Moving our pension abroad — what did you wish you'd known?

We left ours in Sweden and draw it here — moving a pension can trigger tax events you don't expect, so we got one session with a cross-border adviser before touching anything. Best money we spent. The Taxes and Retirement parts of the Spain guide are a good primer before that conversation.

The thing nobody warned us about was currency. Drawing a pension in one currency and living in another means your income wobbles with the exchange rate. We keep a buffer for the bad months now.

Not retired yet but I helped my parents do this — the paperwork to prove you're tax-resident in the new country (and no longer in the old) is the fiddly part. Start it early, it's slow.

Good thread. The one thing I'd add: pension and tax rules for retirees are exactly the kind of thing that varies by country and changes year to year, so I wouldn't lean on any single figure you read online (including here). The Taxes and Residency sections of your destination guide are the right starting point, and for the actual pension move a paid hour with a cross-border specialist pays for itself.

This is all so helpful — "get one adviser session before touching anything" is going at the top of my list. Thank you.