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Before you flyPapers, money and a place to land

Your visa or entry permission is granted, and you know its start date, end date and conditions (work, study, family members).
Passports for everyone moving are valid well beyond your planned stay; check the destination’s rule on remaining validity.
Birth and marriage certificates, degree certificates and police certificates are ready, with the certification, apostille or translation the destination asks for.
You can pay for the first month without a local bank account: a card that works abroad, and money you can reach from there.
Somewhere to stay for the first weeks that will let you register the address, if the destination requires address registration.
Health cover for the gap before any public system covers you, if your visa or the local rules require it.
Prescriptions and medical records for ongoing conditions, in a form a local doctor can read.
You know what your current country expects when you leave: tax, pension, health system and voting registration.

Week 1Register and get connected

Complete any arrival registration or residence-permit step that has a deadline counted from your entry date.
Get a local phone number; many banks and government services send codes by text.
Apply for the local ID or tax number you will need for work, banking and renting, and note how long it takes.
Keep every arrival document (entry stamp, boarding pass, registration receipt) in one folder, paper and scanned.
Find the nearest emergency department and a pharmacy, and save the local emergency number.

Open a local bank account, then give the details to your employer or pension payer.
Enrol in the public health system if you are eligible, or confirm your private insurance meets the visa condition.
Register with a family doctor or clinic where that is how the system works.
Sign a longer lease only after reading how deposits, notice periods and rent increases work locally.
Set up utilities and internet in your name; the bills often double as proof of address.
If children are moving with you, apply for school places and check what records the school needs.

Check whether and when you must exchange your driving licence; some countries only allow a short grace period.
Understand when you become tax resident and whether you need to register or file anything in your first year.
Tell your previous country’s tax authority, pension provider and health system that you have moved, where that is required.
Move or close accounts and subscriptions back home that you no longer need, and update your address with the rest.
Put renewal dates for visas, permits, ID cards and insurance in a calendar with reminders well in advance.
Keep a record of days spent in and out of the country if your residence or tax status depends on it.

Ask the assistant which of these applies where you are going, and what the official source says.

Last reviewed 2026-09-22. Your ticks are saved only in this browser.