The short answer
Moving abroad with HIV is possible in almost every country we cover: only Thailand, Canada and Panama have rules worth checking first. Plan the medication gap. Carry what the country allows, from 30 days in Thailand to three months in Germany, and enroll in public care as soon as your residence allows.
Moving abroad with HIV is possible in almost every country Out & Found covers, but three things need planning before you go: whether the country restricts entry or residence, how much medication you can carry in, and when you can get treatment locally. A gap between your last US refill and your first local one is the real risk, and it is avoidable.
HIV entry restrictions by country, medication rules and public treatment
For each country we cover: entry and residence rules, carrying antiretroviral therapy (ART) in, and access to free or covered ART once you are a legal resident.
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| Country | HIV entry or residence rule | Bringing your HIV medication | Treatment as a resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | None | Original packaging, prescription or physician letter; no published ceiling | Free state ART by law; confirm visa-holder eligibility |
| Brazil | None | 30 days clearly allowed; 90 days and six months conditional | Free through the SUS |
| Canada | Excessive-demand rule can affect residence applications | Lesser of 90 days or one course per entry; no mail | Free for eligible provincial residents |
| Colombia | None | Personal-use quantity with prescription; six months riskiest | Not assured without health-system enrollment |
| Costa Rica | None | What your treatment requires, with a prescription | Free after CCSS enrollment |
| Croatia | None | Up to one month, with a physician's certificate | Free with Croatian health insurance |
| Ecuador | None | Allowed as personal effects; no published ceiling | Free regardless of nationality; residents after enrollment |
| France | None | 30 and 90 days permitted; six months conditional | Covered at 100% once enrolled in PUMa |
| Germany | None | Up to three months per medicine | Free under statutory insurance |
| Greece | None | Reasonable personal-use quantities with a prescription | Via residency registration (AMKA) |
| Italy | None | No fixed ceiling; above 30 days, carry a prescription with dosage | Free for SSN-registered residents |
| Malta | None | An amount that matches your stay, with a prescriber letter | Free for entitled residents |
| Mexico | None | Prescription or letter in Spanish; declare at customs | Stated free; enrollment varies by facility |
| Netherlands | None | 30 days most defensible; confirm 90 days or more in writing | Covered by basic insurance after the deductible |
| New Zealand | None (general health assessment for residence) | Up to three months, original packaging | Free irrespective of immigration status |
| Panama | Residency health rule (2008 decree) | Prescription, physician letter, passport copy; no verified ceiling | Public ART exists; non-resident access unconfirmed |
| Portugal | None | Permitted; confirm larger supplies with Infarmed | Free for migrants residing in Portugal, regardless of status |
| Spain | None | 90 days is the normal maximum | Free through the national health system; hospital pharmacies dispense |
| Thailand | No bar in immigration law; State Department notes unspecified restrictions | 30 days is the ordinary allowance | Mainly private; free at BMA clinics in Bangkok regardless of visa |
| Uruguay | None | Ministry authorization required | Available through all providers; non-nationals register with ID |
The three countries to check first
- Thailand: the Retiree guide finds no HIV entry or residency bar in Thai immigration law, but the US State Department still reports unspecified HIV entry restrictions, so the Digital Nomad guide rates entry as conditional. Confirm with a Royal Thai Embassy before you apply. In Bangkok, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) community clinics provide HIV care regardless of visa.
- Canada: there is no HIV-specific bar, but the excessive-demand rule can affect some permanent-residence applicants living with HIV.
- Panama: a 2008 decree creates a conditional residency risk for HIV-positive applicants, which matters most for retirees using the Pensionado route.
Everywhere else we cover, our guides found no HIV-specific entry or residence rule. Some long-stay visas still ask for a general health certificate, so read your visa checklist closely.
How to bring HIV medication abroad
- Carry the paperwork. Original packaging, your prescription and a physician's letter naming the drug and dose work almost everywhere.
- Know the ceiling. Germany and New Zealand allow up to three months, Spain treats 90 days as the normal maximum, Croatia allows one month, and Thailand's ordinary allowance is 30 days.
- Get large supplies approved in writing. A six-month supply exceeds the rule in several countries. Ask customs or the health regulator before you pack it.
- Check your regimen locally. Our guides could not confirm local stock of Biktarvy, Descovy or Genvoya in most countries. Public programs often use dolutegravir-based generics, so confirm the composition with a local HIV clinic before your supply runs low.
Free HIV treatment for residents abroad
Once you are a legal resident, ART is free or fully covered in most of these countries, usually through the public system or mandatory insurance. The catch is timing: enrollment often follows residence registration, which can take weeks or months. Portugal gives migrants residing there free HIV consultations, tests and treatment regardless of status. New Zealand provides HIV treatment at no cost irrespective of immigration status. Brazil's SUS treats everyone at no cost. Elsewhere, plan to cover the gap with a larger carried supply or private care.
Where to get PrEP and PEP abroad
PrEP is free or covered through the public system in many of these countries: free at public hospitals in Argentina, through the GU clinic in Malta since January 2026, for public-system users in Uruguay, and fully reimbursed in Italy since 2023. It is mainly private in Mexico and Costa Rica. Our questions page has more on PrEP.
PEP, the emergency course after a possible exposure, must start within 72 hours, and in France within 48. It is free in public services in Argentina and Mexico. In Croatia a pharmacy course costs about €240, and private Bangkok clinics advertise it to foreigners for about US$150 to US$160 (market estimates). Know where the nearest emergency department or sexual-health clinic is before you need it.
HIV confidentiality abroad
Most of these countries protect HIV status in law: Argentina's Law 27.675, Colombia's Decree 1543 and Panama's Law 26 of 1992, for example. Practice is less even. A 2026 study in Greece recorded unconsented disclosure for 24% of respondents, and breaches are documented in Croatia. In Portugal and Italy, our guides found no general duty to disclose your status. Disclose deliberately, and ask each clinic how it shares records.
Retiring abroad with HIV
For retirees, healthcare timing matters most. Medicare does not cover care abroad, so the months between arrival and public enrollment need private cover. Spain's non-lucrative visa holders buy in to the public system after a year, France enrolls residents after three months, and Colombia's pensioners wait until resident status. Our retirement visa comparison shows healthcare access next to each income requirement, and the Country Finder can filter for no HIV entry rule and public PrEP.
Common questions
Can I move abroad if I have HIV?
Yes, in almost every country we cover. Our guides found no HIV-specific entry or residence rule except in Thailand (conditional for remote workers), Canada (an excessive-demand rule for some residence applications) and Panama (a residency health rule for retirees).
How much HIV medication can I bring abroad?
It depends on the country: up to three months in Germany and New Zealand, 90 days in Spain, one month in Croatia and 30 days in Thailand. Carry original packaging, your prescription and a physician's letter, and get written approval for anything larger.
Is HIV treatment free abroad?
For legal residents, usually yes, through the public system or mandatory insurance. Portugal, New Zealand and Brazil offer free treatment regardless of status; most others require enrollment first.
Do I have to disclose my HIV status?
Not as a general rule in most countries we cover; Portugal and Italy have no general duty to disclose. Some visas ask for a general health certificate, so read the checklist for your route.
Where can I get PEP abroad?
At a hospital emergency department or sexual-health clinic, within 72 hours of exposure (48 in France). It is free in public services in Argentina and Mexico; elsewhere costs vary.
Sources and method
Facts come from the Out & Found guides: Retiree Edition (verified as of 1 August 2026) and Digital Nomad Edition (verified as of 17 October 2026), which cite each country's own authorities and named research organizations. Medication allowances and public-access rules are as each country's health ministry, customs or immigration authority publishes them; market estimates are labeled. Requirements and laws change, so confirm the current rule with the official source before you act. This is research, not legal, immigration, medical or tax advice. How we research · Corrections