Comment by acabal | Hacker News Reader

Comment by acabal | Hacker News Reader

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Check the website of my company, http://turkeysandwichindustries.com, for a map of places I've been. The past few years I've been living an expat traveler lifestyle.

Yes, other countries have visa requirements; I myself was bitten by the Schengen Zone requirement last time I was in Belgium and Germany. But the point is that I don't need to spend hundreds of dollars, navigate a series of confusing bureaucratic hurdles, and then have my body and bags x-rayed and the minutiae of my personal life cross-examined by high-school graduates on a power trip just to have a 4-hour layover in most other countries... unlike America.

To contrast this, the last international flight I took was entering Mexico last month (where I am now); the line was long, but I wasn't asked a single question before my passport was stamped. The 2nd to last international landing I had was in Belgium: I was asked the purpose of my visit and was waved along in 30 seconds.

The most complicated visa requirement I've run in to was Vietnam, which required a stamped visa to be processed before you crossed the border. Even then it was a matter of giving $25 to my travel agent along with a short customs-style form.

Yes you can say that, say, an Iraqi citizen will have a hard time getting in to any country, not just the US; but when we're talking people from England, Europe, China, hell, even Mexico and Canada--neighbors and close allies for generations--the process can still be harrowing. And that's not just unfriendly, it's damaging to relations in the long-term. 20-something backpackers who get hassled crossing into America today, or who choose to go to a different country for 6 months instead of face American border bureaucracy, will take those experiences with them when they enter industry and leadership positions in the future.

Edit: another anecdote--on entering New Zealand I was asked for proof of onward travel (as I later found out, a requirement to enter the country). I didn't have any; I had planned on staying a few months then carrying on to Australia when I felt like it. When I told the agent this, she laughed and waved me on. Can you imagine a US border agent doing that?

I didn't mean it as a pejorative. I've been living out of a backpack and travelling (adventuring?) for the last two plus years (well, until very recently), and I've grown something of a thin skin for when people vilify the US without much travel experience of their own.

> Yes you can say that, say, an Iraqi citizen will have a hard time getting in to any country, not just the US; but when we're talking people from England, Europe, China, hell, even Mexico and Canada

England and most western European countries don't require visas to enter the US at all, since they qualify under the VWP. Mexico and Canada only recently required a passport to entry, and at most high-volume crossings you can use a special state/federal ID instead.

Harrowing, I think, is too strong of a word. Several years ago I was stopped at the Canadian border on I5 (between Seattle and Vancouver) and had my car searched. I had to sit in an immigration office for an hour and answer a ton of questions. That's about as bad as it can get between NAFTA countries and it's hardly what I'd call harrowing.

All of that having been said: You're preaching to the choir. I'm 100% in favor of relaxing entry and work requirements for foreigners into the US. I think that people overreact about the US requirements when for most first world citizens it's not that big of a deal, and for the rest of the world it's complicated just about everywhere else too.

> 20-something backpackers who get hassled crossing into America today, or who choose to go to a different country for 6 months instead of face American border bureaucracy, will take those experiences with them when they enter industry and leadership positions in the future.

Agreed, but this has more to do with foreign policy and international PR rather than just border security and hassle.

> Edit: another anecdote--on entering New Zealand I was asked for proof of onward travel (as I later found out, a requirement to enter the country). I didn't have any; I had planned on staying a few months then carrying on to Australia when I felt like it. When I told the agent this, she laughed and waved me on. Can you imagine a US border agent doing that?

Counter anecdote: I once flew back from Mexico without a passport or any identification other than a driver's license (this was right after the passport requirements for flight went into effect -- Mexico didn't require a US passport for entry, but the US required a passport for re-entry) and had to convince the CBP agent that I was an American. He asked me a couple questions and ended with "Who was your freshman English teacher?" which I laughed at and said: "Are you serious?! Does anyone remember that?" and he laughed and let me in. Took just about as long as a normal border crossing.

The past few years I've been living an expat traveler lifestyle.

I imagine that you're doing work while traveling. How does that play out with regards to visas and taxation?

I'm in such a scenario myself. Typically you'd have an offshore company in a place like BVI, Hong Kong or ironically in some states in the US, like Delaware (if you are not a US citizen).

For most countries in EU at least, you are only tax liable if you spend more than half the year there.

I spend my time between Russia, Denmark and Asia and I am less than half a year at each place, in a given year. This means my only tax responsibility is corporate tax, and in such places as I mentioned above, that percentage is 0.

As for visas, this varies of course from country to country. A lot of countries will allow you in for 1-3 months at a time, as long as you do the necessary paperwork.

Some countries like Thailand, gives you "visa on arrival", while some countries like Russia, require you to get a visa before you even arrive. When a visa is expired, some countries allows you to get a new 1-3 month visa, after just leaving the country for a day (such a one-day trip is what's referred to as a "visa run").

Working is generally allowed as long as you are a one man operation, doing your own thing with foreign clients. If you start to deal heavily with local companies, or start renting offices and hiring local personnel, you'd need to get a work permit and often also a locally incorporated company. Getting work permits are often much harder to obtain, as you'd generally also need a full time living permit for that.

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