US/Canadian Expats

[sarahjh22]

Anyone have suggestions of good resources, checklists, need to knows etc for and American and a Canadian setting off to liveaboard for a year or more in either Mexico or Caribbean?

Any sites or resources for general info on things like visas, taxes, health insurance, working, importing personal belongings or boat parts etc.

Thanks

[avb3]

Search for your various queries right here on Cruisers Forum; there is a wealth of experiences and expertise one may not find elsewhere.

[Kettlewell]

Have no idea how good they are, but this expat forum claims 100,000 users.

[S/V Alchemy]

I know from Americans living here in Canada either as naturalized Canadians or as "dualies" that the IRS has been getting very firm with Americans who fail to file U.S. tax reports, even if U.S. income is "zero".

It is creating some complications for them when travelling in and out of the States, because flags are being attached to their passports.

[sww914]

The Caribbean is a bunch of different island countries and each has it's own laws.
Noonsite is a wealth of information on the laws of various countries.

[Kettlewell]

Another thing is the rules and regulations change all the time, and what is actually happening on the ground is different than what is published on the government website. Once you get going you will get connected to the cruisers grapevine that will have the latest and best information: where to clear in and out to avoid hassles, exactly what paperwork and fees to expect, how to get stuff shipped in at lowest cost and hassle, etc. On the West Coast you can start to pick up on all this stuff by reading Latitude 38 online. Noonsite is good for basic information on most cruising destinations. For odd sticky questions ask here and you'll get twelve different answers, and one of them might be correct!