How to move abroad in 2026: a step-by-step plan, legal routes and budget

Where to start, the legal routes that work in 2026, the easiest ways to move, moving with little money, from the US and the UK, with a family, children and pets, the documents checklist and how long it takes.

In detail

Moving abroad in 2026 starts with the legal route, not the plane ticket: a work permit, remote work, study, family, retirement income or an investment decides which countries are open to you and how long you can stay. Then come the budget, the documents, housing, a bank account and taxes. Below is a step-by-step plan, the routes that work in 2026, the easiest ways to move, and what changes when you move with a family, little money or from the US and the UK.

How to move abroad: 8 steps

1. Decide why you are moving: a job, a lower cost of living, lower taxes, schooling for children, retirement or a second passport. The goal narrows the list of countries.
2. Choose the legal route you qualify for: a job offer, remote income, study, a spouse in the country, a pension or savings, an investment.
3. Shortlist 2-3 countries where that route is open to your passport, and compare the budget, taxes and time to permanent residence.
4. Count the budget for the first three months: rent and a deposit, living costs, insurance and residence fees, plus a reserve of at least 20%.
5. Prepare the documents at home: passport, birth and marriage certificates, diplomas, a police certificate, bank statements, with legalisation and translations.
6. Apply for the visa or residence permit at the consulate or, where allowed, after arrival.
7. Settle in: rent a home on a lease that works for address registration, register, get a tax number, open a bank account and arrange health insurance.
8. Sort taxes: after about 183 days you usually become tax resident in the new country, so close the tax residency of the previous one.

Legal routes to move abroad in 2026

The detailed comparison of routes by country is on the residence abroad page, and the countries with the fewest requirements are collected in easiest countries to get residency.

The easiest ways to move abroad

• Keep your job and work remotely: a digital nomad permit needs income from abroad, not a local employer; the countries and income thresholds are on the digital nomad visa page.
• Start with a visa-free year in Georgia and apply for residence from inside the country if you decide to stay.
• Take a job in a country with a simple permit: Serbia issues a single residence and work permit in 15 days with no salary threshold.
• Choose Latin America for permanent residence: Paraguay gives permanent residence at once for an investment from $70,000, and Uruguay gives it straight away to retirees with stable income.
• Study: a student permit opens the country, part-time work and, in many countries, a job-seeker period after graduation.

How to move abroad with little money

• Choose a country with a low cost of living: one person needs from $1,000-1,300 a month in Georgia, Kazakhstan, Montenegro, Serbia or Malaysia; the full ranking is in cheapest countries to live in.
• Move with a job: a work permit means a salary from the first month, and in Serbia and Poland the entry threshold is low.
• Use a working holiday visa if you are young enough: it needs savings for the first weeks, not a job offer.
• Keep remote income and live where a one-bedroom flat in the capital costs from $450 a month, as in Almaty or Podgorica.

The budget for the first three months with a deposit and fees is compared across 40 countries in the cost of living by country table.

Moving abroad from the US

US citizens can live visa-free for a year in Georgia and stay up to 180 days on arrival in Mexico and Panama, which makes it easy to test a country before applying for residence. For a long stay, Americans most often use remote work permits, retirement residence and work visas. The US keeps taxing its citizens abroad: you file a US return every year, but up to $132,900 of foreign earned income in 2026 can be excluded and income tax paid abroad is credited.

Moving abroad from the UK

UK citizens stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa; living longer in an EU country needs a national visa or residence permit through work, remote income, retirement income or family. UK citizens up to 35 can get a working holiday visa in Australia and New Zealand, and young people can also use the youth mobility scheme with Canada. Once you leave, you become non-resident under the statutory residence test and pay UK tax only on UK income, such as rent from a UK flat.

Moving abroad with a family, children and pets

• Family - a spouse and children usually get dependant permits on the main applicant's route, and the income threshold rises with each family member.
• Children - you need birth certificates with legalisation, school records and, if one parent moves with a child, the other parent's consent; places in public schools are given once you have an address.
• Pets - for the EU a dog or cat needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel and an animal health certificate; Australia and New Zealand also require an import permit and quarantine.

Moving abroad checklist: documents to prepare

• a passport valid for the whole visa period and beyond;
• birth and marriage certificates, diplomas and transcripts with legalisation and certified translations;
• a police certificate, usually issued no more than 3-6 months before the application;
• bank statements and proof of income or savings for the visa threshold;
• health insurance valid in the new country;
• a driving licence and an international driving permit;
• medical and vaccination records for adults, children and pets.

How long it takes to move abroad

From the decision to the move usually takes 3 to 6 months: 1-2 months for documents, from 15 days for a permit in Serbia to several months for an employer's permit in Western Europe, and a few weeks to find a home. A visa-free start, as in Georgia, cuts the wait to the time it takes to buy a ticket.

How Murblz helps

We match a country and a legal route to your goal, income and family, calculate the budget, prepare and legalise the documents, apply for the residence permit and help with housing, a bank account and tax registration after arrival. Mistakes cost more than advice: a route that does not lead to permanent residence, documents without legalisation, and tax residency left behind in the previous country.

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