International Moving
« Removals
Unsurprisingly, if your move is taking you abroad, rather than just to a different area of the country, there will be several extra layers of complexity. If you are relocating to take up a job abroad, your employer, especially if it is a large multinational, will be able to help with some aspects of the move (and often the costs). If you are upping sticks independently, you will need to do quite a bit of research yourself, possibly hiring experts to help guide you through the admin and advise you on the various aspects of your move to help make sure it all happens as smoothly as possible.
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Moving your stuff
International removals
The physical moving of your belongings alone will likely be more of a task in itself. Broadly speaking, your belongings can travel by land, air or sea, and of course there are advantages and disadvantages to each. Much will depend on where you are going, how much stuff you are taking, and how much time you have. The whole process might have to begin much sooner than with a domestic move: if, for example, if your goods make up part of a containerload travelling by ship, it is likely to take weeks (travelling and sitting in docks). An experienced international removal company can advise you on the pros and cons of the various ways of transporting your belongings. Much will vary according to where you are moving from and to (eg whether your destination is a distant port such as Hong Kong, a hop across the Channel, or a remote inland destination). If money is of greater concern than time, and your new home is in Europe, you may find that a few trips with your own car or borrowed van stuffed to the gills will do it. As well as land or sea, you can of course transport your things by air. This has the advantage of speed, but its cost makes it prohibitive for all but the smallest or most urgent moves.
In moving your things abroad, you will have to complete customs paperwork. If you are using an international mover, they will provide the necessary forms and will be able to advise. Note that there may be charges and restrictions on what can be imported, and that you may be required to appear at customs yourself to get your goods cleared.
Packing for international moves
Much will depend on how long you plan to stay abroad. If it’s a short term contract or sabbatical and you plan to return within a year or so, then you may well be keeping your UK property and indeed leaving it furnished and renting it out in your absence. In this case you can probably leave personal items such as books in boxes in the loft or a locked cupboard. Even if you no longer have a base of your own in Britain, you might want to keep some of your stuff in storage, either with a storage company, or with family and friends, to await your return.
When relocating abroad, you may well be in temporary accommodation (rented or hotel) to begin with, and so will need to divide your things into those that you’ll want from the start, and those, such as furniture, that you will only need once you are settled.
If transporting by land, the packing issues are similar to what they would be for a domestic move: your possessions will go in one or more trucks and be driven to your new home. Obviously this might take a few days if the destination is a long way away, meaning that you will have to count on managing without everything for longer than with a domestic move.
If you are sending your things by sea, they will be packed at your house into one or more sturdy wooden containers, and you will be charged by volume. Obviously it pays to have less volume, but if you fill a fraction of a container, you may well find you can then add more stuff for the same price to fill it. Don’t pack anything that you are likely to need in a hurry!
If you are flying your things, you will most probably pack them in sturdy cardboard boxes, or you could even use suitcases. Here the important factor in determining cost will be weight rather than volume, so you may find you prefer to leave heavy items like books behind and take the bare minimum.
Electrical appliances
An often overlooked aspect when packing for a new life abroad is the local electricity supply. Before you pay to have your stereo, toaster, toothbrush or whatever sent to your new home, check that you will be able to use it. You need to consider: voltage, socket design, and frequency. Our own voltage is 230V, which is now the EU standard, and quite common. Many countries have 220V; some have 240V. Since most electrical appliances are designed to tolerate slight variations, any of these should not present a problem, but you should bear in mind that severe variations can damage electrical equipment. Within tolerance, you will still have to have adapters so that your equipment can be plugged into foreign sockets. See www.electricaloutlet.org for more information. NB Some countries (notably the USA) use 120V. Even with suitable voltage and any necessary adapters, you should be aware that the frequency of the local supply (50Hz n the UK and most other countries but 60Hz in many places) can affect the working of clocks or recording devices.
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Moving yourself
Immigration
The moving of your belongings is one thing: moving people and pets to another country brings with it additional requirements. It’s a good idea to talk to someone at the local embassy of the country you’ll be moving to, to find out what is involved in immigration. You and any members of your family travelling with you are likely to need a visa and/or a work permit. (www.projectvisa.com and www.workpermit.com are good places to start.) You’ll need to understand the law surrounding how long you may stay, whether you (or your partner) may work and so on. There may be requirements in terms of your level of education or area of expertise, or you may need to show solvency or a certain amount of savings to be permitted to settle in the country. If your employer doesn’t provide one for you, you may want to hire an immigration lawyer to guide you through the process.
Documents
In addition to the various forms you will need to fill in as part of the relocation process, make sure that you have ready to hand other useful documents. These include up to date passports, driver’s licenses, marriage certificates, medical records and so on. It’s a good idea to keep copies of all of these somewhere safe (though usually the originals will be required) – apart from anything else, this will help you to get replacement originals should the need arise. Keep the originals with you when you travel rather than shipping them with the bulk of your possessions, just to be on the safe side.
Finance
Find out the costs and restrictions of your existing bank accounts if you want to be able to access funds from abroad. For day to day expenses if nothing else you will probably want a local current account; this could be a branch of your existing UK institution, or a different bank altogether, and you might want to have help from a local adviser when choosing where to keep your money and in which type of account. It can take time to set up bank accounts so anything you can research or organise ahead of the move will be helpful in enabling you to start spending money as cheaply as possible once you get there.
It also pays to seek advice about local tax issues, as well as the implications for your UK tax status of your moving and earning abroad. Mistakes can cost you money.
Health - vaccinations
The host country may well require incomers to have certain vaccinations – check what is needed and leave plenty of time to organize these. Don’t forget to keep records to prove that you have complied with the regulations. Remember that requirements for health documentation can extend to pets as well as family members! Bear in mind that some countries will have quarantine restrictions for animals, or will impose quarantine for any that are not able to prove that they have been properly vaccinated.
Health - insurance
If you have health insurance at home, it will probably not cover you when you are living abroad. It might do so for an initial period (check how long) but you will need to look into and arrange local health insurance or satisfy yourself that you won’t need any in the country you are moving to. Different countries make different provision, and have different customs and laws concerning health care. (eg in some countries you may be required to have private insurance). These may also vary depending on whether you are a national, a resident, or a visitor.
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Moving your family
If you are single and only have yourself to worry about, things are complicated enough, but what else is there to consider if you are moving with your family?
Children’s schools
If you will be moving with children, you will need to find schools for them (unless of course you are going to home educate). Do you want them to go to a British school, if there is one, so that their education can continue in the same system and make it easier to slot back on their return to the UK? Or do you want to throw them in at the deep end with a local school where they will quickly learn the local language and integrate into the local culture? Obviously much will depend on the ages and needs of your children, as well as the reasons for your move and likely duration of your stay. Alternatively – particularly with older children who may be about to sit GCSE or A Level exams - you may decide that they would be better off boarding in Britain while you are away, and joining you only for the holidays.
Spouse
Within families if one adult has a job organised in the new country and the other does not, this can create problems. If your partner is a stay at home parent or has given up their work to accompany you, you should be sensitive to their needs. If you are in the office you will soon make friends with colleagues, and be fully occupied during the day. Children will be similarly involved at school. It can be harder for the housewife (or husband) to become integrated in the local community. Prepare by learning the language and researching stimulating ways of meeting people to avoid feeling lonely or bored. A home broadband connection and Skype can help all of you to keep in touch with people and events back home, too.
Pets
If you are taking your pets with you to another country, remember to leave plenty of time. Check with the consulate what the requirements are for importing pets to your host country. This could include quarantine for up to six months (which you will have to organise and pay for) and/or vaccinations. Remember to have all the necessary documentation to prove that you have done all that is required. There may be further restrictions (by breed, by age) which could prevent you from bringing your pet into the country at all. Most EU countries are members of the PETS (pet travel) scheme, which allows cats, dogs and ferrets to avoid quarantine if they meet certain requirements (see www.direct.gov.uk for further details and bear in mind that the process takes over six months). Do talk to your vet about the best way to prepare your pet for the journey as well.
Don’t be daunted!
There is a lot to be done, but, as with most things, forewarned is forearmed. Make sure you take the time to find out what is needed, and prepare well to minimise the stress of moving. You will soon be settled into an exciting new life!