| Every year thousands of people make the decision to | | | | the rising cost of living? In many countries you may |
| move permanently abroad and to make a new life for | | | | draw a pension abroad but, if you do so, you will lose |
| themselves and their families in a foreign land. For | | | | any cost of living increases and your pension will be |
| many this proves to be one of the best decisions they | | | | fixed at the level at which you start to draw it |
| have ever made, but for others the dream quickly | | | | overseas. |
| turns into a nightmare. Here are just a few of the | | | | Tip 4. Think about what you will do with your assets |
| many things that you will need to consider. | | | | back home. |
| Tip 1. Make certain that you really do want to live | | | | If you own your home will you sell it, rent it out or |
| permanently abroad. | | | | simply leave it empty? What will you do with your car, |
| The grass is always greener on the other side and it is | | | | furniture and other possessions? |
| very easy to paint an idyllic picture of life in your | | | | Your home of course is much more than simply an |
| chosen country. However, once you get there, you | | | | asset, it also gives you a tie to home and affords you |
| may well find that the grass is now a lot greener back | | | | an address back home which may be extremely |
| home. It's also normally the case that your view of a | | | | useful if you don't have family or friends who are |
| country as a holidaymaker is very different from your | | | | happy to let you use their address. Just wait until your |
| view as a resident. | | | | credit card runs out and your bank tells you that they |
| Not only should you visit the country several times | | | | can only send the new card to the address to which |
| before deciding to move there, but you should also do | | | | the account is registered in your home country. |
| so at different times of the year and for increasingly | | | | As far as your other possessions are concerned you |
| lengthy periods of time. You should also try 'living' in the | | | | can of course dispose of many of them if you wish, |
| country by renting a house or apartment and living as | | | | keeping only those or particular real or sentimental |
| far as possible as you would as a resident rather than | | | | value, or you can take them with you. But how easy is |
| a holidaymaker. If you still feel that moving is the right | | | | it to ship things out and what will it cost? Look carefully |
| choice after you've spent six months or so 'living' in the | | | | too at the rules in your chosen country. Some |
| country, then there's a good chance that you won't | | | | countries will let you bring more or less whatever you |
| regret your decision. | | | | want into the country, while others will have strict limits |
| Tip 2. Make sure that you understand the immigration | | | | or impose high import taxes. In many cases for |
| policy of your chosen country. | | | | example it's a lot cheaper to buy a new car than to |
| Check out the current immigration requirements of | | | | ship your own car out, pay high import duty and than |
| your chosen country and also look at its past history | | | | have to have the car adapted to meet local |
| on immigration and any known or rumored plans for | | | | requirements for registration. |
| change. | | | | Tip 5. Examine the provision of healthcare. |
| In many cases you will be required to meet strict visa | | | | You may be fit and healthy now but, if you're thinking |
| requirements and these may be inconvenient, costly | | | | about moving abroad permanently, then a time is going |
| and leave you with little security. The last thing you | | | | to come when you will need to avail yourself of the |
| want to do is to cut your ties with home, buy a house | | | | local healthcare facilities. Just how good are those |
| and settle the kids into school only to find that you | | | | facilities, how do they compare to the facilities that you |
| cannot extend your visa and are given forty-eight | | | | are used to and will the doctors speak English? |
| hours to leave the country. | | | | Another very important consideration is the availability |
| Tip 3. Examine your finances carefully. | | | | of public healthcare. If you come from a country with a |
| Think carefully about how you will support yourself in | | | | publicly funded healthcare system, such as the UK, |
| your chosen country. Do you, for example, intend to | | | | then you might be more than a little shocked by the |
| seek employment in your new country to provide you | | | | cost of medical treatment when you find yourself in a |
| with an income, or will you fund yourself from sources | | | | country with only private healthcare. On the other hand, |
| at home, such as savings, investments or a pension. | | | | if you're used to paying for your own healthcare, you |
| If you're going to look for employment abroad then | | | | might be pleasantly surprised to find that you can get |
| how easy will it be to find a job? If you can get a job, | | | | the same of better medical treatment at a fraction of |
| what sort of salary can you expect? Will you be | | | | the cost. |
| allowed to work at all? Many countries will require you | | | | Whatever the case, however, this is something that |
| to apply for a work permit and these are often issued | | | | you need to check out very carefully and you will |
| only in exceptional circumstances or for employment | | | | certainly need some form of expat health insurance |
| requiring specific skills or qualifications. In many cases | | | | policy. |
| your visa will expressly state that you may not seek | | | | This short list of just five tips is far from exhaustive |
| employment. | | | | but hopefully it will give you a starting point and set you |
| If you're going to fund your stay from sources at | | | | in the right direction. Becoming an expatriate is a very |
| home, do you have sufficient resources not simply for | | | | big step and one that needs a great deal of careful |
| today but for the next ten or twenty years or more? If | | | | thought. |
| you're taking a pension abroad will it keep pace with | | | | |