The move for good

Way 5 of 5: living there for good. Living overseas for good. The biggest step, and the one that is hardest to undo, so it usually comes last.

A retired couple with suitcases say goodbye to their adult children at the front gate, moving overseas for good

Is this the right step for you?

Who it suits

  • You have done a trial year and know where you want to live
  • You have spoken to a tax agent and a financial adviser
  • You are comfortable living on the base pension rate, or do not need it

Probably not yet if

  • You have not lived in the place for a long stay first
  • You need the Pension Supplement or Rent Assistance to get by

What changes on the move for good

Your Age Pension
Paid at the base rate from the day you leave: the Pension and Energy Supplements stop, and your Concession Card is cancelled. After 26 weeks your rate can be reduced if you have less than 35 years of working-life residence. You must claim the pension while living in Australia, unless you claim under an agreement country.
Your house
Often sold. If you sell while a foreign resident for tax, you get no main residence exemption from capital gains tax, apart from some life events. That is a big reason the order matters.
Visa
A retirement visa with age, income or deposit rules. Examples: Thailand's Non-O (50 and over), Malaysia's MM2H (from a US$150,000 deposit for Silver, about A$217,000), Portugal's D7 (€920 a month in passive income in 2026, about A$1,540).
Health cover
Medicare depends on living in Australia. You need international health insurance, and some insurers have age limits for new members, from the mid 60s to the mid 70s depending on the country, so the timing matters.
Tax
As a foreign resident there is no tax-free threshold: Australian income is taxed at 30% from the first dollar (2025-26 rates). Get advice from a registered tax agent.
Coming home
Possible. From the day you return, your rate is no longer reduced for time away, and supplements come back if you still qualify. Australian citizens can use Medicare in Australia for up to 5 years after moving overseas; after that you re-enrol when you move back.

General information, checked 19 October 2026 against Services Australia, the ATO and Smartraveller. Your situation may differ.

The steps, in order

  1. Live there for a long stay or a trial year first
  2. Talk to a registered tax agent before you sell anything
  3. Get international health insurance before your age rules it out
  4. Apply for the retirement visa
  5. Tell Services Australia you are leaving to live overseas

The move for good, in pictures

Three sealed moving boxes with a small plant on top, for packing up a home to move overseas for good
What fits in a few boxes.
A retired couple place a picture frame on a shelf in their new home overseas, settling in after moving for good
Making the new place home.
A retired couple chat with local neighbours on the front step of their new home, after moving overseas for good
New neighbours, a new street.
A paper globe beside a blank boarding pass and reading glasses, for a one-way move overseas in retirement
A single ticket.

Talk it through for your situation

On a free Zoom call we will help you work out which way suits you, where to go and who with.

No pressure and no card details. You decide what comes next.