The phenomenon of ‘climigration’ is an emerging and increasing challenge for contemporary planning. Climigration refers to community relocation undertaken in response to climate change impacts. It is a form of assisted migration because it occurs in a planned and structured way with the assistance of government agencies. This paper depicts climigration as an emerging spatial issue with unique features and fundamental differences to other forms of resettlement. Climigration is characterized as an end-point of climate change adaptation in the context of planning because it inherently requires the wholesale relocation of communities. This research links climigration to planning and discusses how articulation of the concept may be brought into the discipline. Findings from a systematic literature review of case studies where community relocations occurred in response to climate-induced threats are then provided. Drawing upon these, the paper critically examines planning factors with critical, moderate or negligible influences on relocation success. The factors are synthesized into a best practice framework to guide planning practice in successfully responding to climigration now and into the future. Two key conclusions are provided. First, planning regimes have central roles to play as agencies of government in instances of climigration. Second, responding to climigration will require planners to engage in substantial collaboration with stakeholders, including affected residents, emergency services, receiving communities and various other government agencies.