Tips for working remotely abroad for a few months?

Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
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.





This is just wrong. Completely wrong, as are all the responses from PPs saying that there are no issues with being a digital nomad. Ignoring the laws and having no repercussions doesn’t make something legal. For most countries, you cannot work - even for a foreign employer- while on a tourist visa. Yes, laws are largely ignored by Americans but tourists visas aren’t meant to allow you work and residence.

The tax implications for the US employer are quite real. Again, often ignored and difficult to track but still applicable

-immigration/employment atty


Americans don't need tourist visas for most countries and can stay up to 90 days. My company encourages working abroad for up to 10wks a year. We have a Global Work Advisor who you need to work through but I have never had my request denied. We just do EU countries. This is a completely US based company.


My American cousin did this years ago. The EU country found out, deported her, and she was banned from the country for awhile. When she entered any EU country after she was detained and questioned for hours (for about 2 years after this happened). Fun times.


How did they find out? Seems like something that would be extremely easy to conceal.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
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.





This is just wrong. Completely wrong, as are all the responses from PPs saying that there are no issues with being a digital nomad. Ignoring the laws and having no repercussions doesn’t make something legal. For most countries, you cannot work - even for a foreign employer- while on a tourist visa. Yes, laws are largely ignored by Americans but tourists visas aren’t meant to allow you work and residence.

The tax implications for the US employer are quite real. Again, often ignored and difficult to track but still applicable

-immigration/employment atty


Americans don't need tourist visas for most countries and can stay up to 90 days. My company encourages working abroad for up to 10wks a year. We have a Global Work Advisor who you need to work through but I have never had my request denied. We just do EU countries. This is a completely US based company.


This is what annoys me about this thread: the entitled, arrogant American response. I know PP believes this, most Americans do. They completely believe that it is their RIGHT to go to any country and stay and work on a TOURIST visa because - well - they're rich, white Americans with enough disposable income to allow them to do it. Just so you know, tourist visas are only permissible for tourist activities during that 90 day period. They do not encompass work, even if it is virtual for a foreign based employer.

What I find crazy about this thread is all the PPs who insist that they can go work virtually in a foreign country as tourists. But just imagine for a hot second if Mexicans, Syrians, Liberians, Nigerians, or other nationality were to dare enter the US as tourists and claim their right to work as a digital nomad. It's considered a violation of status and ground for revocation of that tourist visa. In most cases, work (of any kind) is a violation of the terms of your tourist visa - particularly in visa waiver status. Yes, there are some countries that allow it but you must do the research on that. For example, I think some Caribbean nations were permitting it explicitly to draw tourism dollars.

There are some EU nations that offer a specific "digital nomad" style visa. Italy is one of them. you must apply for that visa specifically and submit evidence of your current US based income. This will grant the type of work authorization that would be needed for a virtual worker. It does not grant work authorization in country for domestic employers.

The point is that Americans think they can do anything at any time where the reality is that there are laws that you should be looking to for guidance. We just like to ignore them. Because 'Merica.


If someone came from another country and stayed only six weeks I wouldn't care if they worked or not.


That’s cool that you don’t care but the State Department and USCIS do.


If you are an American citizen, and properly file and pay taxes, I am unclear why State or USCIS would care at all if a small portion of those were earned outside the US, working for US organizations. The legal authorities in the other country may certainly care (although probably not a lot if it's a few weeks of remote work). But why would anyone in the US government? There are no US laws against this sort of thing, assuming you pay US taxes properly.


This was in response to the PP who said they don’t care if someone from another country, presumably on a tourist visa, and worked for six weeks while in the U.S. This kind if behavior can get you into trouble with State and USCIS.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
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.





This is just wrong. Completely wrong, as are all the responses from PPs saying that there are no issues with being a digital nomad. Ignoring the laws and having no repercussions doesn’t make something legal. For most countries, you cannot work - even for a foreign employer- while on a tourist visa. Yes, laws are largely ignored by Americans but tourists visas aren’t meant to allow you work and residence.

The tax implications for the US employer are quite real. Again, often ignored and difficult to track but still applicable

-immigration/employment atty


Americans don't need tourist visas for most countries and can stay up to 90 days. My company encourages working abroad for up to 10wks a year. We have a Global Work Advisor who you need to work through but I have never had my request denied. We just do EU countries. This is a completely US based company.


This is what annoys me about this thread: the entitled, arrogant American response. I know PP believes this, most Americans do. They completely believe that it is their RIGHT to go to any country and stay and work on a TOURIST visa because - well - they're rich, white Americans with enough disposable income to allow them to do it. Just so you know, tourist visas are only permissible for tourist activities during that 90 day period. They do not encompass work, even if it is virtual for a foreign based employer.

What I find crazy about this thread is all the PPs who insist that they can go work virtually in a foreign country as tourists. But just imagine for a hot second if Mexicans, Syrians, Liberians, Nigerians, or other nationality were to dare enter the US as tourists and claim their right to work as a digital nomad. It's considered a violation of status and ground for revocation of that tourist visa. In most cases, work (of any kind) is a violation of the terms of your tourist visa - particularly in visa waiver status. Yes, there are some countries that allow it but you must do the research on that. For example, I think some Caribbean nations were permitting it explicitly to draw tourism dollars.

There are some EU nations that offer a specific "digital nomad" style visa. Italy is one of them. you must apply for that visa specifically and submit evidence of your current US based income. This will grant the type of work authorization that would be needed for a virtual worker. It does not grant work authorization in country for domestic employers.

The point is that Americans think they can do anything at any time where the reality is that there are laws that you should be looking to for guidance. We just like to ignore them. Because 'Merica.


If someone came from another country and stayed only six weeks I wouldn't care if they worked or not.


That’s cool that you don’t care but the State Department and USCIS do.


If you are an American citizen, and properly file and pay taxes, I am unclear why State or USCIS would care at all if a small portion of those were earned outside the US, working for US organizations. The legal authorities in the other country may certainly care (although probably not a lot if it's a few weeks of remote work). But why would anyone in the US government? There are no US laws against this sort of thing, assuming you pay US taxes properly.


This was in response to the PP who said they don’t care if someone from another country, presumably on a tourist visa, and worked for six weeks while in the U.S. This kind if behavior can get you into trouble with State and USCIS.


Ah. yes, I suppose it could. But I seriously doubt it would if that person came from somewhere like Europe or Japan or Australia, and was doing solely computer remote work. Yes there is a risk, but they simply don't have the types of monitoring tools needed to substantively track something like this.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
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.





This is just wrong. Completely wrong, as are all the responses from PPs saying that there are no issues with being a digital nomad. Ignoring the laws and having no repercussions doesn’t make something legal. For most countries, you cannot work - even for a foreign employer- while on a tourist visa. Yes, laws are largely ignored by Americans but tourists visas aren’t meant to allow you work and residence.

The tax implications for the US employer are quite real. Again, often ignored and difficult to track but still applicable

-immigration/employment atty


Americans don't need tourist visas for most countries and can stay up to 90 days. My company encourages working abroad for up to 10wks a year. We have a Global Work Advisor who you need to work through but I have never had my request denied. We just do EU countries. This is a completely US based company.


My American cousin did this years ago. The EU country found out, deported her, and she was banned from the country for awhile. When she entered any EU country after she was detained and questioned for hours (for about 2 years after this happened). Fun times.


How did they find out? Seems like something that would be extremely easy to conceal.


I love countries that actually enforce their laws!
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
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.





This is just wrong. Completely wrong, as are all the responses from PPs saying that there are no issues with being a digital nomad. Ignoring the laws and having no repercussions doesn’t make something legal. For most countries, you cannot work - even for a foreign employer- while on a tourist visa. Yes, laws are largely ignored by Americans but tourists visas aren’t meant to allow you work and residence.

The tax implications for the US employer are quite real. Again, often ignored and difficult to track but still applicable

-immigration/employment atty


Americans don't need tourist visas for most countries and can stay up to 90 days. My company encourages working abroad for up to 10wks a year. We have a Global Work Advisor who you need to work through but I have never had my request denied. We just do EU countries. This is a completely US based company.


My American cousin did this years ago. The EU country found out, deported her, and she was banned from the country for awhile. When she entered any EU country after she was detained and questioned for hours (for about 2 years after this happened). Fun times.


I have been doing it for years from various EU countries. I have no idea how an EU country found out (that doesn't even make sense), I mean unless she was selling drugs. Maybe that was it?
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