About us
Built by an expat, for expats
Moving abroad is exciting. The paperwork isn't. BeenThere Expats is the place I wished I'd had.
Why I started BeenThere Expats
Hi, I'm Jamie, a software engineer from Ireland. I've lived in the UK, the Netherlands and Spain, and every move came with the same struggle: getting set up. Which number do I need first? Which office, which form, which appointment? The official websites explained the standard case. Mine never was.
Social media helped sometimes. There's great advice in expat groups, but it's scattered, hard to trust and easy to miss, and the people who took the time to help got nothing back for it.
I kept wishing for one place with clear, up-to-date information, and someone who'd just been through the same thing to ask when I got stuck. I also believe good help deserves to be rewarded.
So I started BeenThere Expats: you get the information you need, and the expats who help you are paid for their time and know-how.
Built by an expat, for expats, and for the helpers whose hard work makes it possible.
Jamie Verner, founder
What we do
- Free guides to common procedures, country by country, each dated and linked to the official sources.
- An assistant that answers your questions using only those guides, and tells you when it doesn't know.
- Real helpers: verified expats who did the same procedure and help you by chat when your case is unusual.
We're opening first in Spain, starting with Málaga and Valencia. France, Italy, Portugal and Ireland follow, starting with the places where most people register.
The promises we keep
- We never see your documents. Helpers verify their identity with Stripe; we only store whether it succeeded.
- Experience, not legal advice. Helpers share what happened to them. For legal, tax or immigration advice, speak to a qualified professional.
- Helpers are paid fairly. 30% of subscription revenue goes into a monthly helper pool, split by the requests they resolve. Helpers never pay.
- Helpers choose their work. They decide which requests to take and when. No shifts, no targets.
- We keep as little as possible. Your province, not your address. You can delete your account any time, and ask us for a copy of everything we hold about you.
Get in touch
Questions, ideas, or want to help shape BeenThere Expats? Write to info@beenthere-expats.com. I read every message.