Straight Answers About Moving to Europe

You can visit without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area¹. Living there is a different matter, governed by each country’s own long-stay visa and residence rules. Portugal is a clear example: you need a national visa for any stay over 90 days, and without one from a Portuguese consulate you cannot apply for most residence permits once you are there (the investment residence permit, or golden visa, is the exception); a tourist who changes plans has to go back to the United States to apply^2,3,4.

Start from your income, not from the scenery. The kind of money you will live on (a pension, investment income, a remote salary, a business, or a job offer) decides which residence routes are open to you, and each country sets its own tests. Then weigh taxes, healthcare access for your age, the cost of housing where you would actually live, and the language. Our destinations comparison sets out the official basics country by country, and our Portugal page shows the full picture for one; a free discovery call helps narrow the list.

It depends on the country and the route, and the figures change every year. To give one worked example, Portugal’s D7 visa for retirees and passive-income earners uses the minimum wage as its benchmark: €920 a month for one adult in 2026, plus €460 for each further adult and €276 per child^5,6. Its remote-work visa asks for average income of at least €3,680 a month over the last three months⁷. Our Portugal page has a calculator for your household.

Plan in months, not weeks. Using Portugal as the example: consulates suggest applying two to three months before you want to travel; the legal decision period for a residence visa is 60 days; the visa then allows a four-month stay, during which you apply to the immigration agency, which since September 2026 has a legal deadline of 90 days, extendable by 30, to decide your residence permit^8,3,4,9. Add the time U.S. documents take: an FBI record, for example, must be apostilled and under 90 days old when you apply¹⁰.

Yes. The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income wherever they live. Your federal return is due April 15, with an automatic extension to June 15 when you live abroad; interest still runs from April 15¹⁶. Your new country taxes you under its own rules: Portugal, for example, taxes its residents on their worldwide income¹⁷. The U.S. foreign tax credit can offset foreign income tax paid on the same income¹⁸, and the tax treaty with each country sets further rules¹⁹.

It lets you exclude foreign earned income from U.S. tax: up to $132,900 for tax year 2026. It covers earnings from work only; the IRS lists pensions, Social Security and investment income as not foreign earned income^20,21. You cannot also claim a foreign tax credit on income you exclude¹⁸.

An FBAR is required when your foreign bank and financial accounts together exceed $10,000 at any time in the year²². Form 8938 (FATCA) applies at higher thresholds for people living abroad: more than $200,000 at year end or $300,000 at any time if you file single, and $400,000 or $600,000 if you file jointly²³. Portugal and the United States have a FATCA agreement, signed in 2015 and in force since August 10, 2016²⁴.

In Portugal, yes: it is on the Treasury’s international direct deposit list, so benefits are paid straight into a Portuguese bank account²⁵. Payments are restricted in a short list of countries: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan²⁶. Tell the Social Security Administration before you move; in Portugal, a Federal Benefits Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon handles questions²⁷.

Not if the country has a totalization agreement with the United States. The U.S. has agreements in force with Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom²⁸. They stop you paying into both systems for the same work and can let you combine credits for benefits²⁸. Albania, Andorra, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, San Marino, Serbia and Türkiye are not on the list, which matters if you plan to work or run a business there.

Yes, under the EU’s pet rules, which were updated on April 22, 2026³⁵. A dog or cat needs a microchip, then a rabies vaccination given at 12 weeks or older and at least 21 days before travel if it is the first one³⁶. Pets coming from the United States do not need a rabies antibody test³⁷. The EU health certificate must be issued by the official veterinary service no more than 10 days before arrival³⁸. Up to five animals can travel this way with you³⁶.

It depends on the country. Portugal, for example, lists the United States among the OECD countries whose licenses stay valid after you become resident, provided the license was issued or last renewed no more than 15 years ago, and you can exchange it without a test if you wish³⁹. Another IMT page still describes an older rule (drive for 90 days, exchange within two years), so if your license is near the 15-year mark, exchange it early⁴⁰. Check the rule for your destination on its transport authority’s website before you ship your car or sell it.

It depends on the country and the status. In Portugal, for example, permanent residence after five years requires proof of basic Portuguese, such as a CAPLE test or an A2 Portuguese-for-integration certificate, and citizenship requires proof of Portuguese language and culture^4,41,42.

Rules differ by country. In Portugal we found no nationality restriction, but under Decree-Law 97/2026 of May 20, 2026, a buyer who is not yet tax resident pays a flat 7.5% transfer tax on a home, with the difference refundable if they become resident within two years^43,44. Renting first gives you time to learn the area and the rules before you commit.