autoexiliarse

To leave one's country or community voluntarily, usually for political, safety, or personal reasons, without being formally expelled — common in biographical and political writing about writers, artists, and dissidents.

• El escritor se autoexilió tras la censura de su obra. — The writer went into self-exile after his work was censored.
• Decidió autoexiliarse en Europa durante la dictadura. — He decided to self-exile in Europe during the dictatorship.
• Muchos artistas se autoexiliaron por razones políticas. — Many artists went into self-imposed exile for political reasons.

Distinct from ser exiliado (being formally exiled by a government) — autoexiliarse stresses that the decision to leave was the person's own.

Often confused with exiliar.