DavidIII Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 Hello, I'm getting close to leaving the UK and just have numerous questions going around my mind on things I need to do here and things I need to do when I arrive and just hoping this brain dump might help me :) And they are in no particular order :( - What do you do with any mail that might go to your current address in the UK when you've moved, but don't have a new perm address in Australia ? - How do you register with a doctor in Australia and what records do you need to take ? - How do you register with a dentist ? - What's required in order to rent a house in Australia if you've never rented before and don't have a mortgage in the UK so have no proof of regular payments ? - How long before you can apply for new credit cards in Australia and do you just carry on using existing ones from the UK until you can ? - Can you get a monthly contract on mobile phones if you don't have a credit history in Australia ? - Do you start off from scratch on car insurance or is existing insurance no claims taken into account ? - Aside from the above, what are the most important things that I need to do during the first few weeks, or during the first few weeks of quarantine ? I know there's a few things here, but any help to a newbie to this forum would be most welcomed. Thanks :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 I'll leave most of these questions to others with recent experience but re doctor and dentist: "registering" with them isn't a practice in Australia. You can go to any doctor or dentist you wish...and if you aren't happy with them you can try someone else. The only limitation may be if the medical practice has closed its books to new patients because it is too busy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 Hi We had a relative pop around to old address and pick up any mail. They opened anything that looked ''official'' and rang us if it was urgent. Once we had an address they sent all the mail to us here. You don;t need to register for a Dr, there are loadssss of Dr's surgery's in most areas so just find one you like.Some are busier than others so if you cannot get an appointment when you need one you can ring other places and see if they have anything. Similar with dentists, you don't need a specific one and i found prices vary a lot, so definitely worth trying a couple.. If there is a local Facebook community page for the area you move too, you can often pick tips up on which have the best reputation etc. We insured with Suncorp for our cars and they accepted the UK no claims no problem. Hope this helps a bit Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 - What do you do with any mail that might go to your current address in the UK when you've moved, but don't have a new perm address in Australia ? The easiest option is to use the address of a family member. We changed the address on all our accounts - electricity, gas, water, bank accounts, charities, the lot - to my sister's address. That way, if there was a final bill of any kind of problem, she would get it and let us know. We also did a 3 month redirect with the Post Office to her address. You can redirect to an overseas address but it is very expensive. - How do you register with a doctor in Australia and what records do you need to take ? You don't register with a doctor, you can see any doctor and change whenever you like. You can ask your UK doctor for your records but you may have to pay for them. We didn't bother and it wasn't a problem. - How do you register with a dentist ? Ditto. Note that dentists are not covered by Medicare (equivalent of NHS) and cost a packet. If you need dental work done, try to get it done before you arrive! - What's required in order to rent a house in Australia if you've never rented before and don't have a mortgage in the UK so have no proof of regular payments ? They won't ask for proof of regular payments, just proof of a job. If you don't have a job yet, you can offer to pay several months' rent upfront. - How long before you can apply for new credit cards in Australia and do you just carry on using existing ones from the UK until you can ? Credit scores aren't the be-all and end-all like in the UK. Once you can prove your income, you can apply for a credit card. Until then, you can use your UK credit cards in ATMs and shops just the same as in the UK. However it might pay you to change banks before you go, to get a credit card that doesn't charge a fortune for international transactions - Can you get a monthly contract on mobile phones if you don't have a credit history in Australia ? Yes. - Do you start off from scratch on car insurance or is existing insurance no claims taken into account ? Most insurance companies take UK no claims into account. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavers Posted October 9, 2020 Share Posted October 9, 2020 On 08/10/2020 at 21:10, DavidIII said: Hi David we moved to Adelaide just over 3 months ago. * If you have kids makesure that you bring there red books with you as you will need these, also if you have kids they will need some immunisations when they get here. * Bring a copy of your no claims from your last insurer and that will be enough for you no claims to continue here. * Sim cards I ordered the moment we got here. * Regarding renting estate agents use online portals where you get verified and apply for houses through. I had to ask my old boss to do a character reference and show proof of funds as I didnt have a job yet. I offered to pay extra upfront but they said that they dont like doing that. * If you need to look for a job you could go on seek.com and set up your profile on there whilst in qaurantine. * Also in qaurantine you could apply for your medicare cards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 Apply for tax file number and get Medicare cards and drivers licenses. These are useful for ID. Get phones unlocked before you leave as a pain once here. You can buy a sim anywhere to keep you going Aldi have good no contract ones with various bundles to recharge. Keep a UK bank account, you can’t open one once no longer resident, they should accept an overseas address and post new cards out. Useful to have and just manage it on line. If you look at rentals on line the agents often have a link to an application form, they vary but will give you an idea what they require. Add a note explaining you are new migrants and details of your home in UK (rented or owned/sold) Showing the sales details for our UK home showed them we were house proud and had means too. Dont panic at opens, just because they are busy doesn’t mean there will be high competition many people just go for a nosey or sticky beak as it is known here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.