Financial thresholds · verify with your consulate
Which countries will actually let you retire there?
For retirees from the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia or New Zealand asking which country will let them stay. A cheap country you cannot legally stay in is not an option. For each country we cover: whether a retirement residence route exists, and the income or savings it asks for — with the caveat that a consulate, not a website, decides.
A consulate decides, not a website. Thresholds move, and individual consulates
apply them differently — several publish no figure at all. Treat everything here as
the number to walk in with, then confirm it with the consulate you will actually use.
For readers from any country. Each route and floor below is set by the destination country and read from that government's own publication. They are not rules for US applicants: only Mexico's consulate figures, further down, belong to the consulates that publish them.
If you are an EU citizen moving to another EU country, the European Commission says that as an EU national you can live in any EU country if you have comprehensive health insurance there and enough income to live without income support, and that after 3 months you may be required to register your residence. European Commission, Your Europe: residence rights for pensioners · last checked by the Commission Jul 1, 2026 · read Oct 19, 2026
Retiring to Canada
No retirement residence route
How it works
No retirement, pension or means-based residence route exists. IRCC's programmes are work-based, regional, family sponsorship, refugee and special programmes. Sponsorship of parents and grandparents by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident is paused and accepts no new applications (IRCC, 2026-08-18); the parent and grandparent super visa is a long visit of up to 5 years, not residence. IRCC: Immigrate to Canada (page dated 2026-10-08) · checked Oct 20, 2026
Income or savings requiredthe rule, converted at the unit in force
Not applicable — there is no retirement route, so there is no floor.
Retiring to Colombia
Visa M — Pensionado (migrant visa for pensioners)
How it works
Valid for up to three years; it does not allow work in Colombia. Floor: Resolución 5477 de 2022, as published by Cancillería. Cancillería de Colombia: Visa M — Pensionado · checked Oct 16, 2026
Income or savings requiredthe rule, converted at the unit in force
Visa M — Pensionado
- Income
- COP 5,252,715.00 / month USD conversion unavailable — no stored COP rate 3 × SMMLV (COP 1,750,905 per month, in force Jan 1, 2026) · A certified lifetime pension of at least three monthly legal minimum wages in force.
Retiring to Costa Rica
Residencia temporal — persona pensionada (temporary residence for a pensioner)
How it works
Temporary residence, renewed every two years; it also covers a spouse, children under 25 and adult children with a disability. DGME (Costa Rica): Reglamento de Extranjería, Decreto 37112-GOB, art. 100, as reformed by Decreto 42389 (17 Jan 2022) · in force Jan 17, 2022 · checked Oct 20, 2026
Income or savings requiredthe rule, converted at the unit in force
Residencia temporal — persona pensionada
- Income
- USD $1,000 / month 1 × pensionado (USD $1,000 per month, in force Jan 17, 2022) · A lifetime pension, certified by a competent authority, or its equivalent in colones at the Banco Central de Costa Rica's selling rate.
Retiring to Italy
Visto per residenza elettiva (elective residence visa)
How it works
Issued by Italian consulates. Its income figure is a consular benchmark, not set by statute, and a consulate may ask more. Embassy of Italy in Minsk: Visto per residenza elettiva (document dated 31 Jul 2026) · in force Jul 31, 2026 · checked Oct 16, 2026
Income or savings requiredthe rule, converted at the unit in force
Visto per residenza elettiva
- Income
- USD $34,633 / year EUR €31,000.00 / year · European Central Bank, euro foreign exchange reference rates, 2026-10-30 1 × benchmark (EUR €31,000 per year, in force Jul 31, 2026) · Per person. Passive income only (pensions, rents, investments); income from work is not counted. A consular benchmark, not a statutory amount: a consulate may ask more.
Retiring to Mexico
Residencia temporal por solvencia económica, then residencia permanente (jubilado o pensionado) — temporary residence on financial means, then permanent residence as a retiree or pensioner
How it works
Applied for at a Mexican consulate abroad, not inside Mexico. The Lineamientos took effect 15 calendar days after publication and abrogate those of 10 October 2014. Lineamientos Generales para la expedición de visas (SEGOB/SRE), DOF 25 Jul 2025 — copy published by the Consulate of Mexico in Houston · in force Jul 25, 2025 · checked Sep 26, 2026
Income or savings requiredthe rule, converted at the unit in force
Residencia temporal
- Income
- USD $4,219 / month MXN $79,770.80 / month · European Central Bank, euro foreign exchange reference rates, 2026-10-30 680 × UMA (MXN $117.31 per day, in force Feb 1, 2026) · Tax-free employment or pension income over each of the last 6 months.
- Or savings held
- USD $71,102 MXN $1,344,372.60 · European Central Bank, euro foreign exchange reference rates, 2026-10-30 11,460 × UMA (MXN $117.31 per day, in force Feb 1, 2026) · Average monthly balance over the last 12 months.
- Plus, per dependant
- USD $1,365 / month MXN $25,808.20 / month · European Central Bank, euro foreign exchange reference rates, 2026-10-30 220 × UMA (MXN $117.31 per day, in force Feb 1, 2026) · Added per economic dependant.
Residencia permanente
- Income
- USD $7,073 / month MXN $133,733.40 / month · European Central Bank, euro foreign exchange reference rates, 2026-10-30 1,140 × UMA (MXN $117.31 per day, in force Feb 1, 2026) · Retired or pensioned: tax-free pension over each of the last 6 months.
- Or savings held
- USD $284,469 MXN $5,378,663.50 · European Central Bank, euro foreign exchange reference rates, 2026-10-30 45,850 × UMA (MXN $117.31 per day, in force Feb 1, 2026) · Average monthly balance over the last 12 months.
Always verify with your specific consulate. Each Mexican consulate converts the same legal rule into its own currency on its own date.
Mexican consulates in the United States
Consulate of Mexico in San Diego
Consulate of Mexico in Las Vegas
Check your eligibility for Mexico
Judged in US dollars against the figures Mexican consulates in the United States publish. Enter your figures — they are not stored.
Recent changes
- San Diego: temporary income, temporary savings
- Las Vegas: temporary income, temporary savings
The consulate's own dollar conversion of the Lineamientos rule, on its own date. The sheet is dated 2026 with no day stated.
Retiring to Panama
Permiso de residente permanente — jubilado o pensionado (PRP-JP) — permanent residence permit for retirees and pensioners
How it works
Indefinite; it needs no renewal. For a lifetime pension from a foreign government, an international organisation or a private company. Servicio Nacional de Migración (Panamá): Requisitos para jubilado pensionado (PRP-JP) — Decreto Ejecutivo 320 de 2008, art. 200 (reformed 2009) · in force Mar 2, 2009 · checked Oct 20, 2026
Income or savings requiredthe rule, converted at the unit in force
Residente permanente — jubilado o pensionado (PRP-JP)
- Income
- USD $1,000 / month PAB B/.1,000.00 / month · Ley 84 de 1904 (Panamá), art. 1: the US dollar is legal tender at par with the balboa, 1904-06-28 1 × PRP-JP pension (PAB B/.1,000 per month, in force Mar 2, 2009) · A certified lifetime pension. PAB B/.750 a month is enough with Panamanian property worth over B/.100,000 bought in the applicant's own name; spouses may combine their pensions; B/.250 a month more per dependant. The balboa is at par with the US dollar.
Retiring to Portugal
Visto de residência D7 (reforma ou rendimentos passivos) — D7 residence visa for retirement or passive income
How it works
Means of subsistence for not less than 12 months (Portaria n.º 1563/2007). MNE (Portugal) visa portal: national visa for retirement / passive income (D7) · checked Sep 26, 2026
Income or savings requiredthe rule, converted at the unit in force
Visto de residência D7 (reforma ou rendimentos passivos)
- Income
- USD $1,028 / month EUR €920.00 / month · European Central Bank, euro foreign exchange reference rates, 2026-10-30 1 × RMMG (EUR €920 per month, in force Jan 1, 2026) · First adult, net of social-security contributions; the means must cover not less than 12 months.
- Plus, per further adult
- USD $514 / month EUR €460.00 / month · European Central Bank, euro foreign exchange reference rates, 2026-10-30 0.5 × RMMG (EUR €920 per month, in force Jan 1, 2026) · Each further adult.
- Plus, per child
- USD $308 / month EUR €276.00 / month · European Central Bank, euro foreign exchange reference rates, 2026-10-30 0.3 × RMMG (EUR €920 per month, in force Jan 1, 2026) · Each child or dependent adult child.
Retiring to Spain
Visado de residencia no lucrativa (non-lucrative residence visa)
How it works
Private health insurance with no co-payments, waiting periods or limits is required; travel insurance is not accepted. Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores (Spain), consular services in the United States: visado de residencia no lucrativa · checked Sep 26, 2026
Income or savings requiredthe rule, converted at the unit in force
Visado de residencia no lucrativa
- Income
- USD $2,681 / month EUR €2,400.00 / month · European Central Bank, euro foreign exchange reference rates, 2026-10-30 4 × IPREM (EUR €600 per month, in force Jan 1, 2023) · 400 % of IPREM for the applicant.
- Plus, per dependant
- USD $670 / month EUR €600.00 / month · European Central Bank, euro foreign exchange reference rates, 2026-10-30 1 × IPREM (EUR €600 per month, in force Jan 1, 2023) · 100 % of IPREM per family member.
Retiring to Thailand
Non-Immigrant Visa O-A (Long Stay), renewed yearly
How it works
A one-year visa extended in Thailand each year, not a residence permit. For people aged 50 or over. Each Thai embassy sets its own document list, and some ask more than the national rule shown. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand: Non-Immigrant Visa O-A (Long Stay), as of 1 May 2022 · in force May 1, 2022 · checked Oct 16, 2026
Income or savings requiredthe rule, converted at the unit in force
Non-Immigrant Visa O-A (Long Stay)
- Income
- USD $1,927 / month THB ฿65,000.00 / month · European Central Bank, euro foreign exchange reference rates, 2026-10-30 1 × O-A income (THB ฿65,000 per month, in force May 1, 2022) · Or a deposit plus monthly income totalling THB ฿800,000 a year. Each Thai embassy sets its own document list, and some ask more.
- Or savings held
- USD $23,718 THB ฿800,000.00 · European Central Bank, euro foreign exchange reference rates, 2026-10-30 1 × O-A deposit (THB ฿800,000, in force May 1, 2022) · A bank deposit. Each Thai embassy sets its own document list, and some ask more.
Retiring to the United States
No retirement residence route
How it works
No retirement, pension or means-based residence route exists. USCIS lists eight green-card families and none is retirement- or means-based; the only means-based route (EB-5) requires an active investment. USCIS: Green Card Eligibility Categories · checked Sep 26, 2026
Income or savings requiredthe rule, converted at the unit in force
Not applicable — there is no retirement route, so there is no floor.
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