Below, we have assembled a fact sheet that you may find useful for planning your move to your new home. If you have any suggestions, or additions, please let us know.

Countdown to Move

• Prepare a detailed valuation of your effects to move for insurance purposes (based on replacement value at destination).
• Obtain all necessary visas, work permits and residency permits.
• Dispose of any effects that you do not wish to move overseas.
• Begin reducing your supply of frozen food.
• Check that all passports are valid.
• Check on vaccination requirements and arrange for if necessary.
• Make arrangements to open bank and credit card accounts at destination and request bank and credit references for use overseas.
  If you are a U.K. national contact:
  Department of Social Security,
  Overseas Branch, Central Office,
  Longbeaton,
  Newcastle-Upon-Tyne,
  NW98 1YX, 0191 213 5000.

• Inform the Overseas section of your departure. Obtain advice regarding social security payments, as your return to the UK affects future pension and medical benefits.
• Obtain your family's medical and dental records and notify the medical authorities that you are leaving the country.
• Check regulations and organise the transportation of pets.
• Notify your bank of your move (if you are a UK national with a deposit account, interest earned in your absence should be free of UK tax).
• Advise any life insurance companies of your intentions and arrange continued payment of premiums if required (generally net of tax).
• Schedule your moving date with us.
  NOTE: As the Summer is our busiest period, more lead-time may be required.
• Advise us of any firearms to be included in your move, so that we can advise you of the relevant regulations and arrange for proper documentation/formalities.
• Ask for final electricity, gas, water and telephone bills and arrange disconnection if required. Do not arrange disconnection of your telephone until the end of the last day of the removal so that we can maintain contact.
• Cancel subscriptions (or arrange forwarding) of any magazines, book clubs etc.
• Notify your children's school and arrange for school records to be forwarded to the new school.

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3 Weeks to moving day

• Notify Delahaye Moving of your contact address and telephone number in the UK and overseas after you move out of your home.
• Also notify us of the delivery address (if known) and/or temporary address (if any).
• Arrange full insurance cover for your effects to move.
• Cancel all rental agreements, memberships (including sports clubs), etc.
• Locate marriage and birth certificates.
• If you are a returning overseas resident, locate your inbound packing inventory (these can be useful if not necessary for customs clearance).

2 Weeks to moving day

• Arrange "car boot sale" or "garage sale" of any unwanted electrical or other items.
• Dispose of alcohol, if at all possible, as this can cause problems at customs overseas. Contact us to find out more information regarding duties and regulations regarding the importation of alcohol.
• Arrange for all mail to be forwarded. Please see the FAQ: International Mail Forwarding? for more detailed information.
• Advise everyone of your change of address (post office, insurance companies, credit card companies, DHSS).

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The Week of the move

• Ensure that you have labelled everything clearly, i.e. AIR/SEA/STORAGE/DO NOT PACK etc., for our packers.
• Put to one side all personal items that you will carry with you (i.e. passports, documents, work permits, any invoices for customs, jewellery, money, airline tickets, clothing and toys, etc.). Make sure that you take enough clothes to tide you over until your airfreight or seafreight shipment arrives.
• Advise milkman of move and collect final bill.
• Clean outdoor items (e.g. garden tools, toys).
• Drain fuel from motors and cash in remaining car tax.
• Make arrangements with your neighbours to allow enough parking space for our vehicles on the day of the move.
• Return any rented or borrowed items, i.e. books, video tapes, etc.

The Day before the move

• Please remember to disconnect your fridge/freezer at least 24 hours before the move in order to allow defrosting and airing. Perishable foods cannot be shipped.
• Dispose of all flammable or toxic cleaning fluids.

Moving Day

• Relax and watch our professional staff take over.
• If at all possible, try not to arrange travel overseas on the same day as the move, as this will tend to add to the stress involved.
• Show the foreman exactly which goods are to be packed, pointing out items of particular concern.
• The foreman will prepare a list of each packed item (e.g., "carton of china" NOT a list of every item in the carton). He and you will sign this as a receipt for the effects being shipped.
• Once the effects have been loaded and before our packers leave, please check around your home, making sure that nothing has been forgotten.
• Finally, our foreman will ask you to complete a "Performance Report". This should be handed back to him or, if you prefer, can be posted in the "replypaid" envelope provided.

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