Work on Computer. Want to Move Long-Term To Anguilla

by Dio
(New York City)

Hello and thank you for posting such valuable information about life on Anguilla.

I'm a self-employed composer living in NYC. I'm fortunate enough to be able to carry out my work nearly anywhere in the world.

My wife and I are VERY interested in living on Anguilla. Is this possible?

Thanks,
Dio

Dad's Answer Yes, it is. Right now, there are hoops to jump through. I'd love to see Anguilla make it easier.

It would be great for the people of the island, for the government's coffers and for people with real talents who have skills to bring and share with the island (while living in Paradise). ;-)

I've done it, Dio. The key point in your letter is not so much that you are "self-employed." It's being able to do your job from a computer, anywhere in the world. First thing to do?

I suggest you visit several times and stay here in various seasons for at one month (you can find good, local apartments that will rent by the month). That's the maximum that you can stay without getting month-by-month extensions.

Do your work while living here. Stop vacationing and LIVE here for a bit...

Why? To make sure you like living here as much as you like vacationing here.

Basically, here's the suggested process (but details will vary according to circumstances)...

1) You do need to fill out forms that verify to the government that you are successful at your work and that you have no criminal background. So you'll need to provide passport, statement of Net Worth and bank references, police checks, character letters of reference, medical exam, etc.

The reasons are all good and obvious. Many different types of people would love to move to Anguilla, some for such not-so-great reasons and with skills that, um, are not desirable (to be diplomatic). So if you accept those in that spirit, you're well on your way.

2) Ideally, you should form your own company here in Anguilla that will employ you and that gets your work permit. There are many reasons to do this. It's cheap to do and maintain. Basically, those who hire/contractd YOU now, Dio, hire your Anguillian company instead, which in turn contracts with you to do the work.

Since you take the work of no Anguillian, you should have no issues with work permits.

3) If you live in a country where you pay taxes on the basis of where you live, not what your citizenry is, hire an attorney in your home country to make yourself non-resident of your "home" country. Anguilla is tax-free (no income tax, very low property taxes). Obviously, this is the biggest hassle, so only do this after you're sure you want to live here.

Only American and Philippine citizens are taxes on world income, regardless of where you live. But there are loopholes. Consult a tax attorney of your home country.

4) Find a nice, long-term apartment and rent by the month. Make sure you like the place or use the month-by-month situation to find a spot you do like.

That's about it, Dio. At least, it's as much as we can remember. :-)

Hope that helps,
Ken

P.S For more information (and especially to get it all done right!), contact our Anguilla lawyer, Eustella Fontaine.

JAVA Programmer Living in NYC, Move to Anguilla?

by Matthew
(NY, NY)

This is an extremely interesting page. I have followed your Web site for years and enjoyed Nori's writing. I have actually watched her grow up through this site and please let her know that I have visited Anguilla twice because of her enthusiasm and love of the island, which I now share.

My question is this: I am a JAVA programmer. I am good at what I do (please excuse the immodesty). I am not an employee. I contract myself out to 5 regular clients and several other "occasionals." I make over $150,000 per year (down from over $200,000 pre-recession, but starting to move back up).

There is no reason that I need to be living in New York. As glamorous as this city is, winters are cold, it's impossible to smoke anywhere, and the cost of an apartment is beyond insane.

What do I have to do to move to and live in Anguilla?

Thank you so much for opening my eyes to the reality of my situation. I only sit here and "take it" because I have not challenged the status quo.

Best regards and perhaps soon WARM regards,
Matthew

Answer From Ken

Matthew, you are the prototypical "keyboard worker" I am talking about when writing about "living in Anguilla." You can live and work anywhere in the island.

Even in my own company, I have employees who have moved from Canada to Ecuador and from Germany to Brazil. They are "laptop workers" who can work anywhere.

Moving to Anguilla is not an easy thing to do right now. As someone with a unique skill set who is not going to be taking anyone's local job away, you are the type of person who is in demand in some countries already (check Panama, Costa Rica and Ecuador, for example).

And do check in with my attorney, Eustella. Let her know I sent you. One hour of her time will give you more solid, legal information that unreliable information that is scattered around here and there.

Best regards,
Ken (AKA "Dad")

Speed of Broadband in Anguilla

by Paul Matthews
(Sheffield, UK)

I'm a stay-at-home digital worker and depend on fast, reliable broadband access for my work. How accessible is good quality broadband in Anguilla?

How much does it cost per month, on average, and what type of download/upload speeds should I expect if I were to relocate to the island??

Thanks!
Paul

Reply by Ken: Paul, my personal decision to move here happened when Anguilla moved from dial-up to broadband. "Living/working" on the computer requires high-speed access.

At the time of this writing, you can get packages that deliver up to 8 Mbps (down) and 1 Mbp (up), more than adequate for most needs.

Access was shaky in the rather uninhabited area that we lived in (there are more homes now). So I had fibre run straight to my home. Luckily, it already ran to within 500 yards (450 meters) of us, so the expense wasn't that bad and I can get unlimited speed (at, um, unlimited price, so I "only" purchase 12 Mbps down and 2 up and that's exactly what we get throughout our home's wireless network).

You won't have to go fibre-to-home, though! Most of my friends report excellent and reliable uptimes. And Flow, who was extremely helpful, tells us that only the hotels go this route. We are, apparently, the only residence to go run fibre-direct.

So don't worry... 99.9% of the island has excellent coverage!

Rather than quote the regular prices here (which may go out of date), here are the current bandwidth costs through Flow.

You'll find the prices higher than on the mainland. But as I've said elsewhere, "knowledge workers" living in Anguilla can arrange their affairs to pay zero income tax.

That pays for a lot of bandwidth, and much more!

Work Permits for Laptop Workers?

by Miri
(Spain)

Hi!

How are work permits granted for laptop workers? What are the requirements? What you narrate is exactly our case, both my husband and I work from home, online, we live in Europe and wish to move to Anguilla.

What should I do? What requirements do Anguilla government demands from us?

Reply from Dad There'll be police checks, tax returns, bank and personal references and other paperwork. My recommendation is to just come down on a vacation.

Save yourself all the work and just come down and be sure you love it here as much as we do. See how long you can stay as visitors.

As you'll read, you can easily extend your stay for months. You can find a nice apartment and rent by month, consult an attorney if you get serious, and live in a wonderful place... warm, free, and tax-free. :-)

Best of luck to both of you!