I have attached our draft Moving Project Plan which might be of some assistance to you(theres still a lot more to add! This is the project plan that we've used - some of the items may be irrelevant for your move but at least it should get you thinking along the right lines. At the risk of telling you things you've already accounted for these are some issues that have been important for us:-
- Use a scanner to scan all your important documents into your PC, use a logical system of directories and file names on your hard drive so it's easy to name and allocate documents, remember to back this stuff up at regular intervals and store on CD/DVD off site as well before you shred the original documents. Keep very important documents such as original share certificates and insurance policies in hard copy in a fire-proof safe or security box.
- We have taken a storage area at a local warehouse in which costs us about £700 pa and we have found this very useful because we can put stuff into storage at any time and get things out again when we need them. If you know somebody who'll let you store your stuff in a weather-proof and secure barn or something that would be ideal and perhaps free of charge.
- Go to see a taxation professional to get some specialist advice on tax liabilities whilst outside the UK re residency/non-residency status relating to Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Inheritance Tax, National Insurance, State Pension Rights, Tax Allowances, Pension Contribution Tax Relief, ISA's, etc.
- Apply for things like new bank accounts, stockbroker accounts, accounts with bookies (?), new passports and new credit cards whilst you still have your permanent address that you've lived in for more than 3 years. Then set up internet access for all of the accounts that you'll be using. You might have to change your email address to one that you can access online from outside the UK such as Yahoo or Hotmail. We've got a Nationwide Credit Card which appears to be the only credit card that doesn't charge you commission (normally 2.75%) on every purchase that you make whilst abroad. We've also set up a Nationwide Bank Account called a Flex Account that allows you to withdraw cash from ATM's whilst abroad without charging you extra fees. It might be an idea to check credit ratings for you and your partner with somebody like Experian (costs about £15 each) - these give details of all credit cards, loans, bank accounts etc that have been applied for in your name and also people that have done credit checks on you. It will alert you if somebody is after your identity and it also shows accounts and cards that you might no longer use which could be closed. You'll have to take a view on this - it's useful to have a range of accounts that you can transfer cash to (in the event that one bank starts giving a better rate of interest, for example), but on the other hand the more accounts you have the more user names, passwords and database entries there are. Also there is a greater chance of your details being stolen and you'll get more guff in your email inbox and mailed to your postal address.
- You might want to arrange a UK address to have your mail sent to. Also it's a good idea if your bank account, credit cards, driving licence, etc all show the same address - eg for ID purposes if you're renting or buying property for example.
- Get set up to submit tax returns online if not done already
- Rather than taking files of documents with you it's a good idea to send email messages to yourself at your Hotmail account with file attachments (secured) containing information that you might need to access from an internet cafe for example. Alternatively store on a data stick or CD but these are vulnerable - can be stolen or lost.
- Get European Health Insurance Cards as well as suitable travel insurance
take care and lots of luck with your plans!!
kind regards
Mike T