Are you going to live in another country? Congratulations: you have already made the most important decision. But, before the adventure begins, one of the essential steps remains: the move, an exhausting hubbub of paperwork, suitcases and doubts.

Consider hiring a removal company like Adelaide Furniture Removals, since problems and back damage can be much more costly in the long term, than using the services of relocation professionals.

1 – Focus!

Moving is not a tasteful dish for anyone, and moving to another country is even more chaotic. The house is filled with boxes that look like a magnet for the little fingers of the feet, for a few days you get up as if you had spent the night unloading trucks, you discover that you have accumulated enough useless junk to mount your own trail.

So better take it easy from the beginning. If you can, try to organise yourself a few weeks in advance and take advantage of the free time of day to day to advance some tasks. And, when the most intense days come, work with a good background music session … and be patient!

2 – All paperwork procedures

Sometime before the move you will have to start thinking about different inevitable boring procedures to leave everything tied up in your country and gather information about the next destination. To organise ourselves, we create a document shared in Google Docs or lists in Keep with everything to do in the country of departure and arrival, point by point, and we distribute and update the tasks as well complete them. These are some of the aspects that you should take into account:

1. Documents

• ID and passport. Do you have both in force? When do they expire? If they expire while you are abroad you will have problems flying to your destination.
• Various cards. There will be many cards that you do not need to take: from the supermarket, from the library… Put them together and keep them all in the same place. If you have a valid student card, take it with you, since in many countries it will help you to get discounts.
• Titles and certifications. If your move is for work reasons, you may need to compel or translate your titles. Find out if you will need them and prepare them with some time, since if you need to process procedures at the university it may take time.
• Other important documents. Family book, rental contracts, service contracts (water, electricity, bank, telephone), Social Security information… Many documents are not essential, but it is good to have them on hand in case you need them (for example, for the following statement of the Income). If a manager keeps your accounts, tell him that you are leaving in case he needs a specific document. We take the most important ones and keep the others in a filing cabinet, which we then leave with a close family member that we know can transfer the information to us if necessary.

1. b) Cancellation procedures

• Credit and debit cards. Once in your destination country, you will open a bank account and have your own cards. Check what credit or debit cards you have and, if you pay commission for them, decide which ones you can cancel or go to your branch and ask for card modalities without commission. If you want to continue using the Spanish card for online purchases, remember to take the open line card for secure purchases that some banks provide.
• Direct debits. If you have them, remember to also cancel other direct debits: gym receipts, magazine subscription …
• If you live in a rental apartment managed by an agency, check the contract to find out how far in advance you need to notify. Review the inventory and tell the agency about any repairs needed to get your deposit back.
• Water, energy and telephone. As soon as you start thinking about the move, check in the contract how long you have to cancel these services so that they do not penalise you (especially, the telephone companies, which often have permanence).

1. Health

• For some countries it will not be necessary, but you may need to be vaccinated some time before the transfer. The Ministry of Health has a useful tool to know which vaccines are recommended for each country that also allows you to make an appointment. If you are not sure if you need vaccinations, please check with your health center, as the online information may be out of date.
• Health and medical insurance. Informing yourself about the healthcare system in your destination country is essential. Will you have health coverage only when you start working? Can you go to the emergency room without being enrolled in any center if you need it?

1. d) Money and day to day

• Cash. Do you need to change currency before you leave? If so, how much? Investigate ahead of time if your cards are used to pay and withdraw money abroad and what is the daily limit. You will need to think about what substantial expenses you will have in the first days (hotel, renting an apartment, bail …). We have little cash and we focus on opening a bank account as soon as possible to transfer money with Transferwise, which until now seems to us the best tool to transfer money between countries.
• Plugs. If the outlet is different in the country to which you move, it is a good idea to buy one or two universal adapters to get out of trouble the first few days (mobile, computer …).
• Mobile. It does not hurt to investigate the mobile companies and the different plans that are offered in your destination country, since you will surely want to buy a card as soon as you arrive in order to call possible rentals or connect to the internet.

Here at Adelaide Furniture Removals you will find a team of experienced people who will surely take good care of your valuable belongings while carefully handling them and transporting them to your new place.