Top 4 Essentials for a Resident Visa to Work and Live Abroad

So, you think you want to live and work abroad? 

Here are the top four essential documents you need for a resident visa to make it work. 

Living in Europe offers a more relaxed environment with historic and modern architecture side-by-side with open markets, bakeries and little shops, and in central Europe, you won’t see a Starbucks on every corner, but local cafe's where people linger over a coffee and talk rather than rush off with a take away Vente (not a word by-the-way). 

What is needed for a resident visa?

First and foremost find out the resident visa process for the country you are moving to. Every country in Europe has different requirements and processes. If you are not being transferred with a U.S. company you are already working for, you will need to get all the paperwork in order yourself and apply with the foreign police. If you are moving to a country where English is not the common language, you will need to get the documents notarized by a country notary and translated with a registered country translator, not Google translator!

You can only stay in the Schengen for 90 days without a special resident visa. If you stay longer and leave, you will not be able to return for at least another six months or ever... depending on the situation.

1. FBI report. When I first went to Europe in 2012 it only took eight weeks to get an FBI report.  Now, the report is quite detailed and takes at least 16 weeks to 18 weeks. I actually applied for the second time and had to do everything all over again. You should go to a police station as they know how to take fingerprints on a card system.  Nothing is done electronically (really in the 21st century?). Don’t bother trying to give the FBI a rush delivery as they will not use your expensive envelope, even if you request the FBI report to be mailed abroad. You might want to consider staying in the U.S. to receive the FBI report before moving abroad and waiting for it. Remember, you only have 90 days in the Schengen before you need to leave, AND...it isn’t just leaving one day and then going back. When you leave, the days you are gone are added to your 90 days so if you aren’t out of the Schengen a substanial amount of time, you will need to leave again. Also, you can only do this within a six month period before you will need to leave for a full six months before going back to Europe. The FBI report will need to be translated if the common language isn’t English and is only good for 90 days from the document date. For example if the document is issued November 18 and you don't receive it until December 9 (which is what happened to me) the 90 days starts on November 18.
2. Tenant documents. Your landlord will need to fill out a tenant document and supply documentation that the flat is owned by the landlord. Both documents will need to be translated and notarized. Depending on what country you are living in and where, prices can really vary. Try to use expat communities to help find a flat rather than a relocation service, unless your company is paying for the service. Relocation services charge fees and they can be fairly high. Also, if you use someone locally to help you, they will be able to speak the language and you may be able to get a better deal. If you are coming from the U.S., you will be surprised at how small flats are for the money you pay. They are not furnished with the comforts you may be used to, so adjust your expectations.
3. Work documents. To get a resident visa, you will need employment and a flat/house. Your future employer will provide you a document with the title of the job and when you will begin working for the company. This needs to be in the national language, not English. This document will need to be approved by the local employment offices and most companies will do this for you. In addition, you will need to have all of your diploma’s notarized with an apostille in your own country and then translated and notarized in the European country you will be living and working. You should get the notarization and apostille before you leave the U.S. It can take time (up to 30 working days) for your University to provide the notarization and then up to a week for the apostille.  Each diploma will need the notarization and apostille so if you went to multiple universities each one will need to provide the notarizations and the State offices will need to provide the apostille.
4. Medical certificate. Once you have filled out an application for the resident visa (this can be found on the European country website), and have all the above documents, you will need to provide a medical certificate stating you don’t have any diseases (TB x-ray, blood, etc.) will be taken. This is costly and needs to be completed by a local European doctor, not your U.S. physician.

Health Insurance

Once you start your position, you will have health insurance the company automatically takes money out of your salary and will also pay your taxes. However, prior to starting with the company, you might want to have an International policy. Don’t worry though, if you are in the 90 day time frame and something happens to you, the hospital will take care of you. You will not be able to receive health insurance until you are an employee with the company. You cannot begin work until you have the resident visa.

Language

As you might imagine from the above topics, speaking the language becomes very important.  Most applications will state that it is not necessary for you to speak the country language, but in fact, it will help to have a basic knowledge so you can ask questions and understand the answers. If you don’t speak the language fluently, you will need to check with the expat community to see if there is someone that can help with any documentation or other situations to help you translate. Believe me, I’ve relied on my national friends to help me through many of the processes.  If you are planning on spending more than a year in the country, definitely try and learn the language. 

Pay

Depending on where you are living in Europe, the salaries are smaller than in the U.S., sometimes it can be a quarter less than what you make in America. If you are with a U.S. company that is moving you to Europe, then it may not be an issue. But if you are on your own and negotiating yourself, you will definitely be surprised at the offerings. You really must want to live in Europe and don't be surprised by the process because just like in the U.S. companies need to hire national residents or even EU residents before Americans.

Ultimately living abroad is a lifestyle change. Re-adjusting your expectations, flexibility and patience are a must if you want to live abroad. It is a wonderful experience and I wouldn’t change it, but certainly there have been those days when I wondered if I could make it work. 

Please check out my other blog posts to hear about my experiences. Make comments and I’ll try and help you as much as I can to make your dream of living abroad come true!