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Riga


 Departure


Preparing for your move


Preparing to go abroad includes securing important documents, making copies, and a lot of planning. Ideally, you should make 3 copies of your passport, visas, and other important paperwork. Keep one with you, one in an accessible, but safe place (i.e. safe deposit box), and one that is with a trusted relative of friend that can give you the information if something were to happen to you or the other copies.

A checklist of other things to consider:

  1. Passports: Check expiration as your passport must not expire within 6 months of your arrival. Make at least 2 copies and keep one in a safe place separate from your original passport.
  2. Secure Insurance: If your current insurance does not cover you in Latvia, look into medical insurance and travel insurance to prevent unmanageable medical bills and enable entry into other countries.
  3. Research and apply for a Visa: This can take several months to obtain before you leave.
  4. Save enough Money: Have enough funds to support your cost of living and lifestyle plus travel costs with a buffer to be prepared for the unexpected.
  5. Bring things to facilitate transition: Think about universal electric plug adaptors, medications or anything else to make you comfortable during the transition.

Financial

On the home front, make sure all bills are paid or have a means of being paid. If you are retaining a residence while abroad, make sure the rent/mortgage is taken care of and that utilities are being paid while you are away. Insure that important institutions like your bank are able to reach you.

If you are retaining a bank in your home country, ask about fees for overseas transactions. If you have a credit card, find out if there are additional fees or any changes you need to make with your account. Inform banking industries that you will abroad so as to not arouse suspicious activity on your account as anti-theft systems can see this activity and put a most inconvenient hold on your account.

Tax

It is best to inform tax offices of any change in residency. Some countries have reciprocal tax agreements, and others may require you to pay some form of taxes both in your home country and aboard. Most National Tax Administrations are an excellent resource for exactly what steps to take when moving away. For more information, refer to our section on "Taxes".

For example, UK nationals should refer to the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) for details of managing their taxation payments and National Insurance contributions in the UK while living abroad.

For basic information on income tax and double taxation for EU citizens living in another EU country consult the Work & Retirement section of the Your Europe information portal.

Health

For concerns about your health when abroad, the World Health Organization (WHO) publishes International Travel and Health which is revised annually and is available free online. Another excellent resource is MD Travel Health. It provides free, complete travel-health recommendations for every country and is updated daily.

There are no special vaccine requirement for Latvia, however, you may want to check with your doctor whether your vaccinations are up to date. If you have not done so already, consider vaccinating against Hepatitis A and B. If you plan to visit rural areas and/or forests while in Latvia, consider vaccinating against tick-born encephalitis.


26/08/2015

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