Moving overseas – especially if you’re going to somewhere that doesn’t speak the same language as you – can be pretty anxiety inducing. Even if you’re mostly excited about it, you’d have to agree it’s like stepping into the unknown.
You’ll quickly see how there’s way more to the whole process than just booking your flight when you’re getting ready to leave your home country. That includes gathering a range of important documents and setting up a new bank account. Literally every part of your move needs attention. It’s not just something you do on a whim.
So we’ve made a moving abroad checklist to cover everything you need in order to settle in properly, wherever you’re planning on moving to. This includes things like:
- Paperwork
- Finances
- Health care
- And more
Get Your Important Documents and Visas in Order
First things first: sort out your passport, visas, and all those vital papers. You can’t have your passport expiring for at least six months after you set off. Pretty much any major country, including the one you’re probably thinking about travelling to, needs this kind of buffer to let you in.
So we’d advise applying for any necessary visas or work permits you need for your destination country as soon as you can since the processing can take a while.
Then after that, get every important personal document that you might need. So this includes:
- Originals (and copies) of your birth certificate
- Marriage certificate (if applicable)
- Academic transcripts
- Any licenses or certificates relevant to your move
- School records (if you have kids)
And it’s also a decent idea to get an international driving permit if you plan to drive abroad because one of these IDPs proves your Australian licence is actually valid overseas.
Keep these documents somewhere organised in your carry-on luggage. Just make sure it’s safe because you definitely don’t want to lose them.
It’s also not a bad idea to leave photocopies or digital scans with a trusted friend or relative back home so you’ve got some kind of backup. We get that this might sound a bit overly cautious or needlessly meticulous, but being this way with paperwork only takes a bit of prep and will save you headaches when setting up your new life.
Sort Out Your Finances and Banking
Money matters a lot when you’re making any big move. Obviously it helps if you’ve got more cash to play with, but it’s not even just that. You’ve now got to decide what to do with your Australian bank accounts – will you keep them open, or close them out?
Notify your bank that you’ll be abroad so none of your cards get randomly frozen when charges suddenly appear from overseas. People tend to keep an account open so they can handle any remaining bills they’ve got back home, but you’ll also want to open a bank account in your new country that you use on a daily basis.
Ask your Australian bank about international transfer fees or limits too, as you don’t want to be caught off guard by any restrictions your host country might have on money transfers.
Tax Responsibilities
Let the Australian Taxation Office know about your move if you’re leaving Australia for more than a few months – you must tell the ATO within seven days if you’re going overseas for over 6 months.
And make sure you know what your tax obligations are in Australia and in your destination country so you don’t end up paying double. Australia only has tax treaties with a handful of countries to prevent double taxation, so otherwise you are probably going to be liable for taxes in two places.
If that sounds complicated, just get in touch with a financial advisor. They can help you through issues like:
- Superannuation
- Investments
- Currency exchange
Take Care of Health and Insurance
Don’t forget to look after your health during this move. When you go abroad, you won’t have access to healthcare in your host country, so you’ll need to arrange your own health insurance coverage.
So that means researching international health insurance plans that suit your needs in the new country. And you’ll want travel insurance to cover the actual move itself but also the first few weeks of your life abroad.
If you have existing policies (for example, private health or life insurance), check with your insurance provider about whether your coverage will still be valid overseas. There’s a good chance you’ll probably have to update or extend your policy.
See your doctor for a general checkup and ask if you can get some copies of your health documents. For instance, keep a record of immunisations (vaccination records for all family members) and any important medical files or prescriptions you’ll need.
Bringing these along will help new healthcare providers in your destination country understand your history and ensure continuity of care. Pack a basic travel first-aid kit and enough of any prescription medication to last until you can find a local doctor.
Handling Any Loose Ends Before You Leave
Again, start by deciding what you want to do with your house or apartment back home in advance. If you’re just renting, you need to give notice to your landlord. If you own a home, on the other hand, you could either sell or lease the property out to get some rental income while you’re away.
Figure out what to do with your vehicle as well – you could sell it or arrange for transport overseas if you plan to drive in your new city.
Don’t forget things like cancelling or even just updating some of your services and subscriptions. Obviously things like a Netflix subscription can stay, but you’ll need to notify your utility companies of your move so you can settle any final bills.
Set up mail forwarding with Australia Post or a private service so important mail reaches you abroad – or just get it sent to a family member’s address. It’s also a good idea to update your contact info to your new overseas address with institutions like:
- Your bank
- The electoral roll
- The Australian Taxation Office
You also need to take care of any legal and personal matters, which could be just updating your will or giving a trusted person power of attorney to handle some of your affairs while you’re gone. And before you hop on the plane, exchange a bit of Australian currency into your destination country’s cash so you have local money in hand when you land.
Lastly, it never hurts to prepare for the cultural change. Read up on your host country’s customs, and maybe learn a few key phrases in the local language. These are just small steps but you might find it helps you settle in a bit faster.
How Upscore Can Help
Upscore’s Finance Passport compiles all your income and credit history into a single profile, which makes it way easier to share with banks or lenders in your destination country. It’s completely free, and a great way of comparing different lenders when you’re applying for a mortgage abroad.
