Hello everyone! Helga here — retired and settling into life abroad later than most. Here for the healthcare, pension and 'how do you make friends at my age' conversations. Lovely to find this place.
Jimmy ⭐ Helpful member Admin Premium
15 Jun 2026, 10:00
Welcome — glad you're here
Whether you're three months out from a move or you landed yesterday and everything feels like a lot at once — this is the place to ask the questions you can't quite find a clean answer to anywhere else.
A few things worth knowing before you dive in:
- Start with your personalized checklist. If you've completed the onboarding wizard, your dashboard already has a checklist scoped to your destination, nationality and situation — that's the fastest way to see what actually applies to you, not a generic list.
- This forum is for the messy, real-world stuff. The country guides are great for "what's the process" — this is where you get "okay but what was it actually like", timing quirks, and the small things nobody warns you about.
- Numbers change — guides don't go stale, forum posts can. When someone (including me) mentions a fee or a deadline here, always double-check it against the relevant country guide before you rely on it. We keep those updated; a comment thread from months ago might not be.
A good way to start: introduce yourself below — where you're moving from, where you're headed, and what's stressing you out most right now. I read every thread, and there's a good chance someone here has been through exactly what you're dealing with.
Looking forward to it. — Jimmy