Keeping your US credit score alive from abroad

Keep two or three US credit cards open, use each one a little, pay them off in full automatically, and your FICO score will be waiting for you when you come home.

The short version

US credit scores are built from your file at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Foreign loans and cards generally don't show up there.
An open, well-managed account keeps adding positive history. Closed accounts in good standing can stay on your report for years, but they stop helping eventually [1].
Card issuers can't charge you an inactivity fee [2], but they can close a card that has gone unused for three months or more [3]. Use each card a little.
You can check all three of your US reports for free every week at AnnualCreditReport.com, from abroad [4].
Freeze your credit at all three bureaus while you're away. It's free, and lifting it takes an hour online [5].

Why your foreign credit history doesn't count

The US credit system is run by private credit bureaus. Equifax, Experian and TransUnion collect data from US lenders and tie it to you mainly through your Social Security number. A bank in Germany, Japan or Mexico reports to its own country's credit system, if there is one. Nothing flows across. That spotless mortgage record in Munich? Your next landlord in Denver will never see it.

So when you move back, a US lender sees one of two things:

Your old US file, if you kept accounts open, with years of history.
A thin or "stale" file, if everything was closed. Scoring models need recent activity, so a file with nothing reported for years may not produce a score at all.

A few US lenders, landlords and card issuers accept translated foreign credit reports from specialist services for some countries. It's handy when it works, but it's not universal, and it doesn't add to your actual US file.

If you're moving to the US with an Australian partner who has no US credit history, our sister site ExpatCooee explains how to build a US credit history from scratch.

The factors that matter for a US score are the same wherever you live [6]:

Factor	What helps	What hurts while you're abroad
Payment history	Every payment on time	A missed payment because an auto-pay link broke
Amount owed and utilization	Low balances compared to your limits	Closing cards, which cuts your total limit
Length of history	Old accounts kept open	Closing your oldest card
Recent activity	Accounts that report each month	Cards closed for inactivity
New applications	Few, spaced out	Many applications right after you return

How to keep US cards open and active

Pick the cards to keep. Ideally two or three: your oldest card, one with no annual fee, and one with no foreign transaction fee that you can use abroad. The store card you opened for a discount at checkout probably isn't on the list.
Tell each issuer you're living abroad and ask what that means for the account. Some issuers require a US billing address, so read our guide to keeping a US address first.
Put a small recurring charge on each card. A streaming service, a phone plan, a domain name or a newspaper subscription. Under federal rules an issuer may close an account that's been inactive for three or more consecutive months [3]. Many wait much longer, but there's no reason to push your luck.
Set up auto-pay for the full statement balance from your US checking account. This is the single most important step, full stop. One missed payment can stay on your report for up to seven years [1].
Use the card abroad where it has no foreign transaction fee. That also keeps it active.
Keep balances low. Paying in full each month means you never pay interest and your utilization stays low.
Set a reminder for card expiration dates. Replacement cards usually ship to your US address, so plan how you'll get your hands on them.

What you don't need to worry about

Inactivity fees. Federal rules ban card issuers from charging a fee because you didn't use the card [2].
Your score dropping just because you moved. Your address isn't part of the score. What matters is the accounts.
Checking your own report. Looking at your own credit doesn't affect your score.

Freeze your credit while you're gone

Identity theft is harder to spot from abroad, because you won't get the paper mail or phone calls that tip people off. A credit freeze stops new lenders from pulling your file, which blocks most new-account fraud [5]. Think of it as locking the front door before a long trip.

It's free at each of the three bureaus. You have to place it at each one separately [5].
It doesn't affect your score, and your existing card issuers can still see your file [5].
When you need credit, lift it online or by phone. The bureau has to do that within one hour [5].
Keep your PINs or account logins for each bureau somewhere safe.

Also check your reports. AnnualCreditReport.com is the only official site for free reports. You can get reports from each bureau every week, online, at no cost [4]. You'll answer identity questions, which can include previous US addresses, so keep a list of yours, ZIP codes and all.

If you find an error, you can dispute it with the bureau directly for free. Nobody can legally remove accurate negative information, so steer clear of anyone offering to "repair" your credit for a fee [1].

Other US credit you might hold

US mortgage. Payments on a mortgage you keep while abroad keep reporting. See our guide on keeping or renting out your US home.
Student loans. Federal student loans report to the bureaus too. A missed payment hurts, and default is worse. See our student loans guide.
Car loans and store cards usually end when you leave. That's fine as long as your cards stay open.

Rebuilding credit when you return

If your US file has gone quiet, here's how to get it going again.

Pull all three reports at AnnualCreditReport.com before applying for anything [4]. Check that old accounts and addresses are right.
Start with the bank you already use. A bank or credit union where you kept checking open often approves a card based on that relationship.
Consider a secured card if you're turned down. You put down a deposit, which becomes your limit. After several months of on-time payments, many issuers upgrade it.
Ask a family member to add you as an authorized user on a well-managed card. Many issuers report that account history on your file too.
Space out applications. Each application can add a hard inquiry. Apply for what you need most first, usually a card, then a car loan, then a mortgage.
Bring proof of foreign income and assets to a mortgage lender. Some will consider them, and some use manual underwriting for borrowers with thin files.
Rent first if you need to. Landlords also check credit. A bigger security deposit or a letter from your foreign landlord can help.

Rebuilding takes months of steady, on-time payments, not weeks. Someone who kept their cards active the whole time usually doesn't need to rebuild at all.

What's different from life in the US

Back home, your credit file builds itself while you go about your life. Abroad, it only grows if you keep feeding it. Your new country's credit system starts you at zero, too, so in your first year abroad you may have no local history and an aging US file at the same time. Keeping US accounts alive is cheap insurance in both directions: renting, buying a car or getting a mortgage when you come home.

Keeping your US credit score alive from abroad: what counts, what doesn't, and how to come back