won’t even notice the difference…
You need to do a lot more research on visas. You can’t just get a stamp 4 in Ireland; the only people it’s just granted to are spouses of Irish/European nationals. Ireland has no work permit option for self-employed people, period.
Maybe move your assets in India to other investments, such as rental housing, that produce income that u declare only in India. You can access the proceeds from that income in whatever country where you choose to live.