Hello everyone!
My name is Lily and I am new here. I was hoping maybe someone could give me some advice, answers or knowledge that could be helpful. If you would be kind enough to read through my back story, I will appreciate your patience.
I am a South African citizen (grants me access to Ireland with no visa requirement for 90 days) married to a Dutch Citizen, we are both residing in South Africa at the moment.
My husband has a very comfortable job at the moment, as he is positioned remotely, but the company he works forΒ is South African, so he pays South African tax. I am completely financially dependent on him as I am a full time student.
Now that you know a little bit more about us, I wonder if you could answer some of my questions re moving to Ireland off of his EU treaty rights:
1. Can we move there with his current job at the South African company (as he works remotely they don't care where in the world he is).
2. Would he have to pay Irish tax if we are able to move as stated by #1 or can he continue to pay South African tax (but due to the laws here he can no longer pay SA tax if he is abroad for over 6 months, which leads to my next question);
3. Can he pay Irish tax based on his income from SA if it's paid into his European account?
4. Would he need to open up an Irish bank account or would his Dutch account suffice? (In the long-run we will open an Irish account, but for maybe the first few months we'll use the Dutch account just because we already have it).
5. If I come into the country and apply for residence under his EU treaty rights, will I need a return ticket or will they let me through with a one-way? (Considering I have no visa requirements and am allowed to stay for 90 days).
We are planning to leave maybe the end of this year, or the beginning of next year (depending on some family emergency we've just caught ourselves in the middle of), so we just want to get all of our ducks in a row. But we'll probably end up asking for legal advise closer to the time.
Thank you to anyone who took the time to read (and hopefully answer) this π
Warm regards,
Lily
Hey Lily,
Welcome to the site πΒ
For people with complex situations like yours, I always recommend contacting tax attorneys/professionals, that would know the ins and out of the situation. You don't wanna get on the wrong site of the taxman in either country.
With that said, I can tell you a little about my own situation a number of years ago when I moved back to Ireland.Β
I too worked remotely, for a job I had in the US. They didn't mind me continuing doing so in Ireland. I've done this twice actually. For tax/payment purposes, I transferred to a company in Ireland, the first time via an employment agency that had offices in both countries. The second time I transferred to the US company's local offices (within the EU).
Even if you're working remotely/online, if you are resident in Ireland, you will need to pay tax there. Where your money is paid to, probably doesn't matter as much, but may matter to the company who's paying it. An Irish bank account simplifies this.
You don't necessarily need a return ticket upon arrival in Ireland, but you will be asked when you plan to leave. If you plan to register for non-EEA spousal status, you need to state that then. They will advise you to register with the immigration services asap. There's a lot more on this topic throughout the forum. Search for 'stamp 4'. Remember, just because you are married to an EU citizen, you don't have automatic rights to live in Ireland. You will need to go through the normal registration/application process.
Please take my advice above as anecdotal only. Every situation is different, and you really do need expert advice on it.Β
We'd love to hear back as things progress. Maybe you can update this topic as you learn more?
Best wishes to you both!
Liam