Best Places In The World To Retire

No you don’t have to become a permanent resident in order to live in Mexico.  But if you don’t, then that means you have to live on a 180-day visa. You can live here, and I know a couple of people who did this, but they never stay very long. If you have a 180-day visa, you come in on your 180-day visa, you can drive on your foreign-plated car, but you’ve got to be out and across the border in 6 months. You can go out and spend the night and come right back in. But...

No you don’t have to become a permanent resident in order to live in Mexico.  But if you don’t, then that means you have to live on a 180-day visa. You can live here, and I know a couple of people who did this, but they never stay very long. If you have a 180-day visa, you come in on your 180-day visa, you can drive on your foreign-plated car, but you’ve got to be out and across the border in 6 months. You can go out and spend the night and come right back in. But you’ll have to do that every 6 months. Otherwise you’ve got to become a permanent resident.
 
I believe my permanent resident card was 5,800 pesos (US $351.50 at current exchange rates), which at that time about $540. I can’t be positive of this, but I believe that If you want to come to Mexico now, you can come in on a 4 year temporary for around $250), and then every year for the first 4 years you can go and renew your card, pay a little more money, and you can continue to drive your foreign-plated car. At the end 4 years if you’re going to stay, you must have a permanent resident card. 

 

(Permanent resident in Mexico, expat Sandi Vandiver, pictured.) 

There are many restaurants that serve the typical Panamanian food, Corbina a la Ajio (which is also known as sea bass).  The fish is broiled and then served with the Ajilo sauce.  Also, carimanolas, whch are made of with yucca flour then deep fat fried. This is a real staple.  How about fried yucca?  The yuccca is boiled till tender, then cut in small pieces and deep fat fried. There is always the ever popular empanada, which are made of pastry with a variety of...

There are many restaurants that serve the typical Panamanian food, Corbina a la Ajio (which is also known as sea bass).  The fish is broiled and then served with the Ajilo sauce.  Also, carimanolas, whch are made of with yucca flour then deep fat fried. This is a real staple.  How about fried yucca?  The yuccca is boiled till tender, then cut in small pieces and deep fat fried. There is always the ever popular empanada, which are made of pastry with a variety of fillings: cheese, beef, chicken. The Empanadas are usually deep fat friend but you can find them baked in the oven.

 

There are several very nice restaurants which are out on the Amador Causeway specializing in typical food.  If you want entertainment with your typical meal you can take in the dinner show at Las Tinajas.

This is a difficult question to answer in a generic way because some requirements (for example, visa) will vary depending on your nationality.  The answer to this question will necessarily need to be analyzed on a case-by-case matter.
 
In the example of an American couple without children that want to retire and move to Portugal for one year in a leased apartment the costs would not be very high.  Basically the costs they would incur are the official costs of obtaining...

This is a difficult question to answer in a generic way because some requirements (for example, visa) will vary depending on your nationality.  The answer to this question will necessarily need to be analyzed on a case-by-case matter.
 
In the example of an American couple without children that want to retire and move to Portugal for one year in a leased apartment the costs would not be very high.  Basically the costs they would incur are the official costs of obtaining the visas (we are assuming the couple in the example does not have a European passport, which may avoid the need for a visa) which are around 500 euros (about US $560) per person and the costs of hiring a lawyer to assist in the procedure of obtaining a visa, which should not exceed 1,500 euros per person (about US $1,670).

We would recommend people with little knowledge about Portugal to make a test try for 6 to 12 months in a leased apartment in order to reduce the costs and limit your exposure in a first phase.

 

(Apartment in the Algarve, Portugal, pictured.)

Absolutely, you belong to the IRS as long as you hold a US Passport.

If your world wide income falls below the reporting minimum, you are not obliged to file, although this is recommended for a couple of reasons.

You will be required to file a report listing bank and security accounts in any year where the total value exceeds $10,000, even if you are not required to file an income tax return.

If you work abroad, you may be able to claim an "Earned Income Exclusion" on your wages, but not...

Absolutely, you belong to the IRS as long as you hold a US Passport.

If your world wide income falls below the reporting minimum, you are not obliged to file, although this is recommended for a couple of reasons.

You will be required to file a report listing bank and security accounts in any year where the total value exceeds $10,000, even if you are not required to file an income tax return.

If you work abroad, you may be able to claim an "Earned Income Exclusion" on your wages, but not on bank account interest, rental income or other income that is not "earned" by "working".

Other countries are more understanding than the American IRS

Just like about every aspect of living in Belize, there's a way to accomplish your goal, but it might take just a little bit longer and/or cost just a little bit more.  The two easiest ways to get products from Amazon (or another Internet retailer) to your home in Belize are as follows:

 

1.  Use the services of a company like Aeropost.  They give you an address in the US to ship the item to, then their US counterpart ships the item down here to...

Just like about every aspect of living in Belize, there's a way to accomplish your goal, but it might take just a little bit longer and/or cost just a little bit more.  The two easiest ways to get products from Amazon (or another Internet retailer) to your home in Belize are as follows:

 

1.  Use the services of a company like Aeropost.  They give you an address in the US to ship the item to, then their US counterpart ships the item down here to Belize (by air).  It'll get to you in about a week, and you'll have to pay a little duty (plus a service fee).

 

2.  You can ship items to a friend/relative planning to visit you, and they can simply bring the items in their luggage. 

 

(Companies that you can order from and sent by Aeropost, Belize, pictured.)