Moving to Europe from the USA comes down to one decision and ten tasks.
The decision is how you earn money. Each income type leads to a different visa, and the wrong visa costs you months. Spain’s non-lucrative visa, for example, bans all work, remote work included.
The ten tasks are paperwork, insurance, housing, taxes and a shipping quote. Do them in order and I’d plan on about six months. Do them out of order and an expired FBI check sends you back to the start.
I made a video on the best countries for Americans to move abroad. Watch it for the overview of where, then use the checklist below for how.
The prices and rules below come from public guides and official consulate pages as of October 2026. They change every year, so confirm anything you act on with the official source. This is general information only.
Which route fits you?
Your income type picks your visa. Match yours before you do anything else.
| Your situation | Route | 2026 income bar | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| You work remotely for a US employer or clients | Portugal D8, or the Croatia, Slovenia and Malta nomad permits | about €3,100 to €3,700 a month | Details in my guide to the cheapest countries |
| You live on a pension, Social Security or investments | Portugal D7 or Spain’s non-lucrative visa | Spain: €2,400 a month, plus €600 per dependant | Spain’s visa bans all work |
| A European employer has offered you a job | Germany’s EU Blue Card | €50,700 a year, or €45,934.20 for shortage occupations | The contract must run at least 6 months |
If none of these rows fits, the move waits until your income does. Study and family routes need their own guide.
Are you ready? A quick check
Answer these five questions before you spend any money.
- Do you know which income row applies to you?
- Does your income clear that bar with room to spare?
- Do you have a health insurance plan for the first year?
- Have you spoken to a tax professional, or booked one?
- Could you cover three months of living costs if your income paused?
Five yeses mean you can start Step 1 today. Any no tells you what to fix first.
Step 1: Pick your route
Income decides everything, so start there.
If you earn money from a US employer or clients, you want a remote-work permit. Portugal’s D8 and the permits in Croatia, Slovenia and Malta all ask for roughly €3,100 to €3,700 a month in proof. I laid out each one in my guide to the cheapest countries to live in Europe.
If you live on a pension, Social Security or investments, you want a passive-income route. Portugal’s D7 is built for it. Spain’s non-lucrative visa counts pensions and Social Security as qualifying income.
Spain’s visa has a hard limit. The Spanish consulate says it does not allow teleworking, so remote workers need Spain’s separate digital nomad visa.
If a European company has offered you a job, the employer drives the process. Germany’s EU Blue Card needs a contract of at least 6 months and a gross salary of €50,700 a year, or €45,934.20 in shortage occupations such as IT and engineering.
Run a quick test before you read further. Write down your monthly income, where it comes from and who pays it.
A salary from a US employer is active income. Freelance income is active too, and Spain’s non-lucrative visa rejects it. A pension and Social Security count as passive income.
Retiring from the USA is the clearest case. Your pension row is the one that applies, and Step 5 matters more for you than for anyone else, because Medicare stops at the border.
Step 2: Pick your country
People search for the easiest country in Europe to move to. For an American, the answer follows your income.
A remote worker with €3,700 a month has four countries open. A retiree with Social Security has Portugal and Spain. A software engineer with a job offer has Germany.
Cost is the second filter. In my comparison of four countries, a single person lived on roughly €1,400 to €1,900 a month in Portugal and Croatia, and Malta ran higher. The numbers and the permit rules sit side by side in the cheapest-country guide.
Pick on two facts: which permit your income qualifies for, and which town you can afford. Climate and food come third. Cities like Lisbon and Dubrovnik cost far more than the smaller towns in the same country.
Permit length matters if you want to stay. Spain’s non-lucrative visa starts at one year, renews in two-year blocks and leads to permanent residency after five, according to one visa guide.
Croatia’s and Malta’s nomad permits lead nowhere permanent.
I’d also avoid choosing by a single blog’s ranking, mine included. Rules change yearly, and a country that was easy last January can have a higher bar this one.
Spend a week in your top two before you commit. You can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen Area without a permit, and that’s the cheapest research you’ll do.
Step 3: Check the rules at the source
Thresholds move every January, and most guides lag behind. In the past two years, Germany’s Blue Card minimum rose from €48,300 to €50,700. Malta’s nomad permit went from €32,400 to €42,000, and Croatia’s went from €3,295 to €3,622.50.
Read the official page for the permit you want, and read the one for the consulate that covers your US state. Requirements can differ a little between consulates, and the consulate’s page is the one that counts on your appointment day.
Spain’s pages show how specific this gets. The 2026 non-lucrative bar is €2,400 a month for the main applicant, plus €600 a month per family member. Spain ties that figure to an index it has frozen at €600 a month since 2023, so it only moves when the index does.
Write down four things for your route: the income number, the documents list, the application fee and the deadlines. Spain’s fee for Americans is $140 from 1 January 2026, and Malta’s nomad permit costs about €300.
Check the date on the page, and check that it addresses applicants from the United States. A page written for Indian or Canadian applicants can list different fees and documents.
When two sources disagree, believe the consulate. I found conflicts on almost every figure in my research, from how long a Croatian permit lasts to how recent your FBI check must be. The official page settles it.
A professional can double-check the rest. An immigration lawyer or a visa service costs money, and a rejected application costs more.
Step 4: Gather your documents
Every long-stay permit asks for a passport and proof of income. The document that delays the most applications is the FBI check.
You need an FBI Identity History Summary, then a federal apostille on it. The apostille comes from the State Department, and your home state can’t issue it for a federal document.
Timing is where people slip. One guide puts the FBI’s processing at 2 to 4 weeks once fingerprints arrive, and another says mail-in runs 5 to 8 weeks. An apostille service reports 7 to 9 business days at the State Department once the document is hand-submitted.
The check also expires. A Portugal visa consultant says it must be dated within 90 days of your visa appointment, while another service says anything older than six months must be reordered. Ask your consulate which rule applies, then time the check around your appointment.
The guides for these routes agree on this document list:
- Passport and the completed application form
- FBI Identity History Summary with a federal apostille
- Sworn translations of the apostilled documents, where the country needs them
- Birth certificate, and a marriage certificate if you’re applying with a spouse
- Bank statements or contracts that prove your income
- A health insurance policy valid in the destination country
- Proof of accommodation, for countries like Portugal
Spain adds a translation. The apostille must be the last thing added to the original, and a sworn translator then translates the whole package, apostille page included. Spain may also want a long-form birth certificate that lists your parents’ names.
Start the FBI check first, because it’s the slowest piece. Gather the rest while it processes.
Step 5: Sort health insurance
Every permit in my four-country comparison asks for health insurance. Portugal’s D8 sets a minimum of €30,000 in coverage, and Spain’s non-lucrative visa asks for comprehensive private Spanish insurance.
One guide puts premiums at roughly €50 to €100 a month per person, depending on age and health conditions. Treat that as a loose guide and get two or three quotes from international insurers. Ask what each policy says about pre-existing conditions before you pay anything.
Medicare is the surprise for older readers. It does not cover care outside the United States, apart from narrow exceptions near the border.
Social Security is different. The SSA keeps paying benefits abroad, and its booklet lists Portugal, Spain, Croatia, Malta and Slovenia among the countries with social security agreements. Supplemental Security Income stops when you leave.
Decide what to do about Medicare Part B with the SSA before you go. I won’t tell you whether to keep it, because the answer depends on whether you plan to return.
Ask each insurer for a letter that lists the coverage amount and the countries covered. Consulates read those letters, and a vague one slows the file.
Buy the policy early enough to attach to your application. A consulate wants to see it with the other documents.
Step 6: Line up somewhere to live
Rent short-term first. A month in an apartment rental tells you more about a town than a year of reading.
Portugal’s D8 asks for proof of accommodation, and other consulates may too. A short-term rental booking may satisfy it, so ask your consulate before you book.
Choose the town by rent. In smaller Portuguese cities, a one-bedroom runs about €600 to €900, and central Lisbon runs far higher. Croatia swings from €250 to €400 in small towns to €700 to €1,200 in Dubrovnik.
The full rent ranges for all four countries are in the cheapest-country guide.
Visit before you sign anything. Photos hide the noise and the hill between you and the supermarket.
Utilities matter more than they look. Heating pushes winter bills up in Slovenia, and Malta’s stay low, according to the cost databases I used.
Ask the landlord for a lease that matches your first permit. A one-year permit pairs with a one-year lease, and a landlord who wants three years is a red flag.
Keep the first lease short and your deposit small. You’ll know the neighborhood after a month, and a second lease in the right place is easy to find.
Step 7: Apply
Where you apply depends on the country. Portugal’s consulates handle D7 and D8 applications for Americans, and each one covers specific US states, so find yours before you book anything.
Spain’s non-lucrative visa also starts at the consulate. The visa is valid for 90 days, and once you’re in Spain you apply for a Foreigner Identity Card within one month at the foreigners’ office or a police station. The initial residence permit is processed alongside the visa, and you collect the visa in person within a month of approval.
Croatia flips the order. Americans can enter visa-free and then apply in person at a police station while they’re legally in the country.
Slovenia’s remote-work permit has only existed since November 2025, and the guides I read disagree on whether you apply from abroad or after you arrive. Check the government page.
Germany starts with the employer. The contract comes first, and for the reduced salary threshold the Federal Employment Agency must approve the role.
Rejections happen. Spain lets you appeal within one month by submitting a letter in person at the consular section.
The consulate looks at the same things everywhere: proof of income, valid insurance, a clean record and a place to live. A complete file moves faster than a perfect one with a gap in it.
Book your appointment early and work backward from it. Your FBI check, your apostille and your translation all have to land inside the appointment window.
The wait after you apply is the hardest part. Keep copies of everything you submitted, and answer any consulate request for extra documents the same day. A slow reply can restart the clock.
I’d wait for the approval before buying a one-way flight. A visa decision can take longer than anyone promises.
Step 8: Sort your US taxes and money
Moving doesn’t end your US tax duties. You still report worldwide income on Form 1040 wherever you live.
Two items come up for nearly every American abroad. The foreign earned income exclusion lets qualifying people exclude up to $130,000 for the 2025 tax year, and the FBAR requires a report on foreign accounts that top $10,000 at any point in the year.
Each country adds its own rules. Spain taxes your worldwide income once you stay more than 183 days, and a US-Spain treaty prevents double taxation. Americans still file US returns.
Slovenia uses the same 183-day test. Croatia and Malta tax nomad income in their own ways, which I covered in the cheapest-country guide.
Social Security is simple. The taxes on overseas benefits are the same as for retirees living in the US. Direct deposit into a US account avoids check-cashing and currency fees, and the SSA offers direct deposit in some foreign countries as well.
Keep a US bank account open. Many banks and brokers want a US address on file, so ask yours what happens when you leave.
Book an hour with an expat tax accountant before you go. I’m not a tax professional, and filing mistakes abroad are expensive to fix.
Ask your accountant about your US state, too. Some states keep treating you as a resident after you leave, and that bill arrives at the same time as the federal one.
Open a local bank account once you have your residence card. Rent and utilities run through it.
Step 9: Ship or sell your belongings
Shipping a household to Europe from the USA costs more than most people expect, and the quotes vary wildly. I found guides that disagree by thousands of dollars.
For small loads, one guide puts shared-container shipping (LCL) at $1,500 to $4,000. A mover who shipped 10 to 15 cubic metres to Portugal reports $4,000 to $7,000 all-in, and another writer paid $3,400 all-in for about 11 cubic metres to Germany.
A full 20-foot container costs more. The same first guide quotes $3,500 to $7,000 for ports in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Ireland, and says Spain, Portugal and Italy run higher. It also quotes $6,000 to $12,000 for Europe in general, which tells you how soft these numbers are.
LCL is billed by volume, so every cubic metre you cut saves roughly $100 to $140, per one mover’s 2026 math. Air freight is the panic option at about $5 to $10 a kilo.
My stance: ship less. Furniture is cheaper to replace than to freight, so sell the sofa and keep the books and anything you can’t replace.
Used household goods often pass customs duty-free, with conditions. One mover reported that a certified inventory list and six months of prior use waived VAT and duty in Portugal. Ask your shipper to confirm the rule for your destination.
Timing matters as much as price. One shipper quotes 8 to 16 weeks door to door from the US West Coast, while another gives 3 to 6 weeks for sea freight. LCL sails only when the container fills.
Pets have their own entry rules, which I haven’t researched here. Check the destination country’s official pet-travel page and the USDA before you book anything.
Step 10: Land and Register
Landing starts the clock on your local paperwork, and the deadlines are short. Spain gives you one month to apply for your Foreigner Identity Card, and other countries set their own windows. Ask your consulate for the list.
At the border, expect fingerprints and a photo. The EU’s Entry/Exit System became fully operational on 10 April 2026, and it tracks your days in the Schengen Area automatically. ETIAS, the travel authorization for Americans, had no launch date as of late September 2026.
Register your address wherever the country requires it. Hotels often handle that for visitors, and a rental landlord or a local office handles it for residents.
Then finish the setup list: a local bank account, a tax ID where the country issues one, and enrollment with the local health system if your permit allows it. Keep your private policy active until the local coverage starts.
Spend the first 30 days on the unglamorous list. Register your address, apply for the residence card, open the bank account and book a first appointment with a local doctor.
Don’t treat arrival as the end. Most permits renew yearly or need proof that you spent enough days in the country, so keep a folder of your lease, your bank statements and your insurance.
The Spain non-lucrative route, start to finish
Spain’s route is the most documented, so it works as a template. Every step below comes from the Spanish consulate pages or the visa guides I linked.
You need €2,400 a month for the main applicant, with €600 more for each family member. That’s €3,000 a month for a couple. The money has to come from savings or passive income, and the consulate wants original documents with an official stamp and seal.
You then collect the apostilled FBI check, the sworn translation and a private Spanish health insurance policy. The application goes to the consulate that covers your US state, and Americans pay $140.
The visa is valid for 90 days. You collect it in person within a month of approval and travel to Spain. Within a month of arrival, you apply for the Foreigner Identity Card.
The first permit lasts one year. Renewals run in two-year blocks, and one visa guide says permanent residency follows after five years.
Two rules decide whether the route fits. You can’t work in Spain or remotely for anyone else, and a stay of more than 183 days in a calendar year makes you a Spanish tax resident.
The Portugal D8 route, start to finish
The D8 is the remote worker’s counterpart to Spain’s visa. It asks for active income from outside Portugal of at least four times the national minimum wage.
Most guides put the 2026 figure at €3,680 a month, based on a €920 minimum wage. One guide lists a lower number, so confirm it with your consulate. The bar rises by 50% for a spouse and 30% for each child.
Your file adds health insurance valid in Portugal with at least €30,000 in coverage, plus proof of accommodation. A visa consultant says Portuguese consulates require an apostilled FBI check for the D7 and D8, and that a bare FBI report won’t be accepted.
You apply through the consulate that covers your US state. Requirements can differ a little between consulates, so ask yours for its current list.
Portugal approved changes to its nationality law in 2026, so skip old citizenship timelines. Check the current rules before you plan on a passport.
The Germany Blue Card route, start to finish
The Blue Card starts with a job. Without a signed contract, there’s no application.
The contract must run at least 6 months, and the gross salary must reach €50,700 a year. Shortage occupations, recent graduates and some IT specialists qualify at €45,934.20, with Federal Employment Agency approval.
Your degree matters too. One guide says your foreign degree must be recognized in Germany, which you can check in the ANABIN database.
Base salary has to clear the bar by itself, according to the same guide. A contract below the threshold gets rejected by the foreigners authority, so negotiate the number before you sign.
Which step trips up each route
Each route has one spot where applications stall. Find yours and give that step extra time.
| Route | Where it stalls |
|---|---|
| Portugal D8 or D7 | The income number, and the apostilled FBI check |
| Spain non-lucrative | The work ban, and the sworn translation |
| Germany Blue Card | A contract below the threshold, and degree recognition |
| Croatia nomad permit | The in-country application, and the cooldown that follows |
| Malta nomad permit | The €3,500 monthly bar, and the five-month presence rule |
| Slovenia nomad permit | New rules that guides report inconsistently, and no extension |
What your permit lets you do
Each permit has a rule about work, and breaking it can cost you the permit.
Croatia’s nomad permit covers remote work for a company outside Croatia, and it doesn’t give you the right to live or work in the rest of the Schengen Area. Slovenia’s requires all your income to come from outside the country, and a single Slovenian client can make you ineligible. Malta’s lets you work remotely for employers or clients abroad, and you can’t work for Maltese companies.
Spain’s non-lucrative visa allows no work at all. Portugal’s D8 is built for remote work from outside Portugal, and the D7 is built for passive income.
If you want a local job later, plan for a different permit. A nomad permit is a base, and a work permit is a separate application.
What changes after year one
Most of these permits are short, so renewal planning starts on day one.
Portugal’s D8 comes as a one- or two-year visa and can be renewed. Spain’s non-lucrative permit renews in two-year blocks after the first year. Malta’s nomad permit is issued for a year and renews if you spent at least five months in Malta over the previous year.
Croatia’s permit runs up to 18 months in recent guides, and a six-month cooldown follows. Time on it doesn’t count toward permanent residence. Slovenia’s permit lasts up to one year and can’t be extended, so a second year means a different permit.
Keep proof of your days on the ground. Boarding passes and rental contracts answer most questions a renewal officer asks.
Track your income the same way. A bar you cleared by €200 in year one can sit above your income at renewal, because thresholds rise every January.
Moving with a partner or kids
Family members raise the income bar in most countries.
Portugal’s D8 threshold rises by 50% for a spouse and 30% for each child. Spain adds €600 a month per family member to its €2,400 base. Slovenia lets family members join you without the usual waiting periods, according to the guides I read.
Everyone needs their own insurance policy and their own paperwork. Expect to show birth and marriage certificates for family members, and ask your consulate whether adults need their own FBI check.
Schools and healthcare decide where a family lives. I haven’t researched either, so check each country’s rules with the local authorities.
Budget for the second plane ticket and the second shipment of clothes. Small costs multiply fast across a household.
Do you need a lawyer or a visa service?
You can file most of these applications yourself. The forms are public, and the consulate pages list every document.
A visa consultant I read called the FBI apostille the biggest cause of delayed or failed Portugal applications. That’s the step where a service earns its fee: timing the check, handling the apostille and arranging the translation.
Ask any service for a fixed fee, a written list of what it covers and the name of the consulate it files with. Walk away from anyone who promises approval.
A tax accountant is the one professional I’d always hire. Immigration rules are public, and tax mistakes compound in private.
How much does it cost to move to Europe?
Most of the cost sits outside the visa fee. The fees are small: Spain charges Americans $140, Malta’s nomad permit costs about €300, and the FBI check was $18 in one guide.
| Cost | When | What I found |
|---|---|---|
| Visa or permit fee | One-time | Spain $140, Malta about €300, Slovenia’s card about €50 |
| FBI check | One-time | $18 in one guide |
| Apostille, translations, lawyer | One-time | No reliable averages, so get quotes |
| Shipping | One-time | $1,500 to $12,000 |
| Living costs, rent included | Monthly | €1,400 to €1,900 for a single person in Portugal or Croatia |
| Health insurance | Monthly | roughly €50 to €100 a person |
Your living cushion is the big number. Three months at the €1,400 to €1,900 a single person spends in Portugal or Croatia comes to €4,200 to €5,700.
Flights and translations come on top, and I haven’t found reliable averages for those, so get quotes.
A couple needs more headroom. Spain’s income bar alone is €3,000 a month for two people, and the cushion doubles with the household.
Add it up for your own case with real quotes. A guide’s total hides the one number that decides your budget, which is how much stuff you ship.
Pros and cons of moving to Europe from the USA
The pros are concrete:
- Rent in smaller Portuguese cities runs about €600 to €900 for a one-bedroom.
- Croatia exempts qualifying foreign income from local tax during its nomad permit, and Malta taxes it at 10% after the first year.
- All four countries in my comparison sit inside the Schengen Area and use the euro.
- You can try a country for 90 days without any permit.
The cons are concrete too:
- Remote-work permits ask for €3,100 to €3,700 a month, well above what you’d spend.
- Medicare doesn’t follow you, so you pay for private insurance.
- You still file US taxes every year.
- Many permits are temporary. Croatia’s time doesn’t count toward permanent residence, and Malta’s permit has no route to it.
Nothing on either list is permanent. A permit lasts a year or two, and you can leave when it ends.
The paperwork is slow, and the distance from family is real.
A 12-month timeline
Twelve to nine months out, pick your route and country, and read the official thresholds. Book your expat tax accountant now, because good ones fill up.
Nine to six months out, collect insurance and shipping quotes. Decide what you’ll sell, and spend a week in your top town if you haven’t.
Six to three months out, order the FBI check so it lands inside your freshness window. Then apostille it, translate it where required and book the consulate appointment.
Three to one month out, line up short-term housing and sell your belongings. Ship what’s left on the container schedule your mover gives you, because LCL departs only when a container fills.
In the last month, set up Social Security direct deposit and tell your bank where you’re going. Photograph every document and keep paper copies, because consulates ask for originals.
After you land, give yourself the first two months to settle. Registration and the residence card both land in that window.
I’d plan on six months from the first document to the visa in hand. Your timeline depends on your consulate’s queue, and one slipped appointment can push everything.
Before you leave: the US to-do list
A few chores sit outside the visa and still cause trouble if you skip them.
Tell your bank and card issuers where you’re going, and ask what each one requires for a US address on file. Keep a US phone number that can receive text messages, because many US accounts send security codes by SMS. Set up mail forwarding or a mail service for anything official, such as tax forms.
Set up your Social Security direct deposit before you go, and confirm the SSA has your new address. Photograph every document you carry and store copies in two places, since consulates sometimes ask for originals.
Mistakes that cost the most
Ordering the FBI check too early is the classic one. Spain’s most common rejection reason in one guide is an expired background check.
Applying under the wrong route is next. Remote workers who apply for Spain’s non-lucrative visa get refused, because that visa bans all work.
Old thresholds trip people up constantly. Plenty of pages still quote Malta’s €32,400 and Germany’s €48,300, and both went up.
Shipping a whole house is an expensive habit. The freight bill follows your volume, and every cubic metre costs real money.
Assuming Medicare travels with you is a painful surprise. Medicare stops at the border, and an uninsured hospital stay abroad costs far more than a policy.
Booking non-refundable flights before the visa decision is an expensive guess. A delay then costs you the fare.
Buying property before you’ve lived somewhere is tempting, because Spain’s non-lucrative visa allows purchases. A lease costs far less to leave.
Ignoring your US state taxes is a quiet one. Some states keep treating you as a resident after you go.
Treating a nomad permit as a path to residency is the last one. In Croatia, Malta and Slovenia, these permits are temporary bases, and the cheapest-country guide explains which ones lead anywhere.
What to do this week
Four small actions get the checklist moving:
- Write down your monthly income, its source and who pays it.
- Open the official page for the one permit that fits.
- Book an hour with an expat tax accountant.
- Hold off on ordering the FBI check until you know your consulate’s freshness rule.
The rest of the checklist works from those four.
Conclusion
Moving from the USA to Europe is a six-month project built on one fact: your income type picks your visa. Choose the route first and everything else follows in order.
If you’re still deciding where, read my comparison of Portugal, Croatia, Slovenia and Malta. If you want a low-risk test of European life first, my 3-day Belgrade itinerary and my list of 14 things to do in Belgrade show how a Balkan capital works for a short stay. More trips are in the Europe guides.
Tell me in the comments which step is blocking you.
FAQs
How do I move to Europe from the USA?
Pick a route that matches your income, then choose a country and check its official rules. Gather your documents, including an apostilled FBI check, buy health insurance and apply at the consulate or in the country, depending on the permit. Then handle taxes, shipping and local registration.
How hard is it to move to Europe from the USA?
The visas are available, and the hard part is meeting the income bar and the paperwork. Remote workers need roughly €3,100 to €3,700 a month, and Spain’s non-lucrative visa needs €2,400 a month of passive income. Expect months of document work.
Can I move to Europe without a job?
Yes, on a passive-income route. Portugal’s D7 and Spain’s non-lucrative visa are built for people who live on pensions, Social Security or investments. Both ask you to prove steady income, and neither needs an employer.
How much money do I need to move to Europe?
You need to show the income bar for your permit and hold a cushion for the first months. Three months of living costs run about €4,200 to €5,700 for one person in Portugal or Croatia. Add shipping, insurance and fees.
What is the easiest country in Europe to move to?
It depends on your income type. A remote worker has Portugal, Croatia, Slovenia and Malta, a retiree has Portugal and Spain, and a job holder has Germany. My cheapest-country guide compares the first four.
Can I retire in Europe from the USA?
Yes. Portugal’s D7 and Spain’s non-lucrative visa both accept pensions and Social Security as qualifying income. Plan for private health insurance, because Medicare doesn’t cover care abroad.
Do I keep my Social Security if I move to Europe?
Yes, in the countries covered by the SSA’s payment rules, which include Portugal, Spain, Croatia, Malta and Slovenia. You can have benefits deposited into a US account. Supplemental Security Income stops when you leave.
Do I still pay US taxes if I live in Europe?
Yes. You report worldwide income to the IRS every year, and you may qualify for the foreign earned income exclusion. Talk to an expat tax accountant before you move.
What documents do I need to move to Europe from the USA?
Expect a passport, an application form, an apostilled FBI check with a sworn translation, proof of income, health insurance and proof of where you’ll live. Spain may also want a long-form birth certificate. The consulate’s list is the one that counts.
Do I need an apostille?
For most long-stay permits, yes. The FBI check is a federal document, so the State Department issues the apostille and your home state can’t. Translate it afterward, because you can’t apostille a translation.
Can Americans live in Europe without a visa?
Only as visitors. You can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen Area. Living there longer needs a permit.
Which European country has the lowest income requirement for Americans?
Among the routes I covered, Portugal’s D7 is the lowest. Its bar is roughly Portugal’s monthly minimum wage, which several guides put at €920 for 2026, and it’s built for passive income. Remote-work permits start around €3,100 a month, so confirm the figure with the consulate.
Can I work remotely on Spain’s non-lucrative visa?
No. The visa bans all work, including remote work for a foreign employer. Remote workers need Spain’s separate digital nomad visa.
What should I do first when moving to Europe?
Match your income type to a route. That one step decides which countries are open to you.
How long does it take to move to Europe from the USA?
I’d plan on about six months from your first document to a visa in hand. The FBI check takes 2 to 8 weeks, the apostille adds roughly 7 to 9 business days, and the consulate sets the rest. Add shipping time after that.