PENSIONS AND OTHER BENEFITS

Inform your local social security office of your plans and anticipated address at the earliest possible opportunity and specify how you are to be paid. The administrators of any private or occupational pension fund you are a member of should also be informed of your movements. (This matter is dealt with more fully in Chapter 5.)

PETS

If you decide to take your pet or pets with you, you must first check the rules and regulations of the country you are going to. In many cases the practice of putting pets into quarantine is now a thing of the past. For instance, pets can now travel freely to and from any country within the EEA provided they have a European Animal Passport.

The European Animal Passport is in book form and is issued by an approved veterninary surgeon. It shows the pet’s microchip number, vaccination details and a certificate declaring the animal has been examined and is free of infectious or contagious diseases. A new certificate is required before each journey out of the country of residence. Cyprus or Greece require dogs and cats to be treated for tick and tapeworms within 24 hours of arrival. In the case of pet birds an Export Health Certificate from the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is required.

If you are planning to take pet animals to other countries you will need some or all of the following documentation:

• an official PETS certificate (known as the pet passport);
• an official export health certificate signed by a local veterinary inspector;
• an import permit from your destination country.

For further information you should contact the PETS Helpline: 0870 241 1710 or www.defra.gov.uk/animalh.

There are a number of organisations which specialise in transporting pets abroad, and some addresses will be found in the directory at the end of this book. The RSPCA publishes a leaflet on taking pets abroad.

If you decide not to take them with you, and are unable to find a good home for them, there are several animal charities that may be able to take them off your hands (eg Cats Protection Society, National Canine Defence League). Your local telephone directory will list your nearest branch. Alternatively, if you are only planning to be away for a matter of months you could find someone to look after your pets (and perhaps your house, too) in your absence. Animal Aunts is one organisation that offers such a service.

REMOVALS

If you are leaving Britain for good there will be considerable soul-searching in the matter of personal effects. You have to decide what to take with you and what to dispose of. Remember that the more you decide to take the greater the cost of the move. As for shipping all your household furniture to Australia or the Caribbean, the cost is likely to be prohibitive.

When deciding what to take you should ask yourself the following questions:

• How much can be accommodated in the new residence? If you are moving from a four-bedroomed house to a two-bedroomed apartment, you will need to jettison at least half your personal effects.
• What would it cost to re-equip on arrival? You need to compare the cost of moving all your possessions abroad with the cost of furnishing your residence from local sources, if this is indeed possible. In some cases you will need to re-equip: there is little point in moving your kitchen stove and your refrigerator if they are on their last legs. In any case, some of your equipment may be incompatible (eg UK television sets and video-recorders in France, all electrical equipment in the USA).
• What will it cost to move all your personal effects? Moving a full load of furniture from the UK to Southern Europe is unlikely to be less than £3,000 and could amount to £4,000 or more. However, many removal firms offer the option of part loads for smaller quantities, where the truck carries the personal effects of a number of clients moving to the same area. Bear in mind that if you are moving to a member state of the European Union VAT is payable.

Moving one’s personal effects from one country to another is not just a matter of loading them onto a truck and taking them off at the other end. You will probably find it easiest to entrust the task to an international removal firm, preferably one that is bonded by the British Association of Removers (Overseas Group), the Federation of International Furniture Removers (FIDI) or the Overseas Moving Network Inc (OMNI). Most will offer a comprehensive service which entails:

• advice on and assistance with your documentation (including translations where necessary);
• packing (bear in mind that the insurance policy will not usually cover breakable items if they are owner packed);
• collection and loading into van;
• transport door to door;
• customs clearance (this formality is no longer required for most EU countries);
• delivery, unpacking and setting up;
• removal of unwanted materials;
• storage, if required;
• comprehensive insurance cover;
• preparation of an inventory.

TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS

If you have your own transport and are settling in Europe you may well find it most convenient to travel by car. You can then take some of your smaller personal effects with you for use on arrival. At holiday times it is sensible to book your ferry or Channel Tunnel crossing in advance.

If you suffer from a physical handicap, the Holidays and Travel Abroad Guide produced by the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation (RADAR) will prove very useful. For long distances you will probably find it most convenient to travel by air.

YOUR WILL

In order to facilitate the disposal of your assets on your death it is important to make a will which reflects your new circumstances – and this applies to your partner as well.

Your solicitor will need to take into account the law of the country in which you will be residing in order to reduce the amount of inheritance tax or death duties for which you might be liable. Another consideration is that some countries impose restrictions on the disposal of your property (as is the case in Scotland) and a proportion of your estate has to be left to your spouse or children.

It may well be necessary for you to make two wills – one to apply to your assets in the UK and the other to those in the country of residence – in order to facilitate the administration of your estate and also to cut down on costs. There can be a considerable delay in disposing of your assets if your UK will has to be authenticated to the satisfaction of the foreign authorities.

Making a second will will often work out less expensive in the long run than having a complicated English will recognised by the authorities abroad with all the costs involved. Moreover, if matters regarding your estate are not settled within six months of your death in Spain or Italy, for instance, a tax surcharge may be payable.

A number of the firms listed in the legal services section of Appendix C have expertise in drafting both English and foreign wills.

CHECKLIST

This should help to remind you of the matters you need to see to. Not all will be applicable to your circumstances.

Arrange letting or sale of house

Bank

Benefits

Car

Circulate new address

Credit or charge card company

Dentist

Disposal of surplus personal effects

District council: pay council tax and any other dues

Doctor: check-up; prescription

Electricity: give at least 48 hours’ notice

Financial advice

Gas: give at least 48 hours’ notice

Insurance

Landlord (if a tenant): give notice according to terms of contract

Library: return books

Magazine subscriptions: cancel or have redirected

Medical card: surrender to immigration official

Milkman: cancel

Newspaper deliveries: cancel

Optician

Pension administrator

Passport

Post Office: forwarding of mail

Rental or HP agreements: terminate

Savings: notify organisations of change of address (eg National Savings Office, Premium Bond Office, stock-broker, etc)

Solicitor

Storage of personal effects

Visa

Telephone: give at least 7 days’ notice.

Transport of personal effects

Travel arrangements

Water company

Will