In short
- With a US, Canadian or UK passport you can stay 90 to 180 days without a visa in most of our 20 countries: enough for a season.
- In the Schengen area (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Malta, Croatia), you have 90 days in any 180, counted across all Schengen countries together.
- Cyprus and Ireland count their days separately; Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama allow up to 180 days.
- Use the stay to test what matters: the hospital, the summer or the rainy season, the cost of living, and how you feel there.
The best way to choose is to live there for a while, out of season, in an ordinary flat. Most of our destinations let you stay several months without a visa. This guide shows how long, how the European 90-day rule works, and what to test. official source, reputable source. Visa-free rules change: confirm before you book.
1. How long you can stay without a visa
| Destination | US passport | Canadian passport | UK passport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Malta, Croatia (Schengen) | 90 days in any 180 | 90 days in any 180 | 90 days in any 180 |
| Cyprus | 90 days in any 180 | 90 days in any 180 | 90 days in any 180 |
| Ireland | Up to 90 days per visit | Up to 90 days per visit | No limit (Common Travel Area) |
| Mexico | Up to 180 days, decided at entry | Up to 180 days | Up to 180 days |
| Costa Rica | Up to 180 days, set at entry | Up to 180 days | Up to 180 days |
| Panama | 180 days | 180 days | 180 days |
| Colombia | 90 days, extendable, at most 180 in 12 months | At most 180 days in 12 months | 90 days, extendable, at most 180 in 12 months |
| Ecuador | 90 days in any 12 months, extendable once | 90 days in any 12 months | 90 days in any 12 months, extendable once |
| Uruguay | Up to 90 days per visit | Up to 90 days per visit | Up to 90 days per visit |
| Thailand | Check before travel | Check before travel | 30 days (since 15 September 2026) |
| Malaysia | Usually 90 days | Check before travel | Usually 90 days |
| Vietnam | E-visa, up to 90 days | E-visa, up to 90 days | 45 days, or e-visa up to 90 days |
| Philippines | 30 days, extendable in the country | Check before travel | 30 days, extendable in the country |
| Indonesia | Check before travel | Check before travel | A 30-day visa, extendable once in the country |
From the visa section of each country page. "Check before travel" means our sources did not confirm the rule for that passport.
2. The Schengen 90/180 rule
- Twenty-nine countries form the Schengen area, including 25 EU countries; Cyprus and Ireland are not full members; Ireland keeps its own visa and border rules 1. Among our destinations, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Malta and Croatia are in Schengen.
- You can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counted across all Schengen countries together. On each day of your stay, count back 180 days: the days spent in the area must not exceed 90 2. A month in Lisbon and two months in Valencia use up your 90 days.
- The European Commission's short-stay calculator checks your dates 2.
- Cyprus counts its own 90 days, separately from Schengen; Ireland applies its own rules (UK citizens can live there under the Common Travel Area).
- Non-EU travellers are now registered at the Schengen border by the EU's Entry/Exit System, and a travel authorisation (ETIAS) is planned: check the EU's official travel site before you go 3.
To stay longer than 90 days in a Schengen country, you need a national long-stay visa, which is what retirement visas are.
3. Renting for a season
- Book furnished, for one to three months, ideally through a local agency or a platform with reviews; ask about utilities and internet, often extra.
- Go in the hard season: the summer heat in southern Spain or Greece, the rainy season in Costa Rica or Panama, the smoky months in northern Thailand. A place you love in May may not suit you in August.
- Live like a resident: shop in local markets, take local transport, avoid tourist areas.
- Keep your home base during the test: sell or let your home only once you have decided.
4. What to test while you are there
- Healthcare: visit the nearest hospital and a private clinic, ask the price of a consultation and whether doctors speak English; check how you would be insured as a resident (see the health insurance guide).
- The real budget: note what you spend for a month and compare with our budget check.
- Distance from family: time a real trip home, with connections.
- Daily life: language, noise, safety at night, pharmacies, the community (clubs, volunteering, other retirees).
- The paperwork: visit a lawyer or a local office, ask the visa questions in person, open a bank account if possible.
5. Checklist
- Check the visa-free stay for your passport, and the Schengen 90/180 count if you combine countries.
- Pick the hardest season, and a neighbourhood where you could actually live.
- Rent furnished for at least a month; budget like a resident.
- Test healthcare, transport, the climate and your budget.
- Decide only after coming home: then start the visa process.
Sources
All checked on 2026-10-22. Visa-free stays come from the visa section of each country page (UK travel advice and official immigration sites).
| Ref | Source | URL | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs: the Schengen area | home-affairs.ec.europa.eu | official |
| S2 | European Commission: Short-stay calculator (90/180-day rule) | home-affairs.ec.europa.eu | official |
| S3 | European Union: Travel to Europe (Entry/Exit System and ETIAS) | travel-europe.europa.eu | official |