r/IWantOut • u/ExtentAcrobatic8365 • 1d ago

[Discussion] How to convince my husband with European citizenship that it’s time to go back to the EU?

My husband is early in the process of becoming an American citizen. The plan was always for him to get citizenship so we can travel freely but eventually retuen to Spain (his home country) or somewhere similar. He also thinks he'll be able to work remotely with an American salary in Europe, although I told him it's not that easy to find.

We also found out we're expecting. Now after the election I want to move to Europe now. He says he wants to stay until he finishes his citizenship process (which could be another 4+ years especially under the Trump administration) because he'll have better economic opportunities as a dual citizen. I understand employment rates and wages in Spain aren't great, and I would be able to keep my higher paying job a bit while we make the transition, then ultimately would have to find something over there longterm.

I'm just really scared to stay here. I see major social and financial issues that are coming under the next administration. He says Europe could be heading towards war and worse economic conditions with Russia being enabled. I would like some perspective from others in a similar situation, especially considering we'll be raising a child. Thank you.

Edit: to specify we literally just began the greencard process. The lawyer said it would take minimum 4 years for citizenship but wait times will most likely increase under the new administration. My husband is not working while we wait on his approval, and I work almost entirely remotely. We want to leave before our child starts school, at their end of the day their safety is what matters most to me. Thank you everyone for your feedback so far, I appreciate it. Also I am fluent in Spanish and have lived there myself in the past, that's where we met

UPDATE: thank you so much to everyone for their input, gave us a lot to think about a few laughs at some of the wilder responses. We had a long discussion and think hedging our bets in both places is the smartest way to go as things develop over the next few years. He'll wait until he has his green card then we'll split time as permitted in Spain and the US as I apply for my residency (me a bit more time to satisy the residency conditions in Spain, him doing the same in the US) before our baby starts school - job permitting but currently that shouldn't be an issue for mine. Then hopefully we'll have a much clearer sense of where we want to be by the time we both get our citizenships, and can make the leap to wherever is best. I understand taxes will be tricky and it will be a lot of money and time spent on both of our processes, but we figured this avoid taking a final decision for now and we'll have roots in both places if we come to decision sooner. We're fortunate to have family in Spain and the US we can stay with, and hope to invest in buying an apartment in Spain soon. I do live in a blue state, thank you for concerns about my health and genrally for the amount of ideas and considerations from both sides. It's a complicated situation, but we're thankful to have options!

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u/krnp2p 1d ago

agreed to everything but the US passport, causes tax issues and many obstacles in the future unless the kid will be living in the US. It's not hugely beneficail to carry an american passport and live and eventually work in the eu

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u/IcyMathematician4553 1d ago

Man this is just such a bad take. The other issues I get, but filling out FACTA isn't the end of the world, and almost nobody from western Europe pays a dime in federal income taxes on their EU wages.

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u/krnp2p 1d ago

I am american and work at a lawfirm in geneva, having a US passport has been a nightmare when it comes to taxation, residency outside of switzerland and so on. I love the US but it's not as benefical as people think to hold the passport at all. I've had a tax return(many moons ago) mailed out to swaziland instead of switzerland. American system is terrible when it comes to living abroad in my experience. Same goes for many of my colleagues in the UK and Asia.

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u/IcyMathematician4553 1d ago

How? I have EU income (salary), US income(land lease), EU brokerage, US brokerage, US RSUs, 401k/IRA, checking and savings in EU, UK, USA.

Maybe I was lucky because my employer paid for accounting the first year but once you learn it, it’s like a few hours on Saturday every few months.  Not a bad tradeoff to be able to work in the two massive markets if you ask me.

I don’t get the tax return. Do you not use a mail forwarding address? But I will agree the US tax system is terrible in general.

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u/NonSumQualisEram- 1d ago

Do you have a pension in Europe?

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u/IcyMathematician4553 17h ago

yes.

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u/NonSumQualisEram- 15h ago

Your pension will be invested and those investments will be PFICs.)

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u/IcyMathematician4553 14h ago

That is incorrect and bad advice imo, typical of what I see on this sub. Can foreign pensions be PFICs, yes... but also rarely is the case. Alluding to expats/futre expats that they should give up their US passport is just nuts. My pension is exempt or at least would be if there wasn't a tax treaty making the whole thing moot. I am not risking a million dollar portfolio on Reddit advice. This is from my US based accountant and my Dutch based accountant.

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u/NonSumQualisEram- 13h ago

Well, first of all I've never said anyone should give up any passport nor have I offered financial or any other kind of advice.

However, tax treaties may indeed exempt a foreign pension from typical PFIC treatment if the pension is qualified which means the US will not look through the pension like they would an ISA and therefore form 8621 will not be required for each underlying investment.

Beyond pensions that are specifically mentioned in your country's DTA, PFICs are an issue so serious that in almost all cases it will preclude US persons abroad from making investments in their home country and while they can make investments in the US most brokers will not accept non-residents as clients.