Can you retire in the US if you're not American?
The US has no retirement visa. What US residency does take, the EB-5 investor green card, Medicare's five-year rule, and the 183-day US tax test.
Not on a retirement visa, because the US has none. Living in the US as a retiree takes a green card, and USCIS's green card categories are family, employment, special immigrant, humanitarian and a few others — none for retirees. The one route open to a retiree with no US family or employer is the EB-5 investor green card. A visitor may stay for a limited time, and Medicare is open to a green card holder only after five years of continuous residence.
Who this page is for: anyone who is not a US citizen or resident and is wondering whether they could retire in the United States — from Canada, the UK, Australia, Ireland or anywhere else. Every rule below comes from the US government body that sets it, and all amounts are in US dollars.
The US pages on ExpatAlmanac compare states, counties and towns for Americans choosing where to retire inside the country. Their Medicare and tax figures assume a US resident. This page sets out what applies to everyone else.
Is there a US retirement visa
The United States has no retirement visa. Living there as a resident takes a green card, and the green card categories U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) lists are family, employment, special immigrant, refugee or asylee status, victims of trafficking, crime or abuse, other categories, and registry [1]. None of them is for retirees.
What living in the US as a retiree takes
A green card through one of those categories is what living in the US as a retiree takes. For most retirees that means one of two routes:
- Family. A green card through a close relative who is a US citizen or a green card holder, under USCIS's family categories [1].
- The EB-5 immigrant investor green card. It is the one route open to a retiree with no US family or employer. USCIS lists it as having invested, or actively investing, at least USD $1,050,000, or USD $800,000 in a targeted employment area or infrastructure project, in a new commercial enterprise in the US that will create full-time positions for at least 10 qualifying employees [1]. Source: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, checked 2026-10-30
The EB-5 figures are USCIS's own, from its green card categories page. Its separate EB-5 page still describes higher amounts from a 2019 rule that a federal court vacated, so check USCIS directly before relying on any figure. This page names no investment project, agent or lawyer. (Source 1.)
Medicare after a green card
Medicare is open to a green card holder only after five years. Federal regulations let a person "lawfully admitted for permanent residence" enroll once they have lived in the United States continuously for the five years before they apply — for Part A bought by premium [2] and for Part B [3]. Until then, a new resident needs private health cover.
Staying as a visitor and the 183-day tax test
Staying as a visitor is the other way to spend time in the US, within limits. A traveler admitted under the Visa Waiver Program may stay "for a period not exceeding 90 days" [6]. A visitor on a B-2 visa "may be admitted for not more than one year", with extensions in steps of no more than six months [7]; the officer at entry sets the actual period.
Long visits also count toward US tax residency. The IRS treats you as a US resident for tax purposes if you meet its substantial presence test: at least 31 days in the current year, and 183 days over three years counting all of this year's days, a third of last year's and a sixth of the year before [4]. The guide Wintering in the US as a visitor covers how winter visitors stay outside it.
Your home country's pension and US social security
Social security agreements between the US and other countries — "totalization agreements" — exist, in the IRS's words, "for the purpose of avoiding double taxation of income with respect to social security taxes" [5]. They settle which country's social security tax applies; they do not give anyone the right to live in the US. The Social Security Administration publishes the list of countries with an agreement.
Countries with a retirement residency route
Countries with a residency route built for retirees exist, and ExpatAlmanac covers them. Mexico, Portugal and Spain, among others, offer a residency route for people living on a pension or savings, each with its own income or savings threshold. Retirement residency, country by country sets out each route with its official source, and each country's page starts from there: Mexico, Portugal, Spain.
What this page does not answer
ExpatAlmanac gives no immigration or legal advice here, and names no agent, lawyer or investment project. Immigration rules change; USCIS, the IRS and the US consulate in your country give the current terms for your own case.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a US retirement visa?
No. Among the green card categories USCIS lists — family, employment, special immigrant, refugee or asylee, victims of trafficking, crime or abuse, other categories and registry — none is for retirees. Source: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, checked 2026-10-30
How much does the EB-5 investor green card require?
USCIS lists the immigrant investor route as having invested, or actively investing, at least USD $1,050,000, or USD $800,000 in a targeted employment area or infrastructure project, in a new US commercial enterprise that will create full-time positions for at least 10 qualifying employees. Source: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, checked 2026-10-30
Can a green card holder get Medicare?
Yes, after five years. Federal regulations let a person lawfully admitted for permanent residence enroll once they have lived in the United States continuously for the five years before they apply, for both Part A bought by premium and Part B. Sources: U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), checked 2026-10-30; U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), checked 2026-10-30
Do long stays in the US make me a US taxpayer?
They can. The IRS treats you as a US resident for tax purposes if you meet its substantial presence test: at least 31 days in the current year and 183 days over three years, counting all of this year's days, a third of last year's and a sixth of the year before. Source: Internal Revenue Service, checked 2026-10-30
Sources for this page
- Green Card Eligibility Categories (last reviewed 2026-09-04) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services · retrieved 2026-10-30
- 42 CFR 406.20, Basic requirements (premium hospital insurance), 2024 edition U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo) · retrieved 2026-10-30
- 42 CFR 407.10, Eligibility to enroll (Part B), 2024 edition U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo) · retrieved 2026-10-30
- Substantial presence test (last reviewed 2026-03-14) Internal Revenue Service · retrieved 2026-10-30
- Totalization agreements (last reviewed 2026-03-14) Internal Revenue Service · retrieved 2026-10-30
- 8 U.S.C. 1187, Visa waiver program for certain visitors (United States Code, 2023 edition) U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo) · retrieved 2026-10-30
- 8 CFR 214.2(b), Visitors for business or pleasure, 2025 edition U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo) · retrieved 2026-10-30
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