Country guides for moving to Latin America

How residency, visas, tax and citizenship actually work, country by country, with every rule linked to its legal source.

Your passportVisa and residency rules in each guide follow your passport.

By country

Full country guides

Everything for one country in one place, from the first visa to citizenship.

Full guide

All guides, A to Z

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What every country guide covers

Each guide opens with a one-page overview, then covers entry and visas, residency, citizenship and taxes, with every rule linked to its source and a map of the main cities. The Bolivia guide also covers money and banking, property, business, vehicles and cities.

By topic

One topic, every country

See how a single question is answered across countries, then jump into the country you care about.

Start here

The basics, wherever you're going

Short guides that apply to every country, in the order you'll need them. Being written now.

1Before you choose

Where will you be a tax resident?The 183-day rule, the ties that also count, and why leaving one country is not enough on its own.
Territorial or worldwide taxWhich countries tax money you earn abroad, which only tax local income, and the special regimes in between.
Tax rules that follow US citizensCitizenship-based tax, the foreign earned income exclusion and FBAR, in plain words.

2Getting your papers ready

Apostilles and legalisationWhich documents need one, where to get it, and what to do if your country is not in the Hague Convention.
Criminal record checksHow to request one from abroad, and planning around how long it stays valid.
Sworn translationsWhen an immigration office needs a sworn translation, and when a plain one will do.

3After you land

Opening a bank account as a foreignerWhat banks ask for before and after you have residency, and the options in between.
Health insurance abroadLocal plans, international cover and what immigration offices accept.
Your first 30 daysID card, tax number, registering your address and the deadlines that start on arrival.

How we check

Every rule shows how sure we are

Checked against the law

We read the law or official rule ourselves and link to it next to the figure.

Needs lawyer review

The law is unclear or applied differently in practice, so a local lawyer is confirming how it works.

Not yet verified

We found it in reliable reporting but haven't confirmed it in the law yet. Treat it as a lead.

Free shortlist

Your top 3 countries, picked for you

Tell us who's moving and we'll show the three Latin American countries that fit people like you best, ranked on what matters most to you, with the trade-off to know about each.