Retiring overseas in no way affects your US citizenship, US voting rights, or requirement to pay US taxes. As others have noted, there are many online resources for retiring overseas, whether temporarily or permanently. International Living (see link below) is a good place to start and has lots of useful information. Big things to get smart on are: - Visa Requirements. This is the most important and the one you have to be sure to have sorted out. It was easy for me moving to France because I’m also a Hungarian citizen and therefore have EU citizenship. We had to get a residency permit for my wife but that was automatic (as automatic as French bureaucracy can be) because of my EU citizenship. Many countries have special visa programs for US retirees. You typically have to demonstrate some level of income/wealth. Again, you want to be certain what the requirements are and do what you have to do before you arrive. - Healthcare. Uruguay is supposed to have excellent healthcare for South America but you definitely want to do your research. We had to carry private health insurance to get my wife’s residency permit until we got covered under the French system, which is AWESOME. Reduced healthcare cost is one of the primary benefits of living overseas. Again, since health care is sometimes tied to the visa, do your homework. - Taxes. It is a really good idea to find an Uruguayan tax accountant or similar who is familiar with tax requirements for US expats. You have to pay US taxes wherever you live in the world (unless you renounce your citizenship). Some countries like France have a tax treaty with the US so we essentially pay no French income tax. Some countries or regions within countries like Spain have a wealth tax where you have to pay an annual tax on your worldwide assets, not just capital gains. This is why my wife and I love Spain but will only love it for about 181 days each year. - Housing. Very important to figure out where you want to live and what it’s going to cost. It is a really, really good idea to take a couple trips and figure out what city and neighborhood within a city you want to live in before you sign a lease. Transportation is super important and if you need a car, investigate what’s required to get a license. I, a filthy California socialist, actually moved to Texas before we left the US because you can exchange a Texas drivers license for a French one, thereby avoiding the painful and expensive French driving exams. Depending on where you are in country, there are sometimes firms that specialize in taking care of all of these expat relocation details for you (for a fee of course). Aside from that, good for you and good luck. We absolutely love the adventure of living overseas. There are headaches and frustrations to be sure but we love it.