Thinking about living overseas after the military? Many veterans and their families have made the move. The first step is to understand your options for becoming a legal resident.
Whether you have family ties to another country, plan to study, or simply want to enjoy retirement abroad, most countries offer visa options for long-term stays. Start your research on the embassy or foreign affairs website of your destination country.
In this article, we break down some of the most common legal pathways to living overseas and share real examples of veterans and their families who have successfully made the leap.
1. Family Heritage
If your parent or grandparent was a citizen of a foreign country, you may have the option to obtain a residence visa or even a passport from that country.
Air Force retiree spouse Veronica Ondrejech’s father was German, and prior to moving overseas, she obtained a German passport. As a European Union (EU) passport holder, she can live and work anywhere in Europe, so moving to Portugal was easy.
Mr. Poppin’ Smoke’s mother was Japanese, and he obtained a residence visa as a “child of a Japanese national.” He, in turn, sponsored me as his wife.
2. Spouse Visas
Married to a passport holder of another country? Your spouse can sponsor you to live in his or her native country. If your spouse has an EU passport, your family can live anywhere in the EU.
Air Force retiree David Adams married an Italian. When he retired from his post-military career, they moved to a small town in northern Italy near his wife’s hometown.
Navy retiree Douglas Craig is married to a Belgian. After he was laid off from his post-military job as a contractor in Stuttgart, he and his wife moved to Ostend, Belgium. He took courses to update his skills to match local job market demand and worked for Belgian companies for another 9 years before fully retiring in 2023.
Read similar interviews with retirees who retired in their spouses’ respective home countries of Poland and Switzerland.
As noted in Veronica’s story above, having an EU passport allows you to live and work anywhere in Europe. Theresa Hernandez, spouse of Army retiree Laz Hernandez, is British. Before Brexit in 2020, Theresa had an EU passport. Theresa and Laz retired to Greece in 2018 and were able to seamlessly obtain residency prior to the Brexit changes.
3. Income-Based Visas
Often called “retirement visas,” these visas are designed primarily for people who have a pension or other source of passive income equal to a minimum amount specified by the host country. Some countries allow applicants to qualify based on assets, e.g., a minimum amount of money in the bank. In many cases, holders of these visas are not authorized to work on the local economy.
Milton Soler moved to Strasbourg, France on a long stay visa with his wife and young daughter.
Heather Proctor obtained Portugal’s popular “D7” visa and moved to Lisbon with her teenage daughter.
Navy retiree, Josh, lives in the popular Thai city of Chiang Mai. He holds a “Type O” visa, which also has a minimum age requirement of 50 years old.
Byron Edgington, an Army National Guard retiree, and his wife, Mariah, moved to Medellin, Colombia on a “pensionado” (pensioner) visa.
Finally, after living in Japan for nearly 3 years, Mr. Poppin’ Smoke and I obtained a Non Lucrative Visa and moved to Rota, Spain.
4. Work Visas
There are several different ways to obtain work-related visas.
Working on U.S. Military Bases
A popular option for veterans and those with experience working for DoD is to find a civilian position on a U.S. military base.You may find positions with contractors or as an employee of the federal government.
Alex Carlson’s last duty station was Yokota AB in Japan, and after retirement from the Air Force, he was able to transition directly into a General Schedule (GS) position with DoD on base. His wife, Christine, obtained a contractor position as a Registered Nurse at the base medical center. This interview with Christine discusses the considerations for a contractor position compared to a GS role.
Another retiree who was able to transition directly from active duty to a GS position at his last duty station is Navy retiree Tony Guyette, whose first post-retirement job was in Rota, Spain.
Phylesia Mickens’ last duty station was Osan Air Base in South Korea. After retirement, she remained in Korea as a tourist, then transitioned to a student visa for a year. Finally, she obtained a Non-Appropriated Funds (NAF) position on base. NAF positions are not subject to federal hiring freezes and as in Phylesia’s case, may offer more flexibility than GS positions.
In many cases, veterans obtain positions working on U.S. military bases overseas while living in the U.S. After retiring from the Army Reserve, Michael Carpentieri somewhat unexpectedly found a job with US Army Garrison Bavaria in Vilseck, Germany.
Other possible opportunities for veterans with relevant experience include NATO and U.S. embassy positions.
Local Positions
Finding a job with a local employer overseas is a possibility, especially if you speak the local language or have a unique skill set.
Air Force veteran Zak Kee was hired by a private company in Germany, as his background and skills fit well with the company’s needs. Although the position did not require German language skills, Zak quickly found that learning German was important to build relationships with colleagues and become part of his local community.
Edward Carn, a Navy retiree, leveraged his skills to obtain a contract position for a company based in Saudi Arabia. He worked as a repair superintendent for ships assigned to the Saudi Navy.
5. Study Visas
There are several ways to obtain legal residence in a foreign country, albeit temporarily, by becoming a student. In some countries, holders of student visas are authorized to work part-time and/or can stay in the country for a year or two post-graduation to pursue a job that will sponsor them for a work visa.
Jennifer Schroll White, and her husband, Jason, an Army retiree, moved to Lucca, Italy. Jennifer enrolled in an Italian language school, which gave her a study visa. Meanwhile, Jason was pursuing his Italian citizenship based on family heritage. He was also using his Post-911 GI Bill to obtain his master’s at a U.S. university online. While his online study wasn’t a factor in his ability to live in Italy, the housing allowance he was earning offset the cost of the couple’s apartment in Lucca.
This Navy retiree explored numerous options for moving his family to New Zealand and finally enrolled in a local university that was accredited by the Veterans Administration for use with the Post-911 Gi Bill. His interview explains how to use the GI Bill at a foreign university.
Army retiree, Sara Kift, also used her GI Bill at a foreign university. She attended Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland to pursue her PhD. After moving to Dublin with her husband and two young children, her husband (also an Army retiree) received a full time offer to work at a local company.
6. Other/No Visa:
It’s possible to stay long-term in some countries by doing “border runs,” meaning you leave the country and return a short time later to “reset” your time in the country as a tourist.
Costa Rica is one example where this strategy works. As explained by retiree spouse Dawn Macaulay, for many expats in Costa Rica, it’s a better option than pursuing a residence visa.
Before relying on this option in your target country, research carefully to ensure that doing border runs indefinitely is a legal and sustainable way to stay long term.
In some countries, such as the Dominican Republic, you can avoid the process of obtaining a residence visa by simply paying an overstay fee when leaving the country after more than a certain period of time. Air Force retiree, Donnie Chamberland, has lived in the Dominican Republic for several years using this strategy.
Other common types of residence visas are Digital Nomad visas (for individuals who can work remotely and prove that they earn a minimum salary) and Golden visas, which require applicants to make a large investment in the country in the form of real estate or other assets.
What’s Next?
Those are just a few of the examples, but your first stop to explore a country’s long term residence options is their embassy or foreign affairs website.
Keep in mind that moving to a foreign country is not the same as becoming a citizen. Also, living overseas does NOT mean you are giving up your American citizenship or any of your earned benefits, such as your military retirement, VA disability compensation, or social security.
Learn more about moving overseas as a veteran in this article.
Also, join our Facebook group, U.S. Military Retirees and Veterans Living Overseas, to exchange advice, experiences, and information about living in a foreign country as a civilian.
With the right visa and solid research, you can turn your overseas dream into reality—start by exploring your options and connecting with others who made the leap!
Poland offers easy paths for those whose parents, etc., left Poland 1921 and after. But in my case, my father and all my relatives left for the US in the early 1900’s when there was no Poland. I contacted the Polish embassy and it was confirmed that I was not eligible under those programs.