UK relocation checklist: before travel, arrival and settling in

Before travel: resolve status, evidence and cash

Check everyone’s immigration route, access to the eVisa and travel document. Confirm dependant eligibility before paying school or housing deposits. Plan arrival around permission, not an assumed visa decision date.

Use your own quotes for travel, accommodation and shipping. Notify the authorities and providers in the country you are leaving as appropriate; arriving in the UK does not mean every newcomer needs the UK departure-notification process.

• Home Office: access and use an eVisa
• Home Office: Student visa partners and children
• HMRC: moving personal belongings to the UK

Arrival: prioritise access and the right checks

Keep entry and approval evidence, complete work checks and test banking. Check the tenancy rules where you will live; the immigration right-to-rent scheme is England-only. For England, apply to a GP without waiting for a permanent address.

• Home Office: access and use an eVisa
• Home Office: prove your right to work
• Home Office: right-to-rent checks apply in England
• MoneyHelper: opening a bank account
• NHS England: registering with a GP surgery

First month: payroll, healthcare and family routines

Find or apply for a National Insurance number where needed, review payroll and start a tax-residence record. Separately establish NHS entitlement, school arrangements and the licence rules for your jurisdiction. Ask the responsible service about any missing document rather than treating every task as blocked by the same paperwork.

• DWP: apply for a National Insurance number
• Home Office: prove your right to work
• HMRC: Statutory Residence Test notes
• Home Office: when healthcare access begins after an immigration application
• Department for Education: school applications from overseas children
• DVLA: driving in Great Britain on an overseas licence
• nidirect: exchanging a foreign driving licence