Preparing for your move to Valletta

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Preparing to go abroad includes a lot of organization and planning, making lists, securing important documents, making copies, and double checking everything. Ideally, you should make 3 copies of your passport, visas, and other important paperwork (birth certificates, marriage certificates, etc.). Keep one with you, one in an accessible but safe place (e.g. 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 dates. Passports must not expire within 6 months of your arrival in Malta. Make at least 2 copies and keep one in a safe place separate from your original passport.
  2. Insurance: Secure medical insurance and possibly travel insurance to prevent unmanageable medical bills, for your residence permit application, and to enable entry into other countries.
  3. Visa: Research and apply for a Visa (check with Malta's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Office to verify if you require one). This can take several months to obtain before you leave.
  4. Funds: Save enough money to support your cost of living and lifestyle plus travel costs, with enough of a buffer to be prepared for the unexpected. For some residence permits, you must provide documentation of sufficient funds.
  5. Bring things to facilitate transition, such as any medications you take, or anything else to make you comfortable during the transition.

Financial

Before you leave, make sure all your bills are paid or have a means of being paid. If you are retaining a residence while abroad, make sure your 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.

Make a list of mailing addresses to change once you are relocated (e.g. banks, educational institutions). Remember to cancel any newspaper or magazine subscriptions. You might also consider forwarding your mail.

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 your bank that you will abroad so as to not arouse suspicious activity on your account as anti-theft systems can put an 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.

Health

Generally, there are no special vaccinations required for travel to Malta. Although yellow fever is not a disease risk in Malta, the government requires some travellers arriving from countries with a high risk of yellow fever transmission to present proof of yellow fever vaccination.

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.

Update 26/05/2013


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