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Great question. I still run all my taxes as if I'm based in the UK, even though I travel and work remotely. I am taxed as an independent contractor. I'm consi

Great question. I still run all my taxes as if I'm based in the UK, even though I travel and work remotely. I am taxed as an independent contractor. I'm considering setting up as an Estonian e-resident soon though (https://e-estonia.com/solutions/e-identity/e-residency/ https://e-estonia.com/solutions/e-identity/e-residency/) to change where I pay my taxes. In terms of working while in other countries, it's a grey area for sure. I was travelling extensively in Asia last year and I was on tourist visas. Although I know Thailand for example is considering introducing a 'nomad visa' very soon.

dharma1 9y ago
Why pay taxes in Estonia rather than the UK?
vram22 9y ago
>Although I know Thailand for example is considering introducing a 'nomad visa' very soon. Interesting, got any more info or links on that? Maybe even to relevant Thai government sites where one can follow up on the developments on this later?
- curun1r 9y ago
  Probably not what he was referring to, but for someone planning to work for a Western company and live in Thailand, you might consider the Thailand Elite [1] program. It's 500,000 Baht ($14k) which is good for 5 years and allows stays up to 6 months per visit, meaning much more infrequent visa runs. It also comes with black car airport transfers and priority lines through customs, so it makes traveling back and forth to/from the company office a bit more convenient. $14k is kinda pricy, but if you're pretty sure you'll be spending most of the next 5 years there, $2800/yr is pretty easy to justify when you're earning a Western salary and spending ~$200-300/mo in rent and under $5 for nice meals out (that's in Chiang Mai...if you want beaches or Bangkok add around 50%, which is still pretty cheap.) Source: I spent a bunch of time in Thailand last year and considered trying to make the move, but the job I ended up finding didn't work with the time zone. However I loved the country and would jump at the chance to work remotely from there. [1] http://www.thai-elite.com http://www.thai-elite.com
  - vram22 9y ago
    Thanks, that's an interesting option.
  - vram22 9y ago
    Which parts of Thailand did you visit, and which did you like more/most?
    - curun1r 9y ago
      I visited Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao. Bangkok was my least favorite. Traffic is terrible and it got kinda depressing to be offered sex as often as happens to a white man when he goes there. Chiang Mai is amazing. It's beautiful, has a huge expat community, the people are much friendlier than Bangkok and the food is amazing. It's really easy for foreigners to live/work from there. Phuket wasn't my favorite, but I only stayed in the town, which doesn't have much of a reputation. Koh Lanta was pretty, but the beaches weren't particularly picturesque. I spent some time working at a coworking facility (Kohub) which I can't recommend highly enough. It's a little dead in Green Season, but not too bad. Koh Phi Phi is a lot more picturesque, but it's a party island and I didn't get a decent night's sleep in my time there. It's kinda like Vegas in that it's great for about 36 hours and then starts to get old pretty quickly. Koh Samui and Koh Phangan were really pretty but also really touristy. I'm not sure I would opt for an extended stay in either. Koh Tao is a diving island with mediocre diving, so there's not much point going there if you're not learning to dive in some capacity. But it's a great place to get an Open Water or Rescue Diver certification. If I were working a remote job while in Thailand, I'd probably choose either Chiang Mai or Koh Lanta to start. But it's easy enough to move around, so unless you've got kids, there's no reason to settle on just one place.
      - vram22 9y ago
        Thanks for the in-depth answer; that's some useful info.
objclxt 9y ago
> I'm considering setting up as an Estonian e-resident soon though (https://e-estonia.com/solutions/e-identity/e-residency/ https://e-estonia.com/solutions/e-identity/e-residency/) to change where I pay my taxes. Talk to a solicitor before you do this unless you want HMRC to come a knocking. Estonian eResidency is not actual residency, and it won't change the country you're resident in for personal tax purposes. You could set up a company in Estonia, but if you're an independent contractor and all the profits from that company flow directly back to you HMRC may again have questions (and you'll still have to pay taxes on the dividends you receive at the UK rates).
- TomMarius 9y ago
  The way its done here in Europe (don't know about USA) is to have most of your spending billed to the company as an expense. You take very little to no money out of the company.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
- blakenomad 9y ago
  Yep I understand that. The idea with e-residency is you cover your business expenses pretty much exclusively the company card you acquire when you establish your company in Estonia. This covers travel and accommodation primarily. Everything else I must pay tax on as usual though HMRC. Any cash I want in my UK bank account for example is tax-deductable.

dharma1 9y ago

Why pay taxes in Estonia rather than the UK?

vram22 9y ago

>Although I know Thailand for example is considering introducing a 'nomad visa' very soon. Interesting, got any more info or links on that? Maybe even to relevant Thai government sites where one can follow up on the developments on this later?

curun1r 9y ago
Probably not what he was referring to, but for someone planning to work for a Western company and live in Thailand, you might consider the Thailand Elite [1] program. It's 500,000 Baht ($14k) which is good for 5 years and allows stays up to 6 months per visit, meaning much more infrequent visa runs. It also comes with black car airport transfers and priority lines through customs, so it makes traveling back and forth to/from the company office a bit more convenient. $14k is kinda pricy, but if you're pretty sure you'll be spending most of the next 5 years there, $2800/yr is pretty easy to justify when you're earning a Western salary and spending ~$200-300/mo in rent and under $5 for nice meals out (that's in Chiang Mai...if you want beaches or Bangkok add around 50%, which is still pretty cheap.) Source: I spent a bunch of time in Thailand last year and considered trying to make the move, but the job I ended up finding didn't work with the time zone. However I loved the country and would jump at the chance to work remotely from there. [1] http://www.thai-elite.com http://www.thai-elite.com
- vram22 9y ago
  Thanks, that's an interesting option.
- vram22 9y ago
  Which parts of Thailand did you visit, and which did you like more/most?
  - curun1r 9y ago
    I visited Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao. Bangkok was my least favorite. Traffic is terrible and it got kinda depressing to be offered sex as often as happens to a white man when he goes there. Chiang Mai is amazing. It's beautiful, has a huge expat community, the people are much friendlier than Bangkok and the food is amazing. It's really easy for foreigners to live/work from there. Phuket wasn't my favorite, but I only stayed in the town, which doesn't have much of a reputation. Koh Lanta was pretty, but the beaches weren't particularly picturesque. I spent some time working at a coworking facility (Kohub) which I can't recommend highly enough. It's a little dead in Green Season, but not too bad. Koh Phi Phi is a lot more picturesque, but it's a party island and I didn't get a decent night's sleep in my time there. It's kinda like Vegas in that it's great for about 36 hours and then starts to get old pretty quickly. Koh Samui and Koh Phangan were really pretty but also really touristy. I'm not sure I would opt for an extended stay in either. Koh Tao is a diving island with mediocre diving, so there's not much point going there if you're not learning to dive in some capacity. But it's a great place to get an Open Water or Rescue Diver certification. If I were working a remote job while in Thailand, I'd probably choose either Chiang Mai or Koh Lanta to start. But it's easy enough to move around, so unless you've got kids, there's no reason to settle on just one place.
    - vram22 9y ago
      Thanks for the in-depth answer; that's some useful info.

objclxt 9y ago

> I'm considering setting up as an Estonian e-resident soon though (https://e-estonia.com/solutions/e-identity/e-residency/ https://e-estonia.com/solutions/e-identity/e-residency/) to change where I pay my taxes. Talk to a solicitor before you do this unless you want HMRC to come a knocking. Estonian eResidency is not actual residency, and it won't change the country you're resident in for personal tax purposes. You could set up a company in Estonia, but if you're an independent contractor and all the profits from that company flow directly back to you HMRC may again have questions (and you'll still have to pay taxes on the dividends you receive at the UK rates).

TomMarius 9y ago
The way its done here in Europe (don't know about USA) is to have most of your spending billed to the company as an expense. You take very little to no money out of the company.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
blakenomad 9y ago
Yep I understand that. The idea with e-residency is you cover your business expenses pretty much exclusively the company card you acquire when you establish your company in Estonia. This covers travel and accommodation primarily. Everything else I must pay tax on as usual though HMRC. Any cash I want in my UK bank account for example is tax-deductable.