Field GuideThe library
Everything we've published.
Country dossiers, visa explainers, topic guides, and side-by-side comparisons — the planning layer.
Country dossiers16 entries
-
01
Moving to Australia from the US: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
Skilled Independent (189) visa, the E-3 for Americans specifically, points testing, Medicare reciprocity, the pet quarantine reality, and what life actually costs in Sydney versus Melbourne versus Brisbane.
-
02
Moving to Costa Rica from the US: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
Cost of living, the Caja vs. private healthcare split, Pensionado and Rentista visas, and the territorial tax system — what you need to plan a move.
-
03
Moving to Croatia from the US: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
Visas, cost of living, healthcare, taxes, and the Digital Nomad Residence Permit — the honest 2026 guide for Americans moving to Croatia.
-
04
Moving to Czechia from the US: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
Visas, cost of living, healthcare, taxes, and the Zivnostensky (trade license) route — the honest 2026 guide for Americans moving to the Czech Republic.
-
05
Moving to France from the US: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
Visa pathways, what life actually costs in Paris versus the regions, the PUMa healthcare system, taxes, and what Americans get wrong about moving to France.
-
06
Moving to Germany from the US: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
Visa pathways including the Chancenkarte, what life actually costs in Berlin versus Munich, how statutory and private health insurance work, taxes, and what Americans get wrong about Germany.
-
07
Moving to Greece from the US: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
Visas, cost of living, healthcare, taxes, and the FIP, Golden Visa, and 7% retiree regime — the honest 2026 guide for Americans moving to Greece.
-
08
Moving to Ireland from the US: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
Visas, cost of living, healthcare, schools, taxes, and the Foreign Births Register — the honest 2026 guide for Americans moving to Ireland.
-
09
Moving to Italy from the US: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
Visa pathways, real numbers on cost and taxes (including the 7% retiree regime), healthcare, and what Americans get wrong when planning a move to Italy.
-
10
Moving to Japan from the US: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
Highly Skilled Professional, Engineer / Specialist, and Specified Skilled Worker visas, the medication-import flag Americans miss, Kokumin Kenko Hoken healthcare, and what life actually costs in Tokyo versus the regions.
-
11
Moving to Malta from the US: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
Visas, cost of living, healthcare, taxes, and the Nomad Residence and PRP routes — the honest 2026 guide for Americans moving to Malta.
-
12
Moving to Mexico from the US: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
Temporary residency, real costs, healthcare, banking, taxes, and the day-1 logistics for Americans moving to Mexico — without the relocation-firm pitch.
-
13
Moving to Panama from the US: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
Visas, cost of living, healthcare, taxes, and the Friendly Nations and Pensionado routes — the honest 2026 guide for Americans moving to Panama.
-
14
Moving to Portugal from the US: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
What you need to move to Portugal — visas, cost of living, healthcare, taxes, schools, pets, and the parts nobody writes about.
-
15
Moving to Spain from the US: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
Cost of living, healthcare, visa pathways, and the real timelines for Americans moving to Spain — without the relocation-firm sales pitch.
-
16
Moving to the Netherlands from the US: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
DAFT, the Highly Skilled Migrant route, the 30%-ruling tax wedge, the housing crunch, BSN registration, and what life actually costs in the Netherlands for Americans.
Visa pathways16 entries
-
01
Costa Rica Pensionado: The Honest 2026 Guide for AmericansMay 2026
Costa Rica's Pensionado residency: $1,000/mo pension proof, Caja enrollment, the cedula process, and the 7-year path to citizenship — without the firm-funnel pitch.
-
02
Croatia Digital Nomad Visa: The Honest 2026 Guide for AmericansMay 2026
Croatia Digital Nomad Residence Permit — income thresholds, the tax-exemption feature, application process, and how it compares to peer EU nomad visas.
-
03
Czech Zivnostensky Trade License Visa: The 2026 Guide for AmericansMay 2026
Czech Republic Zivnostensky (Živnost) trade-license visa — application process, income requirements, the lump-sum tax (paušál), and what to expect.
-
04
Germany Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte): The 2026 Guide for AmericansMay 2026
Germany's points-based job-search visa launched in 2024 — how to score the points, what the application looks like, how it compares to the Blue Card and freelance routes, and the realistic timeline.
-
05
Greece FIP Visa: The Honest 2026 Guide for AmericansMay 2026
Greece Financially Independent Person visa — income thresholds, application process, the 7% retiree tax regime, and what to expect for Americans.
-
06
Ireland Stamp 0 Visa: The Honest 2026 Guide for AmericansMay 2026
Ireland Stamp 0 visa requirements, income thresholds, application process, and what to expect — for Americans seeking independent-means residence in Ireland.
-
07
Italy Elective Residency Visa (ERV): The 2026 Guide for AmericansMay 2026
Italy ERV passive-income requirements, the strict no-work rule, the 7% flat-tax regime for retirees in southern towns, and how the ERV compares to Spain's NLV and Portugal's D7.
-
08
Japan Highly Skilled Professional Visa: The 2026 Guide for AmericansMay 2026
Japan's HSP points system explained — what counts toward 70 points, the 80-point fast track to PR, family eligibility, application steps, and how it compares to the Engineer/Specialist visa.
-
09
Malta Nomad Residence Permit: The Honest 2026 Guide for AmericansMay 2026
Malta Nomad Residence Permit (NRP) — income thresholds, the 10% tax rate, application process, and how it compares to peer EU nomad visas.
-
10
Mexico Temporary Resident Visa: A Practical Guide for Americans (2026)May 2026
Income thresholds, consulate selection, the canjeo process at INM, and the 4-year path to permanent residency in Mexico — without the facilitator pitch.
-
11
Netherlands DAFT Visa: The 2026 Guide for AmericansMay 2026
The Dutch-American Friendship Treaty — €4,500 capital, no language test, sole-proprietor framing, two-year permit renewable. Why DAFT is the easiest EU entry route for entrepreneurial Americans, with the real mechanics.
-
12
Panama Friendly Nations Visa: The Honest 2026 Guide for AmericansMay 2026
Panama Friendly Nations Visa — economic-tie requirements after the 2021 reform, application process, costs, and the path to permanent residence.
-
13
Portugal D7 Visa: The Honest 2026 Guide for AmericansMay 2026
Portugal D7 visa: income thresholds, application steps, the AIMA backlog, and how the D7 actually compares to the D8 and Golden Visa in 2026.
-
14
Portugal D8 Digital Nomad Visa: The 2026 Guide for AmericansMay 2026
Portugal D8 income thresholds, the residency vs. temporary-stay variants, taxes after NHR, and how the D8 compares to Spain's DNV and Italy's DNV for remote workers.
-
15
Spain Digital Nomad Visa: What Americans Need to Know in 2026May 2026
Spain DNV income thresholds, the Beckham Law math, the UGE application route, and how Spain compares to Portugal's D8 and Italy's DNV for remote workers.
-
16
Spain Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV): The 2026 Guide for AmericansMay 2026
Spain NLV income proof, what counts as passive income, the application steps, and how the NLV stacks up against the DNV and Portugal's D7 for retirees.
Topics & planning14 entries
-
01
Best Countries for Single Women Moving Abroad in 2026May 2026
Safety, healthcare, walkability, community, reproductive rights, and visa pathways — the honest country picks for American single women moving abroad.
-
02
Citizenship by Descent: Where Americans QualifyMay 2026
Italy jure sanguinis, Ireland Foreign Births Register, Germany Article 116, Portugal Sephardic Heritage, Spain Democratic Memory Law — the ancestry paths Americans can still use.
-
03
Healthcare Abroad for Americans: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
How healthcare actually works after you leave the US — public systems, residency thresholds, expat insurance, Medicare, and country-by-country quality and access.
-
04
How to Apostille US Documents for a Move Abroad: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
State-by-state secretary of state offices, the federal US State Department apostille, realistic timelines, common mistakes, and what each visa actually needs.
-
05
How to Leave the US: The 2026 Guide for AmericansMay 2026
A practical, honest guide to leaving the US — deciding, picking a country, visa pathways, finances, taxes, healthcare, household, and the first 90 days after you land.
-
06
Medicare When Moving Abroad: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
Does Medicare cover you outside the US? Part A, Part B, Part D, Medigap, Medicare Advantage, the Late Enrollment Penalty — what to do with Medicare when moving abroad.
-
07
Moving Pets Abroad from the US: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
The realistic 6-month timeline for taking dogs and cats out of the US — EU pet passport process, rabies titer countries, breed restrictions by country, IPATA shippers, and country-specific reality tables.
-
08
The 12-Month Moving Abroad Checklist for AmericansMay 2026
Documents, finances, household, pets, and medical tasks to do before moving abroad — sequenced by month, with the bottlenecks called out.
-
09
The Best Countries for American Families in 2026May 2026
Where Americans with kids actually move and stay — schools, healthcare, safety, visa fit, language, and the real trade-offs by country.
-
10
The Best Countries for American Retirees in 2026May 2026
Top destinations for Americans retiring abroad — cost of living, healthcare quality, visa accessibility, and tax wedge — ranked honestly, with the trade-offs.
-
11
The Best Digital Nomad Visas for Americans in 2026May 2026
Ten globally-leading remote-work visas Americans actually use — income thresholds, tax treatments, renewal paths, and family eligibility, ranked honestly with trade-offs.
-
12
US Banking and Investing as an Expat: The 2026 GuideMay 2026
What happens to your Vanguard, Fidelity, Schwab, 401k, IRA, credit cards, and US bank accounts when you move abroad — and how to set them up to keep working.
-
13
US Taxes for Expats: FEIE, FBAR, and What You Actually Owe in 2026May 2026
How US taxes work after you leave — the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, foreign tax credit, FBAR, FATCA, state residency, and the real filing picture for American expats.
-
14
Why Americans Are Moving Abroad in 2026May 2026
The real reasons Americans are leaving — politics, cost of living, healthcare, climate, family, freedom — and what the data and the moves themselves actually show.
Side-by-side comparisons6 entries
-
01
Germany vs Netherlands for Americans: The 2026 ComparisonMay 2026
Cost, visa pathways, healthcare, tax, English access, and lifestyle — Germany vs Netherlands head-to-head for Americans moving to Western Europe.
-
02
Italy vs Spain for Americans: The 2026 ComparisonMay 2026
Cost, visa pathways, healthcare, tax, citizenship clocks — Italy vs Spain head-to-head for Americans choosing between two of Europe's most popular destinations.
-
03
Mexico vs Costa Rica for Americans: Where to RetireMay 2026
Cost, healthcare, visa accessibility, climate, and stability — head-to-head for Americans choosing between Latin America's two top retirement destinations.
-
04
Portugal D7 vs Spain NLV: Head-to-Head for AmericansMay 2026
Portugal D7 vs Spain Non-Lucrative Visa — income thresholds, tax math, processing, citizenship clocks, and which is right for American retirees in 2026.
-
05
Portugal vs Italy for Americans: Where to MoveMay 2026
Cost, visa pathways, healthcare, taxes after NHR, the 7% regime, and citizenship clocks — head-to-head for Americans choosing between Europe's two most popular destinations.
-
06
Spain vs Portugal for Americans: The 2026 ComparisonMay 2026
Cost, visa pathways, healthcare, tax, lifestyle, citizenship clocks — Spain vs Portugal head-to-head for Americans choosing between the two most popular European destinations.