Moving Abroad Checklist — Slow Travel

This is the comprehensive version — if you're testing a stay of a few months rather than relocating permanently, the Slow Travel Checklist is the shorter, more appropriate list. This checklist is for an actual move: establishing residency, enrolling in a healthcare system, setting up long-term finances, and building a life somewhere new rather than passing through it.

Work through these roughly in order — each section assumes the ones before it are mostly settled, though in practice several run in parallel.

Before You Decide

☐ Visit your target destination at least once outside of a vacation mindset — live in a residential neighborhood, shop local, take public transit, see what an ordinary Tuesday feels like
☐ Spend time there in your destination's least favorable season (peak summer heat, rainy season, etc.), not just when it's most appealing
☐ Read the country's specific profile on this site for tax treatment, visa pathway, and healthcare access before assuming any of it
☐ Calculate a real monthly budget using actual local costs, not a national average
☐ Confirm your destination's specific residency/visa pathway and its income, asset, or investment requirements
☐ Talk to a cross-border tax professional about your specific situation — U.S. citizens remain taxed on worldwide income regardless of where they live
☐ If you have specific medical conditions, research realistic local treatment access before committing to a location

Visas and Immigration

☐ Confirm your passport has enough validity remaining (commonly 6+ months beyond your intended stay, though this varies by country)
☐ Identify the specific visa or residency category that fits your situation (retirement/passive-income visa, digital nomad visa, investment-based residency, etc.)
☐ Gather the standard document set most residency applications require: apostilled/authenticated birth certificate, background check (FBI or state-level), proof of income or assets, and a health certificate — start this early, since authentication and translation can take weeks
☐ Confirm whether documents need to be translated by a certified translator in the destination country, not just in English
☐ Research whether your destination requires you to apply from within the U.S. (at a consulate) or allows in-country application
☐ Build in realistic buffer time — residency processing timelines are commonly underestimated, and expired paperwork sometimes has to be redone
☐ If pursuing a specific tax-incentive program (Act 60, a digital nomad tax regime, etc.), confirm current requirements directly rather than relying on articles that may predate the latest rule changes

Housing

☐ Rent before you buy, even if you're confident about the location — a month of actually living somewhere reveals things a scouting trip doesn't
☐ Research whether your destination has restrictions on foreign property ownership, and what workarounds (if any) exist
☐ Understand the local rental market's norms: deposit size, lease length, whether contracts are typically in the local language only, and how disputes are handled
☐ Check internet reliability and speed at any specific property you're seriously considering — don't assume
☐ If buying, budget for property transfer taxes, notary fees, and other closing costs on top of the purchase price, which run meaningfully higher than U.S. norms in many countries

Healthcare and Insurance

☐ Research your destination's public healthcare system and how/when you become eligible to enroll as a resident
☐ Get private/international health insurance that's valid during the gap before public system eligibility kicks in
☐ Confirm whether your visa category has a specific minimum insurance coverage requirement, and get a policy that satisfies it explicitly
☐ If you're a Medicare-eligible retiree, understand that Original Medicare generally doesn't cover care outside the U.S. — research supplemental or standalone international coverage
☐ Get a supply of any regular prescription medications, along with the generic/international name of each drug, since brand names vary by country
☐ Locate the nearest hospital or clinic to your planned housing before you need it, not after

Finances and Banking

☐ Research whether you can open a local bank account before establishing residency, or whether it requires a residency permit first — this varies significantly by country
☐ Set up a multi-currency account or a no-foreign-transaction-fee card for the transition period before a local account is active
☐ Notify your U.S. bank and credit card issuers of your move to avoid fraud holds on international transactions
☐ Understand your ongoing U.S. tax filing obligations — moving abroad does not end federal tax residency, and FBAR/FATCA reporting requirements apply once foreign account balances cross reporting thresholds
☐ If leaving a state with aggressive residency-audit practices (California, New York, Massachusetts, and Virginia are the most commonly cited), take deliberate steps to formally end state tax residency, not just change your mailing address
☐ Set up a way to receive U.S. mail (forwarding service or a trusted contact) for anything that can't go fully digital
☐ Update your address with the IRS, Social Security Administration, and any pension or brokerage accounts

Logistics and Documents

☐ Make digital and physical copies of your passport, visa approval, insurance card, and other key documents, stored separately from the originals
☐ Research your destination's specific import rules for household goods if shipping belongings, including any duty-free allowance for a first-time mover
☐ If bringing a pet, start the Pet Relocation process well before your move date — some destinations require months of lead time for vaccination timing or import permits
☐ Confirm your destination's driver's license situation: whether your U.S. license is valid for a grace period, and what's required to convert or obtain a local one
☐ Register with the U.S. State Department's STEP program for your destination
☐ Set up how you'll stay informed locally once you arrive — a local English-language news source and any relevant expat community channels

After You Arrive

☐ Complete any local registration required within your first days or weeks (many countries have a mandatory address-registration window that's easy to miss)
☐ Enroll in the local healthcare system as soon as you're eligible, rather than continuing to rely solely on private coverage
☐ Open a local bank account once your residency status allows it
☐ Get a local phone number and SIM, since some services and verifications require one
☐ Track your physical presence days carefully if a tax-residency threshold, bona fide residency test, or visa renewal depends on it
☐ Build a local support network intentionally, whether through an expat community, a local class, volunteering, or simply regular routines in the neighborhood

This checklist is general planning information, not legal or tax advice. Visa, residency, and tax requirements change and vary significantly by country — confirm current, destination-specific requirements with a qualified immigration attorney or cross-border tax professional before making final decisions.