Does anyone have a moving house/ emigrating check list?

We're emigrating at the end of December but I don't have a checklist as yet - our house has just gone on the market so I'm concentrating on that at the moment.

Where are you off to? Are you excited? Have you had to sell your house too?

Fallen Angel is heading off to Sydney shortly - she may see this and be able to help you. ?

I don't have a check-list but the expert expat was really useful when we moved. It has a 6-month countdown/check-list in the back (that we had to try and do in about 4 weeks!)

? CBH

Cape Town ? H is South African

Waiting for my visa at the moment and that will be the catalyst for booking flights and everything moving from there. We are letting our house here.

I think I am excited... it makes my head spin ATM TBH

I got loads of help from the company my husband works for, but also a lot of help from forums, and googling

It's very exciting, but definitely daunting. Probably in equal measures. Good luck both of you!

Http://www.ehow.com/how_2199536_emigrate-uk-have-property-here.html

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=336029

http://www.emigrate2.co.uk/how_to_emigrate.htm

Those might help

Get the visas first and once they are out of the way, you can begin to focus. That's what we've done - H accepted the job in principle back in February but the visas took until July to arrive - we had to undergo medical and police checks and the amount of paperwork was unreal! But we have applied for sponsored entry and we are "permitted to remain indefinitely" which is why it was all so complicated.

And as we're going "for good" we're having to sell up rather than rent which is more stressful I guess. We've been on the market for two days and we've got three viewings booked already so I'm trying to remain positive.

But it is scary and I'm trying not to think too far ahead if I'm honest! A two week trip to Sydney in late August is supposed to alleviate most of my fears but I'll let you know on that one! ?

Are you taking your furniture with you? Do you need to research international removals? Thankfully H's new employers have offered us a fantastic relocation package and will help us with this - as they have with everything else. My other biggest job is freighting our dog over!

Do you have lots of family waiting for you in SA?

Thanks everyone for the links -Flowery, that book looks good ?

Conseula - I am applying for a relative permit, it's free and should take 30 days, which will be some time the 1st week of August.. I'll have residence for 2 years then and can work etc, I can apply immediately for permanent rediency when we arrive as we have been married for longer than 2 years. The kids have dual nationality.

We are moving for good too but I have family here and we are going through an agent - we would lose too much money if we sold it, it also give us a base here if the kids come back to study or if ever it become unsafe and we wanted to leave.

My MIL and SIL are there, my family all here. I lived and studied out there before we got married so have friends out there already.

We are taking our furniture and our car, we have quotes for the shipping, furniture goes door to dorr in 6-8 weeks and car goes to PE where H will have to fly up and drive it down to CT.

You sound further forward than we are then! We intend to take very little with us, definitely selling our car and have no kids so don't feel we don't need a "foothold" here.

You have far more links to SA than I do to Oz. Other than backpacking round it for six weeks in 2001 and knowing one of H's colleagues who lives in Newcastle NSW, that's it! No friends or contacts as yet although Pans has said she'll have us over for a barbie! ?

? Sorry consuela I forgot I posted over here! I rarely hop over from BT these days as it is quieter than it used to be!

Well it looks as though things could happen sooner than we thought!! H has been asked to apply for a position and they would want him to start in September! He is trying to negotiate timelines but things could get very hectic around here quite soon!!