The Top 5 Countries for Dealing with Bureaucracy (+ 3 to Avoid)

1. Singapore

When asked about whether or not it’s easy to deal with the local bureaucracy and authorities, 70% of expats in Singapore said “yes!” — that’s nearly twice the global average of 37%. And over a third even give it the best possible rating (35% vs. 12%)!

But to be fair, Singapore already has one big advantage: English is one of its official languages. Add to that the fact that over three-quarters (77%) rate the online availability of administrative and government services positively, and Singapore’s 1st place in this list seems hardly surprising.

The one huge downside to expat life in Singapore? The high cost of living. There, the country places last.

2. Luxembourg

According to a British respondent living there, Luxembourg is a “well-organised country with relatively low bureaucracy, a very high standard of living, and excellent facilities”.

Others agree, with close to three-quarters (74%) finding it easy to deal with the local authorities. In fact, when asked about their biggest concerns prior to moving abroad, only 3% percent named the bureaucracy as a worry for Luxembourg.

Overall, Luxembourg also delights with a great quality of life (5th) and is a great destination for career-oriented expats (7th).

3. UAE

The UAE not only ranks 1st for readily available admin/government services online. It’s also a destination where the vast majority (82%) finds it easy to live without speaking the local language.

As a consequence, only about one in ten respondents (12%) say it’s difficult to deal with the bureaucracy, compared to 41% of expats worldwide.

What else is great about the UAE? Expats rank it 1st for the ease of getting a visa, the state of its economy, and for personal safety. Overall, the country places in the top 10 of the 2025 Expat Insider survey (7th).

What’s not so great? Two in five respondents (40%) find that their disposable household income is not enough to lead a comfortable life in the UAE.

4. Australia

“The bureaucracy is so much better than in Germany, everything gets done,” a German in Perth shares.

Of course, like Singapore, Australia has a certain language advantage: the Expat Insider survey was conducted in English, which is also the official language of Australia. Still, three in five respondents (60%) agree that dealing with the authorities is comparatively easy.

What is noticeably less easy is to find affordable housing: 68% rate costs for accommodation in Australia negatively, 20 percentage points worse than the global average (48%).

Luckily, working abroad in Australia receives good grades, with the country consistently ranking in the top 10 of that index these past few years. And this includes being paid fairly for your work (10th in 2025).

5. The Netherlands

Not only does the Netherlands rank 5th for the ease of handling local bureaucracy, it’s also 6th for the availability of online admin services.

Only one in twenty respondents (5%) says the paperwork was a big concern before moving there. “Things are generally easy,” an Italian in Amsterdam shared, “including the bureaucracy, banks, getting around, etc.”

The results are actually rather similar to Australia’s: working abroad here is great (4th), but financial matters are less satisfying. The Netherlands ranks among the worst destinations worldwide when it comes to the affordability of housing (43rd out of 46), public transport (44th), and healthcare (41st).

46. Italy

In Italy, on the other hand, expats are not impressed with the ease of dealing with the local authorities. Whereas in Singapore and Luxembourg, 70% or more expats viewed this point positively, in Italy, 72% rate it negatively. In fact, 35% do not agree at all that it’s easy (vs. 16% globally).

“In my opinion, there is too much red tape to have an easy everyday life, long term,” a Zimbabwean in Alba points out.

Over a third (35%) mention they were already dreading the bureaucracy before they moved to Italy. The fact that online admin services are lacking (40th out of 46 destinations) and that it’s necessary to speak Italian to get by in the country (44th) surely play a part here as well.

Italy in general doesn’t perform great in the 2025 Expat Insider survey, placing 37th overall.

45. Greece

“In Greece, the bureaucracy and communication style of public servants bother me the most,” a US American in Athens shares.

And they are not alone in this opinion: 68% disagree that it’s easy to deal with the Greek authorities. The difficulties of getting a visa (39th out of 46) or opening a local bank account (43rd) are just two examples here.

Greece’s results across the rest of the survey paint a mixed picture. Next to the weather (2nd), expats appreciate the friendly population (13th), the culture and nightlife (5th), as well as the culinary variety and dining options (12th). Plus, they feel at home in Greece (8th).

These positives, however, are offset by a number of negatives: from an insufficient infrastructure for cars (41st) and a limited availability of healthcare services (40th) to the big topic of working abroad. Greece ranks in the bottom 10 for nearly every work-related factor in the survey and places dead last for improving respondents’ career prospects.

44. Germany

In Germany, only 19% of expats find it easy to deal with the authorities. In the words of a Brazilian living in Düsseldorf, it’s all “bureaucracy and paperwork instead of digital services.”

And indeed, Germany ranks second to last (45th) when it comes to the online availability of administrative services. Twice the global average rate this factor negatively (42% vs. 21%).

The local language poses another difficulty: more than half the expats (58%) name the language barrier as one of the biggest concerns they had before relocating to Germany. And once they got there, a similar share (54%) found out that they were right: it really isn’t easy to get by without speaking German.

Overall, Germany ranks in the bottom 5 in the 2025 Expat Insider survey (42nd out of 46 countries). It does okay for finances (28th) and work life (22nd). But in addition to the bad results above, it’s also in the bottom 5 for friendliness towards foreign residents (43rd), feeling welcome (43rd), and expats’ social life (42nd), among others.