A timeline from twelve months before the move to the end of the first year, and the twelve mistakes that cost retirees most: tax residency, health cover, wills, remote purchases and more.
Retiring abroad is usually decided in a few good weeks on holiday and paid for over many years. This article puts the practical work in order: a timeline from twelve months before the move to the end of the first year, then the twelve mistakes that cost retirees the most, each with a fix and a link to the guide that covers it. It is general information, not legal, tax or medical advice. Rules differ by country and change, so confirm every point with your pension institution and a local adviser.
Twelve to six months before
- Spend a trial stay of several months in the place you have in mind, including its least pleasant season, before you sell anything at home.
- Ask your pension institution how it pays a pension to someone living abroad, in which currency, to which kind of account, and how often it wants proof that you are alive. The Your Europe portal recommends contacting the pension authority at least six months before retirement; see moving a pension abroad.
- If you receive a state pension from one EU country and will live in another, plan the S1 form for health cover before you change your address.
- Talk to a tax adviser about when you stop being tax-resident at home and start being resident in the new country, and about the double taxation treaty between them. See tax residency when relocating.
- Price the real running costs of the place, not only the rent or the purchase price. See total cost of ownership abroad.
Six to three months before
- Open a local bank account or confirm how your pension will reach you, and keep your home account. See opening a bank account abroad as a non-resident owner.
- Review your will with a lawyer in each country where you own property. See a will for property abroad in several countries.
- Arrange health, home and travel insurance that fits a resident, including medical evacuation where relevant. See home insurance for property abroad.
- Decide what happens to your home and belongings: sell, let or keep. See moving belongings and pets.
The move and the first year
- Register your residence, then your health cover (the S1 if it applies) and your tax status in the new country.
- Tell every paying institution your new address and any change of bank account.
- Keep a simple record of the days you spend in each country and of your ties to each.
- After four seasons, compare your real spending with the plan and only then make the large decisions, such as selling your home at home or buying abroad.
Proof that you are alive
Pensions paid abroad often come with a recurring formality. According to the Polish pension institution ZUS, pensioners living abroad must confirm that they are still entitled to their benefit, usually with a signed form whose signature is certified by the competent office or authorised person in the country of residence, or by a Polish consular post. If the confirmation does not arrive, payment may be suspended until it does. ZUS has agreed electronic checks with some countries so that no action is needed from the pensioner, and it asks to be told promptly about changes such as a new bank account. Other institutions have their own procedures. Ask yours how and how often, and check the current requirement before you rely on a rule you remember.
The twelve mistakes
1. Selling at home before testing the place for a full year. A place can be perfect in May and empty, hot or expensive in January and August. Fix: rent first, live through every season and keep your option to return. See climate, heat and seasons. 2. Selling too early or in a bad market. A sale takes time and costs money, and the proceeds do not have to be spent at once. Fix: separate the timing of the sale from the timing of the move; the same logic is described in selling property: timeline and pitfalls. 3. Ignoring health cover and long-term care. Within the EU a pensioner can usually register an S1 and receive care in the new country on local terms, but according to a UK NHS page an S1 does not cover private healthcare, and services differ widely between countries. We found no single EU rule on long-term care such as care homes or home help, so ask about it separately. See healthcare for EU residents abroad. 4. The tax residency trap. Where you are taxed follows your tax residency and the treaty between the two countries, not your passport or where you own a flat. Fix: agree the dates of leaving and arriving with an adviser and keep records. See tax residency when relocating. 5. Moving only the pension and not the bank account. Pensions are generally paid into an account in the country where you live, and a change of account must be reported. Fix: set up the local account before the first payment is due and tell every institution. See opening a bank account abroad. 6. A will that does not work in both countries. Within most of the EU one law governs the whole estate, normally the law of your last habitual residence unless you chose your national law in a will. Fix: update the will after you move and register inherited property correctly. See the EU Succession Regulation and registering inherited property. 7. Buying remotely without checking title and costs. The purchase is the largest expense of the plan and the hardest to reverse. Fix: use your own lawyer and a written checklist before any deposit. See the pre-purchase checklist and buying remotely. 8. Choosing by holiday memory. Summer prices, crowds and opening hours say little about a resort town in winter. Fix: visit out of season, and see empty property abroad for what an unused house needs. 9. No plan for illness or the death of a spouse. Language, isolation and rules for survivors matter more later than at 60. Within the EU survivors' pensions are coordinated, not harmonised, so national conditions still apply. In Poland, from 1 January 2025 a widow or widower can combine a survivor's pension with their own, one paid in full and the other in a share (reported as 15% until the end of 2026 and 25% from 2027, with an age condition and a cap). We did not find whether this works for someone living abroad, so ask the paying institution. See buying as a couple. 10. Underestimating running costs. Property tax, community fees, utilities and insurance recur every year, and they vary strongly by country. Fix: build the budget from real bills. See annual property tax and bills by country and utilities and community fees. 11. Relying on one agent or lawyer recommended by the seller. They may be honest, but they are not on your side by structure. Fix: choose your own lawyer. See one agent or one lawyer is not enough. 12. No plan to return. Health, family or the market may change your mind, and moving money back costs time and sometimes tax. Fix: know how you would sell, how long it takes and how proceeds are moved. See repatriating money after a sale.
FAQ
Do I lose my state pension if I move within the EU? In principle no. EU social security rules are built so that statutory pensions are paid to people who live in another EU or EEA country, usually into a bank account in the country where they live. Each paying institution can still ask for proof that you are alive and where you live.
How early should I contact my pension institution? The Your Europe portal advises doing so at least six months before retirement. If you are already retired, ask before you change your address.
Is an S1 enough for all healthcare costs? No. It gives you access to the public system on local terms, and the paying country normally bears the cost, but private care, supplementary cover and local co-payments are separate, and the quality and waiting times differ by country.
What this means for a normal retiree
- Test first, sell later. A year of rent is cheaper than a regretted sale.
- Treat the pension, the health cover, the tax residency and the will as one project, not four.
- Start the paperwork six months before the move; some institutions only act on request.
- Build the budget from real local bills, not from holiday prices.
- Choose your own lawyer, bank and insurer.
For country-by-country detail see our guides to retiring in Portugal, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Montenegro. If you are weighing a property abroad as part of the move, an independent buyer-side adviser such as D.H. Realting, a Warsaw-based consultant, can help you compare options and bring in a local lawyer.