Tips for working remotely abroad for a few months?

[Anonymous]

Thanks all. Good advice - it's appreciated.

I have scant details, but apparently my company grants 90 day tourist visas for remote workers (we're based in the US). A few folks on my team will apparently be taking advantage of this and I think it sounds like a great idea, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:6-8 months in most places will mean you need a plan to leave the country and re-enter at least once because you won't be able to stay there the whole time on a tourist visa.

He said 6-8 weeks, not months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all. Good advice - it's appreciated.

I have scant details, but apparently my company grants 90 day tourist visas for remote workers (we're based in the US). A few folks on my team will apparently be taking advantage of this and I think it sounds like a great idea, too.

I have no idea how your company could grant tourist visas. The visa must be granted by the country you're visiting, and you have to follow that country's rules about whether you can work while on a tourist visa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check tax and visa laws. Your company may prohibit you from working out of the country or the country you’re interested in going to may not allow you to work from there (although I’m not sure how they’d know).

+1. Talk to your company about this first to see if it will avail them to tax issues given the prolonged physical presence. I dealt with this with a few clients who had employees stuck overseas due to COVID. They had to 1099 them to avoid tax implication so it may not be ideal for you depending on the time fame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all. Good advice - it's appreciated.

I have scant details, but apparently my company grants 90 day tourist visas for remote workers (we're based in the US). A few folks on my team will apparently be taking advantage of this and I think it sounds like a great idea, too.

I have no idea how your company could grant tourist visas. The visa must be granted by the country you're visiting, and you have to follow that country's rules about whether you can work while on a tourist visa.

LOL. The company doesn't have the authority to grant anything. At most, they provide a letter of employment to aid in your individual application. You may want to ask to clarify because something here is wrong.

[Anonymous]

My company also is ok with the US but is very particular if you are taking laptops, company phones abroad due to security issues. There are also taxation issues at play that you'll need to educate yourself on. Also you will need reliable wifi which might be an issue in temporary lodgings (I have btdt).

[Anonymous]

As PP said you may not be able to get on VPN and IT will likely be able identify that you are overseas. I work for an international country so it didn’t raise any eyebrows. Not sure I would do it without it being known.

[Anonymous]

There are no tax issues or anything at play if it's less than 90 days, people! OP will be on a waiver, not even a tourist visa, for most countries where OP might want to go that also have a great internet connection.

Check the internet connection, OP. That's the most critical thing. We spent a few months in France last year, and the most picturesque, non-urban locations may not have the wifi you want. It's the first thing we clarified with every AirBnB we wanted to rent.

[Anonymous]

I have been doing summers in Europe since Covid hit. My small, all US based company has been completely fine with it, there are no tax implications on either end. The one thing is time zone. Most people I work with are on the east coast but I do have a team on the west coast. I work 2-10 pm in Europe which is good. Sometimes when I am going getting up over there I can catch my west coast people with last minute items before they go to bed.

Just check to make sure it is ok with your company. Then for us we like a rural location with a small village which are really easy to find. We personally like the west coast of Ireland. Good wifi, public transportation and scenery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all. Good advice - it's appreciated.

I have scant details, but apparently my company grants 90 day tourist visas for remote workers (we're based in the US). A few folks on my team will apparently be taking advantage of this and I think it sounds like a great idea, too.

In most places you can’t work on a tourist visa, you need a business visa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
There are no tax issues or anything at play if it's less than 90 days, people! OP will be on a waiver, not even a tourist visa, for most countries where OP might want to go that also have a great internet connection.

Check the internet connection, OP. That's the most critical thing. We spent a few months in France last year, and the most picturesque, non-urban locations may not have the wifi you want. It's the first thing we clarified with every AirBnB we wanted to rent.

Omg yes this! The number of European airbnbs without wifi is just 🤨. It’s like where am I staying, 2005?! The internet is not just for dorks anymore.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everybody. I clearly have some more details to iron out and I'm not using the right terminology. Appreciate the continued advice!

[Anonymous]

You can absolutely work for your US company in another country. It's called being a digital nomad. Everyone here is just jealous of you.

I like Latin America because the time difference is better and the cost of living is economical, you get more bang for your buck. I'd look at Medellín, Colombia - it's like a smaller NYC in Latin America.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can absolutely work for your US company in another country. It's called being a digital nomad. Everyone here is just jealous of you.

I like Latin America because the time difference is better and the cost of living is economical, you get more bang for your buck. I'd look at Medellín, Colombia - it's like a smaller NYC in Latin America.

This is just false. Yes, jealousy can be real but I’m a full time digital nomad and taxes are no joke. You must be careful or you could lose your job.

[Anonymous]

And to further clarify, while you may not be personally liable for taxes, it’s the company or business that doesn’t suddenly want to owe French or Irish or Mexican or Malaysian taxes. That is what makes this all so unsettling for employers.