Everything an American actually needs in order to retire in another country: what it costs, how long a
dollar lasts there, which visa you can qualify for, exactly which documents that visa requires, how long
the whole thing takes, where other Americans have already settled, and the official government page that
is the real authority on every figure below.
27 countries59 residence routes17 documents mapped to their authorityFree no sign-up, no paywall
Each hexagon is one country, placed in approximate geographic position and sized equally so that every option is equally easy to reach. Select a metric to recolour. Choose a country to open its full profile.
What income opens which doorThe lowest published monthly income threshold for a long-stay residence route in each country, for a couple. Enter your own figure to see the line move.
Mexico$4,400Residente Temporal (Temporary Resident Visa) by economic solvency
Greece$4,578Financially Independent Person Visa (FIP)
A threshold is what the government asks you to prove, not what you need to live on. In several countries, notably Mexico, the visa threshold is well above a comfortable local budget. Compare this against the cost figures rather than reading it alone.
1Obtain the recordOrder certified copies from the issuing authority. Do not use photocopies, scans or hospital souvenir certificates.
2Notarise if requiredLetters and affidavits need a notary acknowledgement before any state can authenticate them. Government-issued vital records do not.
3County clerk (some states)A handful of states require the county clerk to certify the notary commission before the Secretary of State will act.
4AuthenticateState-issued documents go to the Secretary of State of the issuing state. Federal documents go to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications.
5Apostille or legaliseHague Convention destination: an apostille finishes the chain. Non-Hague destination: the document then goes to that country embassy or consulate for legalisation.
6Certified translationTranslate the document together with its apostille. Translating first means paying twice.
7File with the consulateBook the appointment at the consulate with jurisdiction over your state of residence and bring originals plus copies.
The expensive mistake: translating before the document is authenticated. The apostille or legalisation certificate is itself part of what the receiving government reads, so it has to be inside the translation. Do it the other way round and you pay for the same translation twice.
The United States side of the decision
Social Security while living abroad
U.S. citizens can generally receive Social Security retirement benefits in almost any country. The Social Security Administration publishes a short list of countries where it cannot send payments, and its "Payments Abroad Screening Tool" is the authoritative check.
Payments can be deposited directly into a bank account in many countries, or into a U.S. account you draw on from abroad. Direct deposit abroad avoids currency and mail risk but locks you into the SSA exchange rate.
Non-citizens, including former U.S. citizens, face far tighter rules and can lose benefits after six months outside the United States unless an exception applies.
SSA requires beneficiaries abroad to respond to periodic questionnaires. Ignoring one suspends payment.
Totalization agreements between the U.S. and roughly 30 countries prevent double social-security taxation and can let you combine credits across systems.
Original Medicare (Parts A and B) generally does not pay for care received outside the United States, with a few narrow exceptions such as certain emergencies aboard a ship or near a border.
Part A is premium-free for most people who paid in, so most retirees abroad keep it. Part B carries a monthly premium and buys you nothing while you are overseas.
Dropping Part B and re-enrolling later usually triggers a permanent late-enrolment penalty of 10 percent for each full 12-month period you could have had it. Do the arithmetic before you cancel.
Medicare Advantage plans are tied to a U.S. service area and typically cannot be used from abroad at all.
The practical answer for most retirees is: keep Part A, make a deliberate decision on Part B based on how often you will return to the United States for care, and buy real international health insurance or enrol in the local public system.
The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income regardless of where they live. Moving abroad does not end your filing obligation.
Americans abroad get an automatic filing extension to June 15, with interest still accruing from April 15.
The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion applies only to earned income, meaning wages and self-employment. Pensions, Social Security, dividends, interest, rents and capital gains are not earned income, so most retirees cannot use it. For tax year 2026 the maximum exclusion is 132,900 dollars per person.
The tool most retirees actually use is the Foreign Tax Credit on Form 1116, which offsets U.S. tax with tax already paid to your new country.
FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) is required if your foreign financial accounts together exceeded 10,000 dollars at any point in the year. It is filed separately from your return, it is free, and the penalties for skipping it are severe.
FATCA Form 8938 has higher thresholds and is filed with the return. Many people must file both.
A U.S. tax treaty with your new country changes which government taxes which income, and often protects Social Security and government pensions specifically. Read the treaty for your country before assuming anything.
Register to vote from abroad through the Federal Voting Assistance Program using the Federal Post Card Application. You vote in the state you last resided in.
Enrol in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program so the nearest U.S. embassy can reach you in an emergency and you receive country security updates.
Tell your U.S. banks and brokerages before you move. Some brokerages restrict or close accounts held by non-resident customers, and a surprise closure mid-move is common.
Keep a U.S. address that you control for financial mail. A mail-forwarding service in a no-income-tax state is the usual answer, but understand that a mailbox alone does not change your state tax domicile.
Expect some U.S. financial institutions to block logins from foreign IP addresses. Test everything before you leave.
The Schengen Entry/Exit System (EES) replaced passport stamping with a biometric record of every entry and exit. It began a phased rollout on 12 October 2025 and reached full operation at all Schengen external borders on 10 April 2026.
ETIAS, the travel authorisation for visa-free visitors, has not launched yet. The European Union has signalled a start in late 2026 and says it will announce a firm date several months in advance. You cannot apply for one today, and any site selling you one now is not legitimate.
Neither system replaces a residence visa. If you intend to retire in Europe you still need a national long-stay visa such as the Portuguese D7, the Spanish non-lucrative visa or the Italian elective residence visa.
EES makes the 90-days-in-any-180 rule automatic and unforgiving. The old strategy of overstaying quietly and hoping a border officer does not count stamps is finished.
The Schengen short-stay visa fee rose from 80 to 90 euros with effect from 11 June 2026.
In almost every country, yes, if you are a U.S. citizen. The Social Security Administration can send payments to most of the world, with a short list of exceptions. Non-citizens face much tighter rules. Use the SSA Payments Abroad Screening Tool for the authoritative answer for your situation, and expect to respond to periodic verification questionnaires.
Will Medicare cover me overseas?
Generally no. Original Medicare does not pay for care outside the United States except in a few narrow situations. Most retirees keep premium-free Part A, make a deliberate decision about whether Part B is worth the premium given how often they will return to the U.S. for care, and buy international health insurance or join the local public system.
Do I still have to file U.S. taxes?
Yes. The United States taxes citizens on worldwide income no matter where they live. You get an automatic extension to June 15, and the Foreign Tax Credit usually prevents actual double taxation. Note that the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion applies only to earned income, so it does not help with pension, Social Security or investment income. FBAR is a separate filing with its own low threshold.
How much money do I actually need?
It depends far more on the country than on your lifestyle. A couple can live comfortably on roughly 1,800 to 2,500 dollars a month in Ecuador, Colombia or inland Mexico, 2,500 to 3,500 in Portugal or Greece outside the capital, and 4,000 or more in France, Uruguay or a major European capital. Separately, the visa itself sets a minimum income you must prove, and that number is often higher than the amount you would actually spend.
Which documents will I need apostilled?
Almost universally: your FBI Identity History Summary, your birth certificate, your marriage certificate if a spouse is included, and your proof-of-income letter. Depending on the country you may add a medical certificate, a sworn affidavit or a power of attorney for a local lawyer. The FBI check is a federal document and must be authenticated by the U.S. Department of State, not by a Secretary of State.
How far ahead should I start?
Twelve months is comfortable, six months is tight, three months is a scramble. The binding constraints are consular appointment availability, the document validity windows, and pet import timelines if you have animals. Documents typically must be recent, so the sequence is: book the appointment, then work backwards.
This resource is provided free by Federal Apostille as an educational tool. It is not legal, tax, immigration or financial advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by using it. Immigration rules, income thresholds, fees and processing times change frequently and often without notice, and consulates apply them differently. Always confirm current requirements with the official government source and the specific consulate that has jurisdiction over your U.S. state of residence before you act. Every figure on this site carries the date we last verified it and a link to the primary source.
Applying for the visa itself
Every residency route on this page starts with a visa application. The visa navigator walks through the exact category, the forms, the fees and the appointment steps for each country.
Federal Apostille & Notary Processing is a private document preparation and processing service and is not a government agency. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by any federal, state, or local government authority.
