Free Cities Foundation at DEXIT 2026 - The emigration conference in Munich

From August 7 to 9, 2026, the Free Cities Foundation took part in DEXIT – Die Auswanderer Konferenz (The Emigration Conference) in Munich. Over the weekend we ran an information booth at the Smartvillage Bogenhausen, and Jan Bertram gave the talk “Free Cities for Emigrants – What’s Realistic Today”. Here’s a short recap.

What is DEXIT? Germany’s emigration conference

The name DEXIT is a play on “Brexit” – but instead of a country leaving the EU, it stands for the personal exit from Germany: people who decide to leave and build their lives elsewhere. DEXIT is the conference for exactly this audience, organized by the Staatenlos network around Christoph Heuermann. The 2026 edition was completely sold out with more than 300 attendees. The crowd spanned all age groups, and in conversations at our booth it was striking how many of them are self-employed or run their own business. What united everyone was the question of emigration – and in particular how to structure one’s life and business for it.

The conference also opened with a big laugh: shortly before the event, German authorities had written to Christoph Heuermann to remind him that under German law (the Auswandererschutzgesetz, or Emigrant Protection Act) he is not permitted to provide advice on how to emigrate from Germany. So for the entire weekend, everyone was careful not to hand out any concrete recommendations to individuals – a somewhat absurd backdrop for a conference about leaving the country, and perhaps the best illustration of why so many people were in the room in the first place.

Talks on perpetual traveling, Argentina under Milei and leaving Germany the right way

The program offered a broad look at the many facets of emigration. Christoph Heuermann set the tone with “Perpetual Traveling: Leaving Without Immigrating”, the core idea behind the Staatenlos network. Ivan Dubois, an Argentinian parliamentarian, gave a first-hand account of Milei’s Argentina and the reforms underway there – a topic closely connected to our own work, given the Free Cities developments in the country. Our Chief Economist Rahim Taghizadegan explained how to avoid common mistakes when emigrating with real estate, asking whether property has to mean immobility. Fabian Hilpert showed how a smart credit card setup and US banking can upgrade a perpetual traveler’s lifestyle through travel hacking. Other sessions ranged from health insurance abroad and choice of law for globetrotters to banking, the UAE, second citizenships and security in extreme situations.

Free Cities booth: reaching people who had never heard of the concept

Throughout the weekend, our booth was busy – from the welcome evening with finger food and drinks right through to the last day. What pleased us most was reaching many people who had never heard of Free Cities before. The audience at DEXIT is actively searching for new options to live and work freely, so the concept of Free Cities landed on fertile ground: interest was high, conversations were long, and we went home with an above-average number of newsletter sign-ups.

Talk: Free Cities for emigrants – what’s realistic today

Jan Bertram’s talk “Free Cities for Emigrants – What’s Realistic Today”, given in German, took a deliberately practical angle: Which Free Cities projects actually exist today, what is already realistically usable for emigrants – and what is still a vision for the future? For many participants this was their first concrete encounter with the topic, and the discussion afterwards was lively accordingly.

Networking with the Staatenlos community

The weekend ended with the speakers meeting at a Munich beer garden. Most of them came from the Staatenlos network, which over the years has brought together many interesting people living highly international lives: digital nomads as well as people who have settled in classic emigration destinations such as Dubai or Panama. Exchanging ideas with fellow frequent travelers was a valuable part of the weekend for us.

Conclusion: A success for Free Cities – and for Staatenlos

DEXIT was a great success for the Free Cities Foundation: a sold-out event with exactly the audience that is seriously exploring new models of living and location, many new contacts, a well-attended talk, and noticeable interest in Free Cities well beyond our existing circle.

It was just as much a success for Christoph Heuermann and Staatenlos. Having faced a fair amount of criticism recently, Christoph delivered a sold-out, professionally run conference with a strong line-up and a community that clearly stands behind him. Thanks to him and the entire Staatenlos team for the organization – we’ll gladly be back.

More about the event: staatenlos.ch/staatenlos/event