A one-year relocation plan, month by month

Everything in this section, arranged as a sequence. Most steps are unremarkable; the value is in the order.

Months twelve to nine

• Decide the country and the route, on the criteria that actually decide rather than on tax alone.
• Exhaust the ancestry question for every family member.
• Take tax advice in the country you are leaving — exit charges, the date residence ends, what to do before rather than after.
• Start the language, if the destination has a requirement at any stage.
• Apply for school places.

Months nine to six

• Obtain and legalise every civil document: marriage, births, diplomas. Only possible at home.
• Assemble the source of wealth pack.
• Renew passports that expire within two years.
• Start the pet process if a titre test is required.
• Lodge the residence application, or the consular visa application where it must precede the move.

Months six to three

• Decide what happens to the home — sold or let, understanding that a home kept available affects your tax position.
• Execute powers of attorney for whoever remains.
• Notify pension providers, insurers, banks and brokers of the coming change.
• Arrange health insurance with continuity from the existing policy.
• Book the shipment, understanding it cannot clear before your status exists.

The move, and the first quarter

• Medical, biometrics, visa, identity card — in that order.
• Tenancy, registered; utilities; bank account.
• Sponsor the family. Enrol the children. Transfer the driving licence.
• Register with a doctor while nobody is ill.

Months three to twelve after arrival

• File in both countries for the split year.
• Complete any new-resident asset reporting the destination requires.
• Make a local will covering local assets, and open a second account in a spouse's name.
• Diarise every renewal, and the date the permanent residence clock matures.
• Do not buy property in the first year unless you already know the city.

The single rule

Anything that can only be done in the country you are leaving gets done before you leave. Everything else can wait, and most of it will have to.