10 Countries Offering Residency to Americans With Military Service

Most countries do not care that you wore the uniform. They care that you can prove stable income, pass background checks, and not become a problem for their health system.

Here’s the part nobody says out loud: military service often gives you the cleanest paper trail of anyone in the visa line. You have predictable pension income, standardized documentation, and usually a boringly consistent address history. That combination gets you farther than “I’m a remote consultant” ever will.

This list is not “special treatment.” It’s ten places where military pensions and retirement benefits slot neatly into existing residency routes, and where the process is realistic for normal people who want a plan, not a fantasy.

What military service gives you that most expats can’t fake

If you have a DD-214, a DFAS retiree statement, and a benefits letter that arrives on time every month, you already understand the game: bureaucracy trusts what it can verify.

In practice, military service tends to give you four advantages:

• Income that looks like a pension, because it is. Many residency categories are built around pensions, annuities, and passive income, and they prefer lifetime, documented sources.
• A clean identity chain. Your records tend to match across agencies, and that matters when a consulate is comparing names, dates, and places.
• A built-in documentation rhythm. Veterans are used to submitting forms, requesting letters, and waiting for processing windows without melting down.
• Healthcare options that are at least legible. Overseas coverage can still be complicated, but retirees often have access to TRICARE Select Overseas or TRICARE For Life Overseas structures, plus the VA Foreign Medical Program for certain cases.

That last point is worth being blunt about. If you arrive in a country with no plan for coverage, you will hit a wall. Some visas want private insurance up front. Some countries assume you’ll join the public system later. Either way, you need a weekly routine for paperwork, not just a dream.

A realistic prep week looks like this:

• Monday: request benefit letters and pension verification.
• Tuesday: order apostilles where needed.
• Wednesday: schedule medical insurance quotes and compare.
• Thursday: build your financial proofs, with 12 months of statements when required.
• Friday: book consulate appointment, then stop.

You do not need perfect Spanish for that. You need patience and a printer.

The 10-country short list, and what each one actually wants

Below is the clean version. No marketing. No “live like a king” nonsense. Just the gate you have to walk through.

Europe (passive income routes that accept pensions):

1. Spain, non-lucrative residence visa, proof of funds set at 400% of IPREM
2. Portugal, D7, proof of means tied to the minimum wage, €920 per month for the main applicant in 2026
3. France, long-stay visitor logic, proof of resources, accommodation, medical cover, and a written promise not to work
4. Italy, Elective Residency Visa, stable passive income, commonly framed as €31,000 per year per applicant by consular guidance

Americas (pensionado and economic solvency pathways):
5) Mexico, Temporary Resident Visa, consulate-set “economic solvency,” often around $4,393 per month at some consulates as of late 2025
6) Panama, Pensionado, lifetime pension income $1,000 per month (plus dependents)
7) Costa Rica, Pensionado, lifetime pension $1,000 per month
8) Dominican Republic, Pensionado/Jubilado residency route, monthly pension $1,500 and documented source

Asia (retirement visas with predictable financial gates):
9) Thailand, retirement routes requiring 800,000 THB on deposit or 65,000 THB monthly income (plus insurance rules depending on visa type)
10) Philippines, SRRV, with a specific “Courtesy” lane that explicitly includes certain retired military personnel categories, plus pension thresholds

If you want this to work, the mindset is simple: choose the country based on the rule you can satisfy consistently, not the beach you saw on Instagram.

Europe: where pensions are boring, and boring is good

Europe can be slower, stricter, and annoyingly document-heavy. It is also predictable once you accept the pace.

Spain (Non-Lucrative Visa):
Spain’s non-lucrative residence visa is designed for people who can live without working locally. The financial proof is expressed as a multiple of IPREM: 400% of IPREM for the main applicant, plus additional IPREM amounts for dependents. The practical move for military retirees is simple: present a clear monthly pension stream and show enough liquid savings to cover the year, with statements that look calm, not chaotic.

The weekly rhythm that makes Spain work is administrative: one day for paperwork, one day for appointments, and a standing habit of keeping scans organized. Spain does not reward improvisation.

Portugal (D7):
Portugal’s D7 is one of the clearest “pension-friendly” pathways on paper. The means-of-subsistence logic is tied to the national minimum wage. In 2026, Portugal’s minimum wage is €920 per month, and the typical family scaling uses a percentage approach (main applicant at 100%, spouse often framed at 50%, dependents at 30%). For a military retiree, the cleanest proof is a stable pension deposit, paired with a Portuguese bank balance that shows you can live without drama.

Portugal rewards people who treat this like a checklist, not a negotiation. If you build a Sunday routine of updating your documentation folder and backing up statements, you stay sane.

France (Visitor-style long stay):
France’s official guidance for longer stays and private visits focuses on proving your resources, accommodation, medical cover, and confirming you will not work. France can feel vague because the “how much” is not always spelled out in one number. The strategy is to over-document: pension proof, bank balances, proof of housing, and insurance.

France is the place where people lose momentum because they assume charm counts. It does not. A calendar counts.

Italy (Elective Residency Visa):
Italy’s elective residency route is one of the most straightforward on the income concept: stable passive income, not salary, not “I’ll freelance when I get there.” Consular guidance commonly references €31,000 per year per applicant as a baseline figure for passive income documentation. A military pension fits the spirit of the rule because it is stable and verifiable.

The Italy mistake is emotional. People pick a town first, then discover they cannot satisfy the proof. Do it in the opposite order. Satisfy the proof, then pick the town.

The Americas: the word “pensionado” is not subtle

If Europe feels like a slow bureaucracy, parts of Latin America feel refreshingly direct. Some programs literally ask, “What is your pension amount?” and move on.

Mexico (Temporary Residency via economic solvency):
Mexico’s Temporary Resident Visa requirements vary by consulate. That variation is the real rule. Some consulates publish specific monthly income and savings thresholds, and these numbers can shift. As of December 31, 2025, one Mexican consulate page listed a pension income threshold of $4,393 per month as an example of economic solvency documentation. The practical point is not the exact number. The point is that consulates set the bar and you must meet the bar where you apply.

The weekly rhythm for Mexico is research and appointment management. You call, you email, you confirm the checklist, and you do not assume the internet post from last year is still correct.

Panama (Pensionado):
Panama’s pensionado program is famously clear: a lifetime pension of $1,000 per month, with an additional amount for dependents. Military retiree pensions often qualify cleanly because they are government-backed, stable, and letter-verifiable. Panama is also one of the places where the system expects you to use local professionals for filings, so the process becomes a paperwork project with a timeline, not a DIY adventure.

The best weekly habit here is budgeting for admin. Treat legal fees and translations as part of the move cost, not an unpleasant surprise.

Costa Rica (Pensionado):
Costa Rica’s pensionado route is also direct: prove a lifetime pension of at least $1,000 per month. Military pensions generally fit the format. The practical challenge is document legalization and patience, not eligibility for many retirees.

Costa Rica punishes disorganization. If you build a routine of keeping notarized copies, scans, and receipts in one place, you keep the process from turning into chaos.

Dominican Republic (Pensionado/Jubilado residency):
The Dominican Republic has an explicit pensionado or jubilado residency route with a clear minimum: a monthly pension of $1,500 from a government, official body, or private company abroad, and it specifies that salary income does not count for this route. That clarity matters. If your income is mostly salary or self-employment, you may not fit this category. If it is a pension, it can be clean.

The weekly rhythm here is simple: document gathering, translation, and staying ahead of expiration windows, because many certificates have short validity periods.

Asia: predictable rules, and then one weird curveball

Asia is where people get tripped up by one unexpected requirement, usually insurance or bank deposits. If you are methodical, it is manageable.

Thailand (Retirement routes):
Thailand’s retirement pathways often boil down to financial proof: either a bank deposit of 800,000 THB, a monthly income of 65,000 THB, or a combination depending on the visa type and renewal. Some long-stay retirement visas also carry explicit insurance requirements. The key is that Thailand wants proof that you will not become a medical and financial burden, and the proof has a format.

The weekly habit that makes Thailand workable is keeping your bank and insurance paperwork current and consistent. A missing stamp can cost you weeks.

Philippines (SRRV, including a military-adjacent lane):
The Philippines is one of the few places where “military” can show up in the program logic, depending on category. The Philippine Retirement Authority’s SRRV materials describe “Courtesy” options that can include retired military personnel tied to defense treaties or similar agreements, and they spell out pension thresholds such as $1,000 per month for certain age bands and categories. This is not a blanket veteran visa. It is a specific program lane with defined qualifications.

The rhythm here is compliance. You follow the category rules, you prepare apostilles, and you do not freestyle the documentation.

Common mistakes veterans make when moving abroad

These are the failures that look like “culture shock” but are usually logistics.

1. Treating consulate requirements like suggestions. If the checklist says 12 months of statements, bring 12 months.
2. Assuming healthcare will “work itself out.” Decide early if you are relying on local private insurance, public enrollment later, or a combination with TRICARE Overseas structures.
3. Mixing income types in a way that confuses the reviewer. Separate pension income from salary. Present it cleanly.
4. Picking a destination based on aesthetics, then trying to force the paperwork to fit. Start with the rule you can meet.
5. Underestimating translation and apostille time. This is where timelines die.
6. Ignoring banking friction. Some countries want local accounts, and opening them can be its own mini-project.

The most practical fix is boring: choose one admin day per week for the next two months. Same day, same time. Paperwork does not like being “fit in.”

The first 7 days: pick the country that matches your pension, not your fantasy

This is the sequence that keeps you from wasting months.

1. Write down your monthly income streams and label them. Pension, disability, investments, other. Put the exact monthly amount next to each.
2. Pull your proof documents: pension verification letters, DFAS statements, award letters, and bank statements.
3. Pick two countries whose minimums you clearly exceed, not barely meet. Aim for a buffer of 20% if you can.
4. Confirm the consulate checklist for your jurisdiction. Screenshots and PDFs are not enough. Find the official list.
5. Get insurance quotes that meet the visa expectation. If a country expects private cover, price it now, not later.
6. Build a one-page financial summary. Income in, assets, monthly spend estimate, and a savings cushion.
7. Start apostilles and translations immediately for anything that will be required.
8. Book the earliest reasonable appointment, then work backward.

If you treat this as a short project with deliverables, it stops feeling emotional. You do not need to “feel ready.” You need to be documented.

The real question is whether you want residency, or a story

Residency is a paperwork grind followed by a quieter life. A story is a dream you tell yourself while you keep your old life running at full speed.

Military service can make the first part easier because your income and records are usually verifiable. It does not make the second part easier. You still have to decide what you are leaving behind and what you are willing to rebuild.

Pick the country whose rules you can satisfy without twisting yourself into knots, and then run the process like you ran everything else in your career: calmly, step by step, with no improvisation.