Living outside of your country while adulting should be necessary for everybody. When you live like a local overseas, it has many benefits for you. You get to know another culture, meet new people and experience new things. Not only that, but it’s also once in a lifetime experience. It opens your mind, improves your critical thinking, and builds you as a person. One of the most valuable things in life is the things we experience. Moving overseas in a hurry can be challenging and exhausting, to say the least. We hope that we’ll make it easier for you with all these tips and tricks we are going to share.

Prepare your documents

Moving in a hurry may be stressful, but one important thing you need to make is a plan. If you invest enough time and thinking into it, you automatically lower the chances of something bad and unwanted happening during the process. The first thing on the list has to be your documents. Make sure to have a valid passport with an expiration date at least 6 months out. Also, you need to have a birth certificate as well as a marriage certificate, if you are moving with your partner. In the end, a driver’s license is a must if you drive, of course. Keep in mind that these documents are also required if you are moving project cargo! These documents are required since this kind of cargo is very delicate.

Custom fees

Researching customs prior to the move has to be on the list of priorities. Every country operates differently. Some countries charge taxes on the items that arrived into the country no matter if it was by plane, ship, or truck. Also, depending on the country, it may not matter whether it’s used or not. You must research custom fees for the specified country you choose important items such as vehicles, furniture, or other personal belongings. The good thing is that you can check all of this information online, on the country’s government website. If the country doesn’t have much information online, try asking people on forums and other social platforms. We can’t forget to mention that, for example, if you own a company that ships its product, don’t forget to check custom fees on air freight forwarders.

Don’t take everything with you

When moving overseas in a hurry, you shouldn’t bring all of your belongings along the way. There is nothing that can guarantee that you are going to stay forever in the country of your choice until you manage to get permanent residency or citizenship. Imagine having to go back with all of the possessions you brought. Typically, a person can’t apply for permanent residency until at least 3 years. This depends on the country as well. With all this in mind, it’s a smart move to bring only the necessities. Everything else you don’t need such as furniture or home appliances you can put into the storage. Most of the European apartments are already furnished and ready for people to move in, so if you are looking to move to Europe, don’t stress about furniture.

Yet, if you need a reliable moving company, we highly recommend hiring top-notch professionals. Not only that they offer moving services, but a variety of pre and post-move assistance.

Getting tourist VISA

You have to check whether you need a tourist VISA in order to enter the country. Find this information by typing “Do I need a visa for (country name)” and the first few results should be a government website where you can find information. Always check the URL of the website because there are many scammers and frauds all over the internet.
Since COVID-19 hit the world, the moving industry has changed as far as moving is concerned. Some countries have restrictions for foreigners and make sure to check the lists before you move. Additionally, bring your vaccination card or negative PCR test.

Steps for getting a tourist visa

• get a digital photograph
• complete visitor visa application
• pay the visitor visa fee
• appointment for visa interview
• go to the interview

Long-stay visa and residence permit

After taking care of a tourist visa, the next step is to find out what will it take for you to get a residence permit or long-stay visa. Forgetting or not paying enough attention to this step can be a BIG mistake. Unfortunately, people think they can just come to a foreign country and live there, which is not really the case. There are many cases where people haven’t researched this prior to the move. After finding out that they can’t live there legally, stressful and expensive consequences are inevitable. As you probably already know, moving overseas in a hurry is a really big step. You should be well-informed and have a good plan. In case you are moving to a non-English country, hiring an immigration lawyer is great. He can advise you the best and handle the entire application process.

What are you going to do when you get there?

Planning in advance turned out to be very good practice, even more so since the industry has transformed. You need to figure out what are you going to do after moving overseas in a hurry. Start applying for new jobs even before you actually move. It’s a battle to find a job in a new country, especially if it’s a non-English country. Another thing you can do before the move is to find some friends. It’s an internet era and making virtual friends is easier than ever. You can join either Facebook groups or forums where you can find such communities. You can do it on your own, but people from the groups can also help you determine your costs of living there. Not only that, but you can talk to them about common topics such as commuting or health insurance. We hope we’ve helped with these tips and tricks! Happy moving!