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Moving to the United Kingdom

Moving made easy

Comprising of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom—renowned for its vibrant cities and enchanting countryside—encompasses mist-shrouded highlands, wild Atlantic roads, history dating back thousands of years, and a cultural heritage famous throughout the world.

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Arrange your visa

Are you familiar with the UK’s immigration requirements for you and your family? As the UK is currently not an EU member state,  check online at the UK Government’s website to see whether you need a UK visa or work permit. For more information on UK immigration, see our complete guide to UK visas and residence permits.

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Manage your finances

When moving to the United Kingdom, it’s essential that you get your finances in order to ensure you can support yourself and your family. This relates to any short-term money needs as well as long-term financial management, including:

  • Bank accounts: Research your banking options before you arrive, including retail banks and mobile banking options. For more information, read our guide to Opening a bank account in the UK.

  • Pensions, tax and investments: Can your pension be transferred to the UK? How will your investments be affected? Find out before you move with our Guide to the UK tax system and our Guide to the UK pension system.

  • Insurance: Whatever your needs, make sure your family’s belongings have the protection they need by sorting out insurance premiums before you leave. For more information, read our Guide to insurance in the UK.

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To help cover your finances in the short-term, you may also need to transfer money internationally quickly and easily. To do this, check out these international money transfer options:

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  • TransferWise is an international money transfer provider. The service is available in 59 countries and offers transfers between cross-border bank accounts up to eight times cheaper than traditional banks.

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Health insurance

One of the most important things to do when moving to the United Kingdom is making sure that you and your family have the right health cover in place. The UK has a publicly-owned health service called the National Health Service (NHS), which is free at the point of service for all UK residents and EU/EFTA nationals with a European Health Insurance Card.

However, when moving to the UK you may choose to take out health insurance instead. This can help protect you and your family from day one and ensure a quicker service than is often available on the NHS. Research your health insurance options ahead of time with one of these health insurance providers:

  • Aetna

  • Allianz

  • Bupa Global

  • Cigna Global

For more information, read this helpful and informative  guide to Health insurance in the UK.

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Find a place to live

The UK is a surprisingly varied country when it comes to finding somewhere to live. Do you want to move into a London townhouse? Or maybe a rural cottage somewhere in the Welsh mountains? Whatever you prefer, the UK has a range of housing options for all price brackets. For more information on where to live, read our guide on the Top 10 places to live in the UK.

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Utilities & Services

The next step is to connect with your Utilities & Services for your property:

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Start looking for a job

Some moving to the United Kingdom will already have a job offer lined up. However, many decide to go to the UK without any promise of employment, which means they’ll have to go job-hunting. The UK has plenty of job possibilities to offer, although there are significant regional disparities in opportunities. For more information, read our guide to Finding a job in the UK.

Childcare and schooling

Are you relocating to the UK with kids? Give them the best start in their new life by researching educational options ahead of time. Generally speaking, the UK has good options for public and private education. So, wherever you move you’ll have a range of choices when it comes to schooling. For more information, read our guide to The UK education system.

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For more information on living in the UK, check out the UK Government’s official website, which hosts a range of important information for any questions you have .

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