Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to apply a bibliometric approach using CiteSpace software techniques to show how research interests and foci evolve over time to understand expatriate research knowledge domain. Design/methodology/approach - This study based on the Web of Science as a data source, we found 246 expatriate related papers in 50 journals from 2005 to 2018 with 11,684 corresponding references use the CiteSpace to analysis. Findings - We found that international assignments and expatriates, including international assignees, international assignments, and company-assigned expatriates were studied in depth, meanwhile, work-life balance, dangerous countries, and female expatriates were not studied in depth. And it is possible to extend this line of research to non-traditional expatriation, such as expatriates with disabilities, Muslim employees, and lesbian and gay expatriation; furthermore, the impact of artificial intelligence technology on the assignment of expatriates should be studied. Research implications or Originality - This paper applied bibliometric analysis using CiteSpace software to understand the intellectual structure of expatriate research and the evolution of the expatriate research knowledge domain over time. We visualize the different research lines which shape the intellectual structure of research on expatriates, and it also shows global trends and directions in this field that have emerged over the past decades.