Living abroad

Leaving the UK: telling HMRC with the P85 and sorting your last tax year

HMRC won't notice you've emigrated unless you tell it. Here's when to send a P85, when you need a Self Assessment return instead, and how to get overpaid PAYE back.

The Statutory Residence Test explained: are you still UK resident?

Leaving the UK doesn't make you non-resident. The Statutory Residence Test does. Here's how the automatic tests, the ties and the day count fit together.

Split-year treatment: cutting your leaving year in two

The tax year you emigrate is normally one whole UK-resident year. Split-year treatment cuts it in two, but only if you fit one of three cases. Here's how they work.

UK income while you live abroad: what the taxman still wants

Leaving the UK doesn't take your UK income out of the UK tax net. Here's what stays taxable, who keeps the Personal Allowance, and when you still file a return.

Double taxation agreements: how Brits abroad avoid paying tax twice

The UK has tax treaties with most countries Brits move to. Here's how they split the taxing rights, how to claim relief at source or a credit, and which form to send.

Inheritance tax for Brits abroad: residence, not domicile, now decides

Since April 2025, UK inheritance tax on your worldwide estate depends on how long you lived in the UK, not on domicile. Here's how the test and the tail work.

Working abroad for a UK employer: PAYE, National Insurance and posting certificates

Keeping your UK job while living abroad sounds simple. Here's when PAYE stops, when you keep paying UK National Insurance, and what the other country expects.

Coming back: tax in your first year home in the UK

Moving back to Blighty? Your first UK tax year can be split, and if you've been away 10 years or more, foreign income and gains may be tax-free for four years.

Keeping a UK bank account abroad: why banks close them and how to hold on

UK banks don't have to keep your account when you move abroad. Here's why they close them, which accounts tend to survive, and what to sort out before you go.

ISAs when you move abroad: what you can keep and what has to stop

You can keep your ISA when you emigrate, but you can't add to it while you're non-resident. And your new country may not treat it as tax-free at all.

Sending money between the UK and abroad: rates, fees and the checks to expect

The fee is rarely the real cost of sending money abroad; the exchange rate is. Here's how banks and specialist services compare, and how to move a big sum safely.

Your UK credit file while you're abroad: why it fades and how to rebuild it

Your UK credit history doesn't follow you abroad, and it slowly fades while you're gone. Here's what stays on it, what to keep going, and how to rebuild when you come home.

UK student loans abroad: thresholds, fixed payments and avoiding arrears

Your UK student loan doesn't stop at the border. Here's how to tell the Student Loans Company, what you'll repay in your new country, and how arrears build up if you don't.

Your UK mobile number and address abroad: keeping banks and HMRC happy

Your UK bank still texts codes to a UK number, and HMRC still needs to know where you live. Here's how to keep both working from abroad without breaking any rules.

The UK State Pension abroad: frozen, uprated and how to get paid

Your State Pension follows you anywhere, but it only rises every year in some countries. Here's the list, the 2026/27 rates and how claiming from abroad works.

Voluntary National Insurance from abroad: what changed in April 2026

Topping up your State Pension from abroad got dearer and harder in April 2026. Here's who can still pay, what it costs and how to apply.

UK workplace and private pensions abroad: leave them, draw them, and beware the transfer pitch

Your UK pensions can usually stay put and pay you abroad. Here's how drawing them works, why transfers are taxed and why cold-call pension offers are a red flag.

Passports and citizenship

Retiring abroad: the main retirement visas for Brits after Brexit

Since Brexit, retiring to the sun means a visa. Here's how the main retirement routes work, what income they want and what health cover you'll need.

Renewing a British passport from abroad: fees, timings and emergencies

Overseas renewals are online, cost more than in the UK and go by courier. Here are the 2026 fees, how long to allow and what to do in a real emergency.

Passports and citizenship

A baby born abroad: is your child British, and what do you need to do?

Most children born abroad to a British parent are British automatically. The catch comes a generation later. Here's how descent works and what to sort out.

Passports and citizenship

Consular help from the FCDO: what the embassy can and can't do

The embassy can visit you in a cell, call your family and find you a local lawyer. It can't get you out, pay your hospital bill or lend you the fare home.

Voting and obligations

Voting from abroad: how votes for life works for Brits overseas

The 15-year limit ended on 16 January 2024. Here's how to register as an overseas voter, pick postal or proxy, and keep your registration alive.

Voting and obligations

Leaving the UK: council tax, jury summonses and who needs your new address

Moving abroad doesn't switch off the council, the jury summons or the DVLA. Here's who to tell, what council tax you might still owe and the fines to avoid.

Moving abroad checklist: what Brits should sort, and in what order

Visa first, then the taxman, the council, the bank and your NI record. A step-by-step checklist for leaving the UK without loose ends.

Moving pets and belongings abroad: the dog, the sofa and the customs form

Your dog needs a microchip, a rabies jab and the right certificate; your sofa needs a customs form. How Brits move pets and belongings abroad.

Driving abroad on a UK licence: when it's enough and when to swap it

A UK photocard licence covers a holiday. Moving abroad is different: you'll usually swap it for a local one, and DVLA won't let you keep an address you've left.

Brits in the EU after Brexit: Withdrawal Agreement rights, the 90/180-day rule and the new border checks

Lived in the EU before 2021? Your rights are protected. Everyone else counts days: 90 in any 180. Plus what the Entry/Exit System and ETIAS mean for you.