Moving overseas: What's involved?

The decision to move overseas is rarely made lightly so the decision on the best way to go shouldn't be either. The removal should be handled by a company that is experienced in international relocations and the price structures vary depending on whether your move is part-assisted or a full-assisted move and most companies can provide you with a free quote on line.

Moving overseas: Talk to your removalist

When organising an overseas move, there are several issues that you will need to discuss with the company that's moving you.

• The type of moving package you require
• Whether you want to go by sea or by air
• Customs clearance details
• Insurance coverage
• Document management
• Your final destination

With this information, your removalist can tailor a package that will best suit your needs and will be able to give you a firm quote. Some companies have on line forms and can give a quote based on your information. Moving companies do not list pricing structures as they need to know where you are going and how you'd like to travel before they can tell you what it's going to cost you.

Some good all round information on moving overseas can be found online. Smartraveller is a site provided by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and it provides some good information relating to overseas relocations so it's definitely worth a look.

Moving overseas: Transit times

Shipment times can vary and the time it takes for your goods to arrive will depend on your destination as distance will cause variances is travel time. Shipping your belongings by sea will take longer. Air travel is much faster so it is more convenient but will be more expensive but again, the cost will depend on your destination.

The rule of thumb here is to base your decision on the track record of the company you choose rather than the price and begin arranging your move from there.