(Written by an American expat living in the European Union.)
Here is a link to part 1 of this diary
The purpose of this diary is not to recruit people to move to the European Union but rather to support people who have already made that decision by providing information. While most people are aware of the requirements for the investor class to move to the EU, they're unaware that they may obtain EU citizenship through their ancestry. That was the focus of part 1.
The focus of part 2 is to provide tools, links, helpful hints from this diary on how to run down their genealogy to provide evidence for a EU citizenship petition. This may require that you find birth certificates, marriage records, baptismal records and other types of documentation with the added bonus of reconnecting with members of your extended family in the EU. Another benefit of living in the EU is the social safety net which provides for universal medical & dental access for life, paid sick leave, paid maternity leave & paid annual leave by right of law. This is a right of citizenship and doesn't depend on what type of job you have.
(Legal disclaimer: As the author of this diary I would like to state that I am not an immigration or nationality lawyer. The contains of this diary should therefore not be read as legal advice but rather as simply information. For legal advice please contact a licensed immigration and nationality lawyer.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This is diary is written in recognition of the fact that some people cannot wait for a second Obama term in 2012, when the Democrats take back the House of Representatives. (Because it's clear the Republican controlled House intends to repeal health care reform). Some people who have a right to EU citizenship need to be able to move to the European Union so that they can get medical treatment that maybe life saving.
As a health care diarist, this diary also asks if you could write to your members of Congress in request that they continue the fight for health care reform! I therefore wrote this series on moving to European Union and I therefore ask for you support of this diary.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This diary contains specific information about how to find archives both government and church in order to obtain needed records to establish a lawful claim of EU citizenship. It will also provide some obvious and not so obvious starting points to help start your genealogical research. Some people feel they already know their genealogy but are often surprised at the unexpected results that their research can produce.
This diary also introduces political and patriotic service organizations that you can connect with as part of the American expat community. One example is Democrats Abroad and a large number of posts from the American Legion (Dept of France) and Veterans of Foreign Wars. There's also a large number of American friendship organizations which provide newsletters that can also be another source of information about your possible new residence in that EU country of your choice. They all have email addresses and websites.
Also here's a link to the Association of American clubs in many different countries.
A section of this diary will talk about actually coming to Europe, jobs, shipping your car, shipping your household goods, customs and duties, how to get set up, how to find a house or apartment and school for your kids.
-------------------------------------------
Getting started with your genealogy.
There are a number of professional genealogical research services and books and CDs for sale. It is not the purpose of this diary to endorse any commercial products but rather to provide free information for how you obtain records needed to establish your claim to EU citizenship.
Let's start with the obvious. You should contact the town hall in the EU country in which your parents or grandparents were born in to obtain records that are usually available for a small fee. These records may include marriage certificates, birth certificates etc. If the records if you need are not available at the town hall then please contact the church. A short letter to the parish priest can work wonders. If you can't write Italian, German or French for example, one way of getting an inexpensive translation service is to contact a college or university in your area which has a foreign language department. Ask to speak to the student teaching assistant. Those students have a good knowledge of the language and could offer a cheap translation service for you.
I can't find date of records, what do I do now?
If you cannot find the records that you need at the town hall, for example you can't find a birth certificate, governments may accept a baptismal certificate. Same holds true if you cannot find a marriage certificate at the town hall, the church may have it. They may be able to produce certified copies for you for a small fee. If the parish priest can't be helpful, ask the contact information for the retired parish priest and interview them by letter or on the phone. This maybe a free source of great genealogical information that may not be available any other way. If you're on vacation in Europe, the Vatican library in Rome for example maybe an invaluable source of genealogical information. For example here is a website in England to obtain such records from the United Kingdom.
Ok, we've received our EU passports. Now what?
Generally speaking with an EU passport you can go to any EU country and you have the right to live and work there on par with the citizens of that country.
The freedom of movement agreement in the European Union for EU citizens.
The Union has adopted a Directive on the right of citizens of the Union to move and reside freely within the Member States, which brings together the piecemeal measures found in the complex body of legislation that has governed this matter to date. The new measures are designed, among other things, to encourage Union citizens to exercise their right to move and reside freely within Member States
http://europa.eu/...
How do I move my household goods and cars?
Again it is not the purpose of this diary to endorse any particular shipping service. However you'll find a good selection of them in the yellow pages and on the internet. Briefly, the cheapest way to move your household goods and cars is to contact a shipper and have them deliver a container in your driveway or in front of your house, load it up yourself and when its packed up fully get them to pick it up. When doing this, it's a good idea usually to get separate insurance. The same holds true for your cars. If you're on the coast or can drive to the coast, the cheapest thing to do is drive directly to the port, at which point you'll basically have to have an empty gas tank in your car. Again getting separate shipping insurance for your vehicle is really a good idea.
If you do this at the other end, you'll have to make your own arrangements to have your container picked up and pick up your vehicle. That includes getting the necessary custom clearances. But doing it yourself, you can save a lot of money.
A word about international driver's licenses from AAA. As your US driver's license may not be recognized in all the EU countries, it's important to get an international driver's license from AAA before you leave the US.
The Inter-American Driving Permit (IADP) is issued in accordance with the Organization of American States Convention on Regulation of Inter-American Automotive Traffic (Washington, 1943). The IADP is issued for a one-year period. It is valid for one year from the effective date provided the state license is still valid throughout that period. It is not valid for driving in the United States or its territories. IADP must be carried along with the applicant's regular driver's license.
http://www.aaa.com/...
Also be sure to get a letter from your American insurance agent stating how many years you've driven accident free. This is will help you get a much lower insurance rate in Europe.
A common sense alternative to shipping your stuff rather paying to ship your used stuff over from the States; you can choose to buy someone's else used household goods and furniture once you arrive in Europe. You can do this through a number of church organizations and sometimes government organizations that sell gently used furniture and household goods at really big discounts. And used car lots can be found everywhere. Also there's a lot of used goods for sale on internet auction sites in the EU. If you're a person of modest means, churches and non-profit charities often give away or sell used furniture and household goods for little or no money. You'll have a lot of fun finding household treasures also at flea markets just like in the States.
Here is a link to the Salvation Army International site: http://www.salvationarmy.org/
Staying in touch with family and friends.
Again its not the intent of this diary to endorse companies or commercial products but there are a number of American companies that offer internet telephones with State side numbers that can be used anywhere in the world. Also all European countries offer many commercial services with international calling plans sometimes as low as 2 cents a minute. Please be careful about making or receiving phone calls from Europe because they can be very pricey.
Accessing American media in Europe.
Just to repeat the intent of this diary is not the endorse any particular product or service but rather to give access to American media available free of charge. Here if you're an expat, please share with our readers how you access American media while living in the European Union.
First of all, the non-profit CSPAN network offers both video on demand and live CSPAN video feed over the internet free of charge. For CSPAN 1, CSPAN 2, CSPAN 3 and CSPAN radio. CSPAN network is a non-profit American political network that is suppose to be nonpartisan. This is a great way for the American expat community to get political news and information as informed voters. http://www.c-span.org/
Another free source of media is through the non-profit PBS network, which offers various types of television programming over the internet, which also includes the PBS award winning series called "Frontline".
NPR is available over the internet and also available by satellite.
NPR Worldwide can be heard via satellite 24 hours a day in digital stereo quality over all of Europe
http://www.npr.org/...
If you work for the American government in Europe, you can receive US television programming through AFN Europe(which is the American Forces Network) and is available through a restrictive satellite decoder service which is completely free of charge. It is paid for by the US government in so far that there is no monthly satellite television bill. This service includes various television and entertainment channels. On a separate note, it should be noted that the Pentagon Channel(which is a source of military news and information) is available 24/7 free of charge over the internet worldwide. The Pentagon Channel available to all members of the general public over the internet. It has an on demand video service as well as a live feed which can be accessed through your computer at this link: http://www.pentagonchannel.mil/
Here is a wikipedia page about AFN:
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
Quick word about online newspapers
If you're an American expat, accessing your home town newspaper is pretty straight forward. It can easily be found through a Google search. In addition the US government publishes free of charge the Stars and Stripes newspaper Europe edition at the link below. This is your tax dollars at work. http://epaper.stripes.com/
A word about DVDs
PAL television standard DVDs that you buy, rent, check out through your library or pick up at flea markets usually also have the original English soundtrack on them. So if your German, French, Spanish or Italian isn't that good yet, you can still watch all your favorite movies and American TV shows on DVD (just until your language skills improve.) smile
So you can decide whether or not to bring your big American NTSC video collection with you. There are multi-system TV and DVD players out there but be warned, they are more expensive. However you can watch all the NTSC programming on them to include playing NTSC broadcast standard video game systems.
Using American appliances in Europe.
Generally speaking, American televisions are run on the NTSC system and run on 110 volts instead of 220 volts (which is standard in Europe) while PAL is the broadcast standard. This means that you'll require a voltage transformer to use American appliances in Europe in order to convert 220 to 110.
Voltage transformers (VT) or potential transformers (PT) are another type of instrument transformer, used for metering and protection in high-voltage circuits. They are designed to present negligible load to the supply being measured and to have a precise voltage ratio to accurately step down high
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
What about your children's schools in your move the European Union?
Obviously it's better for language immersion for children to go to go local schools but as some parents may not agree with that, This diary wants to support those parents by providing a listing of English language schools available on the European continent. Your child's education is important.
Schools in France
American School of Paris
http://www.asparis.org
International School of Paris
http://www.isparis.edu
Schools in Germany
John F. Kennedy School
http://www.jfks.de
Munich International School
http://www.mis-munich.de
Bavarian International School
http://www.bis-school.com
Bonn International School
http://www.bis.bonn.org
International School Hamburg
http://www.international-school-hamb...
Dresden International School
http://www.dresden-is.de
Frankfurt International School
http://www.fis.edu
International School Villa Amalienhof
www.is-va.com
Leipzig International School
http://www.intschool-leipzig.com
Schools in Italy
The American School of Milan
http://www.asmilan.org/
American Overseas School of Rome
http://www.aosr.org/
St. Stephen's School
http://www.ststephens.it/
International School of Florence
http://www.isfitaly.org/
Ambrit Rome International School
www.ambrit-rome.com
Rome International Schools Association
http://www.romeschools.org/
Marymount International School of Rome
http://www.marymountrome.com/
Highlands Institute Roma
http://www.highlandsroma.com
QSI International School of Brindisi
http://brd.qsi.org
Schools in the Netherlands
American International School of Rotterdam
http://www.aisr.nl
Amsterdam International Community School
http://www.ibo.org/...
The American School of The Hague
http://www.ash.nl
The Int'l School of Hilversum (Ages 4-18)
http://www.klg.nl/...
The Violen International Primary School, Hilversum (Ages 4-12)
http://www.ipsviolen.nl/
The British School in the Netherlands
http://www.britishschool.nl
International School of Amsterdam
http://www.isa.nl/
Schools in Belgium
Brussels International Catholic School
http://www.bics-be.com
British School of Brussels
http://www.britishschool.be
British Junior Academy of Brussels
http://www.bjab.org
Antwerp International School
http://www.ais-antwerp.be/
Brussels English Primary Schools (BEPS)
http://www.beps.com/
British Primary School – Brussels
http://www.britishprimary.com/
Schools in Spain
Benjamin Franklin International School
http://www.bfis.org
American School of Madrid
http://www.amerschmad.org
International School of Madrid
http://www.internationalschoolofmadr...
The American School Of Valencia
http://www.asvalencia.org
The American School of Barcelona
http://www.a-s-b.com
Almuñecar International School
http://www.almunecarinternationalsch...
National Association of British Schools in Spain
http://www.nabss.org/
British Council School of Madrid
http://www.britishcouncil.es
British School Of Valencia
http://www.bsvalencia.com
British Yeoward School
http://www.yeowardschool.org/
British School Alzira
http://www.bsalzira.com
Oak House British School
http://www.oakhouseschool.com
Colegio Europa International School
http://www.europais.com
El Limonar International School
http://www.ellimonarinternational.com
Europa International School
http://www.europaschool.org
Schools in Finland
International School of Helsinki
http://www.ish.edu.hel.fi/
The English School
http://www.eschool.edu.hel.fi/
This diary will be periodically updated based on information provided by readers in the comment section below. Please bookmark this page and thank you for your support! Finally welcome to expat America in Europe which is 1.2 million strong.