A Student's Guide to Moving Abroad
It’s not often that you get the chance to live in Europe unless, of course, you were born and bred in Europe! But for most people - like myself - the opportunity to pick up and move across the pond doesn’t come knocking everyday. So when I found I had the chance to study abroad in the Netherlands, I jumped at it. However, it’s not as simple as just packing your things and going; not so surprisingly, there's actually a lot more to it than that. For any student thinking about taking the plunge and making an international move, I’ve compiled a short list of to-do’s I think will be good food for thought.
Visa? Residence Permit? Which will you need?
Depending on how long you will be residing in a foreign country and, of course, what country you’re relocating to, there may be certain requirements that you must fulfill before you can legally set down roots. Being that I was going to live in the Netherlands for 7 months as an American student, I already knew from preliminary research that I only needed to get a residence permit to do so. However, depending on your country of origin, you may be asked for more, such as a visa. Something to bear in mind is that the processing time on both takes weeks (or months!), so planning ahead is a must.
If you're not sure what you'll need in order to move, I would recommend starting with a basic Google search that looks something like this: "Visa requirements for [insert country name here]." This should at least get the ball rolling. However, there is likely a guided procedure that you'll go through with the help of your university.
Photo courtesy of WikiHow
UPDATE (6/2018): I finished my time abroad in the Netherlands (it was amazing!) and am currently in the process of applying for a student visa to study at a university in London for my master’s. Let me tell you, it's tough! So far, it’s been completely different than the process for getting my Dutch residence permit.
The one thing I feel has been vital is time management. Once you know the procedure for applying, it's just a matter of making sure you're keeping track of the time constraints and requirements. It's a little scary knowing that, if I submit something at the wrong time, my entire application could be denied. So just make sure you start early and keep your ducks in a row and you'll do fine.
If you’re planning on studying specifically in the U.K., I wrote all about that specific visa application process here.
Is your passport valid?
Most countries will ask that your passport be valid for at least 6 months after your departure date to your new home. If you’re cutting it close, it would be best to renew your passport before you leave. Otherwise, you run the risk of being denied entry into the country, or even the plane that was going to take you to that country. And, of course, there’s the dilemma of your passport expiring once you’re already over there. That’s a whole other bind, so just play it safe and renew your passport before you leave.
Opening bank accounts abroad
Moving abroad is not just physically demanding, it’s monetarily demanding as well. You will want to avoid the fines and penalties that accompany using your domestic bank card while you are in a foreign country, especially if you are staying long-term. Your best bet is to open a bank account in your new homeland. And it’s not as hard as you might think.
For instance, to open a bank account in the Netherlands, I needed my social security number (SSN), birth certificate, passport, my new address, and a Citizen Service Number (BSN - don’t ask me why it’s “BSN” and not “CSN”). For those that are unfamiliar, a BSN is the Dutch equivalent of an American social security number.
There's almost always a banking option that will ask less of you when it comes to requirements - it just depends on the bank you're applying through and their company policies, so do your research beforehand. In addition, there are often student accounts available for you to choose from that suit your needs as a short-term resident.
Once you’ve opened your account, there’s just a matter of getting money from your U.S.-based bank into this new, foreign one. For this, I simply set my American debit card’s ATM withdrawal limits as high as they’d go and took out a large lump-sum of cash from the new bank’s ATM, then deposited it directly into my freshly minted account. I would recommend only withdrawing from the ATM on an as-needed basis so that you don’t risk having too much cash in your foreign account when it’s time to return home and you need to find some way to get all of that money back to your domestic bank.
And if you’re thinking, “Well why would I go through all of that trouble when I could just wire the money over to my new account?” That’s a good point - and a costly one. Whereas a foreign ATM withdrawal can incur a small fee (in my case, it was $5/withdrawal), wire transfers are quite expensive and take a lot of manpower to organize. But you have to do what makes you comfortable, so if you think wiring your money is best, then do it.
Figure out the waste system of your new home
The waste bags in Maastricht
The waste system in the particular area I was living in the Netherlands was somewhat different than what I was used to in America. The system consisted of purchasing two different colored garbage bags - one red, the other white - with each colored bag representing different refuse that had to be separated and disposed of according to weekly pick-up schedules. The process is comparable to that of separating out recyclables from waste in America and depositing them into different cans for the garbage companies to collect. You couldn't just throw anything out without designating it to the proper bag. And let’s say that you missed your trash day. Well then you’d have to visit one of the local waste depots (basically a collection of trash bins) and deposit your bags there personally.
Depending on where you live, the waste process may be drastically different than you're accustomed to. You can usually find out more info on waste collection by Googling the municipal waste site for your city.
Make sure you’re getting the most of your living arrangements
Instead of living in dorm-style housing when I moved to the Netherlands, I decided I wanted to live alone in my own apartment. But with that decision came the responsibility to understand my rights as a renter in a new country. Thankfully, the Dutch are notoriously respectful of renter’s rights, so I felt comfortable with my odds of not getting scammed when looking for a place abroad. I obviously couldn’t personally check out the apartments I was interested in as I was thousands of miles away and wouldn’t be in my new home city until it was time to start school.
So I did some research in order to make sure I was fully prepared for the housing hunt! I found a page on the city’s renters site that described a few must-have tips for new tenants. One of the things mentioned was checking to be sure that the fire systems in my property were all working. And, as luck would have it, they weren’t! I got to my apartment’s inspection and found that my fire alarm was actually broken. It's imperative that you know what to look for in a new place, especially one where your realtor or landlord has the upper hand of knowing more than you on renter policies that you may be completely oblivious to.
In addition, something you should always do when moving into a new place is take photos of everything that you see that might not be up to code. That way you can present the photos to the landlord and request that they resolve the issues. Additionally, the pictures would be time stamped so that, when you move out, you can use them as proof so that you won’t be blamed for any of the pre-existing issues and have a chunk of your security deposit taken from you for something that wasn't your fault. Hopefully, however, by the time you leave, those issues would have been resolved!
These are just a few quick tips that I found extremely helpful when I was preparing for my move abroad. They may seem simple but you'd be amazed how easy it can be to forget the simple stuff completely and suffer for it later. But, if you come prepared and stay on top of everything having to do with your relocation, you'll find the process to be smooth and easy. Best of luck and happy travels!