Moving Services, Local & Long Distance Movers

Moving overseas involves a lot of challenges and also sets your mind thinking about the cultural shock, the adjustments and the compromises you would have to make. Let us look at some of the areas where you would have to make possible adjustments:

1. Money: The good news is that you may not need to move your accounts to a new bank. This is because many banks have their branches worldwide. Some banks form alliances and partnerships with other banks in your destination country as well. So you are spared of the headache of creating another bank account in most cases. If your bank does not have any branches in the destination country, ask the bank in your country to refer some affiliate banks and financial institutions in the destination country.

The debit cards and credit cards nowadays are global and would work anywhere. Though international debit cards are not much of a problem, you should buy a new credit card rather than use the old one. You may have to pay the difference in the currency and interest rate with respect to the destination country, so it is best to avoid using the credit card used in your country.

2. Schooling: Most countries have different education and ability parameters for being in certain grades. There are different terms used in different nationalities when it comes to education. There are countries which refer to high school as secondary school and use the term ‘middle school’ for elementary education. It is better to avoid any kind of confusion and let the child finish her current school year out before you relocate. Moving in an academic term could be really troublesome and heartbreaking for the child. If you do have to move, make sure that you make the child understand the significance of the move. You can evaluate potential schools before you move. Check for these bits of precious information:
Does the school have a good record in student University placements?
Has the school obtained good accreditation rates?
How many students are there per class?
Is there a wide range of courses covered?
Is there a wide variety of recreation and sports offerings?

3. Visa, passports and other documents: You would have to do research on your destination country to find out if specific travel or work visas are required to live and work in that country. You should need to speak to the people at the local consulate of the country you are moving to and also tell them about when you would intend to make a move.

You could call the country’s embassy to find out what documents would be needed. In order to obtain a visa, you are required to provide a letter of recommendation. Your bank or employer would be able to provide the necessary letter to the consulate. Apart from the visas that are needed, the other documents that would be important would be birth certificates, marriage certificates, medical certificates and divorce certificates. Also make sure that your passport is up to date. Passports are issued by the Department of State, however they are normally processed through the Post Office or local county council. For the driving license, you would need to have an international driving permit or you may be required to apply for a driving license in the destination country. This is subject to the country you are moving to.

4 Electronic appliances: Before you begin to move your phones, air conditioner and your computer, ask yourself these questions:

a. Will I be able to use my phone? Will it be sufficient enough to be plugged into the jack in my new home?
b. Will I be able to use my cell phone abroad? Is roaming pre-activated on my handset? Is it a tri-band or a dual-band phone?
c. Does my computer already have a voltage adaptor or should I have to buy one?
d. What are the plug configurations and electrical voltage in my destination country?
e. Can the modem be configured to be used in the destination country?

5. Car import: So you love your Jaguar, so much that you can’t part with at all. You want to bring it with you even when you travel abroad. However you must consider the following points before you decide to move your vehicle overseas:

• There are different set of traffic rules in different countries. In some countries cars are driven on the left hand side of the road and the steering wheel in the cars is also on the left hand side also. So if your car has a steering wheel on the right hand side, check if it has a right hand drive.
• Will your company pay you for the shipping of your vehicle, if it is a company car?
• Is buying a car in the new country cheaper than importing?
• What are the tariffs applicable on importing cars in the country you are moving to?

It is important to opt for an international mover with credibility in the international market and experience in overseas shipping. Overseas moving involves many unknown factors like obtaining customs clearance, bill of lading, air/marine insurance, inventory valuation, goods compliance with customs regulations, duties & taxes to be paid, Marking & Numbering every piece of shipment etc. It is recommended to look for a moving company, at least two or three months before the actual shipment.