Living or travelling abroad when you retire
Your taxes if you live or travel outside Canada
The amount of time you stay outside of Canada affects how you file your taxes. It also changes how much tax you have to pay. The amount of tax you'll pay depend on your residency status.
Contact the Canada Revenue Agency to determine your residency status if you're leaving Canada for more than 3 months.
Find out about Taxation for Canadians travelling, living or working outside Canada.
Public pension benefits when living outside Canada
Old Age Security (OAS) is a monthly payment available to Canadians over the age of 65. The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) is a monthly payment made to people who contributed to the CPP during their working years.
Spending time outside Canada may change the way you receive your OAS and CPP payments.
Learn about other benefits for Canadians living abroad.
Medical care outside of Canada
Staying outside Canada for a long period of time may affect how you're covered by your provincial or territorial health plan.
Contact your province or territory if you'll be travelling outside of Canada.
Find out the following:
- how often you need to return to Canada to keep your coverage
- how much of your health care costs while outside of Canada will be covered by your provincial or territorial health care plan
- who to contact if you need medical care while outside of Canada
Provincial and territorial health departments and agencies
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- New Brunswick
- Nova Scotia
- Newfoundland
- Northwest Territories
- Nunavut
- Ontario
- PEI
- Quebec
- Saskatchewan
- Yukon
Buying private health insurance
You might consider buying private travel health insurance to make sure you have enough health insurance coverage while you're outside of Canada.
If you're still working you may already have an employer-sponsored private health care plan. Check with your employer to see if you're covered for medical care outside of Canada.
Specialized medical care
If you need special medical care, make sure it's available where you'll be visiting or living. Look at your health insurance policy carefully to see if it covers the cost of special medical care you need outside of Canada
Travel costs
If you're thinking about an extended stay outside of Canada, consider speaking with a financial professional about how it will impact your finances.
When you're making a budget for your time outside Canada, be sure to consider if:
- you'll be taking care of two residences
- you'll want to return to Canada to visit friends or family
- you'll need to have any personal or household items shipped there or back home
- you'll have enough money if you need to make an emergency trip back home
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