Terms and rules

Welcome to Expat Mates! These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of our community platform. By creating an account or using our services, you agree to be bound by these Terms. Please read them carefully.

1. About Expat Mates

Expat Mates ("we", "us", "our", "the Service") is a community platform connecting African global travelers, expats, and diaspora members navigating relocation, investment, and life between continents. We provide forums, resources, networking opportunities, and related services to support your journey.

Service Provider: [Your Legal Entity Name]
Contact: Contact Us | mates@expatmates.com

2. Eligibility & Account Registration

Age Requirement

You must be at least 18 years old to use Expat Mates. By registering, you represent and warrant that you meet this age requirement. If we discover that you are under 18, we will terminate your account immediately.

Account Registration

To access certain features, you must create an account. You agree to:

  • Provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration
  • Maintain and promptly update your account information
  • Keep your password secure and confidential
  • Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account
  • Take responsibility for all activities that occur under your account
  • Not create multiple accounts or impersonate others
  • Not share your account credentials with others

Account Verification

We may require verification of your identity or eligibility for certain features (such as Verified Member status or Service Provider accounts). Failure to provide requested verification may result in limited access or account suspension.

3. Community Guidelines & Acceptable Use

Expat Mates is built on mutual respect, support, and authenticity. We expect all members to contribute positively to our community.

You Agree To:

  • ✅ Be Respectful: Treat all members with courtesy and respect, even in disagreement
  • ✅ Be Helpful: Share genuine experiences, advice, and support
  • ✅ Be Honest: Provide accurate information, especially regarding visas, legal matters, and personal experiences
  • ✅ Be Responsible: Verify information before sharing, cite sources when possible
  • ✅ Respect Privacy: Don't share others' personal information without consent
  • ✅ Follow the Rules: Adhere to our Community Guidelines
  • ✅ Report Issues: Flag inappropriate content or behavior to moderators

You Agree NOT To:

  • ❌ Spam or Advertise: Post unsolicited commercial content, advertisements, or promotions outside designated areas (marketplace)
  • ❌ Harass or Bully: Engage in personal attacks, harassment, threats, stalking, or intimidation
  • ❌ Discriminate: Post content that is racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, or otherwise discriminatory
  • ❌ Spread Misinformation: Deliberately share false information, especially about visas, immigration, or legal matters
  • ❌ Scam or Defraud: Engage in fraudulent activities, phishing, pyramid schemes, or other deceptive practices
  • ❌ Post Harmful Content: Share content that is defamatory, abusive, hateful, threatening, pornographic, obscene, or otherwise objectionable
  • ❌ Violate Privacy: Share others' personal information (doxxing), private documents, or confidential communications
  • ❌ Infringe Rights: Post content that violates copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights
  • ❌ Impersonate: Pretend to be someone else, including staff members or other users
  • ❌ Manipulate Systems: Use bots, scripts, or automated tools to create accounts, post content, or manipulate rankings
  • ❌ Encourage Illegal Activity: Promote or facilitate illegal activities, including immigration fraud
  • ❌ Sell Access: Sell, rent, or transfer your account to others
  • ❌ Circumvent Restrictions: Create new accounts to evade bans or restrictions

Sensitive Topics

We welcome honest discussions about challenging topics (discrimination, racism, cultural adjustment), but require that such discussions remain:

  • Constructive and solution-focused
  • Respectful of all community members
  • Free from hate speech, slurs, or personal attacks
  • Shared as personal experiences, not broad generalizations

4. Content & Intellectual Property

Your Content

You retain ownership of all content you submit, upload, post, or otherwise make available on Expat Mates ("Your Content"), including posts, comments, messages, photos, videos, and profile information.

By submitting Your Content, you:

  • Represent that you own or have the necessary rights to share this content
  • Represent that Your Content does not violate these Terms or any laws
  • Grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, display, and perform Your Content in connection with operating and promoting the Service
  • Understand that Your Content may be viewed, shared, and discussed by other members
  • Acknowledge that deleted content may persist in backups for up to 90 days

Content Review & Moderation

We reserve the right (but not the obligation) to:

  • Review, monitor, or screen any content before or after it's posted
  • Remove, edit, or modify any content at our discretion, with or without notice
  • Send content to third-party verification services (spam detection, content moderation tools)
  • Use automated tools to detect prohibited content

Important: Do not submit content you consider private, confidential, or sensitive. Public posts may be visible to search engines and non-members.

Content Removal Requests

If you believe content violates these Terms or your rights:

We will review requests promptly but are under no obligation to remove content unless it violates our Terms or applicable law.

Our Content

All content provided by Expat Mates (documentation, guides, blog posts, graphics, logos, design elements) is owned by us or our licensors and protected by intellectual property laws.

You may:

  • ✅ View and use our content for personal, non-commercial purposes
  • ✅ Share links to our content
  • ✅ Quote brief excerpts with proper attribution

You may not:

  • ❌ Reproduce, redistribute, or republish substantial portions without permission
  • ❌ Use our logos, trademarks, or branding without authorization
  • ❌ Create derivative works or commercial products based on our content
  • ❌ Scrape or systematically extract data from the platform

5. Premium Services & Payments

Paid Memberships

We offer premium membership tiers with enhanced features. By purchasing premium services, you agree to:

  • Pay all fees associated with your chosen membership level
  • Provide accurate payment information
  • Authorize automatic renewal unless you cancel
  • Review our Refund Policy

Billing & Renewals

  • Subscriptions automatically renew at the end of each billing period
  • You will be charged the then-current rate (we'll notify you of price changes)
  • You can cancel anytime before the next renewal date
  • Cancellation stops future billing but doesn't refund the current period
  • Access to premium features continues until the end of your paid period

Refunds

Refunds are handled on a case-by-case basis. Generally:

  • New subscriptions may be refunded within 7 days of purchase if unused
  • Annual subscriptions may be prorated if canceled within 30 days
  • No refunds for partial months or unused time after 30 days
  • Service violations result in forfeiture of all fees

Contact billing@expatmates.com for refund requests.

Marketplace Transactions

When engaging with service providers through our marketplace:

  • Transactions are between you and the service provider
  • We facilitate connections but are not party to service agreements
  • We may collect platform fees or commissions as disclosed
  • Disputes should be resolved directly with the service provider
  • We make no warranties about service quality or outcomes

6. Third-Party Services & Links

Our platform may contain links to third-party websites, services, or resources (partner sites, social media, articles, tools). We do not control and are not responsible for:

  • The content, accuracy, or availability of third-party sites
  • The privacy practices of external services
  • Products or services offered by third parties
  • Any harm or losses from using third-party services

Your interactions with third parties are solely between you and them. We recommend reviewing their terms and privacy policies before providing any information.

7. Disclaimers & Limitation of Liability

Content Disclaimer

USER-GENERATED CONTENT: Expat Mates is a community platform where members share experiences and advice. Content submitted by members represents the views of the author only, not Expat Mates.

  • We do not verify the accuracy of user-generated content
  • We are not responsible for any advice, opinions, or information shared by members
  • We do not endorse any particular viewpoint or recommendation
  • You should independently verify all information before relying on it

Immigration & Legal Disclaimer

NOT LEGAL ADVICE: Information shared on Expat Mates is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice, immigration consulting, or professional services.

  • Immigration laws change frequently and vary by situation
  • Always consult qualified immigration lawyers or licensed consultants for your specific case
  • We are not responsible for visa denials, application errors, or immigration consequences
  • Member success stories are individual experiences and not guarantees of outcomes

Service "As Is"

EXPAT MATES IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

  • Warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement
  • Guarantees of accuracy, reliability, or completeness of content
  • Promises of uninterrupted, secure, or error-free service
  • Assurances that defects will be corrected

Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, EXPAT MATES, ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, PARTNERS, AND LICENSORS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR:

  • Any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
  • Any loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, or opportunity
  • Damages resulting from your use or inability to use the service
  • Damages from unauthorized access to your account or data
  • Damages from member conduct, content, or interactions
  • Damages from third-party services or links

OUR TOTAL LIABILITY SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS, OR (B) $100 USD.

Some jurisdictions do not allow limitation of liability, so these limitations may not apply to you.

8. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Expat Mates and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents, and partners from any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, or expenses (including legal fees) arising from:

  • Your use of the Service
  • Your Content or conduct
  • Your violation of these Terms
  • Your violation of any rights of others
  • Your violation of any laws or regulations

9. Account Suspension & Termination

Your Right to Terminate

You may close your account at any time by:

  • Using account deletion settings in your profile
  • Contacting us to request account closure

Upon termination:

  • Your profile and content may be removed or anonymized
  • Some content may remain for community continuity (with username removed)
  • Premium subscriptions will not be refunded (unless within refund period)
  • We may retain certain data for legal compliance

Our Right to Terminate

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account, with or without notice, for:

  • Violation of these Terms or Community Guidelines
  • Fraudulent, abusive, or illegal activity
  • Extended inactivity (we'll warn you first)
  • Request from law enforcement or legal order
  • Any reason at our sole discretion

Effect of Termination

Upon termination by either party:

  • Your right to access and use the Service immediately ceases
  • Sections of these Terms that should survive (liability, disputes, etc.) remain in effect
  • We are not liable for any consequences of termination

Appeals

If you believe your account was suspended or terminated in error, you may appeal by emailing appeals@expatmates.com within 30 days with supporting evidence.

10. Dispute Resolution & Governing Law

Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of [Your Jurisdiction], without regard to conflict of law principles.

Informal Resolution

Before filing a legal claim, you agree to first contact us at legal@expatmates.com to attempt informal resolution. We'll work in good faith to resolve disputes within 60 days.

Arbitration (If Applicable)

[If you choose binding arbitration, include arbitration clause here. Otherwise:]

Any disputes that cannot be resolved informally shall be brought in the courts of [Your Jurisdiction]. You consent to the personal jurisdiction of these courts.

Class Action Waiver

You agree to bring claims only in your individual capacity and not as part of any class, consolidated, or representative action. [Check if enforceable in your jurisdiction]

11. Changes to These Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time to reflect:

  • Changes to our services or features
  • Legal, regulatory, or security requirements
  • Improvements based on community feedback

How We Notify You:

  • Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
  • Post a notice on the platform for material changes
  • Send email notification for significant changes
  • Request your acceptance if required by law

Continued Use = Acceptance: Your continued use of Expat Mates after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. If you don't agree, you must stop using the Service.

12. General Provisions

Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and Community Guidelines, constitute the entire agreement between you and Expat Mates.

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full effect.

Waiver

Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of our right to enforce it later.

Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your account. We may assign these Terms to affiliates or in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

Force Majeure

We are not liable for failure to perform due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control (natural disasters, wars, pandemics, government actions, internet outages, etc.).

Contact Information

Questions about these Terms? Contact us:

13. Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account, accessing, or using Expat Mates, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service.

During registration, we will request your explicit acceptance of these Terms. Your continued use constitutes ongoing acceptance.

If you do not agree with these Terms, you must not use Expat Mates.

Last Updated: [Date]

Version: 1.0

Thank you for being part of Expat Mates. These Terms help us maintain a safe, respectful, and helpful community for everyone. If you have questions or concerns, we're here to help – please reach out.

Top Bottom
Back