BootsnAll Travel Network



Thinking of becoming an expat?

I have been living in Oaxaca for the last 8 years. I now have a permanent resident card.

I still have a home in Oregon that is rented out to excellent renters for just enough money to cover the mortgage and taxes. I wanted to give it to them cheaply so they couldn’t afford to move! 🙂

Keeping a permanent address there (although other people have used relatives etc.) is very helpful because, one, the Dept of Motor Vehicles requires it and whenever I return for visiting friends and family or business I keep a car there. It would be nearly impossible to get around without it. I have car insurance on both my car here and my car there. I keep comprehensive on the car there yearly and just call the company to put collision back on it when I arrive back in the states. If you keep a car in your home country you will need to find a place to keep it.

Two, all my banking and business interests are linked to this permanent address. I pay federal and some state taxes in Oregon linked to this address. My Social Security and pension is linked to this address. And my Health Plan. Not having a permanent address in the home country can be a nightmare.

But most important I need to be fairly close to Oregon since Medicare health insurance will only pay for medical care that is accessed in the States. I have my annual check-ups there and my 90 day drug subscriptions are sent to my address there. I pick them up whenever I return there…couple times a year. If I run out before I get there I can get them here inexpensively. I don’t have them sent here by post or FedEx/DHL because customs often confiscates them.

If I develop a chronic health problem I still have my house to return to.

I can’t emphasize enough to plan ahead in case of death. I have been party to the deaths of three different expats. Local laws of the country you are in have to be followed and you and your family should know them. There may be an autopsy required. And you should check with your consulate about your home country’s regulations and processes.

If I get hit by a truck here in Oaxaca, my cremation will lesson the burden on friends here. Believe me! The cremation is prepaid with the presentation of the passport and doctor’s signature on a death certificate.

So you need a best friend locally who has a copy of your apartment keys and who can help carry out any Advance Directives. Make sure this best friend has the email or phone numbers of primary family members and a copy of your Advance Directive. And the names and phone numbers of any doctors locally. Most expats here don’t want to be hooked up to tubes indefinitely. But some countries will ignore this if the hospital thinks you or the family or friends have money or it is against the values of the country like Mexico and Thailand. So your best friend needs to be a savvy one.

This best friend will also notify the Consulate of your home country who then goes about finding and notifying family officially. The passport is given to the consulate and in the case of the US a form is filled out with information and circumstances about who last saw you or found your body. In Mexico, at least, at no time is the police to be called.

This will also lesson the burden on my son who will need to fly to Oaxaca to empty my apartment and drive my car back to the States. He is listed on the title of the car as well as beneficiary and co-owner of my major bank account. He has written instructions about how to get to the apt and for getting the extra set of apt keys from my friend.

In Mexico local burials are expensive and you have to pay rental of the plot yearly. After a certain amount of time the body is kicked out to make room for others. Transport of the body back to the home country is expensive (unless your travel insurance covers it) and in my opinion is silly.

The family will need a copy of the death certificate (translated into your primary language) to carry out your will. Family members need to have a copy of it as well as any Advance Directives.

This is probaby more than you ever wanted to know but having just finished arranging for a friend’s final disposition it is fresh on my mind. And it should give you a bit of perspective and some things to consider when making your decision. Some things may be a make or break thing.

But no worries. Once this is all planned for and taken care of to the best of your ability, you will live carefree and happy in your new country! 🙂



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