After almost ten years in Asia, we are making the move to South America. In two weeks, we will be leaving China and moving to Arequipa, Peru with a quick stop in Madrid along the way. We have had a good run in China (6 years) and Thailand (3 years) but would like to be somewhere with a warm climate and more permanency.
After three years of blissful retirement in Thailand, I was convinced to return to China for a four-month teaching sojourn. The four months are already over and we are starting to pack for this next move. After being away from Canada for almost ten years, we have now decreased our life’s belongings to a couple of carry-ons each and about three suitcases. It is great not having oodles of stuff!
As much as we liked Thailand, you need to keep renewing your visa every year and becoming a permanent resident is next to impossible for most people. In most Central and South American countries, it doesn’t take many years before you can apply for permanent residency. Along with residency comes all the benefits such as cheaper health care, the ability to work part-time and the end of the annual visa renewal process.
Our first step will be a one-month visit in July. We’ll take a two week trip to Canada in August and begin the Rentista Visa process when we return to Peru later that month. This only requires a monthly income from outside the country of $1000USD and another 500USD for each dependent. We’ll need to visit the Peruvian consulate this summer while in Ottawa to get “proof of pension” documents certified and then we’ll be good to go to start the application process. Within a few weeks after moving, if all goes well, we should obtain these first visas.
We have been doing our homework and research for the last few months and Arequipa looks like a good fit. The average daily temperature is around 22C and there are about 300 days of sunshine per year. It sounds good in theory but if we hate the place we can always move on!
Stay tuned for more about our new adventure!
