Relocation Cover Letter: 6 Samples for Moving to a New City
By Mustafa Tarabya, founder of CVBooster · Published · Updated
8 min read
A relocation cover letter is a normal cover letter that answers one extra question in the first paragraph: when will you be living near the job, and is the move already decided? The constraint is the employer's fear of an out-of-town candidate who never arrives, needs moving costs, or interviews only on video. Give a move date, say who is paying for the move, and say when you can interview in person, then spend the rest of the letter on the job itself. Six complete letters follow, for moving with a partner, moving home to family, applying before you have an address and more. Written by Mustafa Tarabya, who hired for his own company, read every application himself and now writes CVBooster's guides.
Sample 1: moving with a partner, date fixed
The strongest relocation letter has a date and a reason that is already settled. This one puts both in the first two sentences.
Moving with a partner, experienced registered nurse (six years) (170 words)
Dear Ms. Alvarez,
I am applying for the Med-Surg Registered Nurse position (job ID 44810) at Denver Health. My husband starts a new job in Denver on January 6, and we move on December 15. I will be living in the city and available to start any time after December 20.
For six years I have worked on a 32-bed medical-surgical unit at a Level II trauma center in Kansas City, on 12-hour night shifts. I precept new graduates, I am a super-user for our Epic rollout, and I chair our unit's falls committee, which cut patient falls from 11 to 4 in a year by moving bed alarms into the first-hour admission checklist.
I hold an active multistate RN license under the Nurse Licensure Compact, so I can practice in Colorado without a new license. I will be in Denver November 18 to 21 and can interview in person on any of those days.
My resume is attached. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely, Laura Benton (816) 555 0142
What a relocation letter must answer
CareerOneStop, the U.S. Department of Labor's career site, advises in its cover letter guide: "It's important to write a tailored cover letter for each position you apply for. But cover letters don't need to be long. A good letter can be about 200-400 words, with just 3-4 short paragraphs." A relocation letter uses one of those paragraphs, usually the first, for the move. Answer these four questions and nothing more about the move:
| Question in the employer's head | Your answer, in one sentence |
|---|---|
| When will you be here? | A month and year, or an exact date |
| Is the move certain? | Why you are moving, if it is already decided |
| Will you ask us to pay for it? | "I am relocating at my own expense", if true |
| Can you interview in person? | The dates you will be in town |
If you will ask for relocation help, leave it out of the letter and raise it at the offer stage.
Sample 2: moving home to family, entry level
Moving back to where you grew up is a strong reason: it says you plan to stay.
Moving home to family, recent graduate, marketing coordinator (155 words)
Dear Hiring Manager,
I am applying for the Marketing Coordinator role at Lakeside Credit Union. I grew up in Grand Rapids and am moving back in June, after graduating from Arizona State with a BA in Marketing in May. I will be relocating at my own expense.
At ASU I ran social media for a campus food pantry that serves 400 students a week. I planned a semester calendar, wrote every post and doubled our volunteer sign-ups from 35 to 72 by posting shift openings as Instagram stories with a one-tap sign-up link. As a marketing intern at a Phoenix credit union last summer, I wrote two member newsletters and helped run a branch opening event.
I would love to bring that local, member-first approach home. I can interview by video now and in person from June 3.
Thank you for considering my application. My resume is attached.
Best regards, Ethan Kowalski (480) 555 0163
Sample 3: applying before the move is certain
If the move depends on the job, say you are targeting the city. Do not pretend the move is fixed.
Targeting a new city, mid-career project manager (134 words)
Dear Mr. Chen,
I am applying for the Project Manager, Facilities position at Northwind Logistics in Charlotte. My family and I are planning a move to the Charlotte area this spring, and I am focusing my search there. I can be on site within four weeks of an offer.
For eight years I have managed facilities projects for a 1.2 million square foot distribution network in Ohio: dock expansions, LED lighting retrofits and two full warehouse fit-outs. My last fit-out came in at $4.1 million, 3% under budget and two weeks early, with no lost-time injuries.
I will be in Charlotte for house hunting on March 9 and 10 and would welcome the chance to meet in person then.
My resume is attached. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely, Renee Walker (614) 555 0185
Sample 4: remote worker moving to an onsite role
Some candidates move in the other direction: from a remote job to a city where they want to work in an office.
Remote to onsite, experienced customer success manager (114 words)
Dear Ms. Patel,
I am applying for the Customer Success Manager role at Brightline Health in Austin. I have worked remotely from rural Oregon for four years and am moving to Austin on August 1 because I want to work with a team in person again.
I manage 38 mid-market healthcare clients with $6.2 million in annual recurring revenue. Over the last two years my renewal rate has been 96%, and I built the quarterly business review template our whole team now uses.
I already know Austin from three years at UT, and I can interview in person any day from August 4.
My resume is attached.
Best regards, Marcus Webb (541) 555 0127
Sample 5: military spouse, permanent change of station
A permanent change of station (PCS) gives a fixed date and a clear reason. Use both.
Military spouse, PCS move, administrative assistant (126 words)
Dear Hiring Manager,
I am applying for the Administrative Assistant position at Coastal Pediatrics. My husband has received PCS orders to Naval Station Norfolk, and our family arrives in Virginia Beach on May 20.
I have six years of front office experience, most recently at a 12-provider family practice in San Diego, where I managed scheduling for four providers, checked in 60 to 80 patients a day, and handled insurance verification for Tricare, Medicaid and commercial plans.
I am used to learning new systems quickly. I have worked in Athena, eClinicalWorks and Epic in three different offices. I am available to interview by video now and in person from May 22.
My resume is attached. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely, Jasmine Ortiz (619) 555 0176
Sample 6: before and after
The most common mistake is to lead with the move and let it take over the letter.
Before and after, any level (102 words)
Before
I am writing to let you know that I am relocating to Seattle soon for personal reasons and am looking for opportunities in the area. I am a hard-working accountant who would love to join your company. I am open to discussing relocation assistance.
After
I am applying for the Staff Accountant role (req 2291) at Pinecrest Group. I move to Seattle on September 1 and am relocating at my own expense. For three years I have handled month-end close for a $90 million manufacturer in Boise, closing in five working days instead of eight after I rebuilt our accrual schedules.
Relocation help and money
Do not ask for relocation money in the cover letter. If the employer offers it, they will raise it, and you can negotiate at the offer stage using the advice in how to negotiate salary.
Federal jobs work differently. Under the Office of Personnel Management's relocation incentive rules, "An agency may pay a relocation incentive to a current employee who must relocate to accept a position in a different geographic area if the agency determines that the position is likely be difficult to fill in the absence of an incentive." That applies to current federal employees, not new hires.
On taxes, check before you count on a deduction. The IRS page on moving expenses is titled "Moving expenses for members of the Armed Forces and the Intelligence Community", and it says: "If you're a member of the Armed Forces on active duty, you may be eligible to deduct unreimbursed moving expenses". If you are not in one of those groups, ask a tax adviser before assuming a move is deductible.
Your resume address
Put the city you are moving to on your resume, with "relocating September 2026" next to it, or leave the street address off and keep city and state. Some applicant tracking systems filter by distance, so a local city can help your resume be seen. Never give an address you do not have.
For the rest of the letter, use the how to write a cover letter guide and the professional cover letter examples. If there is no advertised job yet in the new city, send a letter of interest instead.
Frequently asked questions
How do you mention relocation in a cover letter?
In the first paragraph, after naming the job: give your move date, your reason if the move is decided, and say you are relocating at your own expense if that is true. Add when you can interview in person. Then spend the rest of the letter on your experience.
Should I say I am relocating if the move is not certain?
Say you are planning a move and focusing your search on that city, and say how quickly you could start after an offer. Do not write a fixed date you do not have, because it will come up in the interview.
Should I ask for relocation assistance in my cover letter?
No. Raise it at the offer stage, when the employer has decided they want you. Saying "relocating at my own expense" in the letter, if true, removes a common reason to pass on an out-of-town candidate.
What address do I put on my resume if I am relocating?
Use the city and state you are moving to, with a short note such as "relocating September 2026". If you already have the new address, use it. Do not list an address you do not have.
Is a relocation cover letter different from a normal cover letter?
Only in one paragraph. The structure, length and tone are the same as any cover letter, about 200 to 400 words. The move gets two or three sentences near the top, and the rest proves you can do the job.
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