The Path From Work Visa to German Passport

A YouTuber built a channel documenting American life in Germany, then leveraged it into an actual self-employment visa, and eventually German citizenship, without ever going through a traditional employer sponsor. Donnie Ashburn, a dual American-German citizen and content creator, joins the podcast to walk through his path from dependent visa to self-employment to citizenship, and what he'd tell anyone considering the same route. ────────────────────────────────────────── CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS ────────────────────────────────────────── 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 27:35 - Why he pursued German citizenship as insurance, not just a milestone ────────────────────────────────────────── ABOUT THE GUEST ────────────────────────────────────────── Donnie Ashburn is a dual American-German citizen and content creator living in Germany's Pfalz region. He built a YouTube channel documenting life as an American in Germany, later turned that platform into a self-employment visa, and became a naturalized German citizen in 2025. He now helps other content creators navigate Germany's self-employment visa route. ────────────────────────────────────────── ABOUT YOUR HOST ────────────────────────────────────────── 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. ────────────────────────────────────────── LOVE THIS EPISODE? ────────────────────────────────────────── Follow the show and leave a rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, it's the single biggest thing you can do to help other cross-border families find this show. ────────────────────────────────────────── ABOUT PASSPORT TO WEALTH® ────────────────────────────────────────── Passport To Wealth® is the platform for current and aspiring US expats. We connect globally mobile Americans with vetted, licensed cross-border financial advisors, tax professionals, and relocation experts who understand the financial and legal complexities of life abroad. ────────────────────────────────────────── LINKS & RESOURCES ────────────────────────────────────────── Website: https://www.passporttowealth.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passporttowealthofficial LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/passport-to-wealth Subscribe to Donnie's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PassportTwo ────────────────────────────────────────── This episode 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. ────────────────────────────────────────── Mentioned in this episode: Click here to subscribe to our newsletter Pre-order "The Expat Money Playbook" **Passport to Wealth is a proud member of the SwissCast Network** Discover more podcasts for English-speaking Switzerland SwissCast Network Find your cross-border expert on the Passport To Wealth™ directory Pre-order "The Expat Money Playbook"