Moving Abroad Checklist 2026: 12-Month Timeline

The year before a move runs on five phases: 12–9 months for passports and pet titer testing, 9–6 for the departure date that starts the 330-day FEIE clock, 6–3 for Medicare and the vehicle, 3–1 for Social Security and voting, and the final month for the in-person USPS change of address.

A move abroad is not one project but a stack of them, and the items on the stack run on different clocks. A passport renewal is measured in weeks. A pet export can be measured in half-years. The foreign earned income exclusion runs on a rolling 12-month window that begins when the filer actually leaves, and the Medicare decision at 65 carries consequences measured in decades. Sequence matters because the longest clocks have to start first, and because a handful of early decisions — above all the departure date itself — set windows that cannot be reset later. What follows is that year in five phases, with the rules and figures behind each phase drawn from the primary sources listed at the end.

Twelve to nine months out: the longest clocks start first

The opening phase is about decisions rather than paperwork: where, roughly when, and under which visa pathway. It is also where the two longest administrative clocks start. The State Department lists routine passport processing at 4–6 weeks and expedited processing at 2–3 weeks, with mailing time in each direction excluded — and since most visa applications begin with a valid passport, renewal sits at the front of the queue. Pets can run longer than everything else combined. USDA APHIS notes that the destination country sets the entry requirements for pets, that those requirements can change at any time, and that they must be verified for every trip. Where a rabies titer is required the wait is substantial: a dog or cat bound for Australia becomes eligible for export at the earliest 180 days after its blood sample arrives at the testing laboratory.

• A destination shortlist and a rough timeline (often 6–24 months out).
• Visa pathway research for each shortlisted destination.
• Passport validity checks and renewals for every traveler (routine processing 4–6 weeks, plus mailing).
• The APHIS pet-travel review for the destination, started immediately where titer testing applies.
• A first budget for the move itself: shipping, flights, deposits, overlap housing.

Nine to six months out: the departure date sets the tax clock

The central tax fact of the departure year is the physical presence test. The foreign earned income exclusion is available to a filer who is physically present in a foreign country or countries for 330 full days during any period of 12 consecutive months, where a full day runs midnight to midnight. The 12-month window can begin on any day — which is why the departure date, not the calendar year, determines the earliest window that can qualify, and why a departure delayed by a week moves the whole count by a week. Choosing a departure date is therefore a tax event, not just a logistics one.

The financial map drawn in this phase covers what happens to U.S. accounts once a foreign address lands on them, and which new filings begin abroad. Once foreign accounts exist and their aggregate value exceeds $10,000 at any time during a calendar year, an FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) is due the following April 15, with an automatic extension to October 15.

• A mapped U.S. filing position for the departure year, tied to the intended departure date.
• Host-country tax residency rules for the planned arrival date.
• A review of U.S. brokerage, retirement, and bank accounts against each institution’s foreign-address policies.
• A recordkeeping plan for future foreign accounts (the $10,000 FBAR trigger is aggregate, not per-account).
• Introductions to cross-border tax and legal professionals for the questions the rules leave open.

Six to three months out: healthcare, household, and the car

Medicare usually does not cover health care outside the United States, which turns enrolment at 65 into a genuine decision rather than a default. The late-enrolment arithmetic is what makes it consequential: the Part B premium rises by 10% for each full 12-month period in which enrolment was available but not taken, and the increase lasts for as long as Part B coverage does; Part D adds 1% for each month without creditable drug coverage. Keeping Part B while abroad means paying premiums for coverage that is largely unusable overseas; dropping it means re-entering later at a permanently higher price. Which side of that trade-off is right depends on facts no checklist holds.

Vehicles have a federal rule of their own: U.S. Customs and Border Protection requires the export documentation — with the certificate of title at its core — to be presented at least 72 hours before a used vehicle leaves the country.

• A Medicare decision for anyone 65 or older, made with the penalty arithmetic in view.
• Health coverage arranged for the destination, including the gap between arrival and local enrolment.
• Mover quotes and a household inventory; destination customs rules confirmed for the shipment.
• A vehicle decision — sell, store, or export (CBP: certificate of title, 72 hours’ notice).
• School records requested where children are changing systems.
• A review of life, property, and liability policies against the new country of residence.

Three months to one month out: the administrative layer

Social Security has reporting obligations that begin at departure, not at some later settling-in point. Publication 05-10137 requires beneficiaries to report a change of address and work outside the United States, among other changes, and the SSA treats a person as outside the country after 30 consecutive days away. For a beneficiary under full retirement age working abroad in employment not subject to U.S. Social Security taxes, the foreign work test withholds benefits for each month with more than 45 hours of work.

Voting and driving both reward preparation. The Federal Voting Assistance Program recommends a new Federal Post Card Application every January and after every move; election offices are required to send absentee ballots at least 45 days before a federal election, and the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot exists as a backup where a ballot does not arrive. An International Driving Permit is issued in the United States by AAA or AATA — the State Department’s guidance is to obtain it before the trip and to carry the U.S. license alongside it, noting that U.S. auto insurance may not cover driving in other countries.

• An SSA notification plan for benefit recipients, with the 45-hour foreign work test understood.
• A completed FPCA on file with the local election office.
• An International Driving Permit, obtained before departure.
• Banks and card issuers notified; a plan for a U.S. mailing address decided.
• Stateside appointments completed: medical, dental, document certification.

The final month: mail, records, and the exit

Mail is the item most often left too late, because the international version cannot be done from abroad: USPS requires a change-of-address request for a move outside the United States to be submitted in person at a Post Office, before departure. Temporary forwarding runs from 15 days up to one year; a standard permanent forward lasts 12 months and can be extended, for a fee, by 6, 12, or 18 additional months. Beyond the mail, the final month is records: certified copies of vital documents in hand luggage, addresses updated with the IRS, the SSA, and every financial institution, and a written record of the departure date itself — the day the 330-day count begins.

• The USPS change of address, filed in person for an international move — or forwarding to a domestic address instead.
• Utilities closed and final statements captured.
• Certified copies of birth, marriage, and custody documents packed in hand luggage.
• Updated addresses with the IRS, the SSA, and all financial institutions.
• A dated record of departure, kept for the physical-presence count.

What a checklist cannot decide

A sequence keeps the mechanical work in order; it cannot make the judgment calls. Whether the foreign earned income exclusion or the foreign tax credit produces the better outcome depends on income type, host-country tax rates, and the multi-year consequences of the election. Whether to keep or drop Medicare depends on age, health, the destination’s system, and the odds of return. Whether a state tax residency ends at departure depends on the state, and sometimes on facts as small as a storage unit. These are the points where a checklist hands over to professionals who can see the whole picture — the items above only make sure the handover happens on time.

Sources

1. U.S. Department of State — Get Your Processing Time (routine 4–6 weeks; expedited 2–3 weeks; mailing time excluded) — https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/processing-times.html — checked 3 August 2026
2. Internal Revenue Service — Foreign earned income exclusion – Physical presence test (330 full days; any 12 consecutive months; midnight-to-midnight full days) — https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/foreign-earned-income-exclusion-physical-presence-test — checked 3 August 2026
3. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network — Report Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts ($10,000 aggregate threshold; financial interest and signature authority) — https://www.fincen.gov/report-foreign-bank-and-financial-accounts — checked 3 August 2026
4. Internal Revenue Service — Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) (FinCEN Form 114; April 15 due date; automatic extension to October 15) — https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/report-of-foreign-bank-and-financial-accounts-fbar — checked 3 August 2026
5. Social Security Administration — Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States, Publication No. 05-10137 (reportable changes; the 45-hour foreign work test; the 30-consecutive-day definition) — https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10137.pdf — checked 3 August 2026
6. Medicare.gov — When does Medicare coverage start? (Initial, Special and General Enrollment Periods; late-enrolment penalty lasts as long as Part B does) — https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare/sign-up/when-does-medicare-coverage-start — checked 5 August 2026
7. Medicare.gov — Avoid late enrollment penalties (the Part D penalty of 1% per month without creditable coverage) — https://www.medicare.gov/basics/costs/medicare-costs/avoid-penalties — checked 3 August 2026
8. Medicare.gov — Travel outside the U.S. (coverage usually unavailable outside the United States; limited exceptions) — https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/travel-outside-the-u.s. — checked 3 August 2026
9. United States Postal Service — Standard Forward Mail (temporary forwarding 15 days to 1 year; 12-month standard forward; paid extensions of 6, 12, or 18 months; in-person filing for international moves) — https://www.usps.com/manage/forward.htm — checked 3 August 2026
10. Federal Voting Assistance Program — Frequently Asked Questions about absentee voting (a new FPCA every January; ballots sent at least 45 days before a federal election; the FWAB backup) — https://www.fvap.gov/uploads/FVAP/VAO/faq_handout.pdf — checked 3 August 2026
11. USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service — Take a Pet From the United States to Another Country (the destination country sets entry requirements, which can change at any time) — https://www.aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel/us-to-another-country-export — checked 3 August 2026
12. USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service — Pet Travel From the United States to Australia (RNAT test; export eligibility 180 days after the sample reaches the laboratory) — https://www.aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel/us-to-another-country-export/pet-travel-us-australia — checked 3 August 2026
13. U.S. Customs and Border Protection — Exporting a Motor Vehicle (certificate of title as the core requirement; the 72-hour presentation rule) — https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/export-docs/motor-vehicle — checked 3 August 2026
14. U.S. Department of State — Driving and Transportation Safety Abroad (IDPs issued by AAA or AATA; U.S. auto insurance may not apply abroad) — https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/driving-and-road-safety.html — checked 3 August 2026

Figures and rates cited were current as of August 2026 and are subject to change.