Emigrating Departure Checklist

[Dave in NZ]

Hi Everyone.
Well, only 4 days to go (Still no PR).
There is such a lot of things to do when emigrating I thought it might be a good idea to provide you with a list of things to do that you may find useful.
I will start with a list of people you should notify of your departure.I may have left some things off,feel free to add some.
Some of these are obvious

Local council
Local police (Keyholder scheme etc)
Neighbourhood Watch etc
Employer
Inland Revenue
Bank
Building Society
Doctor
Dentist
Any other medical agency
Vet
Alarm Company
Sky tv,cable company etc
Newsagent
Window cleaner
Internet provider
DVLC (Dept Vehicle Licensing)
TV licence
Post Office ( Redirection of mail)
House Insurance Company
Car Insurance Company
Life Insurance Company
Medical Insurance Company
Pensions company
Premium Bonds etc
Utilities Companies
Family Benefits Agency
Schools
Colleges
Any membership organisations(Sports Clubs, etc)
Libraries
Any magazines that you subscribe to.
Milkman
Friends and Family
Credit card Companies

I am sure there are many more but these are just a shortlist to help,
More to follow,

Kindest regards

Dave and Caroline

[Sam B]

National Insurance - you have to ring them.

[Dave in NZ]

What I would like to do now is to put a timescale on things that need to be done.
This first section is what should be done 2 to 3 months before departure.

Two to Three months before departure

There are several things that need some time to organise.
Shipping. Get several firms around to quote for shipping your personal possessions. The more time you have for this the better. If you leave this to the last minute it may limit the availability of a firm to be able to move you when you want.
If you are taking pets you need to arrange vaccinations and shipping certificates.Depending on where you are coming from you may need vaccinations for you and family members. Your GP will advise on this.
Open a New Zealand bank account and a currency transfer account.
As regards car insurance, New Zealand insurers will accept no claims bonuses as long as you can provide proof that you have x amount years of NCB. So you may have to contact your insurance company for written proof.
Let your childrens schools know of your plans to move and request an up to date report on their progress. This will help any future school in knowing the standard reached by your child.
Ensure that your passports are current and have at least a year left on them although you can renew them when you like to give more time before you have to apply for a new one. We had 3 years left on ours but renewed them and now we have 11 years on our passports. Also ensure that you have the relevant visas added to your passports.
Contact mortgage companies etc to request credit references and up to date statements. Inform pension companies of your planned emigration and ask for an up to date statement of you're pension. My experience with these people is they take ages to reply

One month before departure

Arrange to sell any cars if you can do without them or do the deal and arrange for the new owner to have car when you leave.
Have a check up at the dentist and ask for copies of dental records( depending on cost)Ask doctors for copies of your medical records. If on medication make sure you have enough medication for at least two weeks to see you over until you have a doctor in NZ.
If possible pay off all debts to reduce your liabilities.
Let Inland revenue know you are emigrating and also family benefit agencies,National Insurance etc
Transfer funds over and close any savings accounts you no longer wish to keep.
Notify any insurance companies that you are leaving and arrange for cover to be stopped on departure. Leave any medical policies,life insurance etc untill you arrive in NZ and then get these transferred over.If you have life policies etc take all the policies with you.
As regards mail. Get this redirected to a family member who can then redirect important mail to you in NZ.
Start to sell or give away any unwanted furniture,household goods etc.
Arrange your accommodation in NZ and also car hire.
Make sure you have allocated enough time to visit relatives and close friends to say your goodbyes.You will be surprised how much time saying goodbye can take up. A farewell party might be a better less time consuming idea,especially if someone else arranges it.

Time for a break now

Kindest regards

Dave and Caroline

[Sam B]

We hired out a big farmhouse in Devon and invited all friends for leaving w/e. I sent each friend a list of what food and drink to bring, we all shared cooking. It was great.

Good thread Dave and Caroline - really kind of you to do this when you're so busy.

[Marie P]

Milkman
Friends and Family
Credit card Companies

I am sure there are many more but these are just a shortlist to help,
More to follow,

Kindest regards

Dave and Caroline

I mentioned it to my family before I told the milkman

Good luck guys .............see you in a couple of weeks !

Marie x

[Dave in NZ]

Thanks Sam for your kind comments. For some reason today is a quiet day,but the rest of the week is manic so I have a bit of free time. Tommorow will be sad. We are taking our beloved Dalmatian to her new owners. We are meeting half way So Bonnie does not expect us to come and pick her up.
Anyway back to the job in hand

One,two weeks before departure

Make sure that your family etc know your forwarding addresse and flight departure times etc. Check that you have cancelled the milkman,newspapers, window cleaner etc.
If you use the dry cleaners,shoe repairers etc check that you have nothing left in there.
Arrange for gas, electric,telephone,sky etc to be disconnected.
Contact the removal firm to confirm the packing dates etc.Make sure you have all your documentation needed for the flight. Passports,Tickets/e tickets,Doctors letter if you have to have liquid medical items on the plane e.g, insulin for a diabetic, needles etc. I always have a letter on me especially when going to the U.S which gives me permission to carry syringes etc on a plane. It is not always needed but in America it is always checked.
Check that you have everything for your pets to travel and confirm with the pet transporter.
If you are taking your mobile phone check that it is set up to receive calls once in NZ.
Stop any standing orders and direct debits.If you are keeping a UK bank account ensure that you have enough funds in there.
Make sure you will be able to access your internet address once in New zealand (ie make sure you have your password with you or you know it by memory) Make sure you have enough NZ dollars to start you off in NZ


Day before you leave
Defrost fridge and freezer. The removal company may not take a freezer if it is not defrosted and even if they do it is your container that will be wet.
Ensure that you have got rid of all unwanted stuff and disposed of any rubbish.
When the removal company have packed everything go over it checking nothing has been left off or packed that was not suppose to have been and check that it is labelled correctly.
Once the house is cleared make sure the Estate agent or new owner have all the keys and important documents,information etc, such as alarm codes.
Make a chech that the sale of your property has gone through ok and that the money has been transferred.
Ensure you have all the documentation you will need on the journey,passports, ticket details etc in your hand luggage and not in your suitcase or in the container.

Day of Departure

After all the months of stress etc, this is it,you are off. Stay calm. Be organised and check once again that you have all the documentation etc,
Arrive at the airport early as security checks can delay you particulary if you are going via LA. Make sure your'e children are well fed and watered and that you have everything,kids included (remember home alone)
The important thing now is you can now relax. You have done the hard thing. Now you have the rest of your life ahead of you and for what you have gone through the last few months you now deserve to enjoy you're future.

Good health and future everyone and we hope to see some of you the other side

Kindest regards

Dave and Caroline

[jaycee]

That's a pretty comprehensive list. I found it really helpful to make a spreadsheet of all the people you need to inform of your departure, with phone number, account number, meter reference, etc. I had to provide a list of utility company details as part of my house sale, that's where i got the idea. In the month before you go, as each bill or statement arrives, add the details from it to your list. It's much easier to have one sheet of paper rather than a whole pile of it to fumble through when cancelling and you can tick them all off and get a nice sense of achievement! As arduous a task as it is, my hour of calm during the packing process was sitting in an emptied room, with the little portable phone I bought to put in my suitcase, my list and a pen, phoning utility companies.

Something else I found useful (only applies if you know where you're going to be living) was to compile a list of contacts for any services, shops etc you think you might need within a few weeks of arrival. This might include banks, insurance companies, supermarkets, rental or employment agencies, ISPs, doctors, and so on. Don't assume you'll have internet access when you first arrive, so print that list out and take it with you, it's much more efficient than leafing through the NZ Yellow Pages or driving round.

On the subject of car hire - if you're arriving during the NZ summer I'd book it more than one month before if possible. On one of my holiday trips I couldn't get any car for any price anywhere. I tried again when I arrived, with the local knowledge of my motel proprietor, but still no luck. I managed to get one for part of the trip, but a much more expensive model than I needed.

A few other things that can be done before you go - just thought I'd write them down while the process is still fresh in my mind - ones I found useful and ones I forgot to do myself.

1. If you have a house to move into, arrange a landline phone connection (I did this online with Telecom, so had a number before I arrived - may not work out if you need a new connection wired).

2. If you have a suitable mobile, unlock it and buy a NZ Vodaphone SIM card (I got one off eBay for £30) and register it online. There will still be a setup procedure, done on the mobile, the first time you use it in NZ. Using a UK SIM is very expensive.

Both these numbers can then be given to anyone who may need to contact you.

3. Backup your computer onto a portable hard drive and take that on the plane with you, even if you are taking a laptop as well (first rule of IT - you can never have too many backups).

4. If, like me, you are in the habit of keeping important data digitally, and especially if you often use websites for reference, print out anything that you will need during and immediately after your journey, e.g.
• e-tickets
• hotel, car hire etc bookings (I have had to prove one before now)
• contact details for anyone or anything you may need.

And the two that I missed:

Post:
Check whether the address you are moving to is in a Rural Delivery Area (use NZ Mail post code checker if you suspect this might apply) If so, you need to register for it (free). This caught me out big time (three weeks' worth of post gone forever). Registration involves filling out a form at a Post Shop in NZ - easy enough, but takes a few days to happen (officially three days, but in my case over a week). Redirecting to your street address rather than your RD address is fine so long as you register. I know that's confusing, but it won't apply to many people here.

Email
If you use webmail or IMAP mail (i.e. messages stored on a remote server) make sure you download anything important onto your computer, in case you can't get internet access immediately.

Or if you have broadband and use the email provided with it, it's likely that will be suspended when your account is cancelled. The timing of that will depend on your payment schedule, so it may be worth paying for an extra month to give you some time to make new arrangements in NZ, if email is important to you. Find out when the cut-off date is and make a note of it. If you use your ISP's web hosting service, make sure you have a copy of anything you have uploaded to your site. When you have a new account, send a change of address to family, friends, business contacts etc, and change any online subscriptions that you wish to keep (ideal opportunity to get rid of any you don't want!).

OK, enough geeky stuff

Dave and Caroline are you moving straight into your house? I'm as mad as you in that I bought a house while still in the UK - while it gives you some known factors, I also think it brings its own list of things to do! You seem to have some good people representing you in NZ though, so I'm sure they've got all of that covered.

Good luck

[LesleyS]

Caroline and Dave - thanks for that, it will be really useful to look back on in the coming months.

Can you recommend a reputable shipper? Or does it depend on the area that you live in - initially we were just going to bring ourselves plus dog and a few sentimental items, but after some deliberation think it may be a good idea to bring pots, pans, bedding, computer etc....

kind regards LesleyS

[Dave in NZ]

Hi Lesley,
If you type in John Masons in the search facility then most threads re shipping will come up. Jaycee thanks for a great post and we are renting at first because our house has to be built .We are hoping to move in about xmas. Marie, it depends on how fond you are of the milkman and what colour your childrens hair is

Dave and Caroline

[Asli&Mark]

Hello Caroline and Dave,

4 days to go Try relaxing little bit more. Hope everything goes well. I hope we can see you in Christchurch.

Good luck

Asli and Mark