FOREIGN OPTIONS for US CITIZENS from Wealth Actually

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Frazer Rice

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FOREIGN OPTIONS for US CITIZENS

29 minutes Posted Jan 25, 2026 at 3:01 pm.

Navigating Geopolitical Chaos: The Rise of Global Mobility

Understanding Residency vs. Citizenship: Key Differences

Tax Implications and Motivations for Seeking Alternatives

Exploring Ancestry-Based Citizenship: Opportunities and Challenges

Popular Destinations for U.S. Citizens: Europe, Caribbean, and Beyond

Investment Opportunities: New Zealand and Australia

Emerging Trends in South America and Asia

Practical Steps for U.S. Citizens Considering Relocation

.874)Welcome aboard, Judy.

.022)Thanks for having me.

.244)Well, we're in the midst of a lot of geopolitical chaos, and I think you have seen and I've seen a lot of interest in United States citizens looking abroad for either places to live or other situations to either get away from the chaos or try to address some other needs in their lives. What is the state of the union? assume interest has ticked up.

.874)Yes, I've seen more business than I could have ever predicted, but it's not necessarily people that are leaving the United States. For the most part, most of the clients that I'm working with are doing it as an insurance policy. A lot of the conversations I have with a client start out with them saying, I don't want to leave the United States, but I'm feeling unsettled and the way to mitigate the way that I'm feeling is to have options.

.434)And we'll get into some of the technical aspects here, but one of the concepts is understanding the difference between being able to reside somewhere else and being a citizen of another country, and then how that interacts with being a citizen of the United States. Maybe take us through the comparison of residents versus citizenship.

.748)Yeah, that's actually a really important distinction. And it doesn't mean that one is better than the other, but they do have different benefits. And so it's important to understand the difference. So let's start with residents. Residents doesn't mean the ability to have a house in another country. It means the ability to reside legally in another country. So the US passport is very strong. You can go into a lot of different countries even without having a visa. But we can't stay there forever. We have limits, for example, in Europe.

.925)Right.

.945)If you sell the stock, you're not going to be able to renew it. You can get some travel rights by being a resident. Usually this benefit is not as important to a U.S. person because we already have really good travel benefits with our U.S. passport. But it can often be a strategy for someone from a country with a weaker passport, say even someone living in the United States that has only a Chinese passport. If they want to go into Europe, they have to get a Schenken visa.

.755)So let's dive into citizenship, which my predilection on that is that it's a much more permanent component, but it's also a much more difficult process in general.

.646)It doesn't necessarily have to be difficult. It really depends on what program you're doing. But you're right. It's a guaranteed right. It's very difficult for a country to take away someone's citizenship. The other big difference is that you get a passport. So in addition to gaining the ability to live in the country that you're a citizen of, you also get another travel document. So depending upon what treaties have been done between your country of citizenship and other countries, it may really improve your mobility.

.104)And just to distinguish, how does that impact UK people after they Brexited?

.942)Sadly, with Brexit, the UK is no longer part of the EU. So many people in the UK are quite upset about this because no, you're not going to gain the ability as a citizen of an EU country to live in the UK, nor are citizens of the UK now able to live anywhere in the European Union as they were previously.

.992)So let's apply this directly to US citizens. So US citizen taxed on worldwide wealth. Let's start with that. sure because I just got a Twitter fight with somebody who said, well, if you're crypto, you can move away and you're not out of the system. I'm like, that's just no. We'll start with that. But taxed on worldwide wealth, good passport can travel, but there are limitations as far as how long you can stay in various countries, probably around

.622)Mm-hmm.

.578)Investment options, land ownership, things like that, depending on it. Where are the benefits of that U.S. person looking for another place to either reside or gain citizenship?

.312)Well, it's not a tax benefit. You started out with taxes and I know when someone, a client calls and says, you know, can you tell me what my options are? I'm really sick of paying us taxes. I'm like, well, this isn't the right call for you. Yeah. So, but it's important to understand. It doesn't mean you're going to be double taxed because that is a misconception that many

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Foreign Options for US Citizens Summary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-Jnr3Go2Gg

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠)

In this conversation, Frazer Rice of Next Vantage and Judi Galst of Henley and Partners discuss the increasing interest among U.S. citizens in exploring global mobility options amidst geopolitical chaos. We delve into the distinctions between residency and citizenship, the implications of U.S. taxation, and the motivations driving individuals to seek alternative living arrangements. The discussion also covers the potential for citizenship through ancestry, popular destinations for relocation, and investment opportunities in countries like New Zealand and Australia. Judi emphasizes the importance of understanding the legal and practical aspects of relocating, as well as the need for personal exploration before making significant decisions.

Takeaways

Interest in global mobility has surged among U.S. citizens.

Many seek residency as an insurance policy rather than leaving the U.S.

Understanding residency vs. citizenship is crucial for potential expatriates.

Residency can lead to citizenship but often requires time and investment.

Tax implications are complex; relocating should not be primarily for tax benefits.

Ancestry can provide a pathway to citizenship in several countries.

Popular destinations for U.S. citizens include Europe, the Caribbean, and New Zealand.

Investment opportunities exist in countries like New Zealand and Australia.

Emerging markets in South America and Asia are gaining attention.

Practical steps include consulting experts and visiting potential countries.

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Transcript

I'm Frazer Rice. We're certainly living in crazy political times right now, and a lot of US citizens are worried about what's happening here and abroad. And they're starting to think about other residencies and citizenship options. I talked to Judy Gost at Henley and Partners about what is and isn't possible on that front. By the end of this, you're going to understand the locations that are interesting, the difference between residency and citizenship, and why that may matter as you make choices for your retirement and your location long-term, both for yourself and for your kids.

Frazer Rice (

Judi Galst (

Frazer Rice (

Judi Galst (

So they want to understand what if I did want to have a guaranteed right to go live in another part of the world? What is available to me? How do I pursue this? How long will it take?

Frazer Rice (

Judi Galst (

We can go in for 90 days, but then we have to leave for 90 days before we can go back in for another 90 days. So if you become a legal resident of another country, you have the ability to live there unlimited for a certain period of time. Residency is not permanent unless there's a path to permanent residency. So usually you're going to have to renew it and there may be some conditions in order to maintain it. Now, how frequently you have to renew it is going to vary by the country.

For example, in Greece, you can become a Greek resident via a golden visa and that is good for five years and you'll renew for another five years. In Italy, it's good for two years. Then you renew for another three years. In Portugal, it's good for two years. Then you renew for another three years. And as I said, there could be conditions. So in Greece, you qualify via purchasing real estate. If you sell the real estate, you're going to lose your golden visa, not be able to renew it. In Italy, you qualify via purchasing stock.

Frazer Rice (

Judi Galst (

So a strategy for them might be let me become a resident of say Greece and then I gain Schengen access. Not unlimited, but I get that 90 days out of 180 days. Finally, I would say that residency can have a path to citizenship. Usually it's a pretty arduous path. For example, in Italy, you can become a resident. You have to live in the country of Italy for six months a year for 10 years before you'd be eligible to apply. In Greece, six months a year for seven years.

But there is ultimately a path in most residency programs.

Frazer Rice (

Judi Galst (

Again, U.S. passport is pretty strong. you're U.S. passport holder, unless there's something unexpected like a pandemic when borders close to Americans, you already have a good travel document. But it can be another mobility option. Perhaps you're going into a country you don't want to identify as a U.S. passport holder, or perhaps you have a weaker passport and you want to travel on a secondary citizenship passport that might improve your mobility. Where citizenship is particularly powerful is in Europe.

Because if you become a citizen of one country in the European Union, you gain the right to reside and work in any country in Europe.

Frazer Rice (

Judi Galst (

Frazer Rice (

Judi Galst (

Frazer Rice (

Judi Galst (

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