UK tourists warned to 'avoid' Australia, Canada and New Zealand

For many British people, that means moving abroad to the sun, a new landscape and a fresh, healthy new lease of life. In order to find the best foreign countries to Brits to retire to, Property Guides compared 10 data points from the 13 main countries that Britons seek to retire to.

The easiest countries for Brits to retire to, ranked from easiest to hardest, are: Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and Italy. Christopher Nye, senior editor at Property Guides said: “Three years after Brexit rules came in, countries like France, Spain, Portugal and Cyprus are still rolling out the red carpet to retirees from the UK (at least compared to countries like Australia and Canada).

"This is wonderful news for those who have long dreamt of a move to the sun and a whole new lease of life.” In sixth spot was France, with Greece, Turkey and USA making up the rest of the top ten with Germany.

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The bottom three were New Zealand, Canada and Australia. Ireland was the winner principally because due to the ‘Common Travel Area’ there is no visa requirement for British people, it’s English speaking and is particularly safe and happy. Not so great for sun worshippers, however.

For anyone who thought Brexit was the end of their dreams to retire to Spain, there is huge encouragement. While a visa requires a minimum income of €27,000 per year, there is also the option of buying a property and getting a ‘golden’ visa from that. Portugal has closed its property-based golden visa, but you need show an income of only €8,500 for a ‘retirement’ visa.

France also requires a relatively low income but lost out in a close-run contest due to its lack of sunshine compared to the more southerly countries. Mr Nye added: “While there is a legal and financial barrier to retiring abroad, for anyone of good character, reasonable health and able to support themselves economically, the world remains their oyster.

“Property Guides can help you retire abroad. We have retirement guides for each country that include visa requirements, how to get your pension paid there, how to get healthcare, the tax implications and much more.”