Country Guides for Brits: The Starter Guide

With a UK passport you can move almost anywhere, as long as you get permission to live there first. The right country for you comes down to three things:

This guide helps you narrow it down: where you can go, the countries we've covered so far, how to pick, and what to watch out for. Each section points to the guide that covers it in depth.

Far more places than most people think. Most countries offer UK citizens at least one way to live there long term, from Spain and Malta to Thailand and Australia. What decides your shortlist is which route you qualify for: through remote work, a local job, retirement, savings or family (joining a partner or close relative who lives there, or claiming citizenship through a parent or grandparent).

A UK passport on its own only lets you visit. That covers holidays and family trips for a limited time, but in most countries it doesn't give you the right to live there or to work, even remotely for a UK employer. To move, you need the right visa or permit for that country. Our Visas and Residency starter guide explains the five main types.

We checked this guide against official government sources in October 2026. Rules change, so always check the official source before you act.

These are the countries we've covered in depth so far, and we add new ones regularly. Each guide goes through the routes, living costs, tax and healthcare, so start with the ones that fit your budget and plans. Our round-ups, linked in section 6, compare more countries.

Figures as of October 2026, converted at €1 = £0.85. Most bars rise every year, so always check the current figure with the consulate.

📬 Thinking of somewhere we haven't covered yet? Email us at [email protected] and tell us where. Your suggestions help decide which country we cover next.

Four questions narrow it down fast.

Once you have two or three countries in mind, compare them on the same five things.

Most country guides online are written for Americans or EU citizens. These are the things they miss for someone leaving the UK.

The 90/180 rule covers the whole Schengen area. If you're looking at Europe: since Brexit, you get 90 days in any 180 across the whole Schengen area (29 European countries with no border checks between them), not 90 days per country. A permit in one country doesn't give you unlimited stays in the others.

A visa doesn't end your UK tax. Becoming resident somewhere new doesn't make you non-resident in the UK; HMRC decides that separately. Our Tax and HMRC starter guide explains how.

Visa runs are a trap, not a plan. Leaving and coming back to reset your visitor days isn't a way to live somewhere. If you want to stay, use a proper route.

Your NHS cover doesn't move with you. Once you live abroad you usually lose free NHS care. Our guide to the NHS trap explains what to put in place.

UK paperwork takes time and money. Most applications need a police certificate and stamped, translated documents, and each stamp (apostille) costs £45 per document plus courier. Start these first.

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These are the questions UK movers ask again and again, on British Expats and Expat.com.

With the route, not the country. Work out which visa you could qualify for, based on how you'll earn, then shortlist the countries that offer it. If a parent or grandparent was born in Ireland or another EU country, check that first: a second passport can beat any visa.

It can be. Of the countries we've compared, living costs start at about £630 a month in Tbilisi, Georgia. But a cheap country with a high visa bar, patchy healthcare or costly flights home can cost more overall, so price the whole move, not just the rent.

Yes, with a visa. You now apply like any other non-EU citizen, through routes such as Spain's digital nomad visa or Malta's nomad permit.

Those with a digital nomad or remote-work route, such as Spain, Greece, Croatia, Malta, Cyprus and Thailand. Your employer needs to agree in writing, as it may have duties in that country too.

Usually, yes. Most routes let partners and children join you, but the income bar rises for each one: in Cyprus and Greece, by 20% for a partner and 15% per child.

Not for the visas we cover. English is an official language in Malta and widely spoken in Cyprus; elsewhere, learning the basics makes daily life far easier.

Always check current requirements with the official source, as rules and thresholds change.

This guide provides general information only and does not constitute legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa requirements and thresholds change frequently. Always verify current requirements with official government sources and consult qualified professionals for advice specific to your situation.

➡️ You can read our full disclaimer here.