An interesting article aimed at Americans. A question..if an American followed your advice and surrenders their Californian driving license before relocating how do they then drive in their new country? UK, for example, allows people to use their home country license for 12 months while they take the test to get a UK license. China, as another example, allows foreigners to just take a computer exam to get a Chinese license if they have a valid foreign license. So they’ve given away their easy options by surrendering their license early.
The simple answer is - they find out they’ve done things out of sequence and yeah, they can’t drive. Or, perhaps more accurately, they realize their new country treats them as if they’re 16 again, and they need to permanently learn how to drive if they intend to live life in that country.
Indeed, it actually sounds really complicated! If I had to follow all kinds of procedures like this, hire lawyers, I would had never left my hometown.... It almost sounds like applying for some kind of "parole".
In all the other countries you just leave, and simply that makes you tax non-resident.
Complicated in that respect….I’m heading back to China next year with my wife and all we’ll need to do with HMRC is one form (& a final self assessment). Interestingly we’re considering Kunming! I’ll have a read through your posts. Thanks for commenting.
An interesting article aimed at Americans. A question..if an American followed your advice and surrenders their Californian driving license before relocating how do they then drive in their new country? UK, for example, allows people to use their home country license for 12 months while they take the test to get a UK license. China, as another example, allows foreigners to just take a computer exam to get a Chinese license if they have a valid foreign license. So they’ve given away their easy options by surrendering their license early.
The simple answer is - they find out they’ve done things out of sequence and yeah, they can’t drive. Or, perhaps more accurately, they realize their new country treats them as if they’re 16 again, and they need to permanently learn how to drive if they intend to live life in that country.
Indeed, it actually sounds really complicated! If I had to follow all kinds of procedures like this, hire lawyers, I would had never left my hometown.... It almost sounds like applying for some kind of "parole".
In all the other countries you just leave, and simply that makes you tax non-resident.
Yep, the US does seem
Complicated in that respect….I’m heading back to China next year with my wife and all we’ll need to do with HMRC is one form (& a final self assessment). Interestingly we’re considering Kunming! I’ll have a read through your posts. Thanks for commenting.
Yeah, I will try to post more knowing that I have at least one interested reader, just starting at the moment :-)
While I know all of this is exactly right, it’s also a lot especially as most leaving now are doing so under increasingly “flee” energy.
All the more reason to do it correctly.