I've posted and asked questions on this forum over the past 3 to 4 years in anticipation of a move back to Brighton but now we're really going to do it - likely Sept/October 2025! I can't express just how excited I am to be going back to a country where I have 15 or so relatives - who are actually nice people and I get along with, so that's a bonus! It's lonely here and my partner has finally had enough too. She'll qualify via the financial route with sufficient savings.

1/Is the vignette still 90 days or has it gone back to the pre-covid 30 days?
Also, Is it reasonable to hope for a spousal visa approval (fingers crossed) within 2 months without priority service? (US to UK.)

2/ Is it okay to buy a return airline ticket or will that throw up a flag that she's not planning to stay? She'll have her business to wrap up and will need to come back a few times.

3/ I read for the first time today about an exit tax?! Who has to pay that? We have savings, IRA's and a paid off home. (And a business that's on life support!) Total personal assets 900K-ish.

4/ We plan to sell our house around the time we leave Florida and buy a flat with the cash about 6-12 months after arrival in Brighton/Hove. Do we have to pay stamp duty on that home? What type of accountant, here in Florida, can look at our finances and tell us the best way to sort our finances?

5/ We are going for 2 weeks over Christmas. Is there anything we should do while we're there that will help us down the road. We already have UK/US HSBC accounts. Thanks all!

Exit tax (expatriation tax) only comes into play if you formally renounce your US citizenship / give up your Green Card with IRS. You'll only be subject to this IRS rule if you meet certain conditions, one of which is an individual net worth of $2M or more. https://www.irs.gov/individuals/inte...patriation-tax

Stamp Duty. Assuming you own no other property, you'll may stamp duty if the value of the property you're buying is more than the threshhold. As of now, that is set at 250k GBP for England but in April 2025 it drops to only 125k GBP. https://www.gov.uk/stamp-duty-land-tax Since you plan to sell your US property before buying in the UK you shouldn't need to worry about the additional duty paid for second homes (though you can apply for a refund of this additional tax if you sell the first held property within a certain timeframe.) You MIGHT need to worry about an additional tax applied to property purchased by non UK residents, though a refund of this can also be applied for after a certain period of time if the residency requirements are later met https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rates-of...esidence-tests

Congratulations on your plans, we have loved being around all our relatives since we moved back a few years ago, that has been a big plus for us.

I can't add to the advice above, I don't know about visa stuff but I expect someone will be along shortly. With bank accounts already set up I don't really think there is anything in particular to do on your visit this Christmas except maybe look for potential areas you want to live. One thing we did was to rent a house in the town when we moved back and discovered that it was just a bit too far for us to walk into town so when we looked to buy a couple of months later we were able to narrow down our search.

Moved back to Brighton (well, Hove actually!) last year after 19 years in Australia. I came over a few months before to check out how things had changed and which areas I wanted to look at, and one of the things I did was go round estate agents and introduce myself, to find out whether they would consider renting to me before arrival, with no job etc. Everyone was really helpful except Fox & Sons, and it meant that when I did see places online they were willing to do video viewings etc, and so I had a rental lined up before arrival.
That also meant I could get on the electoral roll, which helped with ID for utilities and stuff like that.

Hope it works out for you, best thing I ever did was come back here, the city really hasn't changed much

1. 90 days
2. OK to buy return ticket.

Thanks for all the responses! I really appreciate it. Pollyana - we are going to be moving to Hove actually! Last year we stayed on Ventnor VIllas for our Christmas holiday and this year we'll be just around the corner from the main Tesco. I forget the name of the road. It never really occurred to me to move to Hove until we went a few times and realised how convenient everything is; the shops & restaurants etc. It's more pricey than Brighton but has a better feel to it these days. I've been in the US for 35 years and I just know it's time. No rose coloured glasses! I know some things will be tough and hard to adjust to especially health care but living in America is like being in a lunatic asylum these days! Perhaps we'll pass you in the grocery aisle in Tesco!

We're looking to move back to the UK within the same time frame... .
Yes, exit taxes - these are calculated on your world wide wealth if you meet any one of 3 criteria (in excess of $2M, haven't done your taxes in any of the last 3 (?) years, or have a tax liability > threshold (I think it's about 190k)). The total wealth includes any 'private' pensions (my understanding it doesn't include UK state pension of US SS) - if it's a pension pot it's an easy calculation, if it's a defined benefit, trickier.
With stamp duty I believe you have to resident for a certain period (3 months?) not to pay the extra stamp duty - but it can be claimed back (best to avoid paying it in the first place!).
Re. US/UK taxes - of course, different tax years (US Jan-Dec, UK Apr-Mar) - so timing is important. Yes, there are tax treaties and you can offset tax paid in one country against the other - I've yet to find a tax accountant you didn't have to google it all (!).

Not too far from me then, I'm on the seafront, near the Lagoon, where they are doing up the skate park and putting in tennis courts etc. Tescos is Church Road, very handy for everything.
I was always Brighton when lived here before, but Hove is slightly cheaper for rentals and I'm really pleased I crossed the border! Its a bit more peaceful, & less touristy for sure. Sounds like you are realistic enough about how things will have changed, but the main feel of the place is the same
See you in Tescos