A lot of kiwis are moving to Australia at this time of year.
Are you moving? If so check out the below ‘To Do List’ to know what you need to do before you leave and what you can leave until your there.
Moving to Australia Process
Before you leave for Australia:
- Start looking for a job! Check out recruitment companies and get the process going.
- Find a school for your children. You will need an approximate move date to register your kids. Grace Removals will be able to help you with this if you get stuck.
- Find some short term accommodation. It is highly recommend to give yourself some time to find which suburb suits you and your family best before you buy or rent any real estate in Australian or sign a fixed term agreement (one year).
- Book a moving company to pack and ship your household items, clean your house, help you with documentation, find a school , even temporary accommodation… find out how to get more from your moving company.
- Setup a bank account before you leave. Then you can pick up your eftpos card as soon as you get there and start living.
- Register with a foreign exchange/money transfer provider. They have sharper exchange rates than the banks and lower fees (or none if you register using this link: https://xe.com or https://nz.ofx.com.
- Sign up for our monthly newsletter (right column of site). We stay on top of all news relating to kiwi’s living in Australia and send you the things you need to know.
After you arrive in Australia:
- Register with Medicare Australia. You will need to apply in person in a Medicare Office. Please remember to take your passport.
- Register for private health insurance. Read here why you should look into this.
- Get a TFN (Australian Tax File Number). You are not able to apply from NZ. You can apply online here: https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/tax-file-number/apply-for-a-tfn/foreign-passport-holders,-permanent-migrants-and-temporary-visitors—tfn-application/.
- Look for a rental property. Read this post to make sure you are prepared for the Australian rental market.
- Converting your NZ driving licence to an Australian licence. Find out how here.
Good luck with you move and please feel free to ask any questions you have in the comment section at the bottom of each post.
