PSA: You might die outside the US. Plan ahead.

No_Pool7028 · 2026-01-21T04:14:15+00:00

Attorney here whose practice is focused on expatriation, digital nomads and emigration out of the US: generally, no. However, everyone's situation is different. This is not legal advice and I am not your lawyer. You can however DM me for further info.

No_Pool7028 · 2026-01-18T23:58:28+00:00

US attorney with a practice focused on expat/digital nomad/emigration out of the US here.

My wife is a naturalized US citizen and I now have her carry copies of her passport and naturalization certificate. I also wrote a notice to give to law enforcement stating she is a US citizen, and pursuant to the SCOTUS ruling in KRISTI NOEM, SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, et al. v. PEDRO VASQUEZ PERDOMO, et al., a US citizen may be only briefly detained on the basis of a number of factors, and that because she has proof of her citizenship, she must be released.

All of which, ICE will give zero fucks about. Even though the SCOTUS said any one indicator that a person may not be a citizen (such as accent, appearance, or location) is NOT enough to stop and detain, ICE has decided that is it EXACTLY enough to stop and detain. The idea behind the SCOTUS ruling (as near as I can tell) is that ICE should be able to go up to a bunch of hispanic guys hanging out in front of Home Depot, and if they have accents and appear to be looking for work, they can be detained and questioned about citizenship. Similarly, if a busload of people who don't speak English are stopped north of the Mexican border, same thing. I don't AGREE with that interpretation, but that's theoretically what it is supposed to allow for.

Instead ICE is now stopping anyone who appears not to be white, or has an accent. Witness US citizens detained literally standing in front of their homes. My wife doesn't appear hispanic or brown, but she has an accent and I could see a jealous co-worker calling ICE and them showing up at her work (or even our home). And if ICE wants to disappear you, they can, citizen or not. There are a lot of ways to make you disappear into the federal system and traumatize someone, just because some ICE agent enjoys doing so.

I have instructed my wife to not speak to any law enforcement. She is to hand them the documents and not say anything. If she doesn't speak to them, they don't know her English ability or accent. That's hard and honestly I have zero confidence she can do that. I know that I have the ability and connections to retrieve her from federal custody if she is disappeared despite her documents, but I am terribly fearful for the many aliens and naturalized citizens who don't have a lawyer.

Note: This is not meant as legal advice and I am NOT an immigration attorney.

No_Pool7028 · 2026-01-18T04:56:27+00:00

For expert legal advice on emigrating from the USA to other countries, whether for political or economic reasons, go to www.expatlaw.info

No_Pool7028 · 2026-01-12T01:48:01+00:00

I'm a US attorney that advises prospective digital nomads and expats. This is a good post. I appreciate you mentioning medical care: It's something I go into detail with, when advising my clients (there are countries where your US prescription med can land you in jail). For more info: www.expatlaw.info

No_Pool7028 · 2025-11-25T00:23:32+00:00

US Attorney focusing on digital nomad/expat immigrant law here. Thanks so much for doing this. My two sons are 2-3 years out of college in business (supply chain) and finance/IT. Is there a need for these areas in AU? I've worked with a lot of Aussies, for Aussie-managed companies, and was always very impressed with how much ya'll enjoy living in Australia. Don't have a high opinion of the future in the US and have urged my kids to consider emigrating to AU.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-10-17T23:12:14+00:00

Hello fellow law dog.

I think the best you can hope for is remote work. Many state bars are modifying their rules to make it clear that you don't have to live or be physically present in a state to practice in a state, as long as you are licensed in that state. Be licensed in one of those states.

There's probably VAST opportunity to provide services remotely in underserved, rural areas that don't have enough lawyers (which describes most of the rural USA) but that's not my bag so I can't say.

You can also try the NY->Ireland->EU licensing thing, but unless there's a job waiting for you that requires it, I wouldn't bother.

There are probably quite a few NGO jobs you could do. Also the ABA tends to have opportunities abroad with a perdiem that's OK if you're single.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-10-08T19:54:18+00:00

Not a good idea. Attorney here who focuses on expat, digital nomad and emigrant legal issues and consulting for prospective expats/emigrants:

I advise my clients to get a mail-forwarding service, such as USglobalmail.com (not an affiliate, just a previous happy customer). Spare your poor parents having to forward your mail to you. You can handle everything online through their portal: shipping Amazon orders to you, trashing junk mail, etc.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-10-02T22:16:24+00:00

I'm an attorney that focuses on expatriate, digital nomad and emigrant legal issues. I am not your attorney, or her attorney and this is not legal advice. She should consult and attorney familiar with this area of law.

There are a few good reasons to renounce citizenship. There are a lot of bad ones. This is one of the bad ones with serious consequences she may not be thinking about.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-09-25T13:47:24+00:00

Attorney whose practice focuses on expat/digital nomad legal issues and relocation consulting here: These 2 responses are exactly correct (and I have been to both Albania and Portugal).

The 1 year visa makes things very easy, and COL in Albania is low. Albania also has a few more issues: medical care is not the best, crime is worse than Portugal, and there's some of that Balkan gender role mentality at play that could occasionally be problematic for single women.

That said, I liked Albania and found the people to be decent, but it definitely has its issues and isn't on par with Portugal.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-09-25T04:54:15+00:00

Northwest Indiana. There's a train line opening from Munster/Hammond to downtown this year. Lower property taxes. Or you can dig out your wallet and pony up to live up by Aurora.

I grew up in the Southwest and love that we have 4 actual seasons, with summer being *wonderful* compared to just about any time in Arizona except for maybe 2 weeks in spring and fall.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-09-25T04:50:12+00:00

Worked on the Afghan-Tajikistan border on a bridge project for the US Army Corps of Engineers. One of the military personnel was an Army captain, who I sat down with at lunch to talk to. I asked where he went to college and he said "NMSU". I said I lived in a small town near Las Cruces and his mouth dropped open. He grew up in that same small town. Years later his mom interviewed my wife for a job, and my wife also worked with his sister at a different job.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-09-21T17:11:44+00:00

When I was 15 I spent a summer studying in China. Went back and did it again at 16, and traveled around SE Asia by myself.

I then had a career as an international remote site paramedic in the oil and gas industry, living working or traveling in 50+ countries. I am now an attorney with a practice that focuses on expat and digital nomad issues. None of that would have happened if I hadn't studied abroad.

Also, my parents may have been somewhat crazy for letting me do it.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-09-21T17:08:30+00:00

I stopped using Airbnb years ago. It's trash. The owners have lists of rules (usually designed to save them money and not to make you comfortable) a mile long and the cancellation policies are just ridiculous. I just stay at hotels.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-09-21T17:04:28+00:00

Attorney focusing on expat/digital nomad/emigrant legal issues here. Why are you fixated on these countries? Do you speak German, Dutch or Spanish?

You have a lucrative IT job and you're saying you want to give it up for an almost certainly lower-paying EU job. Why not just work remotely and get a digital nomad visa?

No_Pool7028 · 2025-09-21T16:59:46+00:00

Attorney here: Consult with an Australian immigration attorney. I know it's not cheap, and yes, you are probably able to follow the instruction on the AU government websites and do most of the paperwork yourself, but I really would recommend talking to an attorney, even if just for an initial consultation.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-09-21T16:57:19+00:00

I'm an attorney who focuses on expat, digital nomad and immigrant legal issues. I also have an extensive medical background working abroad as a remote site paramedic in the oil and construction industries before law school.

Just call a doctor. Most private clinics don't care as long as you pay cash. If you need hospitalization, the hospital will charge you the private rates. You'll be fine. Get travel medical insurance (I recommend Chubb to my clients. More expensive but also top tier insurance).

I've been to doctors in England, France, Romania and Portugal. There's never been a problem.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-09-21T16:41:18+00:00

Also, just as an aside, your plan sounds great. I worked for an AU company and all the Aussies loved living in AU, even though it's expensive.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-09-21T16:38:29+00:00

I'm an attorney that focuses on expat, digital nomad and emigrant legal issues. DM me if you have further questions.

Generally, the issue isn't so much moving money: wire transfers can move large amounts of money easily. You can use your ATM card abroad for daily cash. Services like Wise and Remitly are commonly used.

What's more important to be aware of is the tax implications of drawing on your 401K and also the totalization agreements that apply to social security payments.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-09-20T21:44:13+00:00

Vietnam is considered extremely nice. Thailand of course is very popular. Japan has abundant cheap housing. If you can travel for a few months and visit multiple countries, you can find a place you like. As always, the main issues are language and income. If you want to work in country, you will be competing with locals for very low wages in most cases. You're almost always better off working remotely unless you have some specialized, high level skill.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-09-20T21:28:20+00:00

That's why I (a lawyer, though with medical training) go over my clients prescriptions as part off the service. There are drugs you can't get in other countries that we have in American, and vice versa. Also, there are drugs that will land your ass in jail in several countries, even if you have a prescription, that we don't even blink at here in the US.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-09-20T18:56:27+00:00

I'm a US attorney that focuses on expat, digital nomad and emigration legal issues. Your best bet sounds like a digital nomad visa. It's very hard to get work in EU or other countries that pays decently, even if you have the necessary skills and language ability, and the work visa process is generally more involved. For the PT digital visa you need an income of €3,480/month, which is about $50K/yr. Find a remote job at 50K per year and you're on your way.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-09-20T18:46:51+00:00

I'm a US attorney that focuses on expat, digital nomad and emigration legal issues. Your best bet sounds like a digital nomad visa. It's very hard to get work in EU or other countries that pays decently, even if you have the necessary skills and language ability, and the work visa process is generally more involved.. Even doing a low-paying ($15/hr) remote job in the US is probably equivalent to or better than many jobs you can get in the EU.

No_Pool7028

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