There are many things to consider when moving to a different country. If you’re planning a big move to Brussels, this checklist may help you out!

• Book your plane tickets – pinpoint the day you’re moving and pay for your tickets. Try and do this 3 months before you go.
• Inform everyone – You’ll need to let everyone know as early as possible. So, this includes your children’s school and your workplace. You may need to give longer notice than a month – check your work contract. You’ll obviously need to tell your friends and family first!
• Pets – Check any quarantine requirements and arrange your pet relocation to Brussels. Have they had all their necessary vaccinations?
• Home move – Check out which moving company offers the best price and service for moving all your items. Start to organise home items into boxes and label the boxes clearly for ease of unpacking when you get to your new house in Brussels.
• Get your paperwork organised – Check the documentation you’ll need for the country you are moving to. Make sure you have everything – birth certificates, marriage certificates, educational qualifications, driving licences and so on. Keep them safe!
• Passport check – Make sure your family have valid passports! Renew them as early as possible if you need to. You won’t be able to get anywhere without them!
• Continuing treatment – If you’ll be continuing any kind of medical treatment when you move to Brussels, such as cognitive behavioural therapy or psychological sessions, there are various online services you can look up to help you find the necessary medical professional in your new town and book in with them to continue your therapy seamlessly. The link above sends you to Angloinfo; a site that lets you to look up qualifications and client reviews from various medical professionals from whatever city you happen to be living in.
• Vaccinations – Talking of medical treatment, find out if you need to have any vaccinations and when you need to have them by. You might also find it useful to ask your doctors and dentist for copies of your medical records. You’ll want to ensure you have enough of any prescription to last until you register at a new GP surgery in Brussels.
• Insurance policies – Check all insurance policies and make sure you’re covered abroad. This includes life insurance. Make sure any house insurance is valid up until the day you leave so you are fully covered.
• Redirecting mail – Contact the post office online to set up a mail re-routing service. This is simple to do and requires a small fee.
• Contact your bank – Let them know you’re going, and set up direct debits for any bill payments which you will still be making while you are in Brussels. These might include loan repayments and pension schemes.
• Contact utilities companies and tell them you are moving.