Suggestions for retiring overseas....

    Hi.  I am a 60-year old retired American and am interested living out my years outside the USA.  My wife is the same age and is also retired. I am sure there are many suggestions, but here is the kicker:  we have twin special needs adult daughters (age 22) that we want to take with us.
I can, and have read, about different abilities (golden passports) to obtain permanent residence.  I am unclear if these would pertain to my daughters as well.  We have a good amount of money saved. 

So, for example, the Portugal Golden passport would require 500,000 euro investment for myself, my wife "and dependent children".  I assume my children would not be applicable for this (due to their age). and would require an additional 500,000 euro investment each.

So, a 1,500,000 euro investment.  That probably breaks the bank, especially considering health care, etc.

Any suggestions about places that might be better situated for this?  English (or a strong English expat community, like Portugal) are a must.
   

    -@houckman

Hi there houckman. Welcome to expat.com.

Have you considered the Philippines? English is widely spoken, and with you and your family holding US passports, long-term stays by way of visa extensions are easily done.

No need for any large initial outlay of funds, so it won't be costing you deep in the purse should you decide later to settle elsewhere.

I suggest you chat with the friendly members of the Philippine forum to explore this possibility.

Good luck in your search, and congratulations on you and your family's decision to expatriate.

    Hi.  I am a 60-year old retired American and am interested living out my years outside the USA.  My wife is the same age and is also retired. I am sure there are many suggestions, but here is the kicker:  we have twin special needs adult daughters (age 22) that we want to take with us.I can, and have read, about different abilities (golden passports) to obtain permanent residence.  I am unclear if these would pertain to my daughters as well.  We have a good amount of money saved.  So, for example, the Portugal Golden passport would require 500,000 euro investment for myself, my wife "and dependent children".  I assume my children would not be applicable for this (due to their age). and would require an additional 500,000 euro investment each.So, a 1,500,000 euro investment.  That probably breaks the bank, especially considering health care, etc.Any suggestions about places that might be better situated for this?  English (or a strong English expat community, like Portugal) are a must.        -@houckman

Can't give a qualified answer but one should differentiate between a golden visa or a golden passport. To actually get citizenship and a passport tends to be much more complicated and expensive - but is maybe not necessary. I think Cyprus was still selling citizenship for a million or two a pop some years ago but had to stop as it violates EU regulations. Other countries offering a visa through investment usually have multiple requirements beyond just the amount of investment.

Long term residency can usually surf ice but one can be limited as to how long they can leave the country. The term permanent residency is often used even in official translations but it is misleading. What is usually meant is an unlimited residency; allowing one to stay indefinitely but say leaving the country for more than a year so can mean it is considered abandoned and nullified.  Expecting that one can simply buy their way into a EU citizenship is rather naive, at least without spending a huge amount of money. For the super-rich there is always a  way. Doing it on the cheap, not so much despite what one might read on social media. And people going into such a thing believing the tales an easy or cheap solution are targets to get scammed.

@houckman

Golden Visas and Golden Passports are a VERY expensive way to get residence outside the USA. Many countries have much more accessible options for retirees. For example, Panama has the Pensionado Visa, while Portugal has the D7, and Spain the No Lucrativa Visa. I suggest you look more seriously at these as they have minimal fees. And you can use your savings to buy a property, rather than an immigration document... as it's hard to live in a passport. :-)

While they start as temporary residence (maybe 1 or 2 years in many cases), they usually have a straightforward path to Permanent Residence (i.e. keep living there, keep getting your pension). EU countries typically grant you PR after 5 years, and this PR status is pretty much renewable indefinitely with minimal aggravation. I got my Bulgarian PR last year, and the permit is valid for 10 years... but it's renewable pretty much on the basis that I'm still alive and can go to the immigration office to ask for it.

In most places (and certainly in the EU), your residence permit/visa allows you to get permits for your family with your original application, or separately via Family Reunification.

The exact rules on "family members" vary from country to country, but typically include spouses and minor children. My guess is that many countries would accept adult children too, if you can demonstrate that they are financially dependent on you, and/or that they require ongoing care/support. You'd need to check on the specifics.

For example, I recently imported my father (96) to Bulgaria, via Family Reunification, on the basis that he has medical issues which necessitate 24-hour care.

In terms of country recommendations, lots of Americans love Latin America, due to cost and geographic convenience. The favorites are probably Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua... but you can do Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Chile too. I think publications like International Living are big fans of South and Central America.

The non-EU options might be Switzerland, Dubai, Andorra, Serbia, Turkey and many more. Turkey has lots of fans as it has lovely beaches, a low cost of living, and very easy immigration options.

My preference is the EU, in part because of the high quality public health systems and portability of benefits (EHIC, S1). Some popular expat destinations are Spain, Portugal, France, Cyprus, Bulgaria. I have residence permits for Bulgaria, Cyprus and Spain... and all three are good choices (although we now mostly live in Bulgaria).

The world is your oyster, innit. :-)

Another aspect to consider: Nowhere I know outside of Western Europe and North America has acceptable facilities for people with special needs. So depending on what disabilities your kids have, this might affect your choices (and also the costs).