Cyprus Expat | Article: Moving To The UK - Checklist Before And After You Arrive In The UK

Back to overview

Moving To The UK - Checklist Before And After You Arrive In The UK

Information for Expats on how to prepare a checklist before you travel to the UK and when you arrive in the UK

Big Ben - London

Before You Arrive:

Ensure your passport and/or national identity card is valid.
If you are a national from the EEA or Switzerland bring a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to access free or reduced cost health treatment in the UK.
Consider buying insurance before you leave your home country to cover any medical costs and your belongings in case of theft, and bring those documents with you.
If you are looking for work, bring your CV, copies of qualifications and references. You are however strongly advised not to come to the UK if you do not have a job to start. If you have a job arranged, make sure you have any documents related to it in your hand luggage plus any UK accommodation details.
If you are from the EEA, you may need to claim unemployment benefit in the UK at some point. You should bring form E301 / U1 (from 01May 2010) with you, which shows the amount of social security contributions you have paid in your home country.
If you are already claiming unemployment benefit in your home country and wish to transfer your claim to the UK, you will need to bring form E303 / U2 (from 01May 2010) with you.
If you are a full-time student, remember to bring your ISIC card with you to give you discounts on transport, travel and admission charges in the UK.
Check with your home bank how money can best be transferred to the UK to save carrying large amounts of money with you. Consider taking a mixture of cash and travellers cheques and see if your bank can help you to open an account in the UK.
Plan your finances to ensure that you will have enough money to travel within the UK, to cover accommodation costs and food.
Check which goods you can bring into the UK through customs control with the UK Customs and Excise.
Consider improving your English with a course in your home country as having a good level of English will help you in finding work and in meeting people.

After You Arrive:

To access The National Health Service, you should register with a local doctor, known as a GP (General Practitioner). Their office is called a surgery.
Most dentists in the UK are now private, but you may find some that can provide treatment on the NHS.
If working in the UK you will need to open a bank account to access your wages. Banks will ask you to provide numerous documents and you will need to complete one of their application forms.
You will need to apply for a National Insurance Number if you intend to work in the UK. If you have previously worked in the UK, you should have already been issued with a National Insurance Number. You only need to apply once as your National Insurance Number is unique and will be yours for life.
If you own a television you will need to pay a television licence fee
Consider taking out home contents insurance, to cover your possessions
If you have a car you will need car tax, an MOT certificate (if your car is over three years old) and insurance.

Text last edited on: 01/2012

A Cyprus Expat Information Article. If you are a professional or an entity, and would like to write articles for our website, please contact us here

Updated 05 May 2012

A Useful Checklist

Accommodation

Birth, Marriage Death

Cost Of Living

Cultural And Social Life

E - Forms

Educational Systems

European Health Insurance Cards

Family And Maternity Benefits