The following lists are suggestive rather than exhaustive. You will probably add items which fit the particular country you are entering.
Official documents
Apply for passport and any necessary visas. It is advisable to have separate passports for each family member. If the children are on the mother's passport, neither mother nor children can travel outside the country independently.
Doctors
Make appointments for medical examinations for each family member well in advance, three months ahead if possible, in order to be finished with any needed series of immunizations a month before departure date.
Request copies of important records, X- rays, or prescriptions to go with you. Have prescriptions written in generic terms rather than with brand names.
Be sure to have each person's blood type in case a transfusion is needed.
Inquire about gamma globulin shots as a preventative measure against hepatitis.
Arrange to have copies of eyeglass prescriptions for any member of the family using glasses, as well as an extra pair of glasses for each.
Make dental appointments for each family member well in advance so all needed work can be completed by your dentist. Request instructions on fluoride treatment abroad for children. Ask for copies of records, X- rays, and a statement of any recommended orthodontic treatment.
See your veterinarian for required shots and certificates if you are taking a pet with you. Write ahead to the United States embassy in your country for current information on pet entry requirements, especially quarantine regulations. Consult with your veterinarian about preferred travel arrangements for your pet. Determine whether it will be necessary to inform someone abroad if the pet is to arrive in advance of the family.
Lawyer
Each adult member of the family should have an up-to-date will, properly witnessed and signed with the original placed in a safe deposit box, a copy for your lawyer, and a copy in your possession.
Draw up a power of attorney and leave it with a responsible relative or friend so that you have someone who can act legally in your behalf while you are abroad.
Bank
Arrange with your home bank to mail your monthly statements to you via airmail. Original naturalization papers can never be replaced, so it is best to travel with copies only of these documents. Arrange power of attorney for someone within easy traveling distance of your bank to have access to your safe deposit box. The bank will need your authorization and signature.
Obtain a supply of local currency for those countries to which you will be traveling to cover porters' tips, taxi fares, etc.
Purchase traveler's checks (preferably in small denominations) to cover hotel, restaurant, and sightseeing expenses while en route.
Put credit cards in safe deposit box until your return, except for credit cards you expect to use while abroad.
Schools
Notify your children's teachers of departure date in case special examinations must be scheduled to allow completion of term work. Obtain grade reports, test results, teacher evaluations, samples of work, etc. to facilitate placement in the new school.
Write schools in the new city for information or, if you are able to make a school selection prior to arrival, notify the school of your children's anticipated date of arrival, indicate their grade level, and request that space be held for them.
Insurance
Arrange for adequate personal liability insurance (to cover injuries to people on your property while you are gone) and insurance to cover your household effects and luggage. Marine insurance for automobiles should be specific. If keeping your automobile insurance from the United States, check to see if it covers your country of assignment. Some insurance companies abroad will give reduced rates if you produce a letter from your own company showing an accident-free record.
Ascertain that you have appropriate health insurance coverage for yourself and your family.
Post Office
Complete a change of address card for your local post office. Obtain a supply of these to send to the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Motor Vehicles, magazine subscriptions, etc.
Notify all charge accounts, and cancel magazine and newspaper subscriptions or change to your new address.
Provide your family and friends with specific information on how to mail letters and packages to you. In some countries the duty will exceed the value of the package, so you may want to warn against sending gifts. (This information may be hard to obtain before you go overseas.)
Check absentee voting procedure in case any special registration is required.
Obtain an international driver's license through the American Automobile Association (AAA).
Give notice of your moving date to all utility companies - gas, oil, water, electricity, telephone, etc., and discuss arrangements for billing and/or discontinuing service. Also notify any other delivery service you may use, such as Federal Express or UPS.
Keep records of official expenses involved in the move.
On your person:
In your briefcase:
1. Copies of insurance policies
2. School records
3. Medical and dental records
4. Power of attorney
5. Will
6. Inventories of personal luggage, air freight, and household shipments
7. Extra passport photos
8. Record of your car's serial number
Consular officials and their duties
The economic/commercial officers represent all the commercial interests in the country to which they are assigned. Their responsibilities include the promotion of trade and exports, arranging appointments for their citizens with local businesspeople and government officials, and providing the maximum possible assistance to their country's businesses within the host country.
Political officers study and report on local political developments and their possible effect on their country's interests.
Labor officers are well informed on labor in their particular countries and can supply information on wages, nonwage costs, local security regulations, etc.
The consular officers are the ones with whom you, as an expatriate, will have the most contact. Their function is to give you and your property the protection of your government.
They maintain lists of their citizens living in the area, have lists of local attorneys, and act as liaison with the police and other officials.
The administrative officer is in charge of the normal business operations of the post, including all purchasing for the embassy or consulate.
When you first arrive in your host country, register with the embassy or consulate nearest you. If there is an emergency, your relatives and friends will be able to locate you easily.
In addition, it will be useful to inquire about:
Weather/climate conditions: What fabrics wear longer, what special care personal and household items require?
Postal system: Dependability and efficiency of the postal system, location and appearance of post boxes, cost of mailing letters and packages.
Clothing sizes and availability: What will have to be carried with you, what clothing sizes translate into a size 12 dress or 9 shoe, the advisability of having clothes tailored?
Electricity: What voltage is used in the host country, can your appliances (including hair dryers) be adapted, which appliances are best left at home?
Housing: Can arrangements be made prior to arrival; if not, where will you stay temporarily, how do you search for housing, what agreements with landlords are customary?
Furnishings and appliances: What "travels" well, how much shipping weight will you be allowed, when can shipped household items be expected to arrive, what is supplied in your new home (if you have acquired one)?
Servants: Are servants available, how many will you need, how are they engaged, what are the customary wages, benefits, and obligations of employers, what bonuses or special gifts are given, how are unsatisfactory servants dismissed?
Food restrictions (if any): What foods are unavailable, what are appropriate substitutes, and what items will you want to import?
Health and hospitals: Where do you get emergency and other health care in-country?
Schools: Can your children attend public schools, what alternative schools are available, what are registration procedures, will uniforms be needed, is it necessary to place children in boarding schools at home or in a nearby country?
Shopping: Who does the shopping, how often does one shop for food, what kinds of stores for food and other necessities are available?
Babysitting arrangements: Who baby-sits, how is a sitter hired, what are the customary rates, are sitters picked up and returned home?
Laws and legal systems: What are the traffic laws, driving customs and conditions, obligations in case of an accident? We trust that you will not encounter the law in other instances but it is useful to know if there are any unfamiliar laws that you might break, literally by accident.
Employment possibilities for spouses: In most countries it is illegal to work without official permission. In many cases those who accompany a spouse employed by a foreign firm are not permitted to work.
