Jaq Pitches You on Emigrating
Terrified of living in the US?
Me too! Wondering where you can move with a similar/better quality of life, with access to adult industry hubs? Consider Amsterdam! In February 2024 I moved to the Netherlands under a DAFT visa (Dutch-American Friendship Treaty). This visa is for SELF-EMPLOYED (llc or even sole prop!) people to start a Dutch business. Under this visa, you...
give the Dutch govt a loan of 4500€, to be returned either when your visa expires or when you obtain citizenship
bypass points-based immigration rules
pledge to open a business
have two years to make 10k€ profit (yes, that is right, it is that low)
can renew for another five years, after which you can apply for permanent residence or for citizenship!
can keep your US businesses
your US and Dutch businesses are taxed separately so you do not have to pay double taxes
can bring a spouse, who automatically gets a work visa
When it comes to self-employment visas, this is simply one of the most affordable in the world, with incredible benefits. Don't get me wrong, the entire move came out to about $10000-12000. This may be more or less for others, depending on your living situation (pets, children, health, etc). But for many developed nations, a visa alone costs over $10k, not including moving costs. And of course, Amsterdam is a cultural and business hub, hosting Xbiz Europa and accessible to the rest of Europe via plane and train!
My goal is to achieve Dutch citizenship and get an EU passport. It will take time and effort, but by my calculations, I will actually save money by living in Amsterdam rather than in the SF Bay Area, lol. So if you are a relatively successful entertainer, consider it!
Please note that prostitution is a legal and thus regulated industry in the Netherlands, and I have no idea how it works. My perspective is purely from a porn-production one!
A bit on taxes…
I wanted to share a huge benefit I just discovered regarding emigrating. There is something called the Foreign Earned Income Exemption. This is a US tax rule that says that up to $120,000 of your annual income, if earned while you live outside the US, is not counted as taxable income by the US. Per the IRS website, it doesn't matter if you are paid by a US company into a US bank account, as long as the WORK you perform is done on foreign soil. This is already pretty cool, but I then realized that as long as you fill out a US tax return (required anyway), and claim this exemption, your Adjusted Gross Income will go to $0. ...and if you're like me, with student loans and an Income-Driven Repayment Plan (IDR), your student loan payments are BASED on your US AGI. My student loan payments will drop to $0/month. This will also freeze interest accrual on your student loans, so in twenty, twenty five years when they are forgiven, your tax burden will also be much lower.
I have at times been nearly at self-harm levels of depression about my student loan debt. I will never qualify for a public service forgiveness position. Even with the recent SAVE plans, my IDR payments are so much that I'm just not paying them. So this is a game-changer for me and a real way out of paying $200000 over the next thirty years thanks to interest...
Get a lawyer!
I have had a wonderful experience using an immigration lawyer for this process. For €950, Stephan of Adam & Wolf Immigration helped me file paperwork and make appointments in the correct order. Using him, I was able to have my 2-year residence visa approved in only 58 days!! I can’t speak highly enough of how having a lawyer streamlined the process.
Addendum, June 2024
I have now been in Amsterdam for over four months and am loving it! I have health insurance, access to my hormone replacement therapy, and a more relaxed and healthy quality of life.
All that being said….. There are other things on the horizon. As of March 2024, Spain has introduced a new, extremely competitive Digital Nomad visa. This visa has all the benefits of the DAFT visa, but has no financial investment requirement, and Spain enjoys an approximately 40% lower cost-of-living than the Netherlands. I may find myself there next year… :)
Addendum, November 2024
So…. Hi. You’re probably one of the many people to whom I’ve shared this page today. I wanted to give a quick update here.
Over the last 9 months, I have successfully transplanted my life to the Netherlands. I have affordable health insurance, I have access to HRT, and I have transferred about 50% of my US business to my Dutch business. (I still have US bills, so this works out very well for my current financial obligations.)
I decided against moving to Spain, mostly because my partner has already invested some time living here, and we don’t want to “reset the clock” on gaining EU citizenship by moving to another country. That being said, you could still consider Spain, Greece, and Portugal as affordable hubs to move to! I endorse doing a lot of research and consulting with a lawyer or two.
I am deeply happy to say that I’ve convinced a few more people to make the move here. I thank the gods I can get this information to people, even just to inform you, to open your mind to options existing out in the world. I never thought I could legally or financially leave the US, ever, and I’m grateful that my partner opened my eyes to the possibility. It helps me heart to pass the information along.
Please do reach out to me directly with questions. My inboxes are open.