Retiring In Europe

If you have obtained Irish citizenship why not start looking there? Ireland is probably as close to your 'ideal' place as any in Europe.

I second the whole move to Ireland. Ireland is a safe country, a quick flight to other parts of Europe, and the people still speak English. Ireland is also relatively affordable, depending where you are coming from to relocate.

Do a google search. Probably a dozen sites that address your questions. A lot of hoops to go through. I think I would look for a 90 day lease somewhere and just go to see if you can handle 90 days in another country. Huge difference between being a tourist, even an extended tourist, and living there and dealing with local conditions. All countries have their problems so you cannot just run and hide.

Thinking about Ireland for ourselves. The people are friendly, they speak English. They love Americans or at least they did, not so much now. They do value education and I think they treat people well. First country to vote in gay marriage. If you are used to living in a large city, I would pick some place like Kilkenny over a small village. Dublin would be too much of a rat race. We always have an adjustment, we go looking for milk 10pm. All the stores are closed in my husbands small village.

No government is honest.

Here's a useful site:

https://www.expatexchange.com

I have a good friend and he and his wife are planning to retire on the coast of Portugal next year, they've researched and planned this for about 3 years. I don't know all the details, but after his research - it was best for them.

We just retired and have talked about this but can’t bring ourselves to leave our children and grandchildren. I even put it out there to them that we all Cash in, our homes, 401s, etc and move together. If we did it right, we could buy/start a business and go from there (my husband has a Croatian passport). It is tempting but all I got was a, sounds great, maybe someday mom. The way things are going here.......who knows. And yes MARY, no government is honest.

I agree with Ireland. Been twice and love it. Wish I could figure out how to get an Irish citizenship or Scotland. The closest relatives would be my 2nd great grandparents. They came from both countries. I do have 5th living cousins in Scotland.

I do envy you. I don’t know how it works with medical coverage and such for yourselves in Ireland or elsewhere, the first thing I’d look into. Germany would be my first choice, somewhere in the alps. Beautiful area, safe, fairly central for the places I’d be eager to visit regularly. A brother, who lives in the Leicestershire countryside of England, is very keen on Dordogne and one of the Greek islands.

I have British citizenship (from my mother’s side), as well as Canadian. I guess I’m out of the EU loop now. Good luck in wherever and whatever you choose. If you find an honest government, please let us know.

where the government is honest and helpful,

Yeah, good luck with that one.

where the government is honest and helpful,

More likely to be able to use your Delta Skymiles to get to Atlantis

(https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/is-atlantis-in-the-schengen-zone)

Since you have the citizenship covered, I would do a six month stay to see how well it really works out. You are really cutting the cord with of your background. I remember many years ago on a trip to Hawaii, we got to talking with a Navy family about life there. One of the comment was that while they had a Navy community, they had noticed that many of the civilians they met who had been in Hawaii for a few years really missed the mainland and all the people they had left behind and really craved visitors. I know my wife enjoys traveling in Europe but after about 3 weeks she starts to get anxious about returning home.

i can understand some of your feelings about this country. We are from the Detroit area and last year when we were in France and Ireland when folks asked where we were from, I would just smile and say, "A small town just north of Windsor, Ontario." It's the truth, look at a map. After-all, I sort of speak Canadian, not perfectly but close enough.

Since you have the citizenship covered, I would do a six month stay to see how well it really works out.

Irv is right. Before uprooting your whole life and moving abroad, I would *really * recommend doing a temporary/trials basis stay first.

I suggest consulting your tax advisor, too. Not knowing how or where you receive retirement income from, this could make a difference. Unless of course, you decide on Monaco. Wouldn't we all love to live there, right?!

Medicare does not cover you when you live abroad. Being updated on health plans and eligibility in the country you choose may have some bearing on your decision. Consider your health history and what you will have to cover out of pocket.

If you have investment accounts in the US, you most likely will need a US address in order to keep the accounts. A trusted family member makes this alot easier. This can be very tricky. If you don't have a US address, you may have to liquidate your accounts and create a huge tax liability. Another question for your financial advisor--what happens to your accounts if you move out of the country?

If you do not have a financial advisor or tax advisor I would highly recommend consulting such advisors during this discovery phase of your lives to prevent some potentially big issues.

I thoroughly enjoy being retired in Bavaria, Germany. I think it meets all of your conditions. I did not come into this cold though, as I spent tours in the Army and Federal Service here. My partner of 18 years is German too. I received my Aufenthaltstitel after applying in just 30 days. I have military health insurance and retirement income, so no problem. Second renewal is for four years. My State had a reciprocal agreement with Germany for Driver’s License, so getting a German Driver’s License was easy too. I still maintain an APO (US) address as a military retiree. I guess I'm an expat depending on interpretation, but I maintain US citizenship.
I do spend many vacations in the mountains of Austria though, and would consider that too. Around Lienz would be my first choice.
Outside of Europe I would consider New Zealand. I would love to have a beach house in Kaikoura or live inland in Wanaka on Lake Wanaka.

Germany would be my first choice, somewhere in the alps. Beautiful
area, safe, fairly central for the places I’d be eager to visit
regularly.

And by far the most expensive part of the country:

Real Estate Prices Germany

"And by far the most expensive part of the country" - I know, Martin, but I am allowed to dream.

We have traveled to 3/4 of the European countries and lived four years in Augsburg, Germany.
Germany was great, except the weather. Summer is short and we always sought to go south over the Alps to warmer places like Italy.

Also, check out the taxes in the country where you live. Not sure what countries tax retirement income. Taxes tend to be far higher in Europe. Most have a significant VAT tax that raises the price of things you purchase.

Ireland is a beautiful country and we love the Irish people, but it is more isolated from Europe and again the weather may not be the best.

Portugal is wonderful and the cost of living there is lower than Spain and other EU countries. Italy is my favorite country in Europe and filled with history.

I think you've gotten some pretty cynical responses about "honest" and "helpful" governments, no doubt colored by current (and historical) perceptions in the US. I assume you are simply looking for competence and transparency, for which there is a good proxy and data out there which is trustworthy. The CPI (Corruption Perceptions Index) ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption each year (https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2019). Several countries consistently make the top 10: Scandivanian countries (Sweden, Finland, and Norway), Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, New Zealand, and Singapore. Unfortunately, Scandinavia and Switzerland would be quite hard to get into, and afford, unless your retirement budget is very ample. If my primary objective was "sound, competent" government, I would look no further than Scandinavia - they pride themselves on it and I personally believe it (I've met high-level embassy staff here in the US and they "walk the walk" on transparency, quality of life and other progressive values like education, environmental protection, etc).

As for acceptance with open arms and just generally speaking, I would wait until this whole COVID thing blows over and then assess with clear eyes. I have a feeling that no country will be in the mood to be overly generous to any outsiders when they're trying to straighten out an economic armageddon. The already "poor" countries in Europe (in the more affordable south mostly) will be much poorer, and I would not rule out more and more populist parties and the type of nativist/ nationalistic atmosphere that probably turns you off at the moment.

I would definitely give whatever places you prefer a long test drive before committing.

I wonder why people frame this as absolute. Is it for the cachet of saying, "I retired to Europe"? Or a political statement? I have posted before that I don't think the lifestyles are really that different between USA and most of Europe. There is still the opportunity to split one's time on either side of the ocean. Visas for 6 month stays for retirees can be obtained, I think.

I don't think many are up to living in the weird day lengths of Scandinavia, unless from Alaska. I can take cold but not dark.

Tom-MN, clearly others hold a different opinion, but unlike family, one can choose their friends and their address. There are plenty of people who have spent their adult life traveling or living elsewhere. It isn't for everyone, but clearly there are enough on the 'pro' side to make a move beneficial....whether part time or full time; or full time for a set amount of years.

I am looking to opt for a Snow Bird sort of life, but not annually to the same location and definitely somewhere different to a North American lifestyle. It might not be that the 'lifestyle' is that different, but the company definitely can be....and for me, that is the draw.

Ron, an interesting read....and maybe your hopes won't be forever lost. Look for a walkable city in the US. I think that makes a big difference. The US car culture certainly isolates and reduces much of what you find so hospitable in Europe. As I was reading it, I thought about living in my current city of Ottawa. We have neighbourhoods that sound a lot like what you describe. We have young people who never learned to drive (or at least don't own a car) that stick to their 'hood for work and life, and then 40- somethings and retirees that have moved to regentrified neighbourhoods with local owned book stores, banks that put out water for the dogs, and other businesses that allow dogs in. Sidewalk restaurants, grocery stores, but also Saturday garden markets. Mix of family types, very walkable. We pretty much know that these are areas priced out of blue collar incomes, but the concept is there. The folks that originally downsized to the new high rise condos right downtown have left them due to the noise, parking and driving problems, and the crime.....and it isn't even a square 4 mile plot. We are a city of federal government employees, who want to retire comfortably and not have to do a lot of driving. Cities like you want, can exist.

You can always search on YouTube, Moving to "XYZ" or Retiring in "XYZ" or any combinations. Depending on the individual(s) they may provided information on what they went through in order to live and or retire in that country.
Good luck.

The grass always seems greener on the other side of the "pond".....I love traveling Europe, but living there in retirement full time would not be my "cup of tea". Seek out those who retired overseas and find out why they returned. Remember Medicare isn't useful, healthcare can be a lower quality, taxes are complicated, you will always be treated as an American and depending on your social skill level, you may find friends are hard to make especially if you lack the language skills of your selected country. You didn't say if you had any relatives in Europe. If you do, I would recommend living close to them. Bold move...good luck.

I am just launching into the actual living part of “retiring in Europe” after a year and a half of “preparing to retire in Europe”. I’ve joked about writing a book called The Responsible Adult's Guide to Running Away from Home. It’s been a lot of work, but I’m very determined and an ex-project manager, so I just keep making task boards and carrying on.

As far as location, it was always Italy that called me. Fortunately, they recently instituted a tax advantage program for retirees, so it was financially advantageous too. I agree that you should look around a bit but let your heart lead. Completing a criteria checklist led me to create a short list of places. When I visited on our house hunt, nothing on the short list felt right. We knew the right town as soon as we entered it. Not my usual over-cognitive behaviour, but it feels right.

If you get ready to make the leap, I’m happy to share some tasks and details about the tasks. It’s hard adulting stuff - wills, tax planning, banking, insurance, selling/buying homes, getting visas - but worth doing it right.

You may want to look at the website of Adrian Leeds who works closely with folks from English speaking nations who want to relocate to France. And contrary to ‘threadwear’s post, healthcare isn’t likely to be of lower quality in most of the countries you are considering.

Regarding healthcare in Europe, prior to taking our trips to Europe, I always purchase healthcare coverage for my wife and self for the duration of the trip. It is usually inexpensive. Of course, if you moved to Europe permanently, I doubt if you could purchase that coverage.

Also, we have health insurance (not associated with Medicare) that covers us overseas, however, you have to pay upfront.

We have visited Great Britain a lot in the past 5 years. We have met many British people that tell us that even with National Health Insurance that 15% of Brits pay for private insurance that is comparable with what we have in the USA.

They tell us that without the private insurance that for other than routine care, appointments for specialists can take way too long and one told us of a nightmare where he went to the emergency room for terrible back pain and was give pain medicine that put him to sleep and he woke up in a large room with over 20 persons, with one person screaming. His night was terrible, he could not sleep at all due to others waking him up. He check himself out of the hospital and eventually got some care, but is was not good.

I understand that health care in Switzerland is considered excellent. We lived in Germany for four years and believe it is very good. One thing our German friends told us was that German physicians tend to push surgery more than American doctors. We did have a German dentist and he was OK, but we found the routine oral cleanings were not as good as in the USA.

As PPs have suggested, examine the tax consequences of a move closely. Not “just” income tax and VAT but also estate tax. UK estate tax, for example, can be exorbitant. Also determine whether a tax treaty exists between the US and the country of choice.

Hello,
My best friend and her husband (from USA) just purchased a flat in New Town - Edinburgh Scotland in early 2020. Their experience has been rather an odyssey despite decades of visiting Scotland (their grown children now live there) and comprehensive investigations into the ever changing process/regulations for Americans.

• They made extended stays in many countries to 'try out' where they wished to live before narrowing down to two places. They rented AirBnB for a month in winter in each place, to try these places in off season. This led to the decision to go with their first choice of Edinburgh.
• They joined expat blogs for all of the areas they considered; in order to get first hand accounts of life in those countries.
• They hired an attorney in Scotland who specializes in assisting with the residency process.
• And a second local attorney (despite my friend being an American judge and her husband an international attorney) to manage the real estate transaction.
• One big problem in the real estate transaction is the fees for transferring large sums of money out of the USA.
• Second problem is just this year, the residency requirements changed again for retirees from the USA.
  

Fully investigate and save your $$$$ if considering the UK. Some countries prior to COVID were much easier to work with than the UK. However, my friend doesn't regret her move and purchase. As long as you know it is a 'second job' to manage the process.

All I can say is WOW!!!!!!

Thank you all so much for the thoughtful ideas and recommendations. We will be reviewing it all and monitoring what steps to take next. Again, thank you !!!! Frank

Thanks, Jeff, I appreciate your reply and your perspective. I currently live in one of the more progressive and accepting regions of the United States. Our little cocoon has shielded its residents from the ignorance, bias, and violence taking place elsewhere through out the U.S. But after 40 years of my work (and pleasure) traveling around the U.S., it has become clear to me that this is not a society - on the whole - I wish to be associated with anymore. I am a firm believer in Democracy and I am also a well educated and accomplished student of propaganda and fascism (my business). Trust me, I am a dedicated independent, I am neither far left nor far right, but my education, experience, and "sociopolitical radar" tells me the U.S. is on a dark path, and I just don't want to be here when the final chapter plays out. I know many of you will not agree, and I am fine with that on all fronts. That's the point of a free and fair Democracy! But I've seen this playbook before, and it ain't pretty. This has been happening here over decades, not just the past four years. And there are other nations experiencing the same shift. While nowhere we go will be perfect, as I asked in my opening request, I simply want a place where people are good to one another and value critical thinking and open dialogue. I've paid my dues to America, and I just want to try and live my final years in peace.

I would think moving all of your stuff to Europe would be expensive.

As for not liking the USA any more, well, it's more diverse than Europe. Whatever you're looking for is available.

Check out International Living magazine and website for a great source of initial information on retiring in various parts of the world.

They also put on seminars once or twice a years on the nuts and bolts of moving overseas. I would like to attend one for western Europe in the next few years. They may highlight a few choice destinations like Portugal or France and then drill down in the specifics.

Something came to mind this morning as I catch up on these posts. As some have intimated, there is a lot of diversity in the USA. Understandably, there also will be in every European country. I know you say you want places that are kind to their fellow man, but consider the last decade or more of refugee influx in Europe....there is a lot of frustration and poor behaviour around this. After this economic devastation from Covid, this is not going to improve. Toss in another stranger and reception may be worse than expected. Yes, there are countries essentially higher up the index, but within that society there is going to be diversity in how well that is practiced day to day and neighbour to neighbour. I am not sure which is better....to be in a positive neighbourhood in a negative country, or a negative neighbourhood in a positive country.

Many understand what you are saying. However, I suggest you pare down your possessions and leave for six months to a year once you are allowed. It could take a couple of years to decide on a place. Moving stuff isn't a problem, since Mike asked about it. It's one of those things you get a service to be sure there are no hidden taxes, then you just pay and do it door to door. But the big decision is the last years or months when you could be totally dependent on medical and nursing home personnel. Study your options. I've accompanied parents in the States and in Europe. Quality was similar. You need to be able to learn the language or search for an English-speaking enclave for your dependent yesrs.

An interesting thread. And, as someone who retired almost 3 years ago, moving elsewhere in Europe is something I've thought about - but could never identify somewhere that worked for me. I adore Italy, but my Italian language skills are not up to much (trying to improve them) so couldn't feel comfortable moving there.

On reading Bets post and her reference to language skills, this is a really important issue. English is widely spoken, but shouldn't be taken for granted. I have worked in Europe (Luxembourg, Bonn, Berlin and in France) and my fluent German and pretty good French were essential - not only at work, but in countless other situations. On holiday, in tourist destinations there is mostly someone who speaks English, but moving there to live is a whole different situation.