Moving to the US in 3 weeks!

[LucyHoneychurchsPiano]

I know lots of people have done this before, but our heads are spinning! We do have a lot of support from the company, but are there any essential tips that any of you who have made the move would care to share? We'd really appreciate any insider knowedge

One thing is car insurance - I've heard that writing to the current insurer or the DVLA can be helpful in obtaining a lower premium, but are they generally obliging?

Shipping costs are another issue, is it better to ship out as little as possible and buy new over there? I'd quite like to take some bits, but I'm not sure whether it's worth it

Are you paying for the shipping yourself? We brought pretty much everything (including a bin full of nappies, thanks Removal Men!) and I think that cost about $25k. Ironically, a lot of that furniture got replaced quite quickly as it looked too small in our big US house, so not sure if it was worth it in retrospect. Is it permanent or temporary?

I've never heard about writing to the DVLA. Do you mean bringing your driving record? We found insurance with Geico that was affordable and easy. You do need to get your US licence asap though.

As for insider knowledge, I can't think of any now! It seems almost a lifetime ago since we moved out here. Enjoy it, and be prepared for quite a culture shock. I don't think I expected it to be as different to the UK as it actually is. The social norms take a bit of getting used to. Where in the US are you moving to?

Where are you moving?

I would avoid shipping much. We took loads and ended up getting rid of it!
I got a letter from my insurance company confirming my years of claim free insurance. My car insurance wasn't too bad but getting your US licence makes things much easier ( I was in KS and the 'test' was driving once round the block- dead easy!).

Good luck- I lived there for 5 years and LOVED it. Miss it a lot still although love living where I do now.
Where are you moving to?

Depends on who is paying for your shipping? Are you?

Leave behind big electricals, we did bring our TV over (long since destroyed by a 2yo), and a converter to run it. Otherwise we put everything else into storage electrically wise, also all of the garage stuff is in storage, bbq, and a spare couch, mementoes, books/cds we didn't want to bring with us etc... It costs us about 70quid every 3mths for it throught White & Co, the company used to pay this, but we do at the moment.

How long are you coming for? Do you have DC? If it's less than 12mths, may not be worth it, but do bring things for the DC to make your home more familiar, duvet covers, pictures in their room etc... Always important for them to have their stuff, esp if they're young. But if the company is paying the shipping, just bring it. Have a GOOD clearout of stuff you don't use, and if time, sell off bits and pieces that are just taking up space. But think carefully about it, don't get rid of things for the sake of it, you may regret it later.

I don't think we got a reduction on our car insurance from previously good record, but you can bring that anyway, it's worth a try. We pay something like US2200 per year for 2 cars, one new, one about 5yo.

Your head will spin for the first week. OUr last move, DH took the first week off as we were in a hotel for 3 days then to an apartment, and we used it as a bit of a holiday/recce of the place. We drove all over to see where we might want to live and took the DC to the zoo, museums etc. to ease them in.

Yes, good point about the immunisation book. Also make sure all the dates are readable and written correctly. DC1s 8 week shots were written down as 37/7/2007 and I had to ring the UK to get the doctor's surgery to send their record before they'd let him start school, even though the previous school accepted it!

The red tape here will drive you UP THE WALL. You really need to smile (while inwardly cursing), and nod, and just do it. It really is infuriating.

There is a form you can fill out if you object to immumisations, I think the consequence is, if there is an outbreak of CP or measles for eg, your child has to stay off school.

Thanks everyone - wow, lots to think about!

We've been given some money to spend how we like so that could be shipping or buying new. I wouldn't mind taking a couple of our sofas and a few bits, but maybe it isn't worth it.

DH has an O-1 visa and the rest of us are O-3s (we have 4 children) that are for 3 years initially, but renewable after that.

We are moving to the Midwest; we went out for his interview - what seems like ages ago now - and loved it.

I'm a bit nervous about driving, but know that it's a necessity - eek!

Oh, yes! Definitely bring your red book. If you've got kids going to school, they HAVE to be up to date with their shots, plus there are extras that don't come as standard in the UK. Be prepared for your kids to hate their new doctor! You can only opt out for religious regions in our school district.

Our State's DMV has finally moved into the 21st Century and offers online booking for appts. You have no idea how many hours of standing in queues in that Godforsaken place it will save you!

We have a tax consultation next week, but we're just trying to work out what we can afford in terms of rent (especially as we still have our mortgage over here) and have to make a decision soon.

The tax system seems pretty complex - from what I can gather DH would be classed initially as non-resident for tax purposes as we'll have been in the US for fewer than 183 days this year, but does anyone know a basic formula so we can get an idea of what income we will have left after tax? We're feeling v muddled!

Taxes vary from state to state, we're in Tennessee and lose roughly 35% of our income in stoppages.
With regards to the vaccines, I seem to remember one of the required vaccines was a course of 3 shots. My DS started the course while we were still in Europe and had the final doses here, we were only required to show the school that he had started the course for admittance.
For furniture, we really only brought pictures, books, personal items etc. The homes seem to have larger rooms and higher ceilings so our furniture would have looked miniature in our American home!

Good luck OP! We've been here 2 years and it takes a while to get used to - in fact, I think it's only recently that I've started to feel at home here. Lots of good points above - and as PPs have said, definitely don't underestimate the differences you'll encounter despite the common language. I still feel like I need a dictionary some days!

Re tax, did you know you can count your recce trip towards the tax days? We moved in the July and fell just short of the required no of days to file as residents, which was worth about $4000, so our accountant was able to include our week long recce trip to bump us over the 180whatever it it. Definitely use an accountant, they've always saved us more than they've cost in the UK and here (and it is a pain moving partway through each country's tax year, when those years don't run concurrently!).

We also have car insurance. Seems the best option for foreigners. I find it expensive, more so than the UK, but gas and cars themselves are cheaper, so it evens out. Living costs are roughly the same I think - though split differently. Utilities cheap, food expensive (healthy food!), mobiles and cable expensive, clothes cheap etc. Baby gear, prams etc are all around 1/3 less than the UK.

Top tip - if you don't have your own social security number, get an ITIN ASAP and note you'll need a letter of denial from your social security office to take to the DMV when you apply for your driver's license. In our state you do an online test that takes 5 mins in reality - not even a practical test.

In public places/supermarkets/cafes etc, I don't find anyone is particularly helpful to be honest, nothing like the amazing customer service I was led to believe the US had. This can be very frustrating! And you get used to the grunted 'uh-huh' when you say thank you for something, as opposed to a cheery 'you're welcome'!

Car insurance with Geico that's meant to say...

We've decided to buy new furniture and to just ship out boxes of belongings...can anyone recommend a good company? Seven Seas Worldwide can get boxes to us quickly, has anybody used them? Getting slightly stressed now...

Also, supermarkets - we usually shop at Waitrose here, but didn't see anywhere similar. We visited Target and lovely (but v expensive) artisan type places when we were out there. I think we have a Piggly Wiggly, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Copps, etc nearby.

So much left to do and only a few days now. Already feeling very upset about leaving my mum and dad and everyone else behind. I dread to think what a snivelling wreck I'll be by the end of the week

We used Rainier overseas shipping www.rainieros.com/ from US back to UK and at the UK end it was Eurogroup. www.the-eurogroup.com/ we didn't have enough for a whole container and everything was packed into a liftvan which was wooden and measured about 7' tall and 7' wide by 10 or 12' deep I forget exactly. it was packed solid I took pictures I was so impressed.
Both ends were very professional and helpful. Rainier did all the arranging and I just answered questions as they came up. Eurogroup unloaded all our boxes and other stuff into the garage here, as we had no room in the house for it all.

We were there for five years.
We rented out our UK house to cover the mortgage.
We bought in the US, but I don't recommend it. The expenses, and real estate agent's cut from the sale, when we returned, typically 6%, meant it was an expensive option.
Target is good for basic furniture and most things. World Market for when you need a Cadburys fix!
Wholefoods is the closest to Waitrose, but mega expensive. I ended up shopping in several different supermarkets to get a balance of foods.
We kept our British bank account, invaluable!
I found our UK insurance record didn't mean much. The driving test was very easy.
Pay someone to handle the tax! We did, it seemed impenetrable!
Enjoy the adventure!

trader joes is your friend!
second (third?) hiring an accountant, the company should have a reccommendation
find out from your state DMV what you need to get the licence - I only needed to show my visa (California) and didn't need my ITIN
we used pickfords, they get mixed reviews but were great with us
we're also renting our British property to cover the mortgage and keeping the British account to keep that all simple
Bank of America let you set up a checking account without credit history

GOOD LUCK!