What to Do Before Moving Abroad: 7 Essential Steps Every Newcomer Must Take
What to do before moving abroad is one of the most important questions you can ask and most people ask it too late. The excitement of a new country, a new life, and a fresh start is real. But so is the chaos that follows when you arrive unprepared.
This guide gives you a clear, step-by-step checklist to follow before you leave. Seven steps. Everything covered. No surprises on arrival.
Whether you are moving for work, study, family, or a new adventure, this is the preparation guide you need.
What to Do Before Moving Abroad: Why Preparation Decides Everything
Most people prepare for the fun parts of moving abroad. They research restaurants, neighbourhoods, and weekend trips. What they do not always prepare for are the systems: the visa rules, the healthcare gaps, the banking catch-22s, and the admin that takes three times longer than expected in a foreign country.
The newcomers who settle fastest are almost always the ones who sorted the practical foundations before they landed. Not because they had more money or more experience but because they had a plan.
Work through these seven steps. Give yourself more time than you think you need. And start earlier than feels necessary.
Step 1: Confirm Your Visa and Legal Right to Stay
Everything else on this list depends on one thing: your right to be in the country.
Before you do anything, book flights, sign leases, hand in your notice, confirm that you have the correct visa for your situation and that your application is either approved or well underway.
Visa types vary significantly depending on your nationality, your destination, and your reason for moving. A working holiday visa has different conditions from a skilled worker visa. A student visa has different work restrictions from a family reunification visa. Knowing exactly what your visa allows you to do is not optional.
Key things to confirm before departure:
- Which visa category applies to your situation
- What activities are permitted: work, study, bringing family members
- How long the visa lasts and how to renew or extend it
- Whether you need to register your address upon arrival (required in many European countries)
- Whether your professional qualifications are recognised in your destination country
Babylon has country-specific visa guides for every destination we cover. If you are moving to Canada, Ireland, Germany, Australia, or the UAE, read the relevant guide before you apply.
Important: Make digital and physical copies of every key document: visa approval, passport, birth certificate, qualification certificates, employment contracts. Store copies in a secure cloud folder you can access from any device, anywhere in the world.
Step 2: Organise Your Finances Before You Land
Financial preparation is the most overlooked step when moving abroad. Most people focus on saving enough to make the move. Far fewer think carefully about how they will access and manage that money once they arrive.
Open a Bank Account in Your New Country
Many countries require proof of local address or a local tax number to open a bank account, which creates a frustrating situation for new arrivals who need a bank account to get paid, but need an address to open the account.
Research your destination’s requirements before you leave. Some banks allow non-residents to begin the process remotely. Others require an in-person appointment with specific documents.
In the meantime, international fintech apps such as Wise or Revolut allow you to hold multiple currencies, receive international transfers, and spend abroad with low fees. These are practical bridges while you wait for a local account to open.
Babylon has step-by-step bank account guides for your destination, including Canada, the UK, Germany, Spain, and Australia.
Understand Your Tax Situation
Moving abroad changes your tax obligations in ways most people do not expect. Depending on where you are from and where you are going, you may need to:
- File taxes in two countries simultaneously
- Notify your home country’s tax authority that you are leaving
- Register for a local tax number immediately upon arrival
Do not leave this until your first year-end. Research your destination’s tax system early, and speak to an accountant if your situation is complex. The OECD’s tax treaty database is a useful starting point for understanding whether a tax agreement exists between your home country and your destination.
Build a Realistic Emergency Fund
Have at least two to three months of living expenses saved before you move, above and beyond your relocation costs. The first few months abroad are reliably more expensive than planned. Deposits, setup costs, furniture, transport cards, and unexpected delays all add up quickly.
Step 3: Arrange Temporary Housing Before You Arrive
Do not arrive in a new country without a confirmed place to stay. Even if your long-term plan is to find a permanent rental after you land, you need a base for your first days or weeks.
Common options for temporary accommodation include:
- Short-term apartment rentals through platforms such as Airbnb or Booking.com
- Serviced apartments with month-to-month leases
- Hostels or guesthouses while you search for longer-term housing
- Staying with a contact or community connection in your destination city
Once you are settled temporarily, take time to properly research the long-term rental market before signing anything. Lease terms, tenant rights, deposit rules, and rental contract norms differ significantly between countries. Signing the wrong lease or a lease you do not fully understand, is an expensive mistake.
Babylon has detailed renting guides for every country we cover, explaining lease agreements, tenant protections, and what to watch out for as a newcomer. You can also read Babylon’s temporary housing guides for practical short-term options in your destination.
Step 4: Sort Your Healthcare Before Departure
Healthcare is not something to figure out after you arrive. In most countries, there is a waiting period before newcomers become eligible for public healthcare, sometimes several weeks, sometimes several months, depending on the country and your visa type.
Arriving without health cover during this gap period is a serious financial risk. A single emergency room visit in a country where you are not yet covered can cost thousands.
Before you leave, make sure you have:
- Researched how the public healthcare system works in your destination and when you become eligible
- Arranged private travel or expat health insurance to cover the waiting period
- Obtained copies of any prescriptions you take regularly, with enough medication to last at least two to three months
- Checked that your vaccinations are up to date for your destination country
- Written down your blood type and any known allergies in a portable, shareable format
The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers (IAMAT) is a reliable resource for country-specific health information and finding English-speaking doctors abroad.
Babylon’s healthcare guides cover what to expect in the local system, how to register with a doctor, and where to find mental health support in your new country.
Step 5: Prepare Your Work and Career Situation
If you are moving abroad for a specific job, confirm your employment contract, start date, and work permit well before departure. Some work permits are tied directly to a specific employer, if the job falls through after you arrive, your legal right to remain may be affected.
If you are moving without a job lined up, go in with a realistic financial runway and a clear timeline for finding work.
Key things to research before you go:
- Whether your qualifications or professional licences are recognised in your destination country
- What the local minimum wage and standard employment rights look like
- How to format a CV or résumé to meet local expectations, formats vary significantly between countries
- Whether your profession requires local registration, licensing, or further assessment
If you plan to freelance or start a business, the legal requirements for self-employment and tax registration differ enormously between countries. Research your specific destination carefully before assuming anything transfers from your home setup.
Babylon’s work permit guides and employment rights pages cover the specifics for each country we support.
Step 6: Handle the Admin in Your Home Country
This is the step most people forget until it is too late. Before you leave, tie up the important administrative loose ends at home.
Notify the relevant authorities. Depending on your home country, this may include your national tax office, healthcare provider, pension fund, electoral register, and local government. Some countries require you to formally deregister when you leave. Failing to do this can create complications with benefits, taxes, or documents later.
Review your regular payments. Go through your bank statements and cancel subscriptions, direct debits, memberships, and insurance policies you will no longer need. Transfer or redirect anything that should continue.
Plan what to do with your possessions. Decide what you are shipping, selling, storing, or giving away. International shipping takes significantly longer than most people expect, plan at least four to six weeks ahead if you are sending a meaningful volume of belongings.
Set up mail forwarding. Nominate a trusted person at home to receive and forward any important post, or set up a formal mail forwarding service. Official documents, tax returns, government correspondence, legal notices, may still arrive by post for months after you leave.
Step 7: Prepare for the Human Side of Moving Abroad
The seven-step checklist covers the practical foundations. But moving abroad is also a deeply human experience, and emotional preparation matters as much as paperwork.
Learn the Language Basics
Even if your destination is an English-speaking country, local accents, workplace communication styles, and social norms take adjustment. If you are moving to a country with a different primary language, invest in basic language learning before you go, even a few weeks of preparation makes daily life noticeably easier and helps you build connections faster.
Babylon has language learning guides for every country we cover, from French and English in Canada to German in Germany and Spanish in Spain.
Research the Local Culture
Understanding how people communicate, what is considered polite or rude, and how workplaces and social situations function in your new country significantly reduces the disorientation of the first few months. Culture shock is real, it affects experienced travellers as much as first-time movers and it is easier to manage when you have prepared for it.
Build Your Network Before You Arrive
Find online communities, expat forums, and local newcomer groups in your destination city before you leave. Connecting with people who have already made the move or who are making it at the same time as you gives you a support system from day one. Social connection is one of the most important factors in a successful relocation.
Babylon’s networking and community guides for each country can help you find professional connections and local events from the moment you land.
Your Essential Pre-Departure Timeline
Use this timeline as a final reference before you go.
3 to 6 months before departure
- Confirm your visa category and submit your application
- Research the healthcare system and arrange gap cover insurance
- Research the job market and begin applications if relevant
- Start researching housing options and set a realistic budget
4 to 8 weeks before departure
- Book temporary accommodation for your first weeks
- Begin the bank account process if your destination allows remote applications
- Arrange international shipping or storage for your belongings
- Notify home country authorities and cancel irrelevant payments
- Collect prescription medication for at least two to three months
1 to 2 weeks before departure
- Make digital and physical copies of all key documents
- Confirm your first-night accommodation and transport from the airport
- Notify your home bank that you are moving abroad to avoid blocked transactions
- Download useful apps for transport, translation, and currency conversion
- Join at least one online community for newcomers in your destination city
Summary
Knowing what to do before moving abroad and doing it in the right order, is what separates a smooth arrival from a stressful one. Sort your visa first. Organise your finances and bank account early. Arrange temporary housing before you land. Cover the healthcare gap. Handle the home country admin people forget. And prepare yourself for the human side of starting over somewhere new.
The practical steps are manageable when you break them down. Start early, follow the checklist, and you will arrive ready.
5. FAQ SECTION
Q: How far in advance should I start preparing to move abroad? For most international moves, start at least three to six months before your planned departure. Visa applications, international shipping, job searches, and bank account processes all take longer than expected. For complex situations, family relocations, regulated professions, or difficult visa categories — start even earlier.
Q: Do I need health insurance if I am moving abroad permanently? Yes. Standard travel insurance is designed for short trips and will not cover you as a long-term resident. You need expat health insurance or access to the local public healthcare system. Most countries have a waiting period before newcomers qualify for public cover, so arranging private insurance for the gap period is essential.
Q: Can I open a bank account in my new country before I arrive? Some international banks and fintech services allow you to prepare or partially open an account remotely. Traditional local banks usually require proof of local address, which you can only obtain after arrival. Use a multi-currency app such as Wise as a practical bridge during your first weeks.
Q: What documents should I bring when moving abroad? At minimum: passport, visa approval documents, birth certificate, qualification certificates, medical records and prescriptions, employment contracts, and reference letters. Carry both physical originals and secure digital copies stored in the cloud.
Q: How do I handle taxes when moving abroad? Tax obligations depend on your nationality and destination. Many countries have tax treaties that prevent double taxation, but you may still need to notify your home tax authority, file a final return, or register locally upon arrival. Research your specific situation or consult a tax professional before you move. The OECD tax treaty database is a useful starting point.
