You want to make the most of your experience abroad ? Then, you have to prepare it beforehand. Moving abroad can really be beneficial professionally and socially, especially if you follow the right steps.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
Don’t worry, nothing unmanageable… However, it’s essential to have your administrative papers ready and to prepare them according to the destination requirements.
Once you reach your destination, it’d be much less easy to deal with bureaucracy.
Your ID card and your driving licence must be valid when leaving. It is also handy to have them scanned so you always have a copy on you.
Your health insurance. Make sure that you are covered abroad. If you’re going to work, check if the company also provide you with private health insurance. Don’t forget that « better be safe than sorry ».
Your social security. As a European citizen, you can ask for the European social security card. It’s free so it’d be a shame not to get it, even though if you get private insurance provided by your company, you might not need it.
Your mobile phone plan . No additional fees in EU countries. Calls and text messages fees remain the same.
Inform your tax centre as well as your pension fund that you are leaving.
Don’t forget to pay your bills (taxes, gas, electricity…) and to terminate your contracts.
Ask to get your administrative documents, medical records accounts and bank contracts transferred as well as your mail.
LEAVING YOUR HOUSE
If you are renting a place, you are only required to send a notice to your landlord by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt.
The notice is usually 3 months length but it may be shorten to 1 month in case of work transfer or if you live in a specific geographic area (where accommodation demand is relatively high compared to supply). You can find information regarding those zones online.
If you own a property or you’re in home-ownership, you have various options. It’d depend on the length of your stay abroad (rental management, sale…)
ORGANISING YOUR MOVE
Once again, various options are available to you: rent a furnished apartment, store your furniture, sell them or get them sent to you.
If you choose the last option, you should get in touch with different moving companies to compare prices. It is probably the easiest and the most comfortable option.
The second one would be to ask for furniture storage services. This would only be interesting if you are going abroad for a short period of time.
You may also sell your furniture easily on social media or on other specific platforms providing those services.
We advise you to consider each of those solutions, to ask for quotes and compare prices before taking any decision.
PREPARING YOUR ARRIVAL
Depending on your destination, you may have to get vaccinated. It is essential to be cautious and to check that everything is up-to-date beforehand.
To make your integration smoother, you may want to get information on the culture, values and habits of the country you’re going to.
You might as well learn a few basic words and expressions to be able to ask for directions, order at the restaurant etc. This will help you a lot and be very much appreciated by locals.
