Top Ten International Moving Tips from Greens Removals

International moves can be a daunting prospect for anyone, with so many different things to think about before the big day. At Greens Removals we are highly experienced when it comes to organising overseas removals from our bases in East Anglia, so here are our top 10 ten tips to ensure everything goes without a hitch. 

1. Sort Out the Paperwork Early On

This means ensuring that your passport or passports are all valid (remember, for some countries it will need to be valid well beyond the moving date), and get your visa sorted out early. Keep hard copies of everything too - whether that means birth certificates, insurance documents, travel tickets or work visas - and don’t store everything only online.

2. Sort Out the Finances Too

You also need to work out if any move is financially viable. This means not just looking at the starting salary, but the cost of living.

There may also be additional costs involved such as private healthcare or schooling. Another important question is will you be eligible for State support and if so, how much? There’s also the admin side of moving to a new country such as setting up new bank accounts and finding out if you will you be allowed, for instance, to be paid your UK pension if you are retiring overseas? And don’t forget to factor in the cost of the move itself. 

3. Make Plenty of Lists

This will help you to identify and carry out key tasks in the right order. It will also help when it comes to your possessions because you will know what’s coming with you and what’s staying behind or being sold off. Doing this will help you and the removal company – and it may be a customs requirement as well depending on the rules in your new country.

4. Think About How to Transport Your Belongings  

It’s not just you who will be moving abroad but your belongings too. Most international moves involve shipping so think about if you want a full load or a part load (sometimes known as groupage). With the former, you get exclusive use of your own container, and with part loads you share it with other people’s possessions. You could also choose air freight for speed, but it costs more than shipping and is less environmentally friendly. However, this route may help if you’ve got documents to send.

5. Think About Other People (and Pets)

If you are moving with a family, and for a long period of time (not just a fixed-term work contract) then you need to think about schools and colleges, and what entry requirements they may have, and the languages and subjects they will be learning. In all cases this is a big move for any children as well as yourself, so make sure they are fully informed at an early stage to cut down on the stress.

At least your children are likely to be making the trip with you. Any pets you have will probably have to go into quarantine, and possibly receive some additional vaccinations. It may be worth considering leaving your pet with a friend or relation, particularly if you are only moving overseas for a short period of time.   

6. Be Prepared to Declutter and Downsize

An international move is the perfect opportunity to think about what you really need in your life. The more you can get rid of, the easier (physically) the move will be. So old clothes, books, and CDs can be given to family and friends or charity shops. If you sell larger items such as furniture you could also help offset some of the cost of the move.

7. Get Items Professionally Packed (and Unpacked)

Although it can be tempting to do as much as possible yourself, it really does pay to leave it to the experts when it comes to packing and unpacking items. This is because they will know how to ensure all the fragile or unusual items are safe and unlikely to break or move about in transit.

8. Moving Day Itself

Although it may be more complicated than a domestic move within the same country, a lot of the advice still holds good. Keep yourself well fed and watered, whatever stage of the journey you are on, and always know where the next meal is coming from. Have snacks and drinks to hand as well. And, make sure your children have a favourite toy or something to amuse themselves on the trip (these days it probably means a tablet or smartphone). 

9. Think About Your New Life Afterwards

Here you should really let the internet be your friend, because  it’s a fantastic resource if used properly. Use it to research the area your new home will be in and what life is like there. Many people may have made the trip before you, so find out what the social scene is like (as well as the facilities, sports venues, special interest groups, etc.) for expats who have come from the same country. There should be contact names and numbers too, so you don’t have to rely on embassies and consuls. 

10. Use Greens Removals 

At Greens Removals we can help organise your overseas removals from any of our bases in East Anglia. We can pack and unpack your items too, regardless of whether they part of are a full or part load, or are sending anything via air freight. 

We have dedicated overseas moves managers who can help you every step of the way, whether you are considering international removals to India, China, Sweden and other parts of Europe, the USA and Canada, or Australia and New Zealand – in fact virtually anywhere in the world. We also offer full insurance cover and secure storage facilities, if you need to leave anything behind; and we have a commitment to high standards and excellent customer service. 

To kick-start the whole moving process, you can book a remote video survey or get a free, no-obligation quote by calling us on 0800 0484688.