Although bribery has unethical connotations, it can be considered as an instrumental behavioural strategy to achieve goals. Because individuals with high residential mobility often focus more on self‐interest to adapt to the changing environment, we hypothesise that residential mobility will increase intention to bribe to achieve one's goals. We measured actual residential mobility in a self‐reported survey (pilot study) and manipulated it using experiments (Experiments 1–3). We measured intention to bribe using hypothetical scenarios (pilot study, Experiments 1 & 2) and captured actual bribe‐giving using a behavioural game (Experiment 3). We consistently found that residential mobility was positively associated with bribe‐giving intention and actual bribery. This effect was mediated by concern for self‐interest when bribe‐giving was perceived as means to influence the outcome. Implications for research on bribery, residential mobility, and moral behaviours are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]