Moving to a new country usually means starting without a local credit file, local references or a landlord who has heard of you. The landlord’s questions do not change: who are you, can you pay the rent, and what were you like as a tenant.

Gather the three answers before you start viewing. For identity, a passport or residence document. For ability to pay, an employer letter, recent payslips or bank statements, depending on what the landlord asks for. For tenant history, a short note from a previous landlord abroad confirming your dates and that rent was paid, if you can get one. Ask early and be specific about what the note should say; people reply faster to a specific request.

If a previous landlord is hard to reach, show the history you do have: the lease, dated rent payments, and move-in and move-out records. Say plainly where the gaps are. A clear explanation usually reads better than an unexplained blank.

A Rental Passport can hold selected records from your tenancies in one place, and you choose what to share and when. It is context, not a score or a guarantee, and a landlord may still ask for the documents that local law or their own process requires. Share what the application needs and no more.

Expect the rules to differ by country, including what a landlord may ask for and how deposits or guarantors work. Check local guidance for the country you are moving to, and keep a copy of everything you send.