Hi Liam! Thank you for your reply. I do have some questions I'm hoping you can help with. Buying property challenges are what I'm most interested in. What can we expect? Do you have property managers there? (For a Fee, a company that manages your rental when you are not able to) In searching for property online, what would I call what we're looking for? (2 houses on a lot) hypothetically, if we purchased a property for $200k and had $100k as a down payment, what would we expect to pay in Fees to close the sale? Does ireland charge annual property taxes? This is might be more info that you'd like to answer here, so if so, please let me know what the best avenue is to obtain this much appreciated info. Thank you! Karen

Liam, thank you for the shipping cost info, that is most helpful. We are moving from the East Coast and my husband WAs given a quote of about $1500 earlier this year. I WAs not aware that we would also have a destination Fee in Ireland so will have to factor that in. David, I love your grandparents entrepreneurship... what a great WAy to cover your vacation costs. Kelsey, I found some information on VRT (Vehicle Registration Tax) and transfer of residence here: My Feeling is that you could not bring a leased car, but could bring a car that you have a ...

For the first time since starting this website I had someone contact me last week on the topic of renouncing US citizenship. The person is a dual US/Irish national and does live in Ireland. They have read through much of the information available officially, but would love for someone to chime in with first hand experience if they have gone through the process or know someone that does. I'm sure this might be a very touchy subject for some. My guess is that some people think it's a crazy idea, however, it's a very personal decision, and US law does provide a means to do it. I've been reading quite a bit about what it entails in recent days and have discovered a lot that I never knew before. Some of what I've learned is from official sources, and more is from reading what people have wrote having gone through the process. I'm going to summarize some of what I've learned here for anyone that is interested. to renounce, you must do so at a US embassy outside of the US. renouncing is an irrevocable act, and you will lose all benefits of being a US citizen as a result. you will have a number of interviews with US consulates (likely 2, but possibly more) there is some paperwork to file (DS4079 DS4081 and DS4082), and a somewhat substantial filing Fee (our reader quoted approx $2500) you do not need to hold a second citizenship, although it will make your life many times easier if you do. renunciation appointments at embassies around the world have become difficult to secure (a possible deterrent maybe?) in many cases you can continue to collect social security payments after you renounce, however this is definitely worth researching ahead of time. if you meet the criteria of being a 'covered expatriate' you could be responsible for paying a very hefty 'exit tax' when you renounce. there are a number of criteria to assess whether or not you will be a covered expatriate, including a net worth assessment, average net worth income in the past 5 years, your standing with the federal tax service. You only need to meet one of these criteria to qualify. See link above. not only could you have to pay out of pocket if you are a covered expat, any gifts you give to US citizens after renouncing,, are more stringently taxed than had you retained citizenship. you should not avail of any 'significant' US citizen benefits while your application is being processed. if your case is approved you should receive a Certificate of Loss of Nationality one source, cited below, indicates that you should never state (written or orally) that you are renouncing to avoid taxes. Recommended reading: IRS Expat tax information Firsthand story of "How I renounced my US citizenship, and why" Exit tax guide How to Renounce Your U.S. Citizenship in Two Easy Steps (Book on Amazon) Disclaimer: the information provided on this website on this topic is solely to generate discussion if people wish to talk about it here. It is not legal advice, not professional advice, and should not be used as a guide to renounce US citizenship.

... The process WAs quick and easy, about 15 minutes, and thanks to being married to an Irish citizen, I did not have to pay the 300Euros Fee. I got the G/4 stamp in my passport, good for one year and it allows me to work (though I am a semi-retired professor, I may do some consulting and other odd jobs). The Immigration Officer (who may have been the Garda Sergant, and WAs quite friendly) took my photo and prints from my index fingers and that WAs that. This WAs all quite different than the long, expensive and painful process of getting Mairead her green card ...

... Even though the official word is that the application can take up to 12 months, I believe that this won't be the case in general. I contacted the Department of Justice some months ago and this WAs the response: "Your husband is a non visa required national and can enter the State for up to 90 days at the discretion of the Immigration officer at the airport. He should inform the officer that he is relocating to reside here on a full time basis with you his Irish spouse. Both of you should attend your local Immigration office (if residing in Dublin you atten ...

Our experience in the end WAs a total nightmare. To highlight the experiences we encountered: - Estimated arrival of 4-6 weeks. In reality, it took five months. - Charged a change of address Fee of $500. Their paperwork listed Dublin UK (we corrected this when noticed as we were getting the quote - the quote! that early! - and they assured us it WAs a typo and they'd fix it), so we had to pay $500 to change to Dublin, Ireland. - X-ray charge once it arrived in Rotterdam. We had no idea Rotterdam WAs on the itinerary until we received that notification. - ...

... girls, and I think they have very trustworthy adults involved. It's really the fact that she's 11 that worries me most. It seems rather young, as you've said. And their school doesn't even introduce Irish language until year five, so seems soon to embark on Gaeltacht at the end of their first year of Irish. All that being said, I have no idea what Gaeltacht even is. If it's structured, what are the activities involved, and is there free time (as you mentioned)... These are all questions I'll ask at the meeting, all I know thus far is we were given an ...

This applies to a spouse to an Irish citizen getting work permit I emailed the Irish immigration to confirm because it sounded to simple to be true (compared to getting work permit in the u.s that requires months of WAiting and being tempted to pay 4-7k on a lawyer). Once your non irish spouse gets to the customs counter in Ireland he/she shows marriages certificate and the customs officer will inform him that he needs to go register at the local garda (police station) within 90 days. From there they'll stamp his/her passport and they're free to work. Her ...

... this Fee includes all meals throughout the day - breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and light tea. The fact that food is included is a huge cost-savings. The one in Wicklow that I contacted is less expensive. The cost for both boys to attend full-time would be 600 a month, including food. The cost difference here probably has a lot to do with it being in a small town (Tinahely), compared to the two in Clonmel. Either WAy, not bad considering we are paying around $1,500/month for full-time daycare in Maine.

... Jus sanguinis and jus soli are the two most prolific philosophies countries use for conferring citizenship. Most countries use a mix of them. To explain jus soli means if you are born in that country you are a citizen. Jus sanguinis is based on ancestry. There are some other ones such as Vatican City confers citizenship to the Pope and some officials. When they leave office they lose that citizenship. If they would become stateless because of this they automatically become Italian citizens. Most countries either ignore dual citizenship, or reco ...