Moving to a new home is said to be one of the most stressful things in life. It's stressful just moving across town, worse when you move to another town miles away across country. How much more stressful must it be to move to another country thousands of miles across the ocean?
Well, it can be, of course, and there is a whole lot more involved in moving abroad. However, you can make things much easier for yourself by remembering the two Ps, Planning and Preparation. It’s like any other major undertaking really. If you plan it well in advance and try to take into account all the thousand and one things that could go wrong, most of them won’t! Careful preparation should take care of those that do by you spotting them in time to deal with them.
International removal is quite different to the usual local move. You will need to be particularly organised if all is going to go as smoothly as you would wish. There are so many more things to take into account and however long you think it’s all going to take, it will take longer than that. So the first thing is to start really early with your planning.
Just to ship all your worldly goods overseas can take several weeks so don’t pack anything you might need during that time. Keep it with you, but don’t forget that if you’re flying to your destination you will have weight and other restrictions to contend with. That’s something else you’ll need to be sure about in good time.
Choose your contractor very carefully. Make sure that all the companies you get to quote for your move are experienced International movers. You should get and take up references in respect of all of them. International removals are a highly specialised business and you’ll need all the expertise you can get. It’s seldom the best policy to simply pick the cheapest. You want the best you can get.
Once you’ve chosen your International removals firm take heed of any advice they offer you. Remember, you’ve probably never moved overseas before. They’ve done it many times.
International removal means that all your treasured possessions are going to be loaded into a van, unloaded into a warehouse, then loaded into a ship. That ship is going to sail thousands of miles across stormy seas, rolling and pitching, through whatever the ocean throws at her to a foreign port where your valuables will be unloaded, probably into another warehouse. Then they’ll be loaded into another vehicle of some sort and carried to your destination, there to be unloaded and unpacked.
Remember all that when you decide whether to do the packing yourself or get the professionals to do it. There’s no contest really is there? Leave it to the experts! There’s another thing. If you do it the cases will have to be labelled on the inventory, “PBO,” (Packed by Owner). Customs officers are far more likely to examine the contents of boxes so marked. That can lead to extensive delays and additional costs that will considerably outweigh any saving you may have made by doing your own packing.
Sort through your possessions and decide which items you really need to take with you. Be ruthless. You don’t really want to pay shipping costs for things you hardly ever use now. Go through all your paperwork and arrange for things like insurance policies that you won’t need anymore, such as house insurance and car insurance are cancelled on the day you leave, though not before.
If you’re thinking of taking any electrical goods, first make sure they will work in the new country. Voltages etc. can be quite different and things like TV systems and DVDs too.
Make a list of all the people and organisations you’ll need to notify before you leave and make sure that’s all done. Make sure you fill in a form P85 for the tax people or get your employer or accountant to do it for you. You could lose out on a tax refund if you don’t.
See your doctor and make sure you not only have all the necessary vaccinations etc. for where you’re moving to but also have any letters or other forms your new doctor will need and a supply of any medications you might be taking to carry you over until you can get to your new doctor. At the same time make sure you have all the medical insurance cover you need in place before you go.
There’s still lots more to think about yet so do give yourself plenty of time. You’ll need to start all this at least twelve weeks before you actually leave, more if possible.
Article By Pauline Collins
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