180,000 Americans Left the U.S. Last Year. Here's the Tech Setup Every New Expat Needs

How many Americans are moving abroad?

At least 180,000 U.S. citizens moved to just 15 countries in 2025, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of countries that had published full or partial data, and the paper noted the true global number is likely far higher. The same report cited Brookings Institution calculations that the U.S. had net negative migration in 2025, an estimated loss of about 150,000 people, which the Journal described as something that "hasn't definitively occurred since the Great Depression."

The numbers need careful reading. Brookings' January 2026 update puts 2025 net migration somewhere between -295,000 and -10,000 and calls it the first negative year "in at least half a century," driven mostly by a sharp drop in people entering the country rather than by Americans leaving. The U.S. Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 estimates, which cover the year ending July 1, 2025, still show positive net international migration of 1.3 million, down from 2.7 million in 2024, but the Bureau also revised its emigration estimates upward. Different periods and methods produce different answers. What every source agrees on: more Americans are packing up.

How many are already out there is also an estimate. The Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO) puts the figure near 5.5 million, based on an independent analysis of UN migration data and national census records, as Greenback Tax Services reported in April 2026; the State Department's older 9 million figure has been quietly retired. Mexico is the single biggest destination: UN data counts about 823,500 U.S.-born residents there (Greenback), while a U.S. government report cited by Remitly put the number at roughly 1.6 million American citizens. Mexico's own 2020 census counted about 797,000.

Whatever the exact count, each of those people runs into the same practical wall within weeks: the U.S. financial system assumes you live in the U.S., have a U.S. mobile number and log in from a U.S. IP address. The rest of this guide is the setup that keeps those assumptions from locking you out.

What breaks first when Americans move abroad?

Your U.S. phone number breaks first, and it takes your bank logins with it. Most U.S. banks, brokerages, PayPal, Venmo and government sites still send one-time codes by text message. Once your U.S. plan lapses, or your carrier throttles you for roaming too long, those codes stop arriving and you are locked out of the accounts you need most.

The second failure is location. Bank fraud systems watch where you log in from. A sudden run of foreign IP addresses, a new device and a password reset in the same week looks exactly like an account takeover. The third is paperwork: brokerages in particular may restrict trading once you switch to a foreign address, and some services refuse to mail cards or tax forms abroad.

• Phone and 2FA: SMS codes to a number you no longer control, or a VoIP number your bank rejects.
• Login location: foreign or VPN IP addresses tripping fraud filters.
• Address: foreign address changes triggering compliance reviews and feature limits.
• Cards and cash: foreign transaction fees, ATM fees and replacement cards that can't be shipped to you.

Each of these is fixable in an afternoon if you do it before you leave. Fixing them from abroad, with no working U.S. number and a frozen account, can take weeks of calls. If it already happened to you, see what to do when you're locked out of your U.S. bank as an expat.

Should you keep your U.S. phone number after moving abroad?

Yes. Keep a U.S. number for at least the first year, because it is the recovery key for almost every financial account you own. The real question is which way of keeping it will still work after six months abroad. There are four common routes, and each has a catch.

The single most repeated piece of advice from people who have done this is about timing: set everything up while you are still in the U.S.

“What's important is that you open any US accounts you want *before* leaving because many banks don't allow Google Voice and other VOIP phone numbers.”

Porting a real carrier number into Google Voice is a common workaround because the number keeps its history. Google's own help page says you have to make the port request from the U.S. with an active U.S. mobile number, so it has to happen before departure.

“the new Google Voice number is considered a legit cell phone number for 2FA purposes. It's been almost two years and still works.”

That is one person's result, not a guarantee. Others in the same thread warned that VoIP-type numbers "will fail with certain banks," which is why the safest plan is two layers: keep a U.S. number that can receive texts, and move every account you can off SMS entirely (next section).

How do you stop two-factor authentication from locking you out abroad?

Move every account that allows it from text-message codes to an authenticator app, a passkey or a hardware security key, and save the backup codes. This removes the phone number from the login path for most of your accounts, so losing or changing your number stops being an emergency.

It is also the more secure choice. The FTC's SIM swap guidance tells consumers to set a PIN on their mobile account and to consider authentication apps or security keys instead of text messages for sensitive accounts. CISA's phishing-resistant MFA fact sheet lists SMS and voice codes among the methods most exposed to SIM swap and SS7 attacks. And NIST's digital identity guidelines (SP 800-63B) tell services to check for risk signals such as a SIM change or number porting before sending a code over the phone network, which is exactly why a freshly ported number can suddenly stop receiving bank codes.

1. Start with your primary email account, since it resets everything else.
2. Then banks, brokerages, PayPal, tax and government logins, then work tools.
3. For each one, add an authenticator app or passkey, download backup codes, and remove SMS if the service allows it.
4. Write a one-page recovery sheet: which account uses which method, the recovery email, and where backup codes are stored.
5. Keep the U.S. number active anyway for the services that still insist on SMS.

Expect a few holdouts. Some financial services still only accept a U.S. mobile number, and that frustration is common among people abroad.

“WHY can't I use an international number. WHY can't I use Google Voice.”

A password manager that syncs across your devices also solves a quieter problem: when you replace a phone abroad, your authenticator codes and passkeys come with you instead of staying on a device in a drawer back home.

Do expats need a VPN?

Most expats benefit from a VPN for two reasons: privacy on shared networks, and a consistent U.S. location when logging into U.S. accounts. It is a useful tool, not a magic one, and it can backfire with some banks.

On privacy, be realistic. The FTC says that because most websites and apps now use encryption, connecting through public Wi-Fi is usually safe. A VPN adds a layer on top: it hides which sites you visit from the cafe, coworking space or landlord's router, and protects you on networks you don't control. If you are not sure how that works, start with what a VPN is and what it actually protects, and see the coworking Wi-Fi security checklist.

On banking, Proton VPN's own online banking guide says banking apps may flag or deny logins while you travel, and that connecting to a server in your home country makes the bank see you there. It also warns that some banks check other signals such as purchase location, and that a VPN you can't trust can be worse than none. Many sites block known VPN IP ranges by default.

“Ally bank literally closed my account for logging in too many times from a foreign IP. No questions or clarification.”

So test before you go. Install the VPN on every device you will use, connect to a U.S. server near your home state, and log into each bank and brokerage while you are still in the U.S. Note which ones complain. Use the VPN for those that are fussy about foreign IPs, and log in directly for those that object to VPNs. Compare providers in our best VPN roundup and VPN setup guide for every device; most offer refund windows, covered in VPN free trials. Do not count on a VPN for streaming catalogs: services change what they allow, and their terms often prohibit it.

Will your U.S. bank and brokerage keep working after you move?

Most U.S. banks will keep your accounts open, but brokerages are stricter, and the trigger is usually a foreign address change. Greenback Tax Services reports that switching to a foreign address can set off compliance reviews, that mutual fund purchases are commonly blocked for non-U.S. residents, and that options and margin can be disabled. It recommends keeping a U.S. mailing address, telling institutions proactively, and consolidating with expat-friendly firms before you leave.

• Keep a U.S. residential address on file if you legitimately have one, such as a family member's home, and be truthful with each institution about where you live.
• Pick a travel-friendly checking account. Schwab Bank's Investor Checking, for example, advertises no foreign transaction fees and unlimited ATM fee rebates on cash withdrawals worldwide; check the current terms before you rely on it.
• Don't count on travel notices. Policies vary: Your Mileage May Vary reports Chase no longer accepts them, while Bank of America and U.S. Bank still let you enter trips online or in their apps.
• Order spare cards before you go. Replacement cards shipped abroad can be slow or unavailable.
• Know the filing rules. U.S. citizens abroad still file taxes; the IRS gives an automatic two-month extension to June 15, but interest runs from April 15. If your foreign accounts total more than $10,000 at any point in the year, you must file an FBAR.

If your banking app has already started failing, our guide to why banking apps stop working abroad walks through the quick fixes.

What should be on your expat tech checklist before you fly?

Do these ten things in the U.S., in this order, and most of the problems above never happen.

1. Decide how you will keep your U.S. number (carrier plan, Google Voice port or separate line) and set it up while you are still on U.S. soil.
2. Add a port-out PIN or account PIN with your carrier, as the FTC recommends.
3. Install a password manager and move every login into it.
4. Switch email, banks and brokerages from SMS to an authenticator app, passkey or security key where allowed; save backup codes offline.
5. Install a VPN on your phone, laptop and tablet, and test every bank login through a U.S. server.
6. Confirm each bank's foreign-address policy and keep a legitimate U.S. address on file.
7. Open any new U.S. accounts you want now, before your address and phone number change.
8. Get a no-foreign-transaction-fee card and a debit card with low ATM fees, plus spares.
9. Make sure your phone is unlocked and supports eSIM so you can add local or travel data on arrival.
10. Put tax dates, the June 15 extension and the FBAR threshold in your calendar.

If you are heading out on a digital nomad visa rather than a permanent move, the same list applies; see what to set up once your nomad visa is approved. Mexico-bound? Our Mexico guide covers the country's new mobile line registration rules.