It started with a $3,000 mistake
In 2019 our founder moved a family of four from Denver to Lisbon. On paper it was simple. In practice it meant a health policy that turned out not to cover anyone outside Schengen, two US bank accounts frozen for a foreign address anomaly, a power of attorney that had to be notarized three times because the first two were not apostilled, and a tax bill nobody had warned about.
None of that was exotic. All of it was avoidable. The information existed, buried in expat Facebook groups, a 2016 blog post, and marketing pages written by the companies selling the product.
Expatkit is the resource that should have existed: one place where an American can see what the options actually are, what they actually cost, and which ones will still work once a provider notices your passport.
Make moving abroad a decision you can actually research
Not a leap of faith, not a sales funnel, but a set of comparable options with the trade-offs written down. We want an American family to sit at a kitchen table, open one site, and leave with a real plan.
Clarity over hype
We publish the downsides. If a country has excellent healthcare but the residency visa takes 14 months, the guide says so in the first paragraph.
Coverage, not clicks
We review small providers with no affiliate program when they are the right answer, and we mark them as unpaid so you know.
Accountability
Every guide carries an author, a last-verified date, and a correction log. If we get it wrong, the fix is visible.
Four things generic travel sites will not do
Most comparison sites treat expat as a marketing word. For an American it is a legal status with consequences, and that is where we start.
We screen for US-citizen acceptance first
A bank account you cannot open is not a deal. Before anything else we verify that a provider knowingly onboards US persons under FATCA and will not offboard you six months later. Providers that fail this are removed regardless of the rate.
Our rubric is public and identical for everyone
Nine weighted criteria: coverage breadth, exclusions, claim turnaround, in-country network, fee transparency, US-person policy, cancellation terms, support hours in your timezone, and complaint volume. Same sheet for the partner paying us and the one that is not.
We sequence the move, not just the products
Order matters. You need a local address before a bank account, a bank account before some visa applications, and an apostilled document before a notary abroad will touch it. Our guides give you the order, not a shopping list.
A human is available when the checklist runs out
Comparison tools stop working the moment your situation is unusual: a special-needs dependent, a non-citizen spouse, a small business you are taking with you. Expatkit Advisors picks up exactly there.
How Expatkit makes money
Expatkit is free for you to use. Two things fund it.
- Referral fees. Insurers, banks, VPN providers, online notary offices and expat tax firms pay us when you open an account through our link. Your price is identical either way.
- Advisor subscriptions. Households who want a named advisor and a written plan pay a monthly fee. That revenue is what lets us say no to partners.
What we do not do: sell placement, accept payment to change a score, hide unpaid providers, or sell your email address to anyone.
Ready to see what your move actually looks like?
Start with the free checklist, or book a 20-minute call with an Expatkit advisor. No pitch, no card required.