When one of you wants to retire overseas and the other isn't sure

How to try it in steps, keep a way back for both of you, and what to ask before either of you says yes

A couple in their late 60s at the kitchen table, one keen to retire overseas and the other not sure yet

Checked 20 October 2026, re-checked monthlyBy the Retirees Abroad teamGeneral information only, how we check

The short answer

You don't have to decide everything at once. A trip of under 6 weeks usually changes nothing with the Age Pension, and a winter of under 12 weeks keeps the Pension Supplement. Your home stays exempt from the assets test for the first 12 months of a temporary absence, so you can try it before any big decision.

What is different for you

  1. Small steps change little

    If you're away under 6 weeks, your Age Pension rate usually stays the same. Come home within 12 weeks and you keep the Pension Supplement as well. On the pension side, a first trial carries little risk.

    Read: The 6, 12 and 26-week rules

  2. The house can wait 12 months

    Services Australia treats your home as exempt from the assets test for the first 12 months of a temporary absence. You can decide whether to keep, rent or sell after you've tried it.

    Read: Does the house count?

  3. Coming home is planned for

    If a payment stops while you're away, it can generally be restored if you return within 13 weeks. Citizens who live here and take trips stay enrolled in Medicare.

    Read: Pension and Medicare when you return

  4. The worry is usually specific

    It might be health care, family, money, or just missing home. Once the unsure partner names it, you have something you can check.

    Read: Talking to family

The order of decisions for you

Two pairs of paper footprints facing different ways, a couple where one is keen to retire overseas and one is unsure
Two people, two directions, and one plan to talk it through.

When one of you is keen and the other isn’t, you can end up in a stand-off, or make a big move that one of you regrets. Going step by step lets the unsure partner agree to a little at a time, while the keen one gets the chance to show it can work.

  1. Name the worry. The unsure partner writes down exactly what worries them. It might be the distance from the grandchildren, getting sick, the money, the heat or leaving friends. Each of those has things you can check. Our guide to talking to your partner and family has ways to start.
  2. Agree on a first trip of under 6 weeks. Services Australia says that under 6 weeks your pension rate usually doesn’t change, and your Concession Card stays current. You’re only having a look. Our guide to trying it before you move sets out the steps.
  3. Agree in advance what “it worked” means. For example: we both slept well and found a doctor we trusted, and neither of us was counting the days.
  4. Next, try a winter of under 12 weeks. You keep the Pension Supplement. Services Australia says you must tell it before you go if you’ll be away more than 6 weeks. Our guide to the 6, 12 and 26-week rules explains each point.
  5. Know the house rules before anyone decides. The home stays exempt for the first 12 months of a temporary absence, so whether to keep, rent or sell can come later. A registered tax agent and a licensed financial adviser can explain what applies to you.
  6. Keep the way home open. Know how you’d get back, and what you’d come back to.
  7. Choose a gentle first place. These suit a first, low-pressure trial:
    • Penang: 90 days on arrival with no visa application.
    • Da Nang: an eVisa of up to 90 days, at about A$2,470 a month for a couple (our estimate).
    • New Zealand: close to home, and one of 11 reciprocal health care agreement countries, which may help if health is the worry.

A worked example

A couple in their late 60s relaxed on a seaside bench after a first short trial of retiring overseas
In this example, the first trip is five weeks.
A couple in their late 60s looking at photos of beaches, one keen and one hesitant about retiring overseas
In this example, they agree to try it in two steps.

An example, not a real person.

Bev is keen on Asia. Ian isn’t sure, because he worries about getting sick and about missing the grandchildren in Wollongong. They’re 68 and 69, own their home and get the maximum couple rate of the Age Pension.

They agree on two steps.

Length Cost of living there (our estimate) What changes with the pension
Year 1: Penang 5 weeks about A$2,930 (A$2,540 a month) Nothing
Year 2: Da Nang 11 weeks about A$6,270 (A$2,470 a month) Energy Supplement stops and Concession Cards are cancelled after 6 weeks; Pension Supplement keeps paying

Their pension is A$1,866.00 a fortnight combined, about A$4,040 a month (Services Australia, 20 September 2026). How we worked out our estimate: Numbeo’s living costs for one person (without rent), plus a one-bedroom city-centre rent, plus 30% for eating out, local trips and extras. For a couple we multiply living costs by 1.8. We converted at the Reserve Bank of Australia’s average exchange rate for the 12 months to September 2026 (A$1 = 2.80 ringgit, for example). Health insurance isn’t included. Numbeo’s Penang page was last updated 15 October 2026 and its Da Nang page 19 October 2026. Flights and their costs at home are extra.

After Penang, Ian had found a clinic he liked, and the video calls with the grandchildren had worked well. He still didn’t want to be away for a whole year. So the plan became a winter away every year, with the house kept as home, and it was a plan they both agreed to rather than one that somebody gave in to.

What to ask a professional

A couple in their late 60s with an insurance broker comparing a short and a longer trip before retiring overseas
Two trip lengths, two sets of questions.
  • Licensed financial adviser: “If we later decide to spend longer overseas, what would change for our pension and our home?”
  • Registered tax agent: “If we keep our home here, does spending a winter overseas each year change our tax residency?”
  • Insurance broker: “What would a 5-week and an 11-week trip cost to insure for each of us, with our conditions declared?”
  • The country’s embassy or a licensed visa agent there: “Which visa covers an 11-week stay, and what do we need before we fly?”

Book a free planning session on Zoom. Once we know your situation, we can tell you which of these people to start with.

Places that can suit

  • PenangAn island city with a heritage old town and street food, where English is widely spoken.
  • Da NangA long city beach, with the old town of Hoi An about 30 km away.
  • New ZealandAustralian citizens get a resident visa on arrival and home is a short flight away. There is a reciprocal health care agreement too.

Guides for you

  • Try before you moveTry retiring overseas before you move: the winter away, the long stay and the trial year, and what changes with your Age Pension, house and visa at each.
  • Talking to familyHow to talk to your partner and family about retiring overseas: when one of you is keen, what adult children ask, and staying close to the grandchildren.
  • Keep, rent or sellKeep, rent or sell the family home when you retire overseas: Age Pension assets test, rent as income, and capital gains tax if you sell as a foreign resident.

Sources

General information only, not financial, tax, legal, migration or insurance advice. Rules change: check the official source before you act, and talk to a licensed professional about your own situation.

Questions about your own situation?

Every situation is different. Tell us about yours, and we will help you plan your time overseas on a free Zoom call.

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