When is it time to leave a country becoming a dictatorship?

[Novus America]

But in those cases while it will be tough, you can still live and try to make things better.
Running away in that case will just make things worse for those left behind and better for the dictatorship.

The issue with that statement is that the dictatorship would need people to do the menial labor. Many want to leave, but they cannot get passports, and are not let out of the country. For example, in North Korea, you must get special permission to leave the country and you must have an exit visa. Ordinary people do not get to leave. They would flee if they could. You cannot even go to certain countries period. For example, admission is refused for both the United States and Japan. In some cases there is no trying to get better. Things would be problematic if everyone could leave that wanted to leave North Korea. Some countries require exit visas and abuse the people at the bottom terribly.

I can see the argument in such extreme cases.
But no other dictatorship is to the same level of crazy as North Korea.

In most cases things can get better. But there needs to be people willing to covertly work against the regime to make things better.

[Tokora]

Hungary and Brazil will probably be available if your interested.

Neither are dictatorships. Certainly Hungary has become somewhat authoritarian but is not a full blown dictatorship. Brazil certainly is not. Certainly the president has some authoritarian tendencies but he has not imposed a dictatorship.

Hence the "will be".

[Nerovia]

The best time to leave your country when it becomes a dictatorship is when serious changes to certain parts of the government (i.e. end of certain civil liberties, discriminatory laws, media censorship, silencing opposition, judicial courts in favor of the authoritarian government). That's already happened to Venezuela with Maduro.

[UniversalCommons]

There are of course other options that may not kill you that are deterrents to leaving. You could end up in a labor camp for intellectuals, as prison labor, or end up undergoing reeducation so you will fit in better. This is more effective than denying an exit visa.

[Phoenicaea]

v That's already happened to Venezuela with Maduro.

famine, and political oppression

[The New California Republic]

There are of course other options that may not kill you that are deterrents to leaving. You could end up in a labor camp for intellectuals, as prison labor, or end up undergoing reeducation so you will fit in better. This is more effective than denying an exit visa.

Holding the family of the person "hostage" by saying that certain privileges may be revoked if they defect and leave their family behind, such as their children not being able to attend University, can also motivate someone to stay.

[Western Vale Confederacy]

There are of course other options that may not kill you that are deterrents to leaving. You could end up in a labor camp for intellectuals, as prison labor, or end up undergoing reeducation so you will fit in better. This is more effective than denying an exit visa.

Holding the family of the person "hostage" by saying that certain privileges may be revoked if they defect and leave their family behind, such as their children not being able to attend University, can also motivate someone to stay.

That is when you bust out the rubber dinghies.

[Neo Kerala]

Straight after his "3 elections" which he wins.