Guest Post: A Primer For Those Considering Expatriation

Submitted by Mark Nestmann via Chris Martenson of ChrisMartenson.com,

A growing number of Americans are frustrated with the way in which their economy has been managed and are becoming increasingly concerned about future measures the government may take to keep its coffers full.

A question that is arising with increasing frequency is: does expatriation offer a viable protection to those concerned about a more financially-intrusive US system?

The answer is 'yes', it does offer a completely legal solution for ending your obligation to pay US income, capital gains, and gift taxes on your worldwide income. But it is certainly not for everyone and should only be pursued after lengthy and diligent consideration.

And before you begin dreaming of a tax-free future, you should realize that the United States imposes taxes on a broader basis than any other country. The United States is one of two countries, and is the only major country, that imposes significant income, capital gains, gift, and estate taxes on its non-resident citizens.

In virtually all other countries, individuals end their liability to pay income tax after a sustained period of non-residence, generally one year or longer. But to legally and permanently end U.S. tax liability on their worldwide income, U.S. citizens must also give up their U.S. citizenship and passport. This process is called "expatriation."

Yes, it's a radical step. However, if you're a U.S. citizen, you can make nearly all of the preparations for a possible future expatriation without permanently leaving the United States. This is a four-step process: 

• Phase 1. Relocate your assets from the United States to other jurisdictions, preferably where the assets won't be taxed.

• Phase 2. Identify foreign countries where you would consider living,

• Phase 3. Obtain a suitable second passport

• Phase 4. Expatriate—give up your U.S. citizenship and passport

Once you've accomplished the first three phases, summarized here in Part I of this report, the final step—expatriation—is much easier than if you're starting from scratch. Part II of this report describes the expatriation process.

Are you a good candidate for expatriation? You are, if:

• You are comfortable living outside the United States, or are already doing so
• Your spouse and children are comfortable living outside the United States, or are already doing so; and
• You have already or are capable of shifting the majority of your income and assets outside the United States.

Phase 1: Relocate Your Assets Outside the United States

With a few exceptions, the IRC imposes taxes on both U.S. source income and foreign source income of U.S. citizens. Non-resident, non-U.S. citizens (also known as "non-resident aliens") pay tax only on U.S. source income, although some U.S. sources of income (e.g., most capital gains) are tax-free.

To prepare for this more favorable tax treatment in anticipation of expatriation, begin moving liquid assets outside the United States to more tax-friendly jurisdictions. Begin selling assets that can't be relocated (e.g., real estate) so that you may reinvest the proceeds overseas.

Invest only in countries and investments with which you are comfortable. If you are accustomed to buying and selling U.S. securities, consider using offshore bank or brokerage accounts to target non-U.S. securities. If you are an experienced real estate investor, investigate real estate purchases outside the United States. Keep in mind that a targeted investment or real estate purchase may also qualify you for legal residence in some countries (Phase 2) or even a second passport (Phase 3). If you have substantial domestic investments in precious metals, consider moving the metals offshore.

The vast majority of foreign banks and brokerages now refuse to accept new U.S. citizen clients, especially U.S. citizens resident in the United States. However, banks and brokerages in a handful of countries still accept new U.S. citizen and resident clients and allow them to purchase non-U.S. securities. A few banks in Austria, the Bahamas, Hong Kong, Liechtenstein, Singapore, and Switzerland are suitable for this purpose. The minimum deposits in these banks start at $100,000. Minimum deposits in offshore brokerages start around $5,000. Fees are much higher for banking services and securities trading than in the United States.

Both the accounts you hold offshore and the income derived from them must be reported to U.S. authorities. The penalties for failing to make these disclosures are draconian. Consult with an expert familiar with the tax and reporting rules for international investments when you file your annual tax return.

Offshore real estate is a non-reportable asset for U.S. investors if owned individually or jointly with your spouse or other individuals. Income or gain from foreign real estate investment is reportable and taxable. Countries offering first-world infrastructure and where real estate is relatively affordable include Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Panama, Spain, and Uruguay.

Numerous potential "land mines" exist in offshore real estate investments. Among them are the lack of a multiple listing service in many countries, difficulty in establishing good title, and legal provisions giving squatters the right to live on your property. Retain a knowledgeable real estate attorney in the country in which you purchase real estate to avoid problems.

You may transport precious metals you own in the United States to another country and store the metals in a safety deposit box, bank vault, or private vault. One option for doing so is to use a secure shipping service. Make certain the service not only promises secure transport but also assists with completing non-U.S. customs and tax declarations. Another option to transport precious metals out of the United States is a like-kind exchange under Sec. 1031 of the IRC. If you move the metals yourself, the best option can be to hire an import agent in the country to which you're taking them to handle the import formalities. You will generally post a bond through the agent covering taxes due (if any) plus the agent’s fee.

Phase 2: Identify Foreign Countries Where You Would Consider Living

Once you give up U.S. citizenship and passport, you no longer have the right to live in the United States. You may generally make brief visits, but in most cases, you won't be able to stay more than approximately four months annually without becoming subject to U.S. tax on your worldwide income based on the IRC's "deemed residence" rules discussed in Part II of this report. Finding another country to live in is therefore an essential part of any expatriation exit strategy.

Even if you have no plan currently to leave the United States permanently, finding a country that you may wish to relocate to in the future is a prudent safeguard. If economic or political conditions deteriorate in the United States and reach your personal breaking point, having legal residence in a suitable offshore jurisdiction provides a valuable "insurance policy."

If you merely want the right to live in another country in the form of a residence permit, but don't necessary want to be physically resident there, a number of countries can accommodate your needs. These include Belize, Costa Rica, Malta, Mexico, the Dutch Caribbean territories, and Panama. In most cases, you can qualify for residence (although not the right to work in the country) by either making an investment or demonstrating a minimum guaranteed pension payment. Residence rights may be purchased in some countries by making an investment of $80,000 or more in real estate or other assets. A guaranteed pension payment of $1,000 or more may also qualify you for residence. In other countries, you may need to qualify on a points system. Some countries have multiple programs to consider. 

Phase 3: Obtain a Suitable Second Passport

To end your responsibility to comply with U.S. tax and reporting obligations, you must give up your U.S. citizenship and passport. Without a second nationality in place and passport in hand, however, giving up your U.S. passport would render you a "stateless person." Avoid this status, as it makes it difficult or impossible to legally live or travel internationally.

A second passport also conveys numerous other benefits:

• It gives you the right to reside in the country that issued the passport, and possibly other countries. For instance, a passport from a member of the European Union conveys the right to live and work in any other EU country. 

• It gives you a way to travel internationally if your primary passport is lost or stolen, or if the issuing government confiscates or refuses to renew it.

• It provides you with the opportunity to travel to countries blacklisted by the government that issued your primary passport. For U.S. citizens, this includes countries such as Cuba, North Korea, etc.

• It avoids disclosing your primary nationality, should you ever need to keep that a secret. This can be useful if you're ever confronted by militants who oppose the government that issued your primary passport.  

You may qualify for a second citizenship and passport by ancestry, marriage, religion, or extended residence in another country. If not, a handful of countries offer “instant” citizenship in return for an investment or contribution. The Commonwealth of Dominica and the Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis are the only countries with an official, legally mandated, economic citizenship. (Note: Dominica and the Dominican Republic are different countries.)

Dominica is the least expensive option. The nationality law of Dominica authorizes the government to waive the normal requirement of seven years of legal residence to acquire citizenship in exchange for a cash contribution. Total costs including all fees for a single applicant come to about $105,000. Add $25,000 for your spouse and up to two children under 18. The Dominican passport holders can travel without a visa, or obtain a visa upon entry, to nearly 90 countries and territories.

The Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis offers two options to obtain economic citizenship. One option is to make a direct contribution to a charitable foundation set up to support displaced sugar workers: the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (SIDF). Total costs including all fees for a single applicant under this option come to about $285,000 or $335,000 for an applicant with up to three dependents.

The second option is to purchase "qualifying property" with a minimum investment of $400,000. Fees and closing costs add a minimum of $100,000. Total costs for a single applicant come to at least $500,000 and close to $600,000 for a family of four. The St. Kitts & Nevis passport provides visa-free entry, or visa upon entry, to more than 120 countries, including nearly all of the 27 member countries of the European Union.

In all cases, applicants must pass a strict vetting process that includes a comprehensive criminal background check.

Bogus second citizenship offerings abound. In recent years, I have received offers to purchase passports from Costa Rica, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Ireland, and Lithuania, among other countries. Some of these offers are outright scams. Others involve illegally purchased or stolen documents. Even if you succeed in obtaining a passport on this basis, it may be revoked at any time and you could be subject to arrest and/or deportation.

Conclusion

Once you've completed Phases 1, 2, and 3 of your four-step plan to disconnect from the United States, you're ready for Phase 4: expatriation. While you may never take the final step of giving up your U.S. citizenship and passport, taking the preparations summarized so far at least gives you that option.

In Part II: Important Consequences of Expatriation, we explore:

• The nuts and bolts of expatriation, including the legal process of expatriation
• The tax consequences of expatriation
• The immigration consequences of expatriation
• The pros and cons of U.S. investments once you expatriate
• The tax consequences should you choose to spend more than a few months each year in the United States after expatriation

Click here to read Part II of this report (free executive summary; enrollment required to access).

Comments

[smiler03]

You're so ignorant of so many things but I'll just point out one. If you renounce your US citizenship, you HAVE to do it a US embassy.

[BiggerInJapan]

Yes you should smile while you pay your taxes to murderous pimps, and in the future smile even more when you eat your radioative soup so it will not hurt you because you are HAPPY

[Curt W]

There are some that want southern Arizona to split from Arizona, and become the 51st state South Arizona.  Don't think it will happen, but it is being promoted.

[Magnum]

He lost me when he said it's possible to open up an account in Liechtenstein and Switzerland, in fact it is impossible, they will NOT open accounts for Americans (period).  

[boiltherich]

Thus the second passport.  That part of the post was correct, I carry both US and Irish/EU passports and can live, work, open bank accounts in any EU jurisdiction, at least till France decides to withdraw from the Schengen Treaty, but if such a central EU nation withdraws from that treaty it will be the end of the EU entirely because that treaty is at the very heart of the purpose of the EU. 

I should have pointed out a little detail in my earlier post:

The United States is one of the few countries that taxes on the basis of citizenship rather than residence. In order to keep U.S. workers abroad competitive with other international workers, it excludes from taxation a fixed amount of money earned abroad, known as the foreign earned income exclusion. For 2007, that amount was $85,700. That sum is free of U.S. taxes whether someone works in a high-tax country like Austria or Denmark, or a low- or no-tax country like Hong Kong or Saudi Arabia.  http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/world/americas/28iht-ATAXES.html?pagewanted=all

The tax liability situation for high wage earners abroad has become a lot more complicated in the last few years, but ONLY for high income working people, very VERY few readers here fall into that category.  And like I said earlier and I stand by it, if you want to move out and give up citizenship in the USA for reasons of greedy unwillingness to pay a fair share then fine, don't let the door slam on your ass on the way out.  The rest of us will stay and try to fix the broken nation and please do not ever apply for a return visa now that you are no longer a citizen because you will not get one.  Even well connected people with a dire need are not allowed to return and there is no poster at ZH with the kind of pull it would take to be among the dozen or so former citizens allowed in for a visit each year. 

If you have any doubts on these points please contact the state department and ask, but be ready for a cold response, they have very little time for people so shallow and greedy they would do such a thing.  You think they are not the biggest bastards in government?  My father got a green card in 1949 for permanent residence and turned 21 on the boat over, but he could NEVER leave US jurisdiction because if he did he would not be allowed back in.  His mother died in 57, no humanitarian exceptions.  His father died in 1977 no exceptions.  He was not permitted to travel back to Ireland for a visit till he was 73 in 2001. 

Funny thing is you are SO free as a US citizen you can do such a thing as leave and give a middle finger to the rest of America over a few filthy fiat bucks.  I assure you that if you think you have a lot to bitch about living here you sure as hell will where you are going.  America has trouble it needs to fix, but in this matter the real problems are in those who leave, geographic solutions to internal problems never work.

[Magnum]

Foolish post you spent half an hour typing a diatribe that did not have anything to do with my comment that banks in Leichtenstein and Switzerland refuse to open accounts for Americans (which is true).  Why did you get on the high horse and tell me about your personal stories of your poor daddy.  

And your suggestion that just because you have a second passport means anyone can get one, is ludicrous.  Very difficult. 

Aside from that I think a lot of people want to leave the USA not because of greed, far from it, there are very important reasons that you seem oblivious to.  I think in the last year since I registered at ZH and started reading I've not read a more bizarre and off the wall post as yours.  Get some sleep.

[Vlad Tepid]

He's a little crazy so cut him some "crazy person" slack.  At least he didn't go into his whole history of how he became queer...

[BiggerInJapan]

until I was 18 I though I would like to live a while in USA, now with all those TSA stories i dont even want to trasint there lol

[Ungaro]

It is not a good idea to renounce your US citizenship, except in the most extreme cases. You can live in the Philippines without jumping through any extra hoops. Permanent residency is available through marriage (Filipinas make the best wives, see here), a small ($50K) investment, or by employing 10 or more Filipinos. You can open bank accounts without any hassle in PHP, USD, CNY or JPY.

There are many expats living here in Cebu. Some live on $800/month or less and live very well. Most of us have live-in domestic help. There is a Costco-like store (S&R) where most US brands are carried that you find at Costco (yes, even Kirkland). See this for more info.

[Curt W]

Soon there will be expatriots that don't move or send assets overseas they will be the poor who refuse to pay taxes, refuse to even file taxes, refuse to acknowledge the central government in any way. 

Check out gun and ammo sales for the last 5 years, these people are preparing for the end of a central government altogether

[laosuwan]

this seems kind of crazy to me, if you are right. You can see all these videos where the police or goverment comes to someone's house with military gear and weapons and blasts them to death if they dont answer the door fast enough at 3 a.m. What good would a gun do these citizens if they had one? The only way guns can help usa citizens defend against their corrupt government is if thousands of people organized into a para militia that could form and disperse quickly so that the numbers were large enough to overwhlem the police sent to kill them, and then blend away when major forces arrived to kill them. This seems (a) pretty unlikely to ever happen, and (b) hard to imagine even if it did. More likely people want guns to protect themselves against crime. Of course, eric holder will get you if you are white or asian and protect yourself from someone who is black or brown, but if you are black or brown and protect yourself from someon who is white or asian your probably going to be ok. uness they are a governmetn employee, of course.

[laosuwan]

I have always wondered about all these how to leave the usa stories: If you wanted to leave the usa and become citizen in another country, once you are a citizen and everything is in your name as a citizen of that country, why would anyone go through the expatriation process and its risks and cost when they could just tear up their usa passport and never go back? I supposed they could even change their name in their new country if they were paranoid. why not just abandon the passport?

[boiltherich]

Because you can go to another nation and become a citizen but till you formally renounce your US citizenship by mailing back your passport to the nearest embassy or state department in DC with a letter appropriately notarized and yadda yadda the US will still consider you a citizen, then when you have not filed taxes for a few years an extradition notice goes out for you, one day you will be going through customs entering France for a visit or go to Sydney or some other place and bingo, you are in lock up awaiting extradition back to the USA where you will not be well treated.  The USA takes a very dim view of citizens that renounce citizenship, you can do it but I assure you that the bridge you are burning may well be the one you are standing upon.  Such people are treated little better than terrorists. 

By the way, the USA considers the taking of dual citizenship in most other nations by ADULTS to be a de facto renunciation of US citizenship, to the point you lose citizen rights but not to the point you are free of citizen responsibility like paying your taxes due under US laws.  There is no US law regarding the possession of or the taking of dual citizenship by a US citizen, but the courts have ruled in several cases that pertain to the matter and the State Department is responsible for deciding who is and who is not a citizen.  They deem that you may have dual citizenship by birth or familial relationships in any nation as long as you apply for that nation's and a US passport before your 18th birthday.  Thereafter you may not if that other nation requires an oath of allegiance in order to receive citizenship or a passport. 

There are very few nations that do not require such an oath of allegiance, or an outright renunciation of any foreign citizenship, many nation do not allow dual citizenship at all.  I only know of two such nations, Ireland recognizes any person with an Irish parent to be a citizen and so you can take out an Irish/EU passport with no oath or tests of any kind.  They recently changed the law, when I got my passport in 2002 they allowed anybody who had a parent or GRANDPARENT to have a passport provided you could prove they were born in Ireland and or were married to an Irish citizen.  Pretty easy to do since all Irish birth records have been centralized in Dublin since the early to mid 1800's.  Prior to that the church did an excellent job of recording births, but for this discussion nobody here is old enough to have a grandparent born before centralization of the records. 

It is still pretty easy to become a citizen there, and I believe the rule about grandparents has a lot of exceptions.  When I was a kid in the 60's having an Irish parent or grandparent covered about 55 million Americans.  Much fewer now.  In some cases you may well have a living parent that still qualifies even if you do not, if you can get them to take the dual citizenship then not only will you automatically qualify so will your kids.  There is no negative to doing it at all and if you can do it you owe it to your kids should they want that option.  For $100 why wouldn't you? 

The other nation is of course Israel.  They consider any Jewish person to be a citizen of Israel.  Convert, apply for their passport, no oaths, and lets face it, probably half of America outside the Mormon faith has some Jewish blood in them anyway.  Though why anybody would want to carry an Israeli passport is beyond me.  I am sure in some special situations it would confer some rights that might make you more money, or avoid taxes, or whatever, but when Islamic gunmen take over your cruise ship or jet or theater make sure you hide that fucker good. 

I did a lot of research on the subject prior to getting my dual citizenship, I was not about to do anything that would later haunt me.  I had a lawyer at State Department assure me of my findings, and that it was OK.  I have a lot of issues with America, I wish I was in a better position to help fix this badly broken country, but nothing on the planet and under no circumstances would I ever stop being a loyal US citizen, my country is wrong a lot these days, but it is the ONLY nation that I will ever call home. 

[laosuwan]

so what, if they dont know who you are or where you are...

i dont think you are right that thrid part countries would extradite a citizen of country X traveling on a country X passport to the usa if the person has no usa passport and tax charges are not normally extraditable offenses unless in a certain treaty.

ok, yes, if you are a criminal on the run from the usa and there is a warrant, etc., but if you just move away having done nothing wrong, the probability of an encounter with the usa government seems very low unless the person goes back there.

So, the person just renounces usa citizenship and is done with it. there is no need to inform the usa governmetn, unless there is some need. I think this should be clear after the episode with bobby fisher in japan.

[Vlad Tepid]

There are plenty of ways to make money and not have to get yourself extradited.  Someone above mentioned no W2s in foreign countries.  I'm not going to be the imagination for the whole ZH community at my own peril but if people used their brain for 2.5 seconds it shouldn't be a problem.

BTW the Fischer episode is an excellent idea of why renouncing is a silly idea.  If you never use the thing why go to all the trouble of renouncing it?  BF was making a silly political statement and he was mentally unstable...everyone else should find a smoother way of dealing with it.

[laosuwan]

bf renonunced as a strategy to avoid extradition and it worked. he now lives in iceland. my point was even if somebody who is in trouble with the usa law is in trouble he can still renouce at the last possible minute, so why bother to renounce?

[BiggerInJapan]

Portugal will give double/triple/google nacionality, you just need to have a mother or father that are Portuguese.

I only recomend going there if you are rich lol

And again another narrow vision post boiltherich but you have a cute name so lets wait for better day

[Empresario]

Actually, if you're self-employed, the IRS still requires you to pay social security & medicare (FICA) taxes, even if you live 100% in a foreign country for the rest of your life and never return to the US. Talk about unfair taxation. And since you're self employed, you have to pay both the employer and employee portion of FICA taxes. So that's an additional ~13.3% on top of taxes paid to the country where you live abroad + any taxes above the FEIC income limit that you owe to the US. Sucks to be american abroad.

The only fair taxation is taxation based on residency. If you live in a country and use its services, you pay taxes there. If you don't live there, you don't pay taxes there. Simple and fair. There is a reason all other industrialized countries tax based on residency--it's the only fair way.

The ACA (American Citizens Abroad) is currently proposing to members of congress a set of reforms to bring fairness back to taxation and get the US on a residency based tax policy. Their suggestions: http://www.aca.ch/taxreform1.pdf Worthwhile read. Tell your congress persons to support it. It needs a backer to become a bill.

[boiltherich]

Nothing unfair about it.  I am a dual citizen in the US and EU/Ireland.  If I were self employed there I would be covered by the NHS and Irish elderly pensions are far better than here, but, there is nothing stopping people from living and working abroad their whole adult lives and then collecting from the US upon retirement provided they paid into our system as well.  You do have to pay in but you also get to collect, the geography does not enter into the matter. 

And if you lived abroad and paid in then when you retire even though you still live abroad you can still collect, my step grandfather lived in Mexico at Lake Chapala and had no problem getting his social security checks.  There is no difference between the self employment level of the tax if you are in Florida or Finland.  My ex used to have to pay both parts when he was self employed in Tallahassee. 

And since the first $87,500 of earned income abroad is income tax exempt I have a really hard time working up a lot of sympathy for the poor expats.  You get to deduct the first $87,500 right off the top as not even being income, then from the remaining income you get a 100% deduction for a housing allowence, you get a total deduction for any taxes paid to any foreign government (including VAT so keep those reciepts) and the remaining adjusted gross is still then subjected to your personal exemption, as well as itemization, yes you have tax liablilty as an expat if you earned a LOT of money, and if you ask me that is totally fair, not that the whining racists will agree, but then I can't possibly give a shit less what they think anyway.

[suckerfishzilla]

Run bitches!

[Lord Koos]

i don't give a shit about taxes, what makes me want to leave is the survellience/police state.

[boiltherich]

Most EU nations require you to register with the police when you rent or buy a place to live, or move, just like a sex offender in the USA has to.  Also, when you check into a hotel in almost all EU hotels you have to leave a deposit and your passport at the desk. 

You want to talk surveillance?  Try Britain where the average person is clocked by a CTV cam 1,600 times per day. 

And then there are the less advanced nations, sure they might not always know where you live or where you are but the barriers to working or starting a business are unbelievable, and if you do fall afoul of the law for any reason guess what?  No bill of rights.  Many nations, especially Spanish speaking countries like Mexico, have Napoleonic legal systems, rather than systems based upon English common law, I would not step foot in a country with a Napoleonic system, they have no presumption of innocent until proven guilty, it is in fact the other way around, the burden of proof for your innocence is upon you, hard to manage when you are in jail without bail because they have no requirement for bail. 

You want to see bureaucracy in action?  Try buying real estate in Uruguay or Mexico.  And then once you settle in you find out why taxes in the advanced nations are so high, because you will not have broadband, you might not be allowed a phone, or the wait list might be years long.  The power will go out, a lot.  The roads, if indeed that is what they are will destroy anything you can possible afford to pay for when you drive upon them, and what is that white thing wiggling in your goat meat?  Hope it don't make you sick because in many places up to half of all medication is nothing more than a look alike sugar pill.  You hate $4 a gallon gas?  Montevideo is over $10.  But of course you left to get away from high taxes and 10 buck a gallon gas is not a tax right? 

I had a great friend that left for Buenos Aires, spoke fluent Spanish, had social security to live on, and he managed to get by in an SRO hotel, but was not permitted to work, they looked the other way for years about his overstay on the visa since he could show he was sincerely trying to get residency, but in the end 12 years later he was denied for the final time and invited to leave Argentina.  He went back to New York where he was raised and drank anti freeze.  Ghastly way to go.  Of course if I had to live in Troy NY I would want to drink anti freeze too. 

This is not 1934 and Ilsa did not happen to just drop into your gin joint and you are not Rick anyway, things have changed and you have a valid concern about police states, but you are not getting away from it by switching your geography, even if you could you would be exchanging one set of problems for another that you might like a whole lot less. 

There are things you can do to minimize your exposure to the so called police state right here in America.  Live like it is 1966 instead of 2012.  Get a great older car that has mechanical points and condenser, a distributor cap, and no connection to the net or GPS units.  Dump your Garmin and buy a paper map.  Fuck the cell phone, you don't need it, you are not that important.  Use library computers or free WiFi at Starbucks with a random ISP generator.  Get a TV antenna and stop paying cable or dish.  We had no more when I was a kid and guess what?  We survived it.  You would be surprised when you find like minded people and neighbors that will come to play cards, eat, hold conversations, enjoy a glass of wine by the fire.  Human contact.  Try it.  I used to love it and I understand where you are coming from, I miss it a lot, but the yearnings I read here are misplaced, it is about technology and funny money taking over our lives and destroying the bedrock of society (as in SOCIAL) it is not about taxes, nobody ever liked those, they were never fair.  It is not about surveillance, cops were never fun, people never went out of their way to get in a cops' crosshairs. 

It is about your alienation from your fellow man.  That is what causes 90+% of the problems you all bitch about, even if you do not understand it or realize it, a free floating anxiety based in your lack of belonging.  You fix that and I assure you that most of your issues and anger will dissolve, leaving you free to join with others in a real way to make headway against the massive fuck up that is our political industrial military financial complex that somehow has come to see you and me as property rather than human beings. 

[Lord Koos]

Thanks for setting us all straight.

[Milestones]

Both interesting and thoughtful. Ah! Casablanca.           Milestones

[BiggerInJapan]

You must be fucking crazy if you think you have to register in the POLICE for renting a house lol MAYBE in the UK or bielorussia or Albania, thats 3 countries in 30 many

[dolph9]

Emigration is not easy, unless you have some connection or another.  Life is always like that.

I'm an American citizen who was born in Canada.  I can't even fucking go back there for work, the requirements are incredibly onerous.  To be fair, though, this has more to do with Canadian laws.  If I ever did go there, it would be as a refugee.

I have a feeling I'm going to die an American.  Unless of course it breaks up and states/regions start issuing their own citizenships.

[JOYFUL]

This kind of bone head article does nothing but enforce status quo thinking on the part of people who need to be thinking outside the box.

The clear implication behind everything written here is that life as we know it will go on...and on...and on. Somewhere. And if you really believe that, why bother doing anything radical or different at all??? Might as well just stay put and wait for your local Camp FEMA to open for bizness.

If you get out of the pot, and find another roost, in time, the whole point of doing so will have been to set yourself up to be able to manage your life in a post-collapse scenario...are we really supposed to belief that there will be pockets of non-collapse in this hyper-connected world we live in? 

Everywhere, people are gonna be berift of their savings, their jobs, their social securities, medical entitlements, etc, etc, and needing to shift for themselves.  You ready for that?  If not, doesn't matter where the end of the road finds your sorry ass, end result is gonna be the same.

p.s. wherever you wander to, the trick is to embed yourself with farming folk...people who actually have some kind of handle on their own living space, and if you don't care to farm yourself, have something of value to be able to offer them. Don't count on gettting through the collapse phase as a single family unit...it's not a practical solution.

[Incubus]

I'm just gonna be a pirate.  

[Money 4 Nothing]

Sooo.. you really want to interview with Goldman Sachs? I would take a little pause before I forced a Muppet to walk a plank. It's not for everyone.

On a serious note, expatriation isn't for everyone either, you will be black listed along with Soverign citizens movement which are being targeted right now in a bad way.

My SHTF was just to secure Canadian Passports for my wife and kids, we have some friends up there for relocation help. They are leaving, I am staying.

[jmk]

I thought about where to go when the feathers went into the fan for 30 years while I worked in Chicago for the first 10 and the next 20 in Phoenix. I toured the world and could have lived anywhere and finally concluded Montana was the best place to live in the US. No, the winters are not intolerable--not even close to a Chicago winter. I could list dozens of reasons but if you want to get away from places like Phoenix, which is a disaster waiting to happen, you should simply visit and tour Montana for 2-3 weeks and you will understand.