Financial Advice for Global Expats

Independent financial advice can make a significant difference in how your wealth is taxed and managed long-term. Our UK Administration Centre and international colleagues help you take advantage of financial planning opportunities that may no longer be available once you become a tax resident elsewhere, affecting aspects such as pension structuring, optimising ISA savings, and timing the disposals of assets.

At Chase Buchanan, our local expat financial advisers guide you through every step, helping you build a relocation-ready plan based on your plans and priorities.

The best advice is to sit down with an experienced wealth manager before you move abroad, who will recommend the tasks and decisions that should be made in advance of a relocation. That could include:

• Assessing your UK tax residency status and exit date
• Reviewing pensions, ISAs, and UK investment accounts
• Considering whether to sell or retain UK property
• Consolidating assets to simplify cross-border reporting
• Planning for foreign exchange rates and currency risks

Our global teams can, of course, offer more personalised guidance to ensure you’re well-prepared.

Tax efficiency depends heavily on when and how you structure your finances before departure. For example, selling an asset while you are still a UK resident may trigger a different tax obligation than if you sell after your move.

With the right financial advice, you can strategically time key transactions, access cross-border tax reliefs, and minimise exposure to capital gains, inheritance tax, and double taxation.

Pension transfers and retirement planning can be complex, and reviewing your pensions with a local expat financial adviser can help determine whether any of the following solutions would be appropriate for you:

• A Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), which offers valuable flexibility
• A ROPS transfer, depending on the approved schemes within your destination country and the value of your retirement wealth
• Consolidating older pensions to reduce administrative charges and complexity

In most cases, changes should be made before your residency status alters, and our advisers will provide clear, regulated guidance tailored to your retirement plans.

As with many UK-specific savings schemes, you will not be able to contribute to an ISA once you relocate. Additionally, the tax-free treatment of ISAs may no longer be applicable. Similarly, Premium Bonds can remain active, but any winnings will usually become taxable if you are a tax resident in another country.

We can help expats assess the best way forward,  determining whether UK savings products will remain beneficial, and offering expert recommendations on restructuring accounts in line with your residency status.

Timing is key because selling a UK property while you are still a British tax resident may result in a capital gains tax (CGT) liability, but this may change once you become a non-resident. Some countries will also apply taxes on all global property assets and sales proceeds, including gains from UK assets, if you become a tax resident.Our teams offer customised financial advice to help you determine the best time to sell, buy, or hold property, based on your relocation plan.

Many expats are subject to dual tax reporting, requiring careful coordination between jurisdictions. Tax treaties between the UK and your new place of residence may offer reliefs,  but you must structure your income and declarations correctly to take advantage of them.

We work closely with our international offices to deliver expat financial solutions that reduce the risk of duplicate taxation and prevent costly reporting errors.

A local financial adviser based in your overseas place of residence understands both your starting point as a UK tax resident and the changes you can expect when you establish a new home overseas. They can:

• Help you exit the UK tax system efficiently
• Optimise pensions, ISAs, and UK investments 
• Coordinate with local advisers in your new country
• Provide continuity if you relocate again or return in the future

Chase Buchanan’s UK office serves as a central Administration Centre — giving you consistent, global support before and after your move.

Once you relocate, certain savings and investments, like UK-based funds or ISAs, may lose their tax exemption, and we can help you:

• Re-evaluate your portfolio against your new tax regime
• Avoid structures that trigger higher or punitive taxes abroad 
• Build a globally diversified portfolio with tax efficiency in mind

Our financial advisers help you maintain growth while staying compliant and ensure you are well-informed about the taxes, allowances and exemptions that will apply.

Yes. Our international locations include offices across Europe, the US, and Canada, all of which are coordinated through our UK Administration Centre.

We provide cross-border financial advice to global expats moving to destinations including Portugal, Spain, France, Malta, Cyprus, the US, and many others, ensuring you receive cohesive support before, during, and after your relocation.

Returning to the UK requires just as much planning as moving abroad, because you may need to deal with:

• The complexity of  re-entering the UK tax system
• Unwinding or transferring offshore structures and assets
• Changes to your property ownership and income
• Currency exchange risks, which are an unavoidable part of  repatriation planning

Our UK consultants and international advisers specialise in financial planning for returning expats, helping you repatriate your finances smoothly and tax-efficiently.

There isn’t a single pension transfer plan we’d recommend to every expat, as this may depend on your destination, the type of pension you hold, and your tax status. For example:

• ROPS may be beneficial for some expats, depending on their exposure to the Overseas Transfer Charge (OTC)
• SIPPs are an alternative that can  offer flexibility and remain tax-efficient, especially for expats moving to the EU

The Overseas Transfer Charge (OTC) can apply, with a tax rate of 25%, which is why it’s so important to seek independent advice before you make any irreversible decisions.

Our expat financial advisers perform full pension reviews and will help you make informed decisions for your retirement abroad.

Your official date of departure can affect every aspect of your taxation, especially if you relocate mid-year, which can impact your tax residency assessment. Other considerations include:

• When you stop paying UK tax
• Whether capital gains tax applies to asset sales
• How income is taxed in your new country
• Which tax year your liabilities fall into

By planning ahead, we can help you structure your relocation to minimise tax exposure and ensure you know how and when taxes will apply.

This depends on your destination, but it is always essential to understand the correct processes for registering as a new resident taxpayer, informing the UK tax authorities of your move, and claiming tax reliefs, allowances, and foreign tax credits. This may include:

• HMRC Form P85 if leaving the UK
• Foreign bank account disclosures
• Overseas income declarations
• Property ownership reporting
• Double taxation forms or certificates of coverage

We can guide you through these and all other relevant reporting requirements and work with our global teams to ensure your move is fully compliant.