Easy Checklist for Moving to Australia

With so many of our customers based in Australia, we thought it would be helpful for others to have a quick checklist for moving to Australia.

Now for the checklist . . .

1. Understand immigration rules:

The rules for immigration, quotas, and visas change often. Be sure that you have current details. For Australia, click here to find the latest visa information. There are many types of visas in Australia. If you are moving because of your employer, be sure you know what they are handling and what you still need to do. Also, Australia has detailed rules about “skilled” immigrants. Check to be sure that you have what they want, so you can get a job. If you are retiring to Australia, check to find out how much money your assets need to be worth.

2. Prepare your legal documents:

Besides your passport, you will likely need other official documents such as marriage licenses, birth certificates, university transcripts and health documents (inoculations, medical conditions etc.). You will want to have at least two sets; one to have with you, and another scanned and placed online (see Dropbox or Google Drive) or "in the cloud" so you can access it in a pinch. It is also wise to have another hard copy of all your papers somewhere you can access it.

3. Get advice on your planned destination:

There are many expat websites, blogs and forums that offer you great advice. It is worth checking out these sites and asking questions about your particular destination. You might also like to check out Irish Around Oz and Irish People Living In Australia. We also looked at the 6 best places to live in Australia in 2017.

4. Get current property in order:

Even if it seems that there is no question you are moving to Australia for good, sometimes things happen. If they do, or you are only moving to Australia temporarily, it is important to manage the property you currently live in well. After all, you do want a place to return to, right? Thus, you need to either work out a lease with flexible terms or place your house in “mothball” mode; storing, covering, ‘winterising’ etc. Some people recommend having a “personal return home plan” that extends for 3 years. If you have not left Australia for 3 years, you're probably there to stay. But until that benchmark, you want to know that you have a home to return to.

5. Find a new home:

After the initial short-term accommodation phase that most expats go through, you'll need to find somewhere more permanent to settle in. These days, most real estate to buy or rent can be found online. Sites such as RealEstate.com.au, Domain, and Property.com.au are well-known sites for finding somewhere to buy or rent in Australia.

6. Find a school:

If you have children, you'll want to get started right away on planning where they'll go to school. In our article about 16 things to know before moving to Australia we discuss visas and schools for children.

7. Arrange Shipping:

If you are going to ship a lot of items internationally, you will need to retain the services of what is called a “removals company”. There are many - check out this list of removal services. You will want to decide if you are taking furniture or not and how much to bring with you overall. Be aware that often, when expats return home, they end up re-shipping boxes they never even opened!

8. Exchange Currency:

You will need a substantial amount of Australian currency. Don't forget, when you need to move money from Australia, the easiest and cheapest way to convert Australian Dollars to Euro is to use CurrencyFair. In fact, CurrencyFair was awarded Canstar’s 5-Star Rating for International Money Transfers in 2019. Canstar is Australia’s biggest financial comparison site and research agency and they use a unique ratings methodology to shortlist providers and showcase those that have been found to offer Outstanding Value. That's a quick checklist to follow and some handy services to use when you make the big move to Australia. We wish you all the best for your trip!

See how CurrencyFair compares to other money transfer companies