Move to another country
Moving abroad affects tax residency, banking, health coverage, your phone number and the accounts that depend on it. Sort them out before you leave, while you can still visit an office.
Official sources last reviewed · How we review
Build your personalized plan
A few questions, revealed as they become relevant. Your answers stay in this browser.
Start with the basics
Optional. A country is enough.
We never ask for phone numbers, card numbers, passwords or codes. Names of providers or nicknames are enough.
Your plan so far
14things this change touches
- critical0
- high8
- moderate5
- low1
Updates as you answer. Every item will explain why it’s there.
What could break
In a typical international move plan, these are the most serious things to get right.
Tax residency when you leave
High · Government & tax
Unexpected tax bills or penalties in your home country, your new one, or both.
Home-country health coverage: find out when it ends
High · Health & care
A period with no coverage, or care abroad that isn't covered.
Government benefits and pensions
High · Government & tax
Overpayments you have to repay, or payments that stop without warning.
Keep your home-country number reachable
High · Phone & internet service
You could be locked out of home banking or tax accounts while you're abroad.
Save backup codes before you go
High · Sign-in & recovery
Without them, a hiccup during the change can turn into a slow account-recovery process.
Important documents and certified copies
High · Legal & records
Delays getting a job, a lease or a visa while you wait for documents by post.
Home banks and non-resident customers
High · Banking & payments
Blocked cards or online banking just when you need to move money.
Investment and retirement accounts as a non-resident
High · Banking & payments
Restricted accounts, forced sales or unexpected tax.
Mail: forwarding abroad or a home-country mailing address
High · Home & utilities
Cards, tax letters and notices sit at an address you no longer check.
Bank account in the new country
High · Banking & payments
Delayed pay, or trouble renting while you wait for an account.
Before and after the change
Before you change it
- Tax residency when you leave
- Home-country health coverage: find out when it ends
- Government benefits and pensions
- Keep your home-country number reachable
- Save backup codes before you go
- Important documents and certified copies
- Home banks and non-resident customers
- Investment and retirement accounts as a non-resident
- Credit cards: foreign transaction fees and your new address
- Mail: forwarding abroad or a home-country mailing address
After the change
- Bank account in the new country
- Driver's licence: check the new country's exchange rules
- App Store and Google Play: changing your country
- Streaming and subscriptions: check what works in your new country
- Home-country insurance: cancel or adjust once replacements start
- Utilities, internet and phone contracts: close them out
- Voting from abroad: check how to stay registered
Your own plan adds or removes items based on your answers, and explains why each one is there.
The safe order
Doing things in the right sequence is what keeps you from getting locked out halfway through.
Before the change
Step 1: Understand tax, benefits and health coverage
These have the biggest consequences and are easiest to sort out before you go.
- Tax residency when you leave (high risk)
- Home-country health coverage: find out when it ends (high risk)
- Government benefits and pensions (high risk)
Step 2: Keep a way into your accounts
Decide how sign-in codes will reach you abroad.
- Keep your home-country number reachable (high risk)
- Save backup codes before you go (high risk)
Step 3: Gather documents and records
Originals and certified copies are much harder to get from abroad.
- Important documents and certified copies (high risk)
Step 4: Prepare banks, cards and what you keep at home
Ask about non-resident rules before you become one.
- Home banks and non-resident customers (high risk)
- Investment and retirement accounts as a non-resident (high risk)
- Credit cards: foreign transaction fees and your new address (moderate risk)
Step 5: Decide where home-country mail goes
Banks and agencies will keep sending letters.
- Mail: forwarding abroad or a home-country mailing address (high risk)
Immediately after
Step 6: Get set up in the new country
Local banking, driving and app stores.
- Bank account in the new country (high risk)
- Driver's licence: check the new country's exchange rules (moderate risk)
- App Store and Google Play: changing your country (moderate risk)
- Streaming and subscriptions: check what works in your new country (low risk)
Clean up
Step 7: Close out home-country contracts
Only once replacements are in place.
- Home-country insurance: cancel or adjust once replacements start (moderate risk)
- Utilities, internet and phone contracts: close them out (moderate risk)
Later
Step 8: Stay registered to vote
Voting from abroad usually needs its own registration.
- Voting from abroad: check how to stay registered (low risk)
Why this change needs a plan
Leaving a country is harder to undo than most changes. Many home-country services assume you live there: banks may limit non-resident accounts, health coverage is usually tied to residence, and some government services only accept local phone numbers and addresses.
The safe approach is to do the in-person and paperwork-heavy steps before you go, keep a way to receive home-country sign-in codes and mail, and close things out only once their replacements work.
Tax residency, pensions and investments are where mistakes cost the most. This plan flags them, but get advice from a tax professional who knows both countries.
Why it matters
Once you've left, fixing a banking restriction, a lapsed benefit or a missing document can take weeks of calls and couriers. Your home-country phone number is often the only way into accounts you'll still need.
What makes it risky
Risk is highest if you cancel your home-country phone number before moving sign-in codes off it, if you keep property or investments at home, and if you receive benefits or a pension that may change when you leave.
Common mistakes
- Cancelling the home-country phone number before moving bank and government sign-in codes off it.
- Assuming home banks and brokerages will keep serving you as a non-resident.
- Leaving without certified copies of birth certificates, degrees and transcripts.
- Cancelling home health coverage or insurance before replacement coverage starts.
- Changing the app store country without spending store balances or checking subscriptions first.
Frequently asked questions
Should I keep my phone number when I move abroad?
Usually, at least for a while. Home banks and government services often send sign-in codes to it, and some only accept local numbers. Keep it on a low-cost or roaming plan, or move every important account to an authenticator app before you cancel it.
Do I still have to file taxes in my home country after I move?
It depends on your citizenship, your residency status and the countries involved. For example, U.S. citizens living abroad usually still file U.S. returns, and Canada has specific rules for the year you leave. Read your tax agency's guidance and get professional advice.
What happens to my app store purchases if I change country?
Apple asks you to spend your remaining balance and cancel subscriptions that block the change, and you may need a payment method from the new country. Google Play ties your balance to the old country and limits how often you can change. Some content may not be available in the new country.
Can I keep my bank accounts at home?
Often, but not always. Some banks limit services or close accounts for non-residents. Ask each bank before you leave and keep at least one home account working until you've confirmed you can use it from abroad.
Regional notes
General information, not legal advice. Check the official source where you live.
- Canada
- The CRA has specific guidance for emigrants. Canada Post can forward mail abroad, and Canadians living abroad can apply to vote by mail with Elections Canada.
- United States
- U.S. citizens and residents living abroad usually still need to file U.S. tax returns.
- United Kingdom
- Tell HMRC you're leaving, and register as an overseas voter if you want to keep voting in UK elections.