Planning an International Move? Here’s What You Need to Do

If you’ve got an international move planned, you’ve probably got a lot on your mind. There are so many things to consider when you’ve moving to a foreign country, including personal, professional, and legal factors.

When moving abroad, you’ll need to make sure you organise the relevant visa and health insurance for expats. You will also need to open an international bank account and organise your finances to ensure you have funds available during and after your move.

It’s almost impossible to write an article on every minor thing you need to arrange when moving to a foreign country because there are so many things to organise. However, we’re going to cover the most important things you need to do when planning an international move.

Health and Travel Insurance

Whether you choose to get combined medical travel insurance or purchase separate policies for each type of insurance, you’ll need to organise your insurance coverage before you make your big move abroad.

Having both health and travel insurance will give you peace of mind during your move abroad and protect you both physically and financially.

Research the various health insurance policies that are available for your chosen expat destination. You may wish to get the most basic coverage or choose a more extensive policy that provides a higher level of protection.

Health insurance is necessary to enable you to access medical care and treatment whilst abroad. In many countries, you will be unable to access hospitals and community healthcare clinics without valid health insurance. Make sure your chosen policy covers any pre-existing health conditions you have or medications you currently take to ensure you can continue accessing the treatments you need after you move homes.

Travel insurance protects you from unexpected events during travel, such as lost or stolen luggage, flight cancellations, or natural disasters that prevent you from travelling on your chosen dates.

Visa

Most countries require expats to have a valid visa before arriving at the border. The exact type of visa you need depends on why you’re moving abroad.

If you’re moving to work, you’ll need a work visa. You’re going to need to apply for a study visa if you want to move to the UK to study at university or elsewhere in the world. If you’re heading abroad for a relaxing retirement, you may need to apply for a retirement visa.

The process of applying for a visa varies from country to country. It’s important to research the unique requirements of your chosen expat destination to avoid making errors or missing important details.

For accurate details about applying for a visa in your destination country, see the relevant official government website or speak with a visa advisor to ensure you apply for the right visa.

Apply for the relevant visa as early as possible. Often, the approval process for visas can take several weeks. Organising your visa nice and early means it will be ready for the day you move to your new home.

International Courier

When moving to another country, you’ll need to book an international courier to transport your belongings to your new home. Search for a reputable company that offers tracked delivery at a reasonable price to make moving faster and easier.

The cost of an international courier depends on how much you have to move and the size and weight of your furniture and packages. However, don’t be afraid to compare quotes from multiple couriers to ensure you find the best price for your move. 

International Bank Account

Next on your list of things to organise when you are moving to a foreign country is an international bank account.

If you plan on maintaining citizenship in your home country whilst living abroad, you will need to keep your current bank account open. This enables you to access your money when visiting family at home and allows you to continue paying any necessary taxes within your home country.

If you don’t want dual citizenship between your home and expat countries, you will need to transfer all of your funds to a local bank account when you move. Research the various banks in the country you’re moving to and identify the best accounts, interest rates, and rewards.

Accommodation

You may have searched for a new home the moment you decided you wanted to live in another country. If so, make sure you’ve organised all of the necessary things for your new property, such as utilities and property insurance, before your moving date.

However, you may like to rent a property or find temporary accommodation so you can move abroad as quickly as possible whilst you search for something more permanent. In this case, perform a detailed search to find suitable accommodation in your chosen location.

Arranging accommodation as early as possible enables you to focus on other aspects of your move and offers peace of mind knowing that you will haves somewhere comfortable to stay from the moment you land in your new home country.