Winter break in the Florida sunshine: Visa considerations

Vacationers who wish to stay in their Florida property from October to March each year will have visa restrictions to consider. As non US residents, overseas property owners won’t be able to visit their homes in Florida in the summer. “The Visa Waiver scheme allows British residents visits of up to 90 days without the need of having to apply for a visa”, says Gordon Robinson of Florida Gold International Real Estate. “Generally you can have two visits per 365 days, but make sure you do not exceed this as you could be refused entry the next time you arrive in the US”.

The maximum period a foreign national is allowed to stay in the country is six months. To be permitted to stay that long, a foreigner must apply to the local US Embassy for a B-2 visa and convince the attending consular officer that the nature of the trip to Florida is temporary. The foreign national must be able to prove that he or she has full-time residence outside of the States. So whatever the reason is for purchasing Florida real estate, the foreigner will be limited to spending only half of any one calendar year in it, assuming the foreign national is not emigrating to the States permanently.

What then should the owner do with its real estate for the other six months of the year? “Some potential ’snowbirds’ are worried about problems that may occur with their Floridian home whilst they are in Britain”, says Andrew Bartlett of Andrew Bartlett Florida. “Some Brits use a management company to rent the house out when they are not in residence, while those who prefer not to rent out what they consider to be their second family home often find that their neighbors can be very accommodating. There are even professional companies which will undertake regular checks of the home for you.” Bartlett adds that other considerations include looking at low maintenance properties which can further simplify life – “and a big must in Florida, in my opinion, is avoid big gardens unless you mind the expense of upkeep or a lot of work each time you return.”

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Winter break in the Florida sunshine: Visa considerations

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