Dennis, take a good look at the northern half of Italy. From Florence or Bologna north to a line that goes through Venice and Milan to the west. If you go farther north most of the time you will love the climate but winters in the Dolomites and north of Lake Como, Lago de Garda, and Maaggiore can be cold and snowy. Look carefully at the Provinces of Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Lombardia, and Piemonte. Italy is so mountainous that some parts of any mountanous province can be a lot colder but I think those four provinces are a good starting place. Jess's answer is a good one and considering that Italy taxes by "residency" or those who are there more than 183 days a year, her Idea of going back and forth may be excellent for you! Chip Stites, Italy Correspondent, International Living Magazine.

Hi Kathleen, thanks for reaching out. For all customer service inquiries please go to the Contact Us page on the International Living website https://internationalliving.com/contact-us/ and use the form to submit your question. You can also check out our FAQs here https://internationalliving.com/page/faq/ From Team IL. Millie, IL Community Moderator

In both countries, the only way to get a passport is by acquiring citizenship, which requires living in those countries for a continuous period. Thr spouse can't get citizenship ifhe/she isn't living there. In Lithuania, if the spouse of a citizen lives in the country for seven years as a permanent resident they are eligible to apply for a passport.Getting permanent residency is more or less the same as it is in the US, with registering your foreign marriage with the Lithuanian government, having a place to live, sufficient funds, and so on. In Poland, the foreign spouse must first live in the country with a temporary residence permit based on marriage. After that, the spouse can apply for permanent residence. The spouse must remain on that status for another year. As long as you haven't been absent for more than 10 months in total over that five year period, the spouse can then apply for citizenship. One thing that can cause complications in both cases is whether the Lithuanian or Polish citizen was recognized as such at the time of marriage. Lithuanian law doesn't require that a couple be married for any particular period before they apply for citizenship, but Poland says that you have to be married to a citizen for at least three years. Some Polish officials interpret that as meaning that you have to wait for three years after your spouse became a citizen, whilst others counted from the date of your marriage. But under Polish law, once you're recognized as a citizen by right of blood, your citizenship is backdated to the time of your birth. The problem is that not all Polish bureaucrats know that!

Hi @CARRIE2020 I have emailed you about the European Living Seminar. Hope this helps! Millie, IL Community Moderator

Hello, I've been able to get more than a 90-day supply with the drs approval in the states before leaving, but my insurance would not cover anything over 90, had to pay out of pocket. Depending on what drug you need, I would see if it is available in that (or those) countries without a prescription. For example, I was able to get metformin for type 2 diabetes in Ecuador just by asking for it at the counter.

Hi @REALPETE Thanks for getting in touch. My recommendation would be to check out Warren and Julie's YouTube page. They're colleagues of ours and have spoken at our online events. They have expertise in the area and should be able to offer the information you need. Here's a link to their YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsMbJWT2e-3CRhy8LJOa7_g Thanks again, Millie, IL Community Moderator

You may have trouble getting into a private insurance plan but depending on the country (and sometimes depending on the community) you choose and depending on the type of residence/visa you utilize, you may find you have other great options such as getting into the public system or a hospital membership plan. True, most do make the move before the age of 80, and at any age there are a lot of factors to consider, including health, personality type, community ties, finances... but there are some wonderful 80+ success stories! Here's some inspiration: https://members.internationalliving.com/articles/finding-adventure-in-retirement/ Plus you might enjoy this video of 81-year-old world travelers on the International Living YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/JSpt-xjkxFU?si=cs7RF78dCJ4BgkwE Best, IL Overseas Editor Jess Ramesch

I haven't been there but perhaps one of the other ILers will comment. I'll just add that, while I can't tell you when or if International Living will ever cover Paraguay, I can tell you that the countries covered here generally check the majority of the following boxes: Home to expat communities Welcoming to foreigners Straightforward access to legal residence Safe for families, retirees, single women Excellent infrastructure (roads, telecommunications, power, water) Politically stable Strong/stable economy Straightfoward access to bank accounts You can move your money in and out with reasonable ease A good range of property available for sale and rent Excellent value (cost of living vs what you get for your money) Easy to travel to/in-country And more (for a full list of categories see International Living's Annual Global Retirement Index: https://magazine.internationalliving.com/internationalliving/library/item/january_2024/4158110/ ) To sum up there typically needs to be great value and a high enough standard of living to entice expats to go, especially when much longer flights are involved. (For example, even though it takes 8+ hours to fly to Uruguay from the States, we do cover it from time to time because it offers so much. You can read our latest coverage in the June issue of IL magazine https://magazine.internationalliving.com/internationalliving/library/item/may_2024/4189974/ ) Best, IL Overseas Editor Jess Ramesch

Hello there. Sorry about the technical difficulties. Let's start with the golden visa issue. The type of programs you are referring to have mainly abandoned real estate as an option. But there are plenty of other visa types that will work for you as well. There's no need for you to start investing little bits into foreign stock markets to get residency abroad. Of course, if you have money in an IRA, you can convert some of it to a self directed IRA, and to use that to invest in qualifying assets in whatever country you want to live in. As you note, it's quite difficult to get banking and brokerage facilities in a foreign country unless you have a close connection there, or until you've got a residency visa. If your goal is to retire overseas, then your best bet is to focus on getting a financially independent person's visa, sometimes called a non-lucrative visa. In all countries, this requires that you demonstrate a regular flow of passive income from pension or investments. As long as you have enough coming in, and you have all the other paperwork in order, that allows you to live in the country indefinitely. And it doesn't require that you open up a bank account ahead of time.

Hi, emergency healthcare is actually not free in Greece. I was on the island of Crete just last year and had to go to the hospital. I got excellent care, the doctors spoke great English and explained things more thoroughly that what I have had in Canada. That said, the visit was not free. I had to pay around $100 - $125 Euros after I was seen. You also have to pay immediately before you leave the hospital. Can be in cash or cc. This is coming from my time as a tourist there. If you are a resident, EU passport holder - maybe healthcare it's free.

susan's ideas for what to do with your home if you move pt to to Europe are great answers and I thought I would add one other thing. Don't get rid of your home in the US. Banks, Investment companys and brokerage houses all require a US physical address to continue allowing you to use thier services, so hang on to the property!

Hi Rocky, Let’s start with the general issue of taxes on your retirement income. The US is effectively the only country in the world that taxes its citizens’ income no matter where they live or where they earn it. In the case of tax advantaged retirement income, it’s going to be subject to normal US taxes no matter where in the world you may live. The main tax break for US citizens living abroad, the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, only applies to income from current employment or business. Passive income like pensions is not included in the tax break. On the specific question about Costa Rica, there’s good news: the country does not tax foreign source income, whether active or passive. So, if you live in Costa Rica, you won’t pay tax on your US pension income. However, once you are a resident, you will be liable for a 12.5% contribution to the National Health scheme. Costa Rica is the exception, not the rule. Most countries, including Portugal, another favorite destination, do tax foreign passive income, including pensions. But most countries have a tax treaty with the US that prevents double taxation of the same income. For example, if you lived in Portugal, you would pay Portuguese tax at normal rates on your US source pension income. But any taxes you’ve already paid on that income to the IRS would be deducted from your Portuguese tax obligations. That doesn’t mean you wouldn’t end up paying tax on your pension; it all depends on what your tax bracket is in Portugal compared to the United States. If your Portuguese tax bracket is higher, you’ll end up paying more tax on your pension than you would if you remained in the US. That’s why it’s critically important to understand relative tax brackets and tax policies in a country before you decide to move there. The ideal scenario is someplace like Costa Rica that has a fully territorial tax system, i.e., one that doesn’t tax foreign source income at all. For more details about taxes in Costa Rica, check out our Escape to Costa Rica guidebook.

Hi Linda, Congratulations on your decision to move to Ireland. As an Irishman myself, let me be the first to say, “céad míle fáilte” to the Emerald Isle. To your question, you’re in luck because of one fact a lot of people don’t know about Ireland: While it is a member of the EU, this green little country is not, in fact, a member of Europe’s Schengen Zone. The Schengen Zone is a European area with a uniform visa policy, which has abolished passport controls and most other border controls within it. This means that, upon arrival in the Schengen Zone, you only need to go through passport control once—and can then travel freely between any countries that are within the zone. So, how is Ireland not being in the Schengen Zone a good thing for you? This is down to Europe’s 90-day tourist visa. Non-Europeans can visit countries within the Schengen Zone as tourists for only limited amounts of time. For citizens of the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries, that limit is 90 days out of every 180 days. That 90-day limit holds for the entire Schengen Zone. So, let’s say you want to visit France and Italy, both of which belong to the Schengen Zone. You can spend up to 90 days either in France or in Italy… or you can divide your 90 days between the two. But you don’t get 90 days in each. But, because Ireland is outside the Schengen Zone, once you’ve spent your 183 days there you can simply hop across the Channel to any mainland European country that’s inside the zone and begin your 90-day visit as a tourist. During those 90 days, you’re free to move around however you like within the 27 countries that make up the Schengen Zone. When your time is up, you must spend another 90 days in a country outside the zone before you can return. You could choose to use that time to visit home for the Holidays, perhaps. Or you could simply stay in Ireland. Remember, the tourist visa limit is 90 days out of every 180. And your 183 days of residency in Ireland does not need to be consecutive, as far as I’m aware. That means you could spend 90 days in Ireland, hop over to the Schengen Zone for 90, return to Ireland for 95 days, then back to the mainland for the remaining 90. And just like that, you’ve spent a full year in Europe while fulfilling your residency requirements for Ireland. While we do not have any contacts with immigration firms in Ireland that we can share, you may find the following contacts useful: Department of Foreign Affairs, 80 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2; tel. +353 (1) 408-2000; website: www.dfa.ie Department of Justice and Equality, 94 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2; tel. 1890 221-227; e-mail: info@justice.ie; website: www.justice.ie Garda National Immigration Bureau, Immigration and Registration Office, 13/14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2; tel. +353 (1) 666-9100/1; e-mail: gnib_dv@garda.ie; website: www.garda.ie

Hi Rob, Mention the word Caribbean and most people think of Barbados, Puerto Rico, Antigua… crystal clear waters and white sand beaches. Great for a vacation, but moving there… just too expensive, right? Not necessarily. The Caribbean isn’t restricted to just those few islands. By broadening your horizons, and your perceived idea of “the Caribbean”, you can still find a home at an affordable price. These are places with Caribbean coastlines where you can purchase a house for a lot less money than you’d spend in Barbados, or even the US. Places where the cost of living won’t leave you penniless, and where you have every amenity that you have back home. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of our top five recommendations for Caribbean island living that won’t break the bank… as well as two that just might. You can find it on our newly revamped website, right here: 5 Best Affordable Caribbean Islands to Live On…and 2 to Avoid.

Hi Mark, You are correct. The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory. Although it has control over its residency procedures, it cannot offer citizenship, since that is a prerogative of the British crown. If I interpret your question correctly, it seems as though you’d like to continue living in the Caymans, but you’d like to acquire a second passport as well. And you’d prefer not to spend too much time in the country that offers that passport to get it. What you’re looking for is called Citizenship by Investment or CBI. This differs from naturalization in that you get immediate citizenship and eligibility for a passport because of an investment in or donation to the country in question. There are usually two avenues: you can either donate a fixed sum to a government fund or charity, or you can invest a minimum amount in a real estate or other economic project. Generally, the real estate investment route is overpriced, and you may find it difficult to liquidate your investment once you’re allowed to do so, which is typically five years after getting citizenship. But making the donation means you won’t see that money again, albeit you will have a second citizenship. Currently, most countries that offer CBI are in the Caribbean basin. They include Dominica, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, and Antigua and Barbuda. CBI through these programs ranges from $100,000 in Dominica to over $450,000 in St Lucia. Another island country that offers CBI is Vanuatu, an island in the Pacific Ocean. But I would strongly recommend against that one, because it is widely associated with corruption and doesn’t give you much in the way of visa free travel. In and around Europe, countries that offer CBI or CBI adjacent programs include Turkey, Malta, and Jordan. The Turkish program is becoming more expensive every year and is currently at around $750,000. The Maltese program is similar in price but doesn’t result in immediate citizenship. Plus, it requires lengthy residence for the first two years before you’re eligible for a passport. The advantage is that you are then a citizen of an EU country and can live and work anywhere in the Union. Jordan’s program is also around $750,000, but its passport is also not as widely accepted. Given that you are already living and working in the Caribbean, I’d suggest you have a look at one of the island programs. But do it soon… These countries are under pressure from the European Union to make their programs more expensive and difficult to access, in order to reduce the threat of undesirable people using their passports to get into the European Union. You’ll find breakdowns of the various programs in the book written by my father, former Congressman Bob Bauman: The Passport Book.