RoundInCircles Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 Hi Everybody! Firstly, hope you all had a VERY Merry Christmas and wishing that all your hopes, dreams and goals come true in the New Year! Well, after thirty years living in Australia I've made the decision to return to the UK to live. My young adult daughter (Australian born) and my dog (hopefully) are joining me on this journey;. this next Chapter of my life. I cannot express how excited I am to be doing this at the grand old age of 57! But...it's time. You know how you just know? I fully accept, understand and appreciate the many changes that await me. This is my first post...probably the first of many...and I just know, by reading the many posts on this site, that you are all so well informed about the whole process of moving back "home". * Step one was for me to apply for an Australian Passport...I became a Citizen in 1993...application lodged and waiting for the passport to arrive in the post in the next couple of weeks * Step two - apply for UK Passport. LOL started the application online...Question: Has your name changed since birth? Answer: Yes Why: Marriage. Got virtually to the end of the Application and was asked when did I need the passport? Before OR after the "Ceremony"...Ceremony?...LOL Wedding...oh, goodness...I obviously did something wrong. Also I need to provide a full birth certificate with mother and father's details included (I have only ever used an extract before...however that was thirty something years ago...oh, haven't times changed!) * Questions please... * Is this the correct site to use for both Passport Application AND to get a UK Birth Certificate? https://www.gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate * Also...re the Birth Certificate...it will be a copy, yes?...Passport Application requires "original"...does it arrive as being a "certified copy of the orginal birth certificate" Please excuse my naivety; I am long out of touch with these kind of matters. I will be most grateful for all suggestions and advice that your replies will bring. Thank you SO much, in advance. Kind regards... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 Congratulations on your decision! Do you not have an old uk passport? You might not have to submit all original documents if you’re just going for renewal no matter how long out of date. If you’re anything like me you’ll love it but you will certainly be warned that uk has changed a lot in 30 years, and it has! If you look at it as an adventure moving forward you should be fine! Don’t expect to step back into your old life, you’ll need to make new friends and connections and in lots of ways it will be the same as if you were moving to a brand new country. All the very best, it’s worked out brilliantly for me but we are not in the process of moving back to Aus - expected, and I’m ok with it ... just! Now in Canberra in a holiday and our permanent return will be a month or two down the track after we get back. At this moment I’m not quite vomiting at the thought but it’s close!!! If this was my actual return I’d be closer to a basket case than I currently am. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 Congratulations on your decision. Lots more admin to be done I’m afraid but it will all work out. I’ll post in more detail later when I’m at my computer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoundInCircles Posted December 26, 2019 Author Share Posted December 26, 2019 Thank you for your quick replies Quoll and Marisawright! Quoll - Yes, I do have an old expired UK Passport but, unless I misread, it stated "originals" were needed and had to show mother and father's details. I scraped the application in the end so I'll have another go...apparently, you can't save and exit the application either...so, if it's not completed in one sitting then you have to start all over again... I'm most certainly treating it like an adventure...the next stage in my life's journey!...and there are no expectations that all will be as it was when I left in 1990. LOL I understand those feeling in the stomach! Excited one minute...nervous the next...confident in my decision...then my conscience asking "...are you sure?" Marisawright - I know right?...heaps of admin ahead of me. Right now, my plan is to be back in the UK by the end of July (if not earlier)...so, I've made a start now - bring it on!...I'm so keen to get there and get back to my family! Many regards... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliQ Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 1 hour ago, RoundInCircles said: Thank you for your quick replies Quoll and Marisawright! Quoll - Yes, I do have an old expired UK Passport but, unless I misread, it stated "originals" were needed and had to show mother and father's details. I scraped the application in the end so I'll have another go...apparently, you can't save and exit the application either...so, if it's not completed in one sitting then you have to start all over again... I'm most certainly treating it like an adventure...the next stage in my life's journey!...and there are no expectations that all will be as it was when I left in 1990. LOL I understand those feeling in the stomach! Excited one minute...nervous the next...confident in my decision...then my conscience asking "...are you sure?" Marisawright - I know right?...heaps of admin ahead of me. Right now, my plan is to be back in the UK by the end of July (if not earlier)...so, I've made a start now - bring it on!...I'm so keen to get there and get back to my family! Many regards... Hi RoundInCircles, just curious, have you been back to the UK since you left in 1990 ? We also left the UK back in 1990, it’s a long chunk of your life to leave behind. We’re on our second “trial” of trying to settle back in the UK but it’s not for us anymore. I wish you well and good luck with your plans, once you get started it will all fall into place for you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 (edited) OK here are a few things for you to think about. Bank account: Don't be in a hurry to close your Australian bank account, because it can take a while to get your British finances sorted out. You probably won't be able to get a credit card in the UK for some time so your Australian card will come in handy. If you browse around this site, you'll find explanations of how the credit rating system works in the UK and how to get a credit card etc: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ Under the new money laundering laws, it is illegal for any British bank to let you operate a bank account unless you can prove you are resident in the UK. To do that, you need to show them an official document (like a bank statement or a utility bill) with your full name and UK address on it. I speeded up the process by changing the address on my Australian bank account to my sister's UK address a few weeks before I left Australia. By the time I got to the UK, my next credit card statement had been posted out and was waiting for me at my sister's, and I used that as proof. You just have to keep a straight face when the bank official asks you if it's your permanent residence! Pensions: Given your age, this is something you may need to consider. As you'll be leaving before you reach pension age, you won't be able to claim the Australian government pension at all (the crazy thing is that you would be able to claim it if you moved to a European country, but not the UK). You should be entitled to some British govt pension, so hunt out your NI (National Insurance) number and contact the International Pension Centre. https://www.gov.uk/international-pension-centre They'll tell you whether you're eligible for the pension and how much you'll get. They'll also offer you the chance to back-pay a few years' NI contributions to increase the pension, which will probably be worth doing. Once you're settled in the UK, you can apply to have any Australian work experience up until the year 2000 recognised towards the British pension, too. Superannuation: If you (or your daughter) have superannuation, notify the fund as soon as you leave the country and ask them to cancel all insurances (because they probably won't be valid once you're overseas anyway). (If they tell you the insurance is still valid, insist they confirm that in writing as it would be awful to keep paying the premiums and then get knocked back if there's a claim). Your super will keep on growing so you don't have to do anything else until you're ready to retire - but beware! Don't take a lump sum until you've had some advice from an accountant who knows both the Australian and British systems. The law may be different by the time you're retiring - but if you were retiring today and took a lump sum, it would be tax-free in Australia but the UK taxman would grab over a third of it! You can convert your super to a monthly pension instead, which may be a better bet, but it depends what the law is by that time. Edited December 26, 2019 by Marisawright 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetBlast Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, RoundInCircles said: Quoll - Yes, I do have an old expired UK Passport It may be simple for you. If you follow this link you can do most of it online. https://www.gov.uk/renew-adult-passport/renew You will need to send off your old passport back to the UK. They will post it back to you with the corner cut off. This will be posted separately from your new passport. It's a quick process these days. Should only take a few weeks - mostly because of slow postage. However - if your passport was issued in the 80's it may take longer (6 weeks I believe). Edited December 26, 2019 by JetBlast 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoundInCircles Posted December 26, 2019 Author Share Posted December 26, 2019 Hi AliQ and thank you for your message A bit of my background... Born in UK - Moved with Family to Australia as Ten Pound Poms - Moved to London for six years in the 80s and got married while I was there - Returned to live in Australia with British husband - Got Australian Citizenship in 1993 - Visited UK last in 1999/2000 for a holiday with our two children - Most of my family live in the UK - Oldest daughter has lived in London for seven years! I realise fully that virtually everything I ever knew will have changed and I am keeping a very open mind about things. In my heart, I have a real yearning to return home but if I find that I can't adjust the option to return to Australia will always be there. Having most of my family there (especially my daughter who is showing no sign of returning to Australia) is a big drawcard; many of my relatives are elderly. Thank you so much for your good wishes. I'm looking forward to my next adventure! Kind regards... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoundInCircles Posted December 26, 2019 Author Share Posted December 26, 2019 Hi JetBlast Thank you so much for your message with details of passport "renewal". I obviously got onto the wrong track when I first applied so I'll be jumping online tomorrow to try again with the information you have sent me. Wish me luck! Kind regards... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoundInCircles Posted December 26, 2019 Author Share Posted December 26, 2019 Hi Marisawright Thank you for your latest message with all that information...an excellent start to my "admin" work. "JetBlast" has just recently sent through information on how to "renew" a UK passport so I'll be making my second attempt at that tomorrow. Kind regards... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie78 Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 Hi there, I'm 41 and Mum moved us here in 93 when I was just turned 15, almost 27 years here and we (Myself, Mum and my two Children who are 11 and 12) are heading back in February. We originally came from the south which is super dooper expensive now, so we are heading back North this time, and will see how it goes, we can always move if we don't like it. British Passports and ours were all new applications( Kids and I, Mum already had one of course) and they only took 2 weeks from documents being received to being in my hot hands. Australian Passports for my kids took slightly less time. If you are shipping any goods over you will need to apply for Transfer or Residence (ToR) This gives you a unique number to use with your shipping company so you don't pay VAT on your 'imports' it is valid for 12 months from date of arrival. Can be used for multiple shipments (if so required) and also for any pets? you may fly over. I recently applied and it only took 5 days to get approval (they say it can take up to 14 days and can be longer if they have a back log) so I was well chuffed with that. I didn't do anything fancy either, I had already started packing so all I did was create an excel spreadsheet, listed each box number and each contents, but not super specific, just 20 x dvds, 10 x towels, 15 x kids books etc... I did specify used, and the only thing I put a proper value on was my kids bikes and my PC. The rest being things like ornaments, nick knacks etc I just put a low or 0 value. It is better to state you have more stuff rather than less, eg the 20 dvds, if they do check your box and there is 30 well you will pay tax on those, but if you state 20 and only take 10, no drama. Oh and if you have more stuff after applying for ToR don't worry as long as it's all listed on the shipping company list at the time of moving, no drama. Like I said you can use it multiple times over 12 months so the one you send HMRC initially is certainly not final. Due to their email limit of 6mb I highly recommend doing what I did, scan all required docs (mine was the excel sheet, copy of passport and copy of current lease and tor form) and pop them all in one PDF document. It came in at just about 5.3mb and the email was accepted with an auto response. Just some more admin for you hehe. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoundInCircles Posted December 27, 2019 Author Share Posted December 27, 2019 Hi Vickie78 Thank you so much for the information on ToR...love your idea of creating an Excel Spreadsheet!...we'll be taking similar things with us; no furniture or major electrical appliances and such. I don't particularly have a desire to return to my hometown (also in the south) however, if the "price is right" (rental) then I may...the majority of my relatives live in Kent with only one relative in the north (Lancashire). I'd have no problem locating to a different area at all; all part of the adventure, right? It a good job I don't mind admin work LOL. The list is growing even after only a day on this site! Many thanks again... Kind regards... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoundInCircles Posted December 28, 2019 Author Share Posted December 28, 2019 Hi Vickie78 May I ask what Shipping Company you have decided to use?...it would be good to get an idea of recommendations before I start making any calls. Thank you in advance! Kind regards... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie78 Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 (edited) 13 hours ago, RoundInCircles said: Hi Vickie78 May I ask what Shipping Company you have decided to use?...it would be good to get an idea of recommendations before I start making any calls. Thank you in advance! Kind regards... I'm going with MoveCube (seven seas) simply because cheaper option given I'm not taking any furniture. They have small medium and large 'boxes' that they then put in with other shipments in a container. You can do a dummy quote to get an idea of price on their website To give you an idea 10 regular size moving boxes, + 2 small adult (kids) mountain bikes was $800 ish You can use your own packing boxes or they can provide some, as long as they are proper packing boxes, they will repack stuff it says in terms and conditions if not, (i don't know how nit picky they are?) I would assume as long as the box is sturdy, oh and each box filled can't be over 30kg. Hope that helps eta: Just checked my email quote was 2 Adult's bicycle (28x157x87cm) 10 Standard Box (51x41x31cm) $897.18 Edited December 28, 2019 by Vickie78 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoundInCircles Posted December 29, 2019 Author Share Posted December 29, 2019 Thank you, Vickie78 Loads of good information there and I had already had a quick look at MoveCube coincidentally so I'll check them out a little more in depth. At a rough guess, I'd say I would have a little more than 10 boxes but I'm surprised at the cost...I thought it would be considerably more! I appreciate you sharing your information/experiences...thanks again. Kind regards... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie78 Posted December 29, 2019 Share Posted December 29, 2019 (edited) 32 minutes ago, RoundInCircles said: Thank you, Vickie78 Loads of good information there and I had already had a quick look at MoveCube coincidentally so I'll check them out a little more in depth. At a rough guess, I'd say I would have a little more than 10 boxes but I'm surprised at the cost...I thought it would be considerably more! I appreciate you sharing your information/experiences...thanks again. Kind regards... No worries, they are fab option when you don't need a whole container. Happy to help ETA: I too have more boxes now, 15 to be precise LOL But I can't imagine it would be much more than that quote. Edited December 29, 2019 by Vickie78 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bug family Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 On 26/12/2019 at 12:42, RoundInCircles said: Hi Everybody! Firstly, hope you all had a VERY Merry Christmas and wishing that all your hopes, dreams and goals come true in the New Year! Well, after thirty years living in Australia I've made the decision to return to the UK to live. My young adult daughter (Australian born) and my dog (hopefully) are joining me on this journey;. this next Chapter of my life. I cannot express how excited I am to be doing this at the grand old age of 57! But...it's time. You know how you just know? I fully accept, understand and appreciate the many changes that await me. This is my first post...probably the first of many...and I just know, by reading the many posts on this site, that you are all so well informed about the whole process of moving back "home". * Step one was for me to apply for an Australian Passport...I became a Citizen in 1993...application lodged and waiting for the passport to arrive in the post in the next couple of weeks * Step two - apply for UK Passport. LOL started the application online...Question: Has your name changed since birth? Answer: Yes Why: Marriage. Got virtually to the end of the Application and was asked when did I need the passport? Before OR after the "Ceremony"...Ceremony?...LOL Wedding...oh, goodness...I obviously did something wrong. Also I need to provide a full birth certificate with mother and father's details included (I have only ever used an extract before...however that was thirty something years ago...oh, haven't times changed!) * Questions please... * Is this the correct site to use for both Passport Application AND to get a UK Birth Certificate? https://www.gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate * Also...re the Birth Certificate...it will be a copy, yes?...Passport Application requires "original"...does it arrive as being a "certified copy of the orginal birth certificate" Please excuse my naivety; I am long out of touch with these kind of matters. I will be most grateful for all suggestions and advice that your replies will bring. Thank you SO much, in advance. Kind regards... Hi Round in circles, just wanted to say good luck, i shall be following your progress on here, i have just got back from a three week trip around the UK, this was my first trip back since moving to Australia some 8 years ago, i loved every minute, took my 11 yr old son with me and he had a great time, i will move back one day, as you say home will always be where our hearts are at and not our feet ( i love that little saying thank you for sharing ) good luck 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoundInCircles Posted January 8, 2020 Author Share Posted January 8, 2020 Hello bug family and thank you so much for your message! The ball is definitely rolling now My daughter and I are about to receive our Australian passports any day now! I'm waiting for my Birth Certificate to arrive from the UK and I need to get a Confirmation of Identity Form signed off then will eagerly await the UK passport's arrival! Even these small steps are EXCITING! We are aiming to leave in July however we are flexible with that. I'm not going back after 30 years to recapture "my youth" in the hope that nothing has changed...of course things have changed, the world has changed...and I'm looking forward to the adventure! Kind regards... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeelingStuck Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Hi RoundInCircles, Congratulations on your decision to move home, and I am very excited for you. I've had two recent trips back home, after 30 years in Oz, and still hanker to return one day. I'm very much looking forward to reading about your adventures, and wish you all the very best ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoundInCircles Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share Posted January 24, 2020 Hi On 21/01/2020 at 13:03, FeelingStuck said: Hi RoundInCircles, Congratulations on your decision to move home, and I am very excited for you. I've had two recent trips back home, after 30 years in Oz, and still hanker to return one day. I'm very much looking forward to reading about your adventures, and wish you all the very best ! Hi FeelingStuck and thank you for your message; good to hear from you Things can't move quick enough for me...currently waiting for my UK Birth Certificate to arrive then I can apply for a British Passport...all this waiting is driving me mad but I. MUST. BE. PATIENT. lol. So far, I have applied and received my Australian Passport, have made enquiries about shipping my pet, looked into flights, started researching where to live, looking at what jobs are out there and have started a list of the items I want to sell before we leave. Our goal is to move over in July if finances are tracking okay but we are flexible. Thank you for your good wishes...and...you should start planning for your future too! Regards... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 On 26/12/2019 at 21:57, Marisawright said: if you were retiring today and took a lump sum, it would be tax-free in Australia but the UK taxman would grab over a third of it! You can convert your super to a monthly pension instead, which may be a better bet, but it depends what the law is by that time. Hey Marisa - am I right to assume that once I reach preservation age in Australia and am retired I can take all the $ out of my super and put it in my account - and the UK tax man will not tax it as long as I am still resident in Australia? I am completing UK tax returns as I have a rental property... Thanks... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 (edited) 20 minutes ago, Chortlepuss said: Hey Marisa - am I right to assume that once I reach preservation age in Australia and am retired I can take all the $ out of my super and put it in my account - and the UK tax man will not tax it as long as I am still resident in Australia? I am completing UK tax returns as I have a rental property... Thanks... Yes that’s right. Edited January 28, 2020 by Marisawright 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bug family Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 4 hours ago, Marisawright said: as long as I am still resident in Australia Marisa, just curious about this, how is a person classed as being resident in Australia ?...what i am getting at is can you claim a Australian pension at pensionable age and have it paid into an Australian bank account, but reside in the UK and just transfer it online to your UK account or is this a no no.....just asking for a friend 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 1 hour ago, bug family said: Marisa, just curious about this, how is a person classed as being resident in Australia ?...what i am getting at is can you claim a Australian pension at pensionable age and have it paid into an Australian bank account, but reside in the UK and just transfer it online to your UK account or is this a no no.....just asking for a friend To be classed as a resident of Australia, you must be resident in Australia. So if you're living in the UK, you're not resident and therefore you can't claim the pension, sorry. It's a crazy situation, because if you went and retired in Spain or France or Italy, you would be able to claim it, because they have a reciprocal agreement with Australia. Whereas the agreement with the UK expired in 2000 and no one has got around to renewing it. So, the deal is that if you leave Australia before you reach pensionable age, you will not get the Australian govt pension. Therefore it's very important to be paying your NI contributions (and back-pay any you missed) so you can claim the British one. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie78 Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 The rules re: Aussie Penison FYI You must have lived in Australia for at least 10 years, and. Of those 10 years that you've lived in Australia, there should be at least 1 period where you have lived in Australia continuously for 5 years. So you're out of luck unless you came back here for 5 years with no break.. hehe 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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