Most vets who struggle overseas didn't pick the wrong country. They did things in the wrong order, and they did them alone.
This page is the roadmap we wish someone had handed us. It covers what to settle before you leave, what to do in your first month on the ground, and where to get answers when the official websites go quiet. Every step links to a deeper guide with official sources. And at every step, there are veterans in the OCONUS Veterans community who have already done it in the country you're looking at.
New here? Join free first. Introduce yourself in Welcome & Intros, tell us where you are headed, and someone who lives there will usually reply the same day.
1. Pick a country, then visit before you commit
Compare the things that actually decide whether you stay: language, climate, cost, distance to a good hospital, flight time home, and how the visa works for someone your age and income. If VA care matters to you, the Philippines has the only VA clinic outside the United States. If you want U.S. time zones and a pensionado visa, look at Latin America. If you want a base community, look at Europe or Japan and Korea.
- Shortlist two or three countries with the country guides.
- Spend at least a month in your top choice, ideally in the rainy or hot season, before you sign anything.
- Visit the hospital you would use, not just the beach.
- Ask in your target country's group what a normal month really costs. Members answer this all the time.
2. Settle your VA claims before you leave
Finish open claims and appeals while you still have a U.S. address and easy access to exams. File an Intent to File if you're still gathering evidence. It protects your effective date for a year. Claims can be filed from abroad, but exams and mail take longer. Read VA claims from overseas for how exams work abroad, and call VA at 1-800-827-1000 while you can still do it from a U.S. number.
Before you go, download your Foreign Medical Program benefits letter from VA.gov. It's the document overseas hospitals ask for. The FMP guide explains how reimbursement works and where claims are mailed.
3. Choose the right visa, not just the easy one
A tourist stamp isn't a plan. Most popular countries have a retiree, pensionado or long-stay visa, and military retired pay is a lifetime government pension that often qualifies. A few examples from our guides:
- Philippines: the SRRV retiree visa from age 40. Read our SRRV basics.
- Thailand: retirement visas from age 50, and visa-free entry was cut to 30 days on Sept 15, 2026. See what changed.
- Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador: pension-based residency. Compare them on the Latin America page.
- Europe: Schengen limits visitors to 90 days in any 180, so long stays need a national visa.
Visa rules change without warning. When they do, members post it in the country group first. Join free to get the heads-up.
4. Plan your healthcare
Medicare doesn't pay abroad. The Foreign Medical Program covers service-connected conditions only. Know your TRICARE or CHAMPVA options and price local insurance or a hospital plan for everything else. Consider medical evacuation coverage if you'll live far from a major city. Military retirees should read the retirees checklist, especially the part about keeping Medicare Part B for TRICARE For Life.
Save your region's Veterans Crisis Line number in your phone before you fly. 988 does not work from overseas. Europe is +1 844-702-5495, Asia-Pacific is +1 844-702-5493, Latin America is +1 866-989-9599. All regions here.
5. Set up your money
VA pays into local bank accounts in 30 countries. Elsewhere, keep a U.S. account. Call +1 918-781-7550 to set up international direct deposit, because it can't be done in your VA.gov profile. See getting paid abroad. Keep a U.S. phone number for bank and VA login codes, and get expat tax advice before you become a tax resident somewhere new.
6. Pack the paperwork
- DD-214, VA award letters, rating decision, FMP letter. Paper copies plus encrypted cloud copies.
- Passport valid at least 6 months past your planned stay, with blank pages.
- Marriage and birth certificates, apostilled if your new country requires it.
- Medical records and a 90-day supply of prescriptions, with the generic names written down.
- Military retirees: ID card, DFAS account access in myPay, SBP details.
- Enroll in the State Department's STEP program.
7. Rent first, buy later (if ever)
Rent for at least six months before buying anything. Neighborhoods that look perfect in February can flood in August. Most of Southeast Asia won't let foreigners own land at all, and buying through a partner or nominee is how a lot of vets lose everything. Each country guide has a property section that explains the rules.
8. Your first 30 days on the ground
- Register your address with immigration if the country requires it (Thailand's 90-day reporting, for example).
- Update your foreign physical address with VA. Missing addresses are a top reason overseas claims stall.
- Find your hospital, pharmacy and emergency number, and save them in your phone.
- Open a local bank account if your visa needs one.
- Post in your country group and go to a meetup. Join here if you haven't yet.
9. Find your people
This is the step most guides skip, and it's the one that decides whether you stay. Loneliness hits a lot of vets abroad around month three, when the novelty wears off. Having two or three people nearby who understand military life makes everything else easier, from the hospital visit to the visa office.
That's why OCONUS Veterans exists. Join the free community, pick your country group, and check Meetups. If nothing is happening in your city yet, host the first one.
Don't do this alone
Vets who've already made the move answer questions in every country group. Free, every branch.
Your 12-month timeline
12 months out
Shortlist countries. File an Intent to File if you have conditions to claim. Start your passport renewal if it expires within 2 years.
9 months out
Scouting trip. Visit hospitals and neighborhoods. Join the country group and ask the questions Google can't answer.
6 months out
Finish claims and appeals. Gather documents for the visa. Get apostilles. Talk to an expat tax professional.
3 months out
Apply for the visa. Download your FMP letter. Price health insurance and medevac coverage. Decide what to sell, store or ship.
1 month out
Set up direct deposit or confirm your U.S. account. Enroll in STEP. Save Crisis Line and embassy numbers. Book a short-term rental.
First 90 days
Register locally, update your VA address, find a doctor, go to a meetup, and start looking for a long-term rental.
Mistakes we see over and over
- Moving on a tourist stamp and planning to "figure out the visa later."
- Letting a claim sit open while the mail chases you around the world.
- Buying property in a partner's name.
- Assuming a clinic is "VA" because it says so on the sign. Check the FMP guide.
- Paying a "claims consultant" who isn't VA-accredited. VA-accredited help is free.
- Not telling anyone back home or nearby where you are.
Ready? Join OCONUS Veterans free, then come say hello in Welcome & Intros.
