The Ultimate Checklist for Moving to the UK from Australia

Moving to the UK is a great choice but it is also a big move and requires a fair amount of preparation. The first few weeks living in the UK are exciting but it can be challenging while you are trying to find a home and establish yourself. The better you prepare yourself, the easier it will be. To make sure you don’t forget anything important, here is a checklist of everything you need to do before you move to the UK. I have included everything useful I did before I flew over to the UK, and all the things I wish I had done after I had moved to the UK.

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Moving to the UK from Australia – The Checklist

Visa

Apply for the Tier 5 Youth Mobility Scheme visa. You should apply approximately 4-6 months before you intend to fly over. The earlier the better but remember you can only nominate a visa start date within 6months of your application submission.

Passport

Check your passport is valid for at least the two years you will be in the UK. If it is about to expire or will expire in the next two years it is best to renew your passport before you move to the UK. If for some reason you cannot, then you can renew your passport in the UK at the Australian embassy but it is a hassle especially if you are trying to maximise travel.

Decide where you want to live in the UK and when you want to move

This is important and worth thinking about. Most people want to live in London because there’s so much to do there and because there are great connections to Europe with four airports and the Eurostar. However, there are many other great cities to live in including Bristol, Manchester and Edinburgh.

It is also important to decide when you want to move to the UK. Don’t come in winter (Dec-Feb). It’s freezing and Australian winter clothes won’t be warm enough so you will have to buy winter clothes in the UK. It’s much better to do this when you have a job and you are earning British pounds. It’s also one less thing you need to deal with while you are setting yourself up.

In addition, universities in the UK start in September so rental competition will be high at this time. Hence, I recommend coming in Spring (April or May).

Book flights

Use Sky Scanner to find an affordable flight but make sure you choose flights run by the same airline to avoid failing to meet any Covid conditions in the country you stopover in.

Also, sign up for the frequent flyer program which is associated with the airline you choose to fly with. You might as well earn some points when you buy that expensive London flight.

Organise temporary UK accommodation

You should only book temporary UK accommodation (a hostel (Hostelworld is the best place to find hostels) or an Airbnb) for the first one to two months. Do not pay or sign any contracts for a long term rental before you arrive in the UK. You need to view places and make sure they are legit before securing a permanent rental as there are many rental scams. If you want to learn more about renting a home in the UK, read our article on how to rent in the UK.

Money

How much to save before going to the UK?

To qualify for the UK Youth Mobility Scheme visa you will need to prove you have at least £2530 or just under $5000 AUD in savings. But how much do you need to save before moving to the UK? Many forums say different amounts but it really depends on your spending habits. I think $10,000 AUD would be more than adequate. If you have already lined up a job this number can be reduced significantly. I was lucky enough to get a job before moving to the UK and found $5000 AUD was enough to set myself up.

Banks

Make sure you notify your bank/s if you are moving overseas. They will set you up to allow you to still control your bank account from overseas.

When you go overseas, depending on your situation, you may still earn bank interest, dividends and/or royalties which will be received by your Australian bank account. This money will fall under non-resident withholding tax while you live overseas. Talk to your bank and/or accountant so this can be set up before your leave.

To minimise international fees it is best to set up a UK bank account (Starling, Monzo or one of the traditional UK banks) when you arrive in the UK and transfer money for living in the UK into this UK bank account with an international money transfer service like Wise (one of the quickest and cheapest options). Read here for a more comprehensive review of Starling, Monzo and Wise, and how they compare.

Bills and subscriptions

Check you have no outstanding bills and cancel any subscriptions. It would be a nasty surprise if you end up having to pay huge late fees when you come home!

International money card

You will need to be able to access money when you move to the UK and first set yourself up. A small amount of cash and an international money card is a good combination. The Wise multi-currency account and debit card which allows you to covert AUD to other currencies at market rates and spend money in multiple different countries is a good option. You can get a Wise debit card before you fly out of Australia too. Other options include a Citibank card or 28 degrees card. I am also a big fan of Revolut but it is best if you apply for a Revolut account once you are in the UK so you can receive the Revolut UK’s terms and conditions. Read here for a more thorough review of Wise and Revolut, and how they compare.

Tax

MyGov

You will need to set up your MyGov account to submit non-lodgement forms, tax returns and to manage your super. This account is automatically linked to your Australian phone number which you will not have access to in the UK. To get around this you need to download the MyGov access app on your phone and change your sign up options so the app can provide you codes to login.

Records

Don’t forget you will still need to pay tax on any income earned in Australia or overseas. I have no experience with this and I actually got an accountant in Australia to sort this all out for me. However, what I did do was keep good records of my income, UK tax documents, expenses etc which helped my accountant immensely.

HELP, TSL, VSL loans

You have to continue repaying your HELP, TSL and VSL loans if you are overseas for 183 days or more in any 12 month period. If you plan to be away for longer than that, which most of you will be, then you will need to lodge an overseas travel notification within 7 days of leaving Australia. You will then need to submit either a non-lodgement tax form or your worldwide income depending on how much income earn overseas. Read here for more information about this on the ATO website.

Super

While overseas you are unlikely to be contributing to super so do your due diligence and make sure your money is in a decent super fund. I know it sounds boring but it makes a big difference in the long run. I found reading The Barefoot Investor helped me a lot with this.

When you are working in the UK your employer may pay you a UK pension if you opt for it. Unfortunately, you can only transfer this to your Australian super fund when you turn 55 years old but better something than nothing. Your super fund must also be recognised by the UK’s Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme.

Turn off two factor (2FA) authentication

Turn off any two factor authentication (2FA) linked to your Australian phone number including email, MyGov and other services just before you leave. Otherwise you will not be able to access anything.

Job

Get a job lined up before you arrive in the UK (if possible).

Firstly, check if you can work in the UK in your industry, for example Australian doctors, dentists and professional sports people cannot work in the UK.

Secondly, depending on the type of jobs you apply for, start looking on Linkedin and Indeed for potential jobs. Many employers will do Zoom interviews so it makes sense to start looking early for jobs. You may also use a recruiter but just note that UK recruiters will favour people who are already living in the UK.

Thirdly, remember to bring any copies of degrees or other important documents employers will request. In my case, I’m a veterinarian and to get my UK veterinary registration at the time I had to show them my original veterinary degree certificate.

Mobile phone sim

The best way to have a phone and data in the UK when you first arrive is to take your current phone, unlock your phone before you leave Australia and get an esim, or if you have an older phone, remove the sim and get a sim card for the UK. I recommend using SimsDirect to get a good prepaid UK esim or sim card (they also offer combined UK and Europe esims and sim cards). They have good deals and when I got one I liked how I could organise this before I left Australia so I didn’t have to worry about buying a sim when I arrived in London. When you buy a sim card they deliver it to you in Australia before you leave so make sure you order it a few weeks before you go. Later on I bought one of their esims to travel to Japan and you can organise these a few days before you go. Note, you only need to buy a sim which gives you enough time for you to get set up in the UK and sign up for a local UK sim.

Once I started setting myself up in the UK I signed up for a sim only plan with Three mobile UK. They offer the best phone plans for people who want to travel a lot to Europe as they have a Go Roam feature which allows you to use your data and to call people in many European countries. They also have good network coverage. I never had a problem while travelling across the UK.

If you like using public wifi a lot, which is what I did a lot in airports, you may want to get a vpn like Expressvpn to protect your data from people trying to steal your information, details and/or work data.

If you want to keep your Australian mobile number while you are in the UK, I recommend transferring your mobile number to a prepaid pay-as-you-go sim such as Aldi or Amaysim. This will cost you $5-10 for every 365 day period. Amaysim also has an Esim feature. This means, for compatible phones, you could keep your Australian number active with an Esim to receive messages and for 2 Factor Authentication while also having your UK sim for the UK.

Passwords

When you move to the UK you may want to memorise a couple of critical passwords for bank accounts but for the rest you can store them in a secure password manager that you can access overseas. I used Dashlane and they have a free option which allows you to save your passwords securely on one device. Just don’t forget your master password.

Health

Health insurance

Suspend your Australian private health insurance. Do not cancel it.

If you have Australian private health insurance, you cannot use it while you are outside Australia. However, you should not cancel your health insurance as once you turn 31 this will result in you accumulating permanent lifetime health cover surcharges which could increase your premiums substantially when you are older. Instead, you should suspend your health insurance while you are overseas so you can avoid paying premiums and expensive health surcharges down the track.

You will be covered by the NHS when you register with a doctor (GP) in the UK but some people also choose to extend their Australian travel insurance to give them better health cover in the UK. I didn’t think this was necessary for me and only got travel insurance for 2-3 months but I guess it depends on your circumstances.

Health checks/Dental checks

As with any extended overseas trip you should make sure you are healthy before flying so see your GP and dentist before you go.

Make sure you ask your doctor for a medical history summary which you can give to your UK doctor if necessary and an approved medication list if you are taking prescription medications on your flight.

Vaccinations

Check all your vaccinations are up to date especially Covid vaccinations. You may also want to take a completed vaccination card with your vaccination records.

You will most likely have all the vaccinations required for living in the UK but also consider the vaccination requirements for other countries you want to visit. For example, the rabies vaccination is recommended before travelling to Morocco.

Medications, prescription glasses/contacts

Stock up on any prescription medications and take spare prescription glasses and contacts. You should get enough prescription medications to last you until you can register with a GP in the UK and access the pharmacy services there. Three to six months of medication should be more than enough.

Travel insurance

At the bare minimum get travel insurance which covers you for your trip to the UK and then for a few months while you register for a GP and get access to the National Health Service (NHS). You will then need to get UK travel insurance to cover you when you start going on Europe trips (I signed up with Columbus Direct).

Preparation for Driving in the UK

Licence

It is likely you will drive a car in the UK and/or Europe. You may buy a car or you may decide to rent one for the weekend. In the UK, you can use your Australian driving licence to drive a car in the UK for the first 12 months. After this time you will need to exchange your Australian driving licence for a UK driving licence. Read here, to learn more about driving in the UK and getting a UK driving licence.

As you will be away for two years you may want to consider selling your car in Australia and cancelling your car insurance. This is what I did.

International Driving Permit

If you are planning on renting a car or driving a car overseas in Europe you may need to carry an International Driving Permit (IDP). These are very easy to get while you are in Australia and are pretty cheap. In NSW, you can buy them from the NRMA for $42.

Packing and transporting your belongings

UK Packing list

Read here for a complete packing list for the UK (still in the works)!

Make sure you are below the luggage limits. Airlines will show you no mercy if you are over and will charge you a lot for the excess.

Helpful tips:

• Take a power adapter for both the UK and Europe as they use different power plugs. You could also get a multi-adapter which works in multiple countries.
• Take an Australian power board. It will make your life a lot easier!
• As mentioned above, buy your winter clothes and waterproof jackets when you are in the UK. Winter clothes in the UK is much better quality than in Australia.

Shipping

The less you take over the better but if you do need to send larger, bulkier items then it may be worth sending them over later with a Shipping service like Send My Bag.

Voting

Register to vote overseas here.

Covid updates

Keep up to date with all the Covid travel updates on Smart Traveller.

Important documents

Take a copy of all important documents including photocopies of your passport and visa. A page with short notes on important directions, arrival addresses and contacts is also useful.

Odds and Ends

• Practice cycling if you intend to cycle in London. It’s a fun, healthy and cost effective way to travel but it will be a lot safer on busy London streets if you are a confident rider.
• Make arrangements for your home while you are away. Just the usual, like directing your mail elsewhere and giving away your plants etc.
• Join the Aussie in London and Kiwis in London Facebook groups. Both are great Facebook groups with loads of people on there who have been through what you are doing now.
• Bring some Shapes, Tim Tams and chicken salt. There are some things you are going to miss. You can still get them in the UK but they will be a complete rip off!