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Hello,

I wanted to ask you how easy do you think it is to find remote job in order to live in Cambodia and work remotely in better developed country like Singapore or maybe South Korea. I mean job for software engineer. Perhaps working in Singapore would be easier, as English is more important there than in South Korea.

I'm especially concerned about tax and visas. If I understand correctly, travel visa does not permit to work in Cambodia and is time limited. There is also some business visa that is for longer stay and has some additional requirements. But how does this all apply to remote work? And what about avoiding double taxation (similar agreements exist between many countries, but I don't know if they exist between Cambodia and Singapore)? I would prefer not to break any law but also not to waste money on paying double taxes.

In summary, could you, please, enlighten me, what would be the best visa and tax choice? And if any of you work like this, i.e. remotely, what are main challenges? Is Internet connection in Cambodia good enough for remote work (low ping to make video-conferences on Skype reasonably good)? Would Internet connection be good enough only in the biggest cities and I should forget about smaller places?

Thank you!

Taxes are easy - assuming you are not from the US or China... when they get complicated. Open a Hong Kong offshore entity and have all payments to your business made to this entity. The offshore entity, as long as it does no business in Hong Kong, attracts a 0% rate of tax. Then treat your entire life as a business expense (you can expense everything to a HK company including cigarettes and alcohol). Pay yourself a nominal $100 a year salary and aim to draw another $200 in profits each year (both numbers are too small to attract tax but ensure you operate a business legally - with the intent of making a profit).

As for working legally? It's not really the digital nomad's way to work legally... that comes with lots of paperwork and taxes... which is a bad idea.

Oh, and a double taxation treaty exists to stop you from paying tax twice not to promote paying tax twice.

Thanks for info, that's very useful. I know about software development but not much about taxation and other relevant laws. That's interesting what you suggest about Hong Kong offshore. Could you provide some details, please?

As far as I understand, most countries, I guess Singapore is not exception, treat professional risk differently if you are employed in the company (less financial risk) and differently if you are contractor or self-employed, working for the company (higher financial risk). I would prefer the former, but if it's impossible, it can be dealt with by properly written agreements.

Would that idea with Hong Kong offshore be considered as legal by not only HK, but also Cambodia and Singapore? Or rather as a way to illegally escape paying taxes?

Let's assume that I don't care about the law (which I would prefer to care about), problems could happen if someone discovers it after several years, that could lead to need to pay tax that was not paid in the previous years, possibly even more as tax punishment for earlier tax evasions. I know that bribery possibly could help in that case too, but if there are legal ways around this, I would prefer to find those legal ways.

Where could I find list of double taxation treaty agreements on Cambodia websites? However unlikely, maybe by any chance I would find there Singapore.

Where you from?

if you are working online, no one will know unless you tell them.
just get an ordinary visa at the airport and say you are retired. they don't give a shit.
you only need to be absent from here for 186 days a year to be non resident for tax purposes, anyhow there is no enforcement. If you are making shiploads of money consult sciarroni associates asia. but if you are just a chancer, be more worried about complying with what it sounds by inference is your predatory national regime than what you will get here. tax loading here is low and not much enforced.
if you do not get paid here, no worries mate.

end of story.

you tink too mutt.

What I offered as a solution is technically legal... you won't (as long as you leave your own jurisdiction behind) end up in trouble for using that structure - but it is also a dodge. It is, theoretically, possible that as Cambodia's tax systems improve this kind of loophole will eventually be closed... theoretically; in reality it's very, very unlikely. Just Google "limited company Hong Kong" to check out your options for incorporation there.

The problem is getting the remote job. You're competing with so many other people from across the world and many companies don't like it when you're in a timezone far from theirs. Remote culture in countries like South Kora and Singapore is not really a thing.

I've worked remotely in other countries such as Thailand and they just paid me right into my bank account. Never had a problem. It really depends on the company you work for.