A Year in Europe

As Ireland is not part of Schengen I thought there would be limitations. I was corrected in the post below. Go have a blast. I am an American living in Europe and it is an eye opening experience.

If the OP has Irish citizenship, he also has EU citizenship and therefore the right to reside in any EU country.

Quote from the official EU website: As an EU national, you have the right to live and move within the EU without being discriminated against on the grounds of nationality.

However, this right is not absolute and this page explains that.

erwin, thank you. I learn something new every day.. Much appreciated.

As an EU citizen, you have the right to move to any EU country for a
period of up to 3 months as long as you have a valid identity card or
passport. If you want to settle in another EU country but you have no
intention to take up any work or education there, you need to prove
that you:

have sufficient resources for you and your family during the time you
want to stay in your new country have comprehensive health insurance

I wonder what the out f country requirment is? I mean before you can go back for 3 more months? Sounds like the OP needs to get some legal advise.

So getting past the visa issue and assuming I can only stay in each country for 90 days, what are your suggestions?

The world is yours. What interests you? I guess I would suggesst making it as varried as possible. Ireland, France, Spain Greece, Romania, Bulgaria .... so you can say you tasted all of it. Maybe look for major cities for 3 months each that have good train and discount alirline hubs. My situation works well, because Ryan and Wizz both come here and I can get about any place in Europe in 90 minutes and about $100. Dont know your budget, but the cost of living in Europe varies a lot from country to country so if you have financial limitations you may want to head more south and east.

I'm not an EU citizen but I've done a month at a time in different countries. Sometimes longer. if I was in Schengen I just had to be aware of the 90 in 180 days. I recently did seven months in the UK with a couple of trips back to the US during that period. (See below.). It was spread out among a few cities.

If you want to stay in one place for a month, look for a short term apartment rental like AirBnB or VRBO, or look for extended stay/aparthotels that offer apartment like living with hotel services. The latter is what I usually do. (By the way, the longer you stay, the lower the daily rate.)

With these, you don't have to eat out every meal as you would have a kitchen. You would also have laundry facilities either in your unit or in the building.

I, unfortunately, have to come back to the US every three months to refill prescriptions and other medical issues. I usually stay a couple of weeks and then head out again.

Traveling this way you can do "slow travel." You are not in as much of a rush to see everything in two or three days. It's a great way to truly experience a country or city.

I recently obtained Irish citizenship and have dual Irish/American citizenship. After speaking with the Irish Consulate, I learned I can move to Ireland at any time. After living there for one year, you can then permanently move to almost any country on the continent that is in the EU. You are exempt from needing to leave the Schengen zone after 90 days. One American legal technicality is that you must return to the U.S. after 6 months to retain your Medicare supplemental eligibility. You can then return to Europe for six more months . I have been to Europe on many one-month trips and on one 3-month trip. I would recommend basing yourself in apartments for a period of time- say one-two months at a time and exploring geographical regions from the base you have established. It will depend on your interests, of course, but for a region such as Benelux, ( Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) you may want to base yourself in Antwerp or The Hague for 4-6 weeks. Major cities that are centrally located work best for exploring by train. For larger countries that hold more interest to you ( ie. France, Germany, Spain, Italy) you might stay for 6-8 weeks splitting the time among a few regional cities such as Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg, Bordeaux etc.
Train/bus transportation costs can be lowered considerably by buying monthly transit passes for local transportation. This is especially true in northern countries such as Germany the Netherlands and Austria— but also in many other countries. I would recommend looking at www.Seat61.com for comprehensive information on train transportation. You should take a look at Eurail passes as well.
Weather patterns can inform you how to calendar the order of the countries you visit. In general, you might want to start in January in Mediterranean countries where the weather will be more conducive to traveling. Southern Spain is where you might stay in January ( it’s where I am now) and then move northward from there. As the continent begins to thaw out from winter in April, you can move toward Central Europe and by summer be in northern Nations. Scandinavia is definitely a summer destination for most. It is far easier to visit sites that interest you and to move about without having to deal with snow and freezing rain. There are those that like colder climates and they might want to adjust their calendar accordingly.
Even during a one-year period of travel, you cannot see everything and where you go will depend on your budget and interests. If you let us know what they are, it will be easier to give more specific advice.
Slainte Mhath!
- Kenny

Buy a camper van in Ireland and just drive spontaneously. No itinerary, no plan.

I wonder what the out f country requirment is? I mean before you can go back for 3 more months? Sounds like the OP needs to get some legal advise.

There is no "out of country" requirement, just consequences. As one would imagine, money, basically taxes and resources, is the issue. You pay taxes where you reside officially, so if you intend to stay in a country for longer than 3 months, you are expected to establish residency and pay taxes in that country, since you are then a burden on the resources. May be different for a "pensioner", but overall, they are trying to mitigate the impact of people moving around, to pay for your needs where you are, not some other country you might claim "residency".

The issue of "right to reside" came to glaring light for many Brits in Spain and elsewhere, when Brexit took hold. Though they had been living there for years, many had to scramble to establish some type of residency.

As for cautions for the OP, the key is to not stay in some country for more than three months. Not sure how authorities would track them down unless they stay in the same apartment for months, but if found out, there would be tax consequences.

Thanks to everyone who replied. Kenny, your response is GOLD. I especially wouldn’t have known about the Medicare requirement that I come back to the states after 6 months. As far as your advice about the seasons I was already thinking along the same lines: winter is the Iberian peninsula, spring in France with visits to Germany and Switzerland, Summer in Scandinavia and Fall exclusively in Italy.
As for interests I like open water swimming, cooking, walking and art. I’ve done a couple of long stretches in Europe before: 3 months in Sicily and 3 in Florence. Then lots of general visits traveling around. But I’ve never stayed beyond three months so it’s an exciting prospect. Thanks again and if anyone has anything to add I’m all ears!

fallcreekcrew, i would confirm everything that Kenko said. I don't believe the statements about having to return to the US to maintain Medicare and being subject to tax residency in 3 months are correct.

US Citizen, Resident of Hungary enrolled in Medicare.

As Ireland is not part of Schengen I thought there would be
limitations. I was corrected in the post below. Go have a blast. I am
an American living in Europe and it is an eye opening experience

An Irish passport is Golden as trumps all other EU passports!

Schengen applies to tourists, but Irish citizens enter the Schengen Area as citizens and so are exempt from Schengen Area rules.

There is an agreement for free movement (FMOP) between the EU and EFTA which means that Irish citizens can also move freely among the none Schengen Countries of western and central Europe.

The UK's Ireland Act of 1949 contains one very important sentance - Ireland is not a foreign country. And with that single statement Irish citizens were granted the same rights as British citizens when resident in the UK. So unlike the citizens of other EU and EFTA states, the new BREXIT rules and ETA system do not apply to Irish citizens.

So in summary the OP can do whatever he likes in western and central Europe, so long as they comply with the local residency rules that apply to all citizens - which usually just amounts to registering at the local government offices for more than stays of over 90 days and that is about it.

Hi! I’m retired and have always wanted to spend a year in Europe
traveling but staying in various countries a month or so at a time. I
have my Irish passport so I can stay without running afoul of the visa
requirements. Has anyone done anything similar? Have any ideas, tips
or suggestions? Thank you!

With an Irish passport you are more or less free to travel in anywhere in western and central Europe without restriction. However you need to understand that you will be travelling as an Irish citizen not a US citizens and that means you are not a tourist, which has consequences.

• As a retired person, the EU's FMOP rules relating to retirees will apply. This means that for stays of greater than 90 days you'll need to meet the local income requirements for retirees (which should not be a problem, unless you decide to move to Switzerland ;-))
• Since you are not a tourist, most tourist insurance policies will not apply to you, so you will need to have proper European healthcare cover
• Because the US taxes it's citizens abroad, live can be very complicated if it is established that you had multiple residency for tax purpses in a single year and you don't get to decide this, the country where you are resident does!

I would suggest you establish permanent residency in Ireland and travel out from there on your 1 moth adventures to various parts of Europe for a couple of reasons -
- It will be easier from an tax point of view
- You'll be entitled to a European Healthcare card paid for by the Irish government, so no need for health insurance
- You'll qualify for all the free stuff Ireland grants retirees including free telephone, electricity, travel etc....
- The Irish free travel scheme of seniors extends to some ferry services, plus travel in Northern Ireland and parts of mainland UK

Enjoy your trip.

Jim, that works, but sort of extreme for a 1 year holiday. I think if the OP does some research, the OP will find that Tax Residency will not be imposed if the OP spends less than 180 days in any single country. But I am no lawyer. Just know my deal. If he does want to become a tax resident someplace, pick one that has a treaty with the US to prevent double taxation.

He may also want a private US mail box that sends him photos of his mail, can forward mail, open and scan mail and deposit checks. $15 a month.

And a US street address for banking (credit cards). Friend or relatives works.

A US phone to log into sites that are blocked to other than US IP addresses. Sites like government agencies.

In late June 2018, my 12yoa son and I flew to Reykjavik and began what was to be a whole year traveling through Europe. I also have an Irish passport. We made it 7 months before finding out I had cancer and returning to the US. I planned that trip for about a year, researching the daylights out of luggage (we lived out of two Osprey Ozone 22" roller bags and a day pack each); transportation (seat61.com is the best rabbit hole ever); sights (atlasobscura.com); accommodation (mainly AirBnBs), etc. I made a spreadsheet (which turned into three spreadsheets after two major course shifts), including city, mode of transport, accommodation, sights, etc. We stayed up north in the summer and mostly saved the warmer places for the colder months. We stayed three weeks in Krakow with Polish friends. Otherwise, probably two weeks was the longest we stayed in one city (Sarlat-la-Canéda--way too much time there). At the start of the trip, everything was booked through mid-September. After that, I booked as we went. Highlights for us were renting a camper van in Munich and using it to visit Switzerland and Austria; San Sebastián (would go back there in a minute); visiting friends in Aarhus; renting a Fiat500 and bombing around Dordogne in it; Turin; and lots of car museums and aquariums (12yoa boy). In all, we visited 14 countries. What we missed on the back half of the trip were most of England (which I moved to the end of the trip because I kept adding stuff to it), Scotland, most of Italy, Portugal, Southern Spain, Greece, Croatia, Hungary and much more (not in the order). We flew from Reykjavik to Dublin, Dublin to Oslo, Krakow to Munich, Paris to Dublin, Dublin to Tenerife, Tenerife to Malaga, then Malaga to London and home. We had a car in Ireland and on Tenerife. Otherwise, we were on a train or bus.

Mr.E touched on a point to consider as well, your phone plan. Some plans will drastically reduce service, especially data, once you have been out of the US for 90 days or so (T-Mobile and Google Fi for example) Others may have optional International roaming (like Verizon and ATT) but that could get expensive over 12 months and may have limits as well.

Some research will be needed depending on your carrier, whether you phone is locked or on contract, and what limits they have, but some combination of a basic phone plan from the US, then a second SIM for data and calls within Europe (or to the US) might be best. It may even be two phones. If bringing a laptop, I would recommend installing a VPN for both security and spoofing location verification.

Some plans will drastically reduce service, especially data, once you
have been out of the US for 90 days or so (T-Mobile and Google Fi for
example)

I answer this on my US TMobile that works fine and has over here for 2 years now. So, thats noy correct. I have a local phone too. But I need this one to get into a few otherwise blocked websites and I need this one for my 2 party authentication sites, like one of my credit cards.

US TMobile that works fine and has over here for 2 years now.

Of course it varies by exact plan, but general guidance from T-Mobile is if you have high international usage, and a certain percentage of your monthly limit International, they can reduce or cut of data. Of course that does not apply to wi-fi use and calls, and if your data usage is minimal, then you are likely staying under their radar. Start using several Gig a month, that could change. Like you mentioned, having a second phone with a local SIM, (or a phone that supports dual sims) then you should be fine in limiting your US based data.

As always, whatever plan you settle on, discuss your plan with your carrier.

Wow! So much wonderful information! Thank you all!

I’ve never heard of a 6 month Medicare rule, and I visit the States once a year. Last year when visiting, I was covered for an illness. I’ll ask the Social Security rep at the embassy out of curiosity because that’s a new one for me.

It would be good for you to join a Facebook group of American expats or dual nationals living in Ireland and who have stayed for an extended period to get precise information that will apply to you. Your plan is good. Some of the information here has been correct and some good ideas, but some misleading for someone staying a year.

One American legal technicality is that you must return to the U.S. after 6 months to retain your Medicare eligibility.

I don't think that is correct. Medicare says that any US citizen can live abroad and still retain Medicare eligibility, and there is no restriction on how you stay abroad. The only catch is that you can't use Medicare for medical services and care while you're abroad, except for emergency care. Mr. E, do you know?

Mardee, you are correct. I have Medicare. The presumption that you become a tax resident in 3 months is also not generally correct.

There have been several incorrect statements here. That’s why the OP needs to join an expat group for Ireland.

A one year holiday isn't really an expat but maybe they can direct him to an Irish legal expert.

The Irish free travel scheme for those over 66 does not extend to parts of the UK except Northern Ireland and only to a number of domestic ferry services, not to any external ferry services.
A!so it only applies to those living permanently in the Irish Republic. It is not a perk of having an Irish passport but living wholly or part time elsewhere.
Nor does it apply to many of the private bus services in the Republic, as typically used by tourists. It applies to state bus services- Bus Eireann and all local TfI supported services, plus all trains.
You need to read the rules carefully.
In the same way as the English free travel scheme does not extend to Wales or Scotland (or the other way round) let alone to either side of the Irish border.
The Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom are entirely separate countries. As, in the UK, are the devolved countries of Wales and Scotland for free travel purposes.
Yes if you get another card for Translink it extends to Northern Ireland. That is a reciprocal scheme. In the North they get free travel at age 60, but NI citizens only get free travel in the Republic at age 66.

Being subject to Schengen would be less complicated LOL.

To clarify: some Medicare supplemental plan coverages (Medigap plans) will terminate after the insured is absent from the U.S.for several months. From what I understand, Plan D covering prescriptions would end after an absence from the U.S of several months. Plan G, which offers emergency medical care in Europe up to $50K, will terminate that part of its coverage after three months.
Medicare Part A will always be effective. Medicare Part B will be effective unless the insured opts out of Part B coverage and stops paying premiums. The insured cannot use Part B while out of the country, in any case. If Part B coverage is reactivated when the insured returns to the U.S., there may be a waiting period for coverage to go back into effect and financial penalties may apply.
For any Medicare recipient considering being out of the U.S. for several months, , the Social Security Administration or Medicare helpline should be contacted at 1. (800) MEDICARE for details.

This is a one-year holiday, this is not moving to Europe. Keep it that way and it will be very easy.

You are simply leveraging what ever benefits your Irish passort provides. While traveling the odds of any country wanting to call you a tax resident after 30 days is unlikely. My EU country does so after 180 days in the calendar year. So just don’t plant yourself in any one country for anywhere near half the year …. Including Ireland …. and that will never become an issue. You said you wanted to move around and see a lot, so this is not an issue at all. There are some real inconveniences of being a Tax Resident of another country so you really want to avoid that ….. but its easy to avoid.

To clarify: some Medicare supplemental plan coverages (Medigap plans)
will terminate after the insured is absent from the U.S. for several
months.

Medigap replaces A & B. If you have a medigap policy it replaces A & B so it is only the conditions of the Medigap policy that are important. “Some” Medigap policies might. Each is a stand-alone policy but they are required to have the same language so I would be surprised. I would suggest you read yours. Mine is fine. All this having been said, it’s a far cry from the statement that you have to return to the US every 6 months.

Next question. When you leave the US are you going to call your insurance company and tell them? In all my years of travel, never crossed my mind. BUT, in Europe your Medicare will not work and so you will need a separate policy. I suggest Allianz. I have used them for a few years now and made dozens of claims, and they have always paid without comment. Not terribly cheap, but worth it. I have an evacuation policy in the event something serious happens and I want to get home to where my Medigap Insurance, with higher limits, will cover it.

If you have family or friends to check your mail …. Great. I didn’t want to inconvenience anyone so I got a private mail box that as I mentioned above sends me photos of the outside of the mail and will open and scan or destroy or forward mail as I request. They will even deposit checks I receive. This address has been sufficient for all by my credit cards. They wanted a street address. For that I do use a friend. That is the same address I use for my voter’s registration and drivers’ license. Be careful because you will be come a tax resident of whatever address you use.

All my U.S. bills are scheduled payments by my U.S. bank. All most cost-of-living money in Europe is by my U.S. bank ATM card or Credit Card. I do have a local bank, but its expensive to use, so I don’t. Just get a U.S. bank account that covers ATM fees, and a credit card (2) that has no foreign transaction fee. Although for a one year trip, 2 or 3% here and there wont kill you.

Jim, that works, but sort of extreme for a 1 year holiday. I think if
the OP does some research, the OP will find that Tax Residency will
not be imposed if the OP spends less than 180 days in any single
country. But I am no lawyer. Just know my deal. If he does want to
become a tax resident someplace, pick one that has a treaty with the
US to prevent double taxation.

• It can't be a holiday if he is a citizen
• The 180 days rule is just one criteria used to determine this. There is several other sets of rules the can be used by Revenue and it is European laws that decide, not US laws.

Going from country to country staying less than 3 months anywhere with his home address, relations and all banking interests in the US will not make him a resident anywhere in Europe. He’ll be a visitor.

He just needs to remember to do his US taxes on time while he’s on some beach in Greece on April 15th. The year after his year abroad will be a fun tax exercise. Keep all receipts.

@Mr.E, You wrote: “Medigap replaces A & B.” This is not accurate. Medigap policies do NOT replace Basic Medicare Part A or Part B. They are supplemental coverages. Medicare Part D, for example, adds prescription drug coverage which is not covered at all under Part A or B. Perhaps you are confusing “Medigap” plans with “Medicare Advantage” plans.
So having a Part D Plan doesn’t affect Part A or B in any way— much less “replace” it as you stated.
For those who have a G plan which, among other things, may cover up to $50K of approved emergency medical expenses overseas for up to 3 months of travel—if a claim is filed it will not be up to the insured to simply not inform the Part G insurance carrier as to when their 3 months of travel began. The insurance company will simply ask for documentation of when the trip began. That could be something as simple as the date of entry into Europe stamped in your passport or a copy of your outgoing airline ticket.
Anyone who has Medicare questions should get the story straight from the horse’s mouth and contact Medicare directly at the number I posted earlier in this thread.
Cheers!

@Mr.E, You wrote: “Medigap replaces A & B.” This is not accurate.
Medigap policies do NOT replace Basic Medicare Part A or Part B. They
are supplemental coverages. Medicare part D, for example, adds
prescription drug coverage which is not covered at all under Part A or
B. Perhaps you are confusing “Medigap” plans with “Medicare Advantage”
plans.

You are absolutely correct, I mixed the alphebet soup with reality. Should have said Medicare Advantage Plan. I just assumed anyone my age, with the income or wealth to travel like RS people do, are using Medicare Advantage. That maybe be a false assumption.

Back to the OPs subject, I am not convinced that there is anything in Medicare, Medigap, Advantage A,B,C,D,E,F or G that will be affected by someone going on a long hoiliday. The "I didnt know ..... and ...... bad happened" stories would be in the forum by now.

To the other comments

Well of course he is subject to Irish law, that’s the deal he made when he got an Irish passport. For that he needs legal advice. But of course he is on holiday, just as any Irishman or American would be on holiday on the beach in Greece.

Yes, European law rules and yes we can all create some sort of far-fetched scenario where the Swiss or someone can claim a tourist as a tax resident. But that just isn’t going to happen. Why scare the poor guy. OP, you arent planning on moving 500.000 euro to a European bank while on holiday are you? Going to be doing a lot import or export business from that Greek beach? Planning on marriage? Geeeezzzz people. OP, go figure out what that Irish passport is doing to you, then go have fun.

I, for one, do not have a Medicare Advantage Plan. There’s a humorous saying about what happens when you “assume” things about other people.

Although this has devolved into some kind of Medicare alphabet conversation, the only things to check are if your supplemental insurance has overseas coverage, and if you cancel your supplemental insurance while out of the US, will you be allowed to to re-enroll. This is assuming you have supplemental insurance. When I lived in the US my special policy had overseas coverage and no, we weren’t allowed to re-enroll if dropped.

If you have no coverage, you’ll need a one-year travel policy, and you may want to look into evacuation insurance too that would fly you back to the US in a medical unit or commercial airline, if needed and requested.

Elizabeth, you are correct. Much my fault for confusing the subject. Bottom line, very unlikely you will loose your medicare coverage while on holiday .... but read your policies.

On the insurance,

Get a local policy with a reasonable coverage limit (OP needs to decide what that means). The local policy, like the Allianz policy that I have, may pay direct where a US policy is less likely to do so, If you are not going to do that because you believe your US policy will cover you, then make sure you have a credit card or a large sum of cash in the bank to pay the bills until you get reimbursed.

Maintain your U.S. Insuarnce in the event somehting serious happens, as the standard of care and circumstances of care in the US would probalby be more comfortable for the OP.

Enroll in a evacuation policy so that you can use your U.S. policy if something were to happen. I use MedJet, but worth shopping around. Study under what circumstances and to where the evacuation would occur.

YES, your travel just got a lot more expensive.

I just assumed anyone my age, with the income or wealth to travel like RS people do, are using Medicare Advantage. That maybe be a false assumption.

Mr. E, are you sure you're not getting them mixed up again? :-) I believe most people with higher incomes choose Medicare supplement (Medigap) plans. The monthly premiums are generally higher than Medicare Advantage, but the plans cover more, you don't have to stick to a certain network, and your co-pays are less (or even zero). Plus, a big disadvantage of a Medicare Advantage plan is that after the first year, you cannot switch to a Medigap plan without underwriting. That can lead to an expensive policy or possibly denial of coverage. On the other hand, most retirees on lower incomes choose Medicare Advantage because of the very low (or nonexistent) premiums. They only have to pay if they get sick or injured.

You assume I have a high income as I assumed the typical RS fan was a poor boy like me LOL

Hi OP! I'd call my Medicare provider (especially if you have part C, D, blah blah) and ask about emergency international coverage. And remember you also have IRISH medical coverage as an Irish citizen, but check if that covers you anywhere outside Ireland. If it were me, I would start my trip in Ireland, apply for whatever national ID card you need for medical coverage.

Here's what Kaiser, my medicare provider says about submitting international claims - (I have this printed out and in my carry on just in case.) https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/get-care/traveling/care-outside-KP-area.

Sounds like a blast! Have a wonderful time!!

Medical coverage is not based on citizenship but on residency. Personal experience. The OP was not magically granted Irish healthcare.

Bets is correct. To get Irish medical coverage, the OP must be (or intend to be) a resident of Ireland, and will need to provide all the documentation that goes with that.

When the day of finalized medicare planning finally arrives, you will need some suggested destinations; Western Crete, Zagreb, Vienna, Bruges, Visby, Rome, Romania, Norwich, Edinburgh, Berlin/Munich.

You can join local expat Facebook groups before arriving in each city. They're goldmines for apartment leads and meeting people. Plus, you'll get real info about which neighborhoods to target.