Moving to a foreign country is definitely exciting but more complicated than moving within the borders of your own country. First of all, you will need to gather different documents when you are moving to another country. Then, you need to prioritize your items since you cannot move everything. In addition to this, you will need more time to prepare for international relocation. It would be wise to hire a moving company HK since you will need professional help to successfully relocate to another country. Since you will have movers to take care of your items, here are all the international moving documents and paperwork you should have.
International moving documents and paperwork – your passport
Usually, the number of documents depends on several factors. First of all, are you moving alone or with your family? Will you bring your pets with you? Are you moving for a job or for a school? Do you have any type of chronic illness or any type of medicine that you need to bring with you? Answers to these questions will determine the number of documents you need to gather before your relocation. However, the one thing you need to always have in every relocation would be your passport. Most countries do not allow travelers to enter without a valid passport. For this reason, make sure your passport is valid and will not expire for at least a couple of years. If your passport is close to expiring, make sure to make another one before you relocate to one of the best cities in China.
Apply for a visa
After you take care of your passport, you need to check if you need a visa for your new country. Depending on your country, you might need a visa if you plan to stay more than three months. For some countries, you need to have a visa even to enter the country. For this reason, when you make a decision about your relocation, you need to check whether you need a visa or not. If you do, then you should visit the official website of the embassy of your new country. You will see all the documents you need to have in order to apply for a visa. Sometimes, you will need time to gather all of these documents. Therefore, do not waste time and start collecting them right away. You should do the same when booking an international moving company Hong Kong, do it as soon as possible.
Work permit or a student visa
When you’re moving to the UK from Hong Kong, you might want to work there or go to university. If you plan to find a job, you need to get a work permit. Usually, having only a visa is not enough to work in a foreign country. As you might know, there are different types of visas that you can get. However, most countries require you to have a work permit in order to be officially employed in that country. This is where your future employer should assist you. The same goes for a student visa. Your future university or school should be able to assist you with getting this type of visa. If you have any questions, you should contact the official consulate or the embassy in your country. Again, make sure to have enough time to apply and get a visa or work permit before your relocation.
Birth Certificate and Medical records
The next document you should prepare would be your birth certificate. This is one of the important documents that you need to keep with you during the relocation. Why do you need to have a birth certificate? A birth certificate is an official document that has your name, gender, birthday, birthplace, information about your parents, and it is a good way to confirm your identity. Usually, when you’re applying for any type of scholarship, visa, permit, you will need to submit your birth certificate as well. For this reason, make sure to have the official copy with a couple of notarized copies. And then, you also need to have your medical records with you if you plan to live in a foreign country. This is extremely important if you have some type of chronic illness. The same applies if you need to take medicine regularly.
More international moving documents and paperwork to prepare
This is not the end to all the documents you need to prepare before you move internationally. The list is quite long so here it goes.
- School records if you’re moving with your children
- Social Security cards if you have them in your country
- Marriage certificate if you are moving with your spouse
- Health insurance
- Child custody papers
- Divorce papers
- Driver’s license
- Documents for your pet
These would be just some of the documents you should have before you decide to move internationally. As you can see, some of these documents you might not have right at this moment. This means going to all the necessary institutions and asking for these documents. Sometimes, they might need a couple of weeks in order to issue some of these documents. For this reason, you need to ask for the copies as soon as possible.
Bonus tips for handling moving paperwork
Lastly, you need to do something about international moving documents and paperwork before your moving day. First of all, you always need to bring plenty of notarized copies. You never know if you might need to submit documents for multiple reasons. Then, you should never ship documents with other belongings. If they get lost during their transit, you can never get them back. For this reason, you need to keep them with you during the move, preferably with your carry-on bag. Lastly, once you reach your new country, you should place them in a safe and secure place. Make sure that you organize your documents well so you will not lose them during your stay in a foreign country.
