Are you in the process of emigrating internationally? Here is a valuable checklist which will help you cover all your bases.
Moving your family abroad is a big decision. You are uprooting your lives and relocating into new ones. It can take time to adjust. It also helps if you do as much research as you can, so that you don’t come up against any nasty surprises. This checklist is a good head start on those essentials. Your new life abroad is waiting. All it takes is due care and planning.
Story Stages
Moving Abroad is a Massive Venture
There are as many as 281 million migrants living away from their country of birth. The UN Migration statistics indicate that 1 in 30 of us will move away and start a new life elsewhere. Just because everyone does it, doesn’t mean it is easy. Moving home means moving schools, jobs, friends, and social circles.
Before you even begin your planning, you must look for a place to live. Your priority should be making sure your family have a safe place to go when you move. If you arrive in the country before you have somewhere to live, you could burn through your savings staying in hotels until you secure a tenancy. In some countries, this can take 6 weeks. You can see this article for help on securing property abroad.
What Will You Need to Emigrate?
There are several steps to take before you are ready to move to another country. Check this list below once you think you are ready, to see if you have forgotten anything.
Find Your Property
Find your property before you move. Not only for the reasons above, but also for the sake of enrolling children in schools and finding doctor and dentist surgeries.
Pick Health Insurance
International health insurance is not the same as the type of health insurance you take out if you are going on holiday. You need the type of health insurance you might take out in your own country to go private. If you are looking for the best health insurance for international emigration, this article can help. Make sure it covers the whole family and that the coverage is substantial enough, should the worst happen. New countries come with new dangers. Health insurance prepares you for them.
Documents
You may need a permit to leave your own country, but you will definitely need permission to reside in the new one. Each member of your household must be included on your visa application, which you should complete well in advance. Asides from your visas, passports, and permits, you may have to register with a local authority or keep officials updated with where you are staying. Check the rules in your destination country before you leave.
Do your children need schooling?
If so, you must find a school nearby to your new home to send them to. Is the schooling system different in your new country? You should consider planning language lessons for the whole family before you leave.
What about taxes?
Finances and bank accounts are another thing which might prevent you moving abroad. Find out what your obligations are in advance. Setting up bank accounts before you leave helps you receive payments from your new job when you arrive.
What about pets?
You may need a passport for your pet if you are moving internationally. You also need to plan how you will get them from one country to another. Specialist firms can help you with this.
Changing your license over
If you intend to drive over with your pet, you will need to change your license before you go. In some countries, you may keep your foreign car for a set period. Once that period is up, however, you must switch both the car number plate and your license.
Phone, Internet, Gas, and Electricity
These are things it is far easier to arrange for before you arrive. Nobody wants to spend their first few nights shivering in the cold and dark.
Don’t forget your mobile might not work
As you approach your leaving date, consider how important it is that you have the means to communicate with those back home. A new mobile phone and mobile phone network might help you do that.
Set your date and hire your movers
You will need storage, transportation, and a complete door-to-door itinerary for both you, your loved ones, and your items. Moving abroad is difficult, but the more you organise the journey, the smoother the transition will be.
Quick Checklist for Moving Abroad
For those in a hurry, here’s the fast version:
- Decide on buying property or renting property
- Get Health Insurance for the family
- Inquire about (and attain) relevant documentation
- Find out about the school system
- Research your tax obligations and finances
- Prepare pets to travel
- Change your license
- Set up your phone and internet
- Arrange utility bills
- Switch to a new mobile network
- Set your moving date and arrange to transport your goods
Keep this list handy and check it before you move. Planning each point in advance will help you to have a smoother transition.
