From Dependent Visa to Dual Citizen

A YouTuber built a channel documenting American life in Germany, then leveraged it into an actual self-employment visa, and eventually German citizenship, all without ever going through a traditional employer sponsor.

Donnie Ashburn (@PassportTwo) a dual American-German citizen and content creator, joins the podcast to walk through his path: a dependent visa when his wife's job first brought them to Germany, a hypothetical email to his local Foreigners Office that turned into a real self-employment visa strategy, the EU Blue Card his family gave up along the way, and the German citizenship he eventually earned as a deliberate backup plan for his family's future. You will walk away understanding what a self-sponsored visa route actually requires, and why the application is often the easy part compared to what comes after.

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WHAT THIS EPISODE COVERS
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00:00 - Quitting two jobs, traveling nine months, and landing in Germany by chance
02:43 - COVID and the moment "backup plan" stopped being hypothetical
08:10 - What Germany's self-employment visa actually required, dollar for dollar
21:18 - Why becoming self-employed meant giving up his wife's EU Blue Card
23:11 - The real bureaucratic weight of running a business in two countries at once
28:35 - Why he pursued German citizenship as insurance, not just a milestone

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ABOUT THE GUEST
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Donnie Ashburn is a dual American-German citizen and content creator who built a self-employment visa pathway into Germany and later became a naturalized German citizen.

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ABOUT THE HOST
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Arielle Tucker, CFP® & IRS Enrolled Agent with Connected Financial Planning, is a cross-border financial planner based in Switzerland helping Americans living abroad navigate U.S. taxes, international investments, and cross-border financial planning.

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ABOUT PASSPORT TO WEALTH®
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Passport To Wealth® is the platform for current and aspiring US expats looking for trusted, fiduciary support. We connect globally mobile Americans with expert, licensed cross-border financial advisors, tax professionals, and relocation experts who understand the financial and legal complexities of life abroad.

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RESOURCES & LINKS
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Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.passporttowealth.com/contact
Order "The Expat Money Playbook": https://www.passporttowealth.com/expat-money-playbook
Schedule a paid Expat Expert call: https://www.passporttowealth.com/about
Find a fiduciary expat financial advisor: https://www.passporttowealth.com/directory
Follow Donnie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passport_two
Subscribe to Donnie's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/passporttwo

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STAY CONNECTED
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/passporttowealth
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passporttowealthofficial
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/passport-to-wealth
Website: https://www.passporttowealth.com

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SUGGESTED EPISODES
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z95Ol6E9Ues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFoJW_kwPn0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3TBUxYX4-U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hASa4GYUAMc

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This video is for educational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, or financial advice. Individual circumstances vary. Consult a qualified cross-border financial professional before making any financial or tax decisions.
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#expatfinance #financialplanning #passporttowealth #germany #selfemployment