One of the biggest misconceptions I hear from physicians is this:
“I’d love to live abroad, but I don’t want to go through the process of getting licensed in another country.”
And every time I hear that, I think: Good news.
Getting licensed abroad is only one way to live abroad as a physician.
Over the years, we’ve spoken with hundreds of physicians who have built lives and careers abroad. While no two journeys look exactly alike, most follow one of five paths.
Path #1: Practice Clinical Medicine Abroad
This is the path most physicians think of first. You obtain a medical license in another country and work within that country’s healthcare system.
Depending on your specialty, training, and destination, that might involve a streamlined registration pathway, additional exams, supervised practice, or a more extensive recognition process.
This path may suit physicians who still enjoy clinical medicine, want to become part of the local healthcare system, and are considering a long-term move.
Dr. Valerie Cote, a Pediatric ENT, moved with her family from the United States to Ontario, where she continued practicing medicine while navigating a new healthcare system, taxes, and life in Canada.
Explore This Path
Start with our country-specific guides to learn about licensing, compensation, and life abroad, then browse current international opportunities on our Job Board.
For personalized support, explore our country-specific Guidance Sessions with physicians who have already made the move.
Path #2: Practice Telemedicine From Abroad
You do not necessarily have to practice medicine in the country where you live.
Some physicians work for telemedicine companies that allow them to see U.S.-based patients while living abroad. Others build private practices and continue caring for patients in the United States from another country.
The details matter. Physicians must follow the licensing requirements of the states where their patients are located, along with malpractice, prescribing, privacy, tax, and employer policies. More details here.
And while a job may be advertised as remote, that does not automatically mean it can be performed internationally.
One emergency medicine physician worked for a national telemedicine company while his family spent a year living in the South of France. He also returned to California periodically to work in the emergency department.
Dr. Emeric Bojarski took a different approach when our family moved to Portugal. Emeric, a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist and co-founder of Hippocratic Adventures, built his own U.S.-based telepsychiatry practice.
Together, the emergency physician’s year in France and Emeric’s experience building a private practice show that telemedicine from abroad does not have to follow a single model.
Explore This Path
Our Telemedicine & Beyond resource includes telemedicine companies and opportunities that allow physicians to work from abroad.
For psychiatrists interested in building their own private practice, doors to our online CME-accredited course, Telepsychiatry From Abroad, open on September 22, 2026. Join the waitlist →
Path #3: Combine U.S. Clinical Work With Life Abroad
Not every physician living abroad works remotely.
Some return to the United States for defined periods of clinical work and spend the rest of the year abroad. That might mean completing locums assignments or negotiating a flexible schedule with an existing hospital or academic institution.
This path may suit physicians who want extended periods abroad, can arrange their work into defined blocks, and are comfortable traveling back to the United States.
Dr. Shailvi Gupta found a way to continue working clinically and operating at her academic hospital in the United States while building a life with her family in Barcelona.
Explore This Path
You may also be able to negotiate a flexible arrangement within your current role. Not every international path requires finding an entirely new job.
For physicians interested in locums, Global Medical Staffing may be able to help identify U.S.-based assignments that fit this type of schedule. Contact their team to explore current options →
Path #4: Move Into Pharma, Industry, or Non-Clinical Work
Your medical degree can travel in ways that a clinical license often cannot.
Physicians work internationally in medical affairs, clinical development, drug safety, regulatory affairs, medical education, consulting, health technology, and medical director roles.
Breaking into industry is not always straightforward. The job titles can feel unfamiliar, and physicians often need to translate their clinical experience into language that makes sense outside the hospital.
But these careers can allow you to use your medical knowledge without providing direct patient care.
Dr. Jill Monteiro traded primary care in Utah for the Swiss Alps and eventually became a director at AMBOSS. Dr. Bryan McColgan followed another path, transitioning from clinical medicine in the United States into the pharmaceutical industry in Sweden.
Explore This Path
Our Telemedicine & Beyond resource includes non-clinical, pharma, and industry opportunities that physicians can pursue from abroad.
Path #5: Take a Sabbatical Abroad
Some physicians take unpaid leave, use accumulated vacation, pause between jobs, or plan an extended stay during a natural career transition.
Others create a sabbatical within their existing role.
Dr. Sarah Gebauer negotiated multiple sabbaticals with her employer while raising four children. She helped arrange coverage for both her clinical and administrative responsibilities and created a formal sabbatical protocol for her organization, paving the way for other physicians in her group to do the same.
Her story is a reminder that a sabbatical does not always require leaving your job or waiting for the perfect moment.
Sometimes, it means building the structure that makes the experience possible.
And living abroad does not have to be a once-in-a-lifetime decision. You can try it, return home, and choose another adventure later.
Explore This Path
Then start thinking about what a realistic trial run could look like for your own family, career, and finances.
Start With the Life, Not the Country
Physicians often begin by asking: Which country should I move to?
But the better question may be: How do I want my life to work?
Do you want to practice locally, care for U.S. patients remotely, return to the United States for blocks of clinical work, pivot into industry, or try living abroad for a season?
Once you know which path fits the life you want, choosing a country becomes much easier.
And if you’re still not sure where to begin, our General Guidance Session can help you sort through clinical practice abroad, telemedicine, pharma and industry, sabbaticals, and the other ways physicians are building international lives.
Thinking about practicing medicine abroad?
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Ashwini Bapat, MD, is a palliative care doctor and co-founder of Hippocratic Adventure. She lives in Portugal with her husband and 2 kids. When she’s not blogging, you’ll find her swimming in an Olympic-sized swimming pool, frosting a cake, or watching the Korean reality show “Single’s Inferno” with her husband. You can learn more about her story of moving to Portugal here.
