How to Organize Your International Move

Moving, in general, is frustrating but moving internationally even more. It requires you to consider carefully and be realistic about the cons and pros of relocating to a new country. On the bright side, it is an exciting opportunity that helps you to understand the rest of the world. Being in a new place where you experience other people’s culture other than your own and learn a new language gives you a lot of perspective in life. You cannot wake up one day and move to another country because it requires you to plan and organize ahead for your move to be less stressful and expensive.

 

Decide to move early.

 

When considering an international move, it’s wise to decide as early as possible to avoid last-minute planning. Be sure to discuss with family first and not decide on your own so that you can start making plans. Make this decision a year, nine or eight months before you move. An early decision gives time to the processing of visas and work permits.

 

Organize all legal documents.

 

Legal documents include; passports, driver’s license, birth certificates, marriage certificates, school records, etc. Ensure all your documents and your family members if they are moving with you are valid and in order. If you’re touring the new country, your passports should be valid for at least three months, but the passports should be valid for six months if the move is permanent.

While you are preparing the right documents, look for a nearby education center. If you are thinking of starting a family, you need to have an international preschool where your child can start a successful career.

 

Visit and do thorough research.

 

Take a quick trip to your destination country to familiarize yourself with the new environment. It’s better to experience first hand and not listen to other people’s experiences because others will tell you their worst experiences. During this trip, you can survey where you’ll live, where you’ll be working and so on. Before visiting, you can do research online to get familiar with the country’s cities, customs, and laws.

 

Secure a job.

 

If your move is long term, you must find a way to survive. Looking for a job is a start. Looking for a job, especially internationally, is never easy. You can request to be transferred if the company you work for is international or contact an international recruiter for help. It is important to apply for a job early to give the work permit application time to process.

 

Arrange for necessary vaccinations.

 

Moving to another country at times puts you at the risk of being infected by diseases. Arrange for necessary vaccinations before you depart to the country you’re moving to avoid severe infections. For example, if you’re moving to Kenya, some of the recommended vaccines are; hepatitis A, typhoid, yellow fever, and hepatitis B.

 

Do a financial assessment.

 

Doing a financial assessment is a critical step when you’re organizing to move internationally. Assess how much the cost of living is in your destination country, such as housing, food, tuition for your kids, and other expenses. Do not forget the expense of moving, for example, the cost of shipping your property. If you have savings in the bank, consider transferring it to a bank in your destination country. Also, before departing, make sure you’ve paid all your taxes and any outstanding loans.

 

Evaluate what to take and what not to take with you.

 

You can’t possibly take everything with you when moving to another country because each country has restrictions on what to be included in your shipment. For example, if you have pets, find them a home before leaving because you can’t take them with you. For the rest of the things you want to take with you, consider letting a moving crew pack your shipment because they know how to. Letting a crew pack your belongings helps avoid complications during shipping.

 

There are millions of things that need to be done before moving internationally. You will go crazy just thinking about it. To ease this process, make a list of these things to help you remember each of them.

 

Getting organized to move internationally involves the points I have discussed and others like; setting a date to move, selling what you’re not taking with you, obtaining international health insurance, language training, etc.