Category: Expat & Immigrating

Moving to the UK

By Kat · Moved from Perth to London, October 2013

Australians love to move abroad. It’s in our blood. As people would say, we are bloody everywhere and the UK is one of those places that we flock to. It’s no surprise given:

• It’s next door to Europe.
• We get easy movement between our countries, Canada included.
• No language to learn.

Smooth on paper.

Moving fourteen thousand kilometres across the sea is one of those things that toughens you up. I have the learning experiences to prove it.

I’m a career girlie. I built my whole life around the nine to five and I moved over in 2013 with seven years’ experience and a CV I was proud of.

Then I landed in London and literally tried to wing the rest. I didn’t know how to open a bank account. Finding a place to live was another wing-it job, because I hadn’t done any of the research. That didn’t turn out as well as I thought it would, but I survived. Then someone took eight thousand dollars out of my account, which wasn’t my doing, but it didn’t stop the tears either.

Here’s the checklist and the adulting I’d do to help you move over:

• a brief intro to your visa options
• what it costs before you’ve earned a pound here
• the Australian admin to sort before you fly

I’m still cleaning mine up thirteen years later. My Medicare I was still sorting out when I was back home earlier this year.

Which route you’re on

Your visa decides how much you need to save and how long it’ll be before you can move. This might be the point where you realise you need another year of saving before you go. Add up the visa and the surcharge below, then the first few months in London on top. If that’s not in the bank yet, the Ancestry visa might not be the one for you right now. You might be lucky and have a job that relocates you, or you start on Youth Mobility and build up the funds for the rest from here.

So here are the cliff notes on the four visas I’ve watched Australians move here on: who can apply, what it costs, what you get and the catch points that catch people out. The exact requirements are on gov.uk and that’s where to check yours.

Right of abode, Global Talent and Innovator Founder exist too and they depend on your circumstances more than anything I can generalise about, so go straight to gov.uk for those. Investor and Start-up are closed to new applicants. If you’re not sure where you land, start with gov.uk’s check if you need a UK visa tool.

The Australians I know who came over on Youth Mobility went one of three ways when it ran out: home, sponsored by an employer or a British partner. The extra year for Australians makes it a better visa than the two years I watched people run out of, because two years is barely enough to work out whether you want to stay.

Mine was Ancestry. I went travelling for three months first, landed in October 2013 and here I am, indefinite leave to remain and a British passport later. Different routes suit different lives. This one suited mine.

What the visa costs, all in

Whichever visa you’re on, the fee on the gov.uk page is not the cost. The Immigration Health Surcharge comes on top and you pay it up front for the whole length of the visa: £1,035 a year, or £776 a year on Youth Mobility or a student visa.

What that looks like for your visa:

• Youth Mobility, two years: £1,552 of surcharge on top of the £340 fee.
• Skilled Worker, three years: £3,105 on top of the £819 fee.
• Ancestry, five years: £5,175 on top of the £726 fee.

The rounding works against you too. More than six months but under a year is charged as a full year.

My visa in 2013 cost AUD 459, about £289 at the time and no surcharge, because it didn’t apply to the Ancestry visa then. It does now, so it’s a spenny visa these days. For an Australian the visa plus five years of surcharge is roughly ten thousand Australian dollars before you’ve bought a flight, give or take the exchange rate.

It prices a lot of people out and it’s a much higher entry point than I had. I didn’t need savings to get in. The savings I did have went on travelling first. I was very fortunate.

What to have in the bank before you land

The question I get asked most is how much to bring and I won’t give one number, because it depends on where you end up living and how long the job takes. What I can give you is the things to forecast and how to work each one out, with my own figures in it. Every rent here is London, from my own tenancies in southwest London and Shoreditch. Prices are different elsewhere in the UK.

Forecast these before you fly:

• rent, plus the deposit and first month you pay before you’ve slept there
• bills, if they’re not in the rent
• living, so food, transport and a bit of going out
• the gap before your first payday

Rent. The average room in inner London is £979 a month on SpareRoom’s figures for the second quarter of 2026 and the southwest London average is £1,039. Call it £1,000 a month for a room to do the maths with.

Deposit and first month. The deposit is capped at five weeks’ rent where the annual rent is under £50,000. Most places ask for the first month at the same time. On a £1,000 room that’s about £1,150 deposit plus £1,000 rent, so roughly £2,150 before you’ve bought a pillow.

Bills. Where they’re on top, allow £150 to £300 a month depending on whether you’re sharing. Co-living buildings fold them in, mine does, which is part of why they cost more.

What they’ll ask you for. Any rental will want the same things: proof of your right to work, bank statements showing you can pay and sometimes an employment contract. It depends on the agency or the landlord. Renting a room in a shared house can be easier, because the other housemates already carry the tenancy. A lodger agreement, where you rent from someone who owns and lives in the place, runs on its own rules.

The old way round having no UK payslips was to offer months of rent up front. That door shut on 1 May 2026. A landlord in England now can’t take more than a month’s rent before you move in, so the bank statements are what carry you.

The gap. Give yourself two to three months to find a job. Then remember UK pay is monthly, so your first payday can be a month after you start. I was used to fortnightly pay in Australia and this caught me out. Realistically you’re covering three to four months of everything from savings, with pay landing around month four or five. Mine ran out. My dad sent me money for Christmas that first year and it went straight on the credit cards and the rent.

The worked example, on a £1,000 room with bills on top:

• deposit, about £1,150
• first month’s rent, £1,000
• three more months’ rent before payday, £3,000
• four months of bills, £600 to £1,200
• four months of food, transport and living, your number, because mine from 2013 won’t hold

That’s about £5,750 to £6,350 on rent and bills alone before you’ve eaten. Put your own living number on top and that’s your minimum.

How to bring it down. A hostel at the start is a real option. Mine was Saint James Backpackers in Earl’s Court, a bed in an eight-bed dorm, £110 for four nights in October 2013, so £27.50 a night. I stayed in hostels from October until the end of January 2014 while I sorted a job and a room. Ask around the hostel too, in case someone’s renting out a room. The pet-sitting websites are the other one, free rent while you find your feet, but you need to build up a portfolio of sits first, so it’s not a day-one option.

What I pay now, for scale. A co-living studio in southwest London at £1,883 a month with bills included, think university halls for working professionals. Before that, a one-bed in Shoreditch from 2023 to 2025 at £2,300 a month with bills on top. Yes that’s an expensive area, but I haven’t seen many one-beds much under that anywhere I’d want to live. The co-living place wanted the same as any flat before they’d rent to me: bank statements, right to work and previous tenancy references.

Moving the money. Sort the transfer before the money moves. In 2013 the banks took a cut I never saw coming and I lost real money to it before I worked out there was a better way. Wise is what I use now for moving money between here and Australia. There are other transfer companies out there, but this one is the most hassle-free for me and I like it.

I didn’t keep receipts for the move itself, because it was 2013 and I wasn’t running a website out of my own move. So this is “about”, not itemised to the penny. I’d rather tell you that than dress a guess up as a figure.

I flew with one suitcase, no shipping, no excess baggage and took roughly $15,000 AUD, most of which went in the first four months while I had no income here. I’m not going to translate that into what it “would be now”, because that’s a guess wearing a number’s clothes.

Before you get on the plane

This is the section I’d want someone to read before they book the flight, because it’s the part I got most wrong and I’m still tidying up thirteen years later.

One thing to keep in mind: I came over on a five-year visa, so a lot of what I did, I did because five years is a long time to not live somewhere. If you’re coming for a year to three, on Youth Mobility say, you might make different choices.

Two hard deadlines first, then everything else.

If you’ve got a HECS debt (the Higher Education Loan Program, or HELP, as it’s called now), or any other study loan, leaving doesn’t pause it. Once you’ll be out of Australia for 183 days or more in any 12 months, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) wants an overseas travel notification within seven days of you leaving.

Then every year, by 31 October, you report your worldwide income to them if it’s over a quarter of the repayment threshold, which is $16,750 AUD for the 2025 to 2026 year. Once it’s over the threshold itself, $67,000 AUD that year, you keep repaying, in pounds converted back to dollars. I don’t have a HECS debt, so this one never applied to me. If you do, it’s a deadline with a penalty on the end of it.

Write it all down and scan it. Your tax file number, your Medicare number, your super details, your bank logins. Scan every critical document and send the copies to someone at home. I sent mine to my mum. Even a copy makes the conversation easier when something like a passport goes missing.

Change your address on everything to someone reliable. The day they move house, or the address quietly goes stale, you lose the thread on all of it. The government consolidated my old super funds while I was mid-move and it was only luck that my family still got my mail so I saw it happen.

Set up myGov and link the ATO and Medicare before you leave, because linking asks for identity documents that are far easier to have to hand in Australia than from a hostel in London. Then move your sign-in off the SMS code to a passkey or an authenticator app, while your Australian number still works.

I didn’t. I left mine on SMS to a number I’d already cancelled, so I put the codes through mum’s phone. Then she changed number and I was locked out. Then my sister’s phone, then she switched providers and I was locked out again. Every time I had to prove who I was all over again to get back in. It took embarrassingly long to fix.

Consolidate your super while you’re in there, if that’s your call. The ATO lets you do it through myGov, under Australian Taxation Office, Super, Manage, Transfer super. This one’s a personal choice and not financial advice. I just wanted my small ones, about $1,500 AUD each, in my big fund and not getting eaten by fees. The government’s clean-up scheme did most of mine for me and I did the last one years later when mum posted me the letter. Don’t run it the way I did.

Close off your tax year before you go. I didn’t lodge a final return before I left and ended up sorting it out a couple of years later, from here, which is the harder way round.

Cancel what you don’t need and know what you’re keeping. I kept one Australian bank account open so I wouldn’t lose my history and I’ve paid about $5 AUD a month for it ever since, which is the fee on my account type. Other account types charge differently or not at all, so look at your options rather than paying for the privilege like I do. Everything else, the credit cards, the extra accounts, I closed.

Bring the things you can’t get here. You can buy a lot of Australian food in London (a shop like Sanza, for example), but for the niche stuff, pack it or organise a care package for when you land. Mine is Cherry Ripes. A friend of mine swears by one particular sanitary product and brings a supply every trip home.

Your first weeks here

The loop that ate my first weeks: I needed a UK address to open a bank account and I needed a bank account to get a place to live. Round and round, from a hostel bunk in Earl’s Court. It’s the thing to solve before you land. Here’s the order I’d do it in now.

1. Money before you land. Set up Wise before you fly. You can get the card sent to your Australian address, so you land with a way to pay for things that isn’t your Australian bank.

It’s the best way I’ve found to do the transfers. I don’t have other Australian accounts to compare it with and I know friends who use other things, but it’s been the best for me. It’s the upgrade on what I had in 2013.

2. The address and bank account loop. I went through a relocation company called BritBound, who got me set up with Lloyds and sorted my National Insurance number, all of it by post, I never went in for an appointment. I’ve stayed with that Lloyds account since.

I went looking for BritBound while writing this and I think they may have shut down, so take that as what got me sorted in 2013, not a recommendation. An HSBC overseas account, opened before you leave, is worth looking into as an option. I didn’t know it was a thing at the time.

3. Right to work and the National Insurance number. You don’t have to wait for your National Insurance number before you start working, you just need to prove your right to work. Your visa is that proof. Mine came through before I started, so I never had an emergency tax code.

What catches Australians out

Six things that catch you after you land, none of them on the visa form. Most of them caught me.

1. Your tax code. Out of twelve years of UK payslips, about eight have been fine and four haven’t, or not quite. Being self-employed for a stretch changed it and I get a bonus every year, which throws the tax office’s maths out every single time, so I always end up paying HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) some back, out of a later payslip or as a lump sum.

Anything unusual, a bonus, a second income, a bit of freelance, will change your tax code and it’s on you to check it’s running right rather than assume the payslip is.

2. Swapping your licence and the manual catch. Australia is a designated country, so swapping your licence needs no test, just the paperwork and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) fee of £43. You can drive on your Australian licence for 12 months after becoming resident and you have up to five years to make the exchange as long as the Australian licence hasn’t expired.

The trap: you can get a manual licence, but your Australian licence needs to have it on there, or you provide proof you can drive a manual. Otherwise you’re issued with an automatic. Mine, on a manual Western Australian licence, went through fine and so did my sister’s on her automatic one. A friend of ours had to go back to VicRoads for a letter confirming her manual entitlement before hers would go through. If there’s any doubt about what your licence shows, sort that proof out before you apply.

I’m not going to recommend a car insurer, because I’ve bought one policy in thirteen years and that’s not enough to have an opinion.

3. Qualifications that don’t transfer. Degrees don’t always carry across one to one. For most jobs it’s fine, but anything regulated, pharmacy, healthcare, allied health, has its own pathway: registering with the UK regulator (the General Pharmaceutical Council for pharmacy, say) or a bridging qualification before you can practise. Check where yours stands with UK ENIC, the official body that compares international qualifications against UK ones, before you land.

A friend of mine, qualified as a pharmacist in New Zealand, couldn’t work as a pharmacist here on that qualification. She was only here on a two-year visa, so there was no point doing the bridging work and she worked as a pharmacist’s assistant instead. Right call for two years. If you’re coming for longer, factor the conversion in first.

4. The Medicare clock. You can be out of Australia for five years without losing Medicare. Past that you re-enrol from scratch when you go back, with a current passport and two documents dated within the last six months proving you live in Australia again, a lease, proof of a job, a bank account. If you’ve been away more than 12 months you may need to re-enrol anyway.

I rang Medicare last time I was back and they told me the five-year part but not the twelve-month wrinkle, so the written rule is the one to follow. Five years is where it stops being a phone call and starts being paperwork.

5. Voting from overseas. Voting isn’t compulsory while you’re overseas, but if you skip an election without telling the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) you’re away, they write to you and can take you off the roll.

If you plan to be back within six years, register as an overseas elector and tick general postal voter, so the ballot papers come to you on their own. Otherwise it’s a postal vote or the embassy, high commission or consulate, which open for the two weeks before polling day.

6. The Australian cards that keep charging you. The 28 Degrees Mastercard I moved over with in 2013, back when it had no fees at all, has changed hands since and now carries an $8 AUD monthly fee after the first year. Add my $5 AUD a month bank account and that’s money leaving every month for nothing. Check every Australian card and account in your wallet for a fee before you fly. Close or switch the ones that charge you for existing.

Where I’m at now

Thirteen years on, I’ve gone from an Ancestry visa to indefinite leave to remain to British citizenship and I’ve helped a fair few Aussies land since. Both of those steps have their own pages if you’re on the same road.

And I’m still mopping up the Australian admin I didn’t do before I left. So take the before-you-fly section from someone who learned it the slow way.

FAQ

Worth It / Not Worth It

Now that you have made the big decision to move to the UK (congratulations!) you are probably thinking how much money should I save to move to the UK?

I recommend saving over £8,000 as a single person. A budget like this will help you cover:

• Tier 5 Youth Mobility visa (adjust to whether you need a visa and type, this could be as little as £75 if you have a British passport or as high £3,600 with a UK Ancestry)
• Initial travel cost
• One month of accommodation in a hostel
• UK transportation
• Food
• Initial monhtly rent and deposit
• Being without a job
• and some money for fun activities.

Holy (add swear word) right? Is it really going to cost me that much money to move to the UK? Just translating it in Aussie terms that’s $16,000 which is a lot of money!

At the end of the day it is about your planning, risk factor and deals you can get. My sister only spent $5,000 of the $10,000 that she brought over but had me to support her. She spent her first 6 weeks rent free which you can imagine immensely helped the pocket. 

The savvier you are with your accommodation, travel and food or happy to take the first job you are offered, the more room you have for being able to save less money. 

Initial Costs

There are numerous costs associated with moving across the world. These costs will all be one-offs to you moving to the UK budget, however, they may make a dent in your budget.

Visa Cost (if required)

Visa costs can quickly add up! You have the initial visa prices and then the immigration health surcharge (IHS).

The table below is the most popular visas and the current costs as of Jan 2020. I’ve added examples of the potential costs you could expect, however, these vary depending on visa length, type and other variables. Always check the Gov website for the latest costs.

Immigration Health Surcharge Fee (IHS)

This fee gives you access to the UK National Health Service (NHS). The fees vary depending on the type of visa you’re applying for, here’s a summary:

• £470 per year for a student or Youth Mobility Scheme visa, for example, £940 for a 2-year visa
• £470 per year for visa and immigration applicants who are under the age of 18 at time of application
• £624 per year for all other visa and immigration applications, for example £3,120 for a 5-year visa

Not everyone likes filling out visa applications so I recommend Britbound to help. Just to give you an extra bonus to start your adventure, Sarah at Britbound is giving you 10% off visa package (Youth Mobility and UK Ancestry only)! Just use the code KATSGONEGLOBAL.

Travel to the UK

You must get to the UK somehow! You’ll need to factor in flights, bus, train or however you plan to get here in your budget. The cost can be anything from £50 to £1,000 depending on your current location. The most I’ve had to pay for a one-way flight from Perth Australia was £500 so this is an area you can definitely reduce my estimated costs.

Able to be flexible on the dates you can travel? Then head to Google Flights or Skyscanner and use their handy calendar tool to find the best travel dates for your route, by locating the dates with the lowest fares.

Travel Insurance

For travel insurance purposes you are only considered a resident in the UK after you live here for 6 months and this means you will need to get one way insurance for moving to the UK.

One way travel insurance does end up costing more but I feel that it’s better to pay a few dollars for the peace of mind. If you are like me, sold all your belongings and only travelling with what you have left then it will be sad if you lost or had anything stolen!

World Nomads offer one-way travel insurances which will cover you whilst you’re settling here.

After 6 months you will be able to access cheaper insurance. Most banks will offer travel insurance with current accounts. This is the best place to check before looking at insurance packages. Normally it is a monthly recurring fee and will include other things.

Otherwise use places like “Compare the Market” and “Money Supermarket” to find the best deals.

Costs of Getting To/From Airport

Hopefully, this won’t be a massive expense, especially if a friend or a family member has a car and can drop you at the airport before you leave! Otherwise, it is another cost to factor in.

Then it is figuring out how to get from the airport to your accommodation. If you plan on getting a taxi this will cost more, however, you can get pre-paid taxi service instead of metres which will be cheaper. Public transport or bus will be the cheapest option.

For example, a taxi from Heathrow to Crystal Palace (Southeast London) costs between £40 and £60. The same route by public transport costs £8.40 although there are barely any lifts.

Luggage

Airlines will have baggage rules and it’s so easy to take the kitchen sink with you! It’s always cheaper to buy extra baggage up front than getting a shock at the airport. Alternatively, you can use shipping companies or the post to get those last items over.

I’ve not included what it costs to ship furniture, household items and anything else over as I just bought everything I needed over here. This is where the cost of moving can significantly increase and depending on how long you plan on being here it may not be worth it if you are only here for two years.

Costs When You Arrive in the UK

The best practice is of course to have more savings than you need to cover the costs of any worst-case scenario. As we’ve seen with 2020 you just never know what surprises are around the corner.

I suggest that you allow 3 months worth of padding into your budget, however, I understand this is not always achievable. As this varies from person to person you will be able to adapt the budget to suit your needs.

The Office for National Statistics says that in 2019 the average family spent £585.60 per week which includes transport, housing and recreation, and culture. For a 3 month budget, this would be £7,027.20.

If you are interested in the average cost of living in London check out this article. 

Accommodation on Arrival

Firstly, you will need to factor in the cost of temporary housing, hotel or hostel while you are looking for a flat. I mention this in things you should organise before you move to the UK that I highly recommend you find accommodation that has a kitchen and allows you to cook your own food.

Average Accommodation Cost

I’ve gathered the average cost for hostel, hotel and Airbnb rooms to help establish potential costs for a month’s worth of accommodation.

If you have friends or family to stay with this will add some major savings to your budget! You could also look into couch surfing or pet sitting as another option to save money. Think about staying outside of the city or tourist areas to make your money go a bit further. 

I’d recommend joining Facebook groups as some people might be renting out their rooms whilst they are on holiday.

Hostel Dorm Room

Hotel Room

Airbnb

Food

As mentioned a kitchen is something that really helps the budget go for longer in the UK and food is an expense that can add up quickly!

Just as an example, if I grabbed a coffee and croissant at Pret that would be £4 to £5, Lunch would set me back around £7 then dinner anything from £10 upwards for a dish then add drinks at £5 to £10.

Versus a weeks’ worth of food and cooking. Personally, I spend between £15 to £30 per week on food shopping and this is about 5 breakfast, lunches and dinners.

Transport

According to the Office of National Statistics, the average family in the UK spends £80.20 per week on transport, including buying and maintaining a car and public transport.

Using three months as a basic guide this means you will need between £960 for transport. However, this can easily be cut down if you use public transport. Even in London, you can get a travel card for £131 (zone 1 to 2 travel card) to £340 (zone 1 to zone 9 travel card) per month depending on zoning.

There are ways that you can save on transport costs like staying walking distance to shopping centres, high streets and other amenities that you may need. That way you are only paying for transport to an interview, sightseeing or a day trip.

Basic Needs

One thing to note is it is very common to find furnished apartments or you can request that you landlord furnishes the apartment (this will be their choice).

With a pre-furnished rental, you can expect the place to have bed frames/mattresses, tables, couches, fridge, washing machine etc. You will need to bring your owning bedding, towels, clothing and anything else you wish to make your place homely.

I went to places like TK Maxx to buy quality products at a cheaper price like bedding, plates, ironing board, sheets, pots & pans.

Phone sim card

Most phone companies will offer low range prepaid sim cards for £10 and upwards. You’ll need to have an unlocked phone otherwise you will be locked into your current home provider. Below are just a few examples of the kind of deals you can get for £10 on a sim only contract:

• Tesco’s £10 top-up gets you 3GB of data, 500 minutes and 5000 texts.
• Giffgaff  £10 top-up gets you 3GB of data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts.
• Virgin Media £10 top-up gets you 2GB of data, 500 minutes and 500 texts.

Spending Money

Being new in the UK is understandably exciting and you most likely will want to explore your new city or town. In the UK there are a lot of free things to do which is super handy and of course some paid activities. Or trying out the latest coffee shop or restaurant.

Rent And Deposits

You will need to save the up-front costs such as rental deposit and first month’s rent. The rental deposit is typically four to five weeks’ rent.

London will be the most expensive destination to move to in the UK so if you plan to move to a cheaper city like Liverpool, Glasgow, Cardiff, Nottingham Belfast or Birmingham cost can decrease.

I’ve split the example costs into two sections, one if you rent a share house in a city and the other the average median prices for private rentals. Additionally an example of the initial costs to save towards. As these are averages you will need to adjust based on your circumstances.

Share House

Here are the average rent prices per city in a share housed.

Spareroom and Ideal Flatmate is where you can find listings for share houses.

Private Rental

Here is the median monthly rent across the UK in 2020.

Zoopla or Rightmove are the best websites to get an idea of the price of renting a whole property.

Just moving to England can make renting in London harder especially if you are fresh off the boat! The more time you spend in London working, the easier it will get over time. Here are some things to consider:

• Not having a credit history will impact your ability to be accepted through estate agents. Some landlords will request that you provide 3 to 6 months rent in advance to ensure the landlord has security.
• If you wish to go down the guarantor route to avoid paying so much rent up front you would need a person that is a UK homeowner who is willing to act as your guarantor so this can be a challenge.
• You need to prove that you can legally be in the UK so British Passport, EU Passport or working visa. The paperwork can’t be started until you can prove this.

More Renting Articles
10 Things you need to know before you rent in London
A Helpful Guide on How to Find a Flat in London

Finding A Job

Just to give an indication of how long it took me to find a job, each time I have searched for a permanent job in the UK as a Project Manager it has taken about a month. Whereas my mum struggled as her career is a bit more niche and needed more time to find a job that suited her.

Summary of Total Costs

Let’s summarise the costs so we can get a rough indication of the start-up budget. The following figures are based on a single person and as I mentioned above budgeting for 3 months of living costs. Some careers may be quick to find a job and others will take a bit longer so it’s good to factor in how long you could be unemployed.

Initial Travel Costs

Estimated Living Costs (3 Months)

Be sure to download the savings tracking checklist (it can be opened with Google Sheets) which covers all the items I mentioned in the article.

Let me know in the comments below in the comments how your savings are going!

More Moving to the UK Articles

• How to Build a Credit Score as a New UK Resident
• How to Move to the UK from Australia (Epic Guide!)
• Cost of Living in London
• How Do I Get a UK Address Before I Move There? With Solutions
• Can I Get a UK Bank Account Before I Move to the UK? With Solutions
• A Helpful Guide on How to Find a Flat in London

National Insurance is simply a type of tax which employers, employees, and those who are self-employed pay money into the Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). It is used to fund state benefits, such as the State Pension and Maternity Allowance.

For those coming from Australia think of a National Insurance Number like a Tax File Number, for Kiwis it is similar to an Inland Revenue Department (IRD number) or for Canadians it is similar to your Social Insurance Number (SIN).

What is a National Insurance Number?

This is the unique number provided to you once your application has been successful. You will receive a letter that will include the National Insurance number which will be two letters, six numbers and another letter, for example, SR 123456 A.

The number will be used by the HRMC use to track the amount you have contributed and therefore what you are entitled to.

You can find your National Insurance number:

• on your payslip
• on your P60 (end of year tax summary)
• on letters about your tax, pension or benefits
•  in the National Insurance section of your personal tax account.

Applying for National Insurance

Where do I get a National Insurance Number From?

To get a National Insurance number you will need to apply by phone. The line is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm, the phone number is 0345 600 0643.

Just to note that numbers that start with 0345 can be charged at a higher rate depending on whether it is a mobile, landline and the phone company you are using. Here are some approximate costs you can expect, for a landline phone for approximately one minute are 9p and a mobile phone for approximately one minute are between 3p to 55p.

Alternatively, you can pay a company to organise this for you. Companies will offer starter kits, for example, 1st Contact and Britbound offer these. It will take the stress out if setting up a bank account and national insurance.

I recommend the package called ‘The Social One’ with Britbound which will set you back £75. I am not affiliated with Britbound, they were just awesome when I moved to the UK.

What Happens When You Apply for a National Insurance Number?

Jobcentre Plus will advise whether you need to attend an ‘Evidence of Identity’ interview or send you a postal application.

If you require an interview confirm the date, time and location of your interview and what information/documentation you need to support your application.

 A post application will require you to fill out the form and attach the relevant information. For example, mine I attached a copy of my passport and visa with in the application.  

As I mentioned above I used a company to apply for my National Insurance number and it was the simple post application.

National Insurance Number Interview

The Jobcentre may ask you to attend an interview during the application process. If you are requested to attend a national Insurance number interview, you will be asked about your circumstances and why you need a National Insurance number so nothing to scary. You will also need to bring the supporting documents to bring to prove your identity, such as:

• passport or identity card
• residence permit
• birth or adoption certificate
• marriage or civil partnership certificate
• driving licence

Can I apply for a National Insurance Number Before I Move to the UK?

You need to be in the UK to apply for your National Insurance Number (NIN) so this cannot be done before you arrive.

There is one exception to the rule which is on some types of visa, you may have a National Insurance (NI) number printed on the back of your biometric residence permit (BRP). If this is the case you will not need to apply for a National Insurance Number.

Do I Need to Have a Secure Address to Apply?

Yes, you do need a secure address and cannot be a hotel, hostel or B &B. This is the part I struggled with when I first moved here! I was going around in circles without having a secure address and this was the main reason why I ended up using Britbound. They provide a secure address that I could use which just made the whole start-up process easier. To find out more about the getting an address here.

The important thing to remember is that the address used for your NI application is going to become the default mailing address for any correspondence from the HMRC. If you do use a temporary address make sure you add this to your change of address checklist.

National Insurance Payments

How Much Will I Pay?

National Insurance is based on your gross earnings so if you earn more than £162 a week (this is the figure for the tax year 2018 to 2019) then you will have to pay NICs. Just like any tax this will vary depending on how much you earn will reflect how much you pay.

For 2018 to 2019 tax year you will pay:

• £162 to £892 a week (£702 to £3,863 a month) 12%
• Over £892 a week (£3,863 a month) 2%

As an employee, the money you earn (your salary or hourly wage) is called your gross pay. When deductions from your gross pay such as tax and National Insurance have been taken off, the amount left (and what is paid into your bank account) is called your net pay. You can see what your gross pay was and how much has been deducted on your payslip.

When do I Pay National Insurance?

National Insurance contribution is taken from your gross pay (your salary or hourly wage). When you receive your payslip, it will state the amounts that have been deducted for National Insurance and Income tax. You won’t pay this if you do not meet the tax threshold.

If you are self-employed then you will need to set up a regular payment to the HMRC to cover this requirement.

Will I have to pay National Insurance? And Is National Insurance essentially another tax?

Yes, anyone working in the UK will have to National Insurance. You will always see two tax lines on your payslips so Income tax and National Insurance number.

What do National Insurance payments pay for?

Your National Insurance contributions will go towards various state benefits and services, including:

• The NHS
• The State Pension
• Unemployment benefits
• Sickness and disability allowances

Other Handy National Insurance Information!

Who Needs to Know My National Insurance Number?

Once you get your National Insurance there are a couple of people that will need to know about your National Insurance number will be companies that have an input or output for tax, so:

• HM Revenue & Customs (‘HMRC’)
• Employers and pension providers
• Department for Work and Pensions
• the Student Loans Company
• Banks and building societies if you want to open an ISA.

What Do I Do If I Lose or Forget My National Insurance Number?

If you have lost or forgotten your National Insurance number you can either contract the HM Revenue and Customs, complete the online form on the HMRC website or call the National Insurance enquiries helpline on 0300 200 3500 (lines are open 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday).

Can I Start Work Without a National Insurance Number?

Yes, you can start work without a National Insurance number. Employers should understand that organising a NI number for the first time is a process and will take a few weeks.

Smaller companies may not be familiar with employing someone who has headed here from overseas to work and could expect you to have one when you start.  If you are met with any employer who tells you they cannot employ you without an NI number, this is incorrect and you can refer to the HRMC which states that you can start without a NI Number.

Can My Employer Pay Me Without a National Insurance Number?

Yes, your employer can pay you without a National Insurance Number and you will be generally be taxed with an emergency tax code until you have been issued with an NI number from HMRC. Emergency tax is at a higher rate.

Is National Insurance a Replacement for Travel Insurance?

National Insurance is not a replacement for travel insurance as it is just another form of tax. Some of the tax contributions does go towards funding the National Health Service (NHS) which is where the confusion comes from.

Being covered by the NHS (for EU passport holder or visa that allows you to work or study here for a period of more than six months) means you do not pay to see a doctor or visit a hospital. You can additionally pay for private health insurance as well, this is down to personal choice and whether you want to.

Do I Still Need to Get Travel Insurance?

Yes! National Insurance is not the same as travel insurance. It won’t cover you for cancelled flights, lost luggage and all of those added extras that travel insurance comes with. I recommend that you get travel insurance for the first few months whilst you establish yourself in the UK.

I Have Paid an Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) Fee – Do I Still Have to Pay National Insurance?

Yes, you will need to pay both. It is one of those “unfair” things that the government has added to those coming to the UK on visas.

More Moving to the UK Articles

• How to Build a Credit Score as a New UK Resident
• How to Move to the UK from Australia (Epic Guide!)
• Cost of Living in London
• How Do I Get a UK Address Before I Move There? With Solutions
• Can I Get a UK Bank Account Before I Move to the UK? With Solutions
• A Helpful Guide on How to Find a Flat in London
• How to Meet New People and Make Friends in London

So you’re moving to the UK. Massive, also, you’ve just signed yourself up for a five-month admin project disguised as the best decision you’ll ever make. I’ve done this move (badly, the first time, more on that in a minute), so here’s the checklist I wish someone had handed me: month by month, no fluff, so your last few weeks at home go to people you love instead of a spreadsheet.

Download the free checklist it’s a Google Sheet, tick things off as you go, it can take the chaos so your brain doesn’t have to.

5 Months Out: Paperwork o’clock

Sort Your Visa Situation First

Everything else on this list is scenery until this box is ticked. If you’re not a UK or Irish citizen, your visa is the whole game: start here, not last.

You can only apply around 3 months before you travel, but “prepare” starts now. Work out which visa you actually need on GOV.UK’s visa overview, because the requirements are genuinely different route to route. As a baseline you’re looking at:

• A valid passport
• Proof you meet the financial requirement for your visa (usually needs to sit in your account for a set stretch of time before you apply; check the current figure on GOV.UK, it moves)
• The visa fee plus the Immigration Health Surcharge (this funds your NHS access, it’s not optional)

Worth knowing if you’re on a Youth Mobility Scheme visa (this used to be called “Tier 5”; if you’re seeing that name anywhere, you’re on an old page): some nationalities now go through a ballot before they’re even invited to apply, so build that extra step into your timeline. Everything runs through GOV.UK directly now, there’s no separate third-party portal.

Coming to the UK on the Ancestry visa route instead? Here’s exactly how I applied for mine. And if you’re worried about needing a job lined up before you can move at all, here’s how I did it without one.

The Pivot: work out your visa route today, even if you can’t apply yet. Everything downstream of this (job hunting, flights, accommodation) gets easier once you know your timeline.

Check Your Passport is Valid

Your passport needs more than a year’s validity from your UK arrival date. If it doesn’t clear that bar, renew it before you touch the visa application; a visa tied to an expiring passport is a problem you don’t want to discover at the airport.

Most countries run an embassy or consulate in the UK that can renew your passport once you’re here too, so it’s not the end of the world if you land and realise.

Purchase Your Flights! (Optional)

The fun part. The main UK airports for long-haul arrivals are Heathrow and Gatwick. If you’re coming from Australia, Canada, the US or South Africa, you’ll almost certainly land at one of the two.

You don’t have to book before your visa’s approved; some people wait, some people don’t, it’s genuinely a vibes call. What’s not optional: there’s no physical card to collect anymore. The old “pick up your BRP within a month of arrival” step is gone. The UK moved to a fully digital eVisa system. Your status lives online, in a UKVI account, linked to your passport. Set that account up as soon as your visa’s approved, not after you land; it’s one less thing to think about jet-lagged.

Worth It / Not Worth It, booking early: Worth it if you’re travelling over Christmas, Easter or peak summer, when fares climb fast. Not worth it if your visa timeline is still shaky; a flexible or fully refundable fare costs more up front but saves you a rebooking headache if your dates move.

4 Months Out: The Great Unpacking

Organise Your Belongings

While 4 months may seem like a long time away it can take a while to organise your belongings especially when you need to sell a car or decided what to do with your furniture so it’s good to start having a plan on what you are doing with your belongings.

Then make a list of what you are taking with you, keeping (storage, at your parents etc), selling, donating and throwing away.

I was lucky enough to store my belongings at my parents’ house and I just ended up donating the rest as I left it so last minute to sell anything.

Check If You Require Any Qualifications or Permits to Work in the UK

Check if you have restrictions, permits or qualifications required for your job in the UK, the lead time, supporting information and process.

As I am sure you are aware each country will have its own standards for each industry. Some professions will require you to be certified in the UK or have restrictions/permits around certain jobs. For example, health professionals can check what license you require on the Health & Care Professional Council, here.

Not all international qualifications can be transferred and be able to do the same job. My friend couldn’t work as a pharmacist on her New Zealand qualification, so she’s had to work as pharmacist’s assistant.

If you are unclear of what qualifications or permits are required I suggest speaking to a UK recruiter in your field. They should be able to recommend what companies are looking for in terms of qualifications or permits.

Sometimes permits are referred to as a UK Visa which is unhelpful when you are trying to find job-specific permits so make sure you are specific when explaining.

3 Months Out: Go-Time

Apply For Your Visa

This is the mark. Get your visa application in the second you’ve got your supporting documents together, applying via GOV.UK directly for whichever route applies to you (Youth Mobility Scheme, Ancestry, family, skilled worker, etc.). Decisions typically land within a few weeks, though timing varies by country and route; check current processing times on GOV.UK before you plan around a date.

Start Job Hunting, Tentatively

The stressful bit. Job markets don’t translate 1:1 country to country. Do your homework on realistic UK salary expectations for your role before you start applying. While you’re browsing job ads, note the keywords and phrases that keep coming up and work them into your CV, because ATS systems and recruiters both respond to them.

Receipts: most UK recruiters won’t seriously engage until you’re already in the country. This happened to my mum when she moved over, and it happened to me too. Tentative applications now, real traction once you land.

Update Your CV and LinkedIn

You need an updated CV for the visa application anyway. Kill two birds: refresh it with the keywords from your job-hunting research, update your LinkedIn to match, and get a current profile photo up while you’re at it.

List Your Car, If You’ve Got One

High-value items take longer to sell. Get it listed now so it’s not still sitting on the driveway the week you fly.

2 Months Out: The Unglamorous Middle

OrSort Medical and Dental Check-Ups

Get everything done before you leave (check-ups, specialists, dentist) and get copies of your medical records plus a doctor’s letter for any medication you’re bringing, since rules vary hugely by country.

Here’s the part that trips people up: you can’t get an NHS number until you’re physically in the UK and registered with a GP, and that registration takes time. Until then you’ve only got emergency NHS access. Bring enough medication to cover your first couple of months while you get sorted.

Sort Travel Insurance

Cover yourself for the first few months while everything else is in motion: lost bags, cancelled flights, getting sick before you’re NHS-registered. Boring admin, genuinely worth it.

Book Somewhere to Land

UK accommodation ranges from farm stays to castles to five-star everything, but for your first few weeks you want something that gets you settled fast, not something Instagrammable.

Worth It / Not Worth It, hostel vs. private room: Worth it (hostel) if you want to meet people fast and don’t mind shared space while you flat-hunt; it buys you a ready-made social circle in week one. Worth it (private room / Airbnb) if you’re moving as a couple or family, or just need your own space to decompress after a long-haul flight. Either way, book something short-term and flexible; don’t lock into 6 months somewhere you haven’t seen.

Facebook groups like Kiwis in London or Aussies in London (or your country’s equivalent) are also a solid source of short-term room listings from people who are travelling. I used both when I landed and they were genuinely useful.

Sort a Bank Account and National Insurance Prep

A few relocation companies package up bank account and National Insurance setup into a “starter kit.” Check what’s currently operating before you commit, since this space changes, but it can be worth it if you’d rather pay to skip the admin.

You can set up a UK-facing bank account before you arrive with some banks (HSBC’s overseas account route, or a non-traditional option like Starling, Wise or Monzo, country availability varies), or check whether you can open one before you move at all. Otherwise it’s free to set up once you land, just a bit slower for appointments and verification.

Your National Insurance number, though, you genuinely cannot apply for until you’re in the UK: it’s tied to proving you’re here with the right to work. Good news: the process is mostly online now. Apply on GOV.UK, prove your identity (often via an app rather than an in-person appointment), and it typically takes around 4 weeks from there. You can start working before your NI number arrives, as long as you can prove your right to work another way; don’t let an employer tell you otherwise. Everything else you need to know about your NI number is here.

The Pivot: don’t panic-chase your NI number the second you land. Apply as soon as you’re settled with a UK address, keep your confirmation email as proof you’ve applied, and get on with everything else.

Sell What’s Left and Sort Your Car

The stuff you didn’t get to at the 4-month mark: friends, a car boot sale, or the usual resale sites. You’ll be surprised how little you miss most of it (mine was fine, apart from my Kitchenaid, which I still think about). What you will notice is not having to think about insurance, maintenance or storage for any of it, at least for the first few months, before the accumulating starts all over again.

Handle Your Lease or Property

Renting? Give your landlord notice now. Own it? Start organising a letting agent if you’re renting it out while you’re gone.

Switch to Email-Only Everywhere You Can

Tedious. Do it now while you’ve still got the mental bandwidth. Switch every account you can to paperless, and for anything that won’t budge, arrange a mail redirect to someone who can hold it for you.

1 Month Out: The Final Push

Hand In Your Notice (or Lock In a Sabbatical)

The nerve-racking one. Check if a sabbatical’s on the table before you resign outright; some employers will hold your job for a year or two unpaid, and it’s a genuinely useful safety net. I took nine months off before I actually resigned, and having that “it’s not fully closed” option made the whole leap feel less permanent.

Cancel or Notify Utilities and Subscriptions

Tell your utility providers (water, gas, electricity, council) you’re leaving so your final bills are accurate. Cancel or pause everything else: broadband, streaming, car insurance, breakdown cover, mobile, gym. Check for exit fees before you cancel, especially on mobile contracts; that’s where they hide.

Scan and Back Up Every Important Document

Passport, visa, driver’s licence, medical records: scan the lot and store copies in at least two places (cloud drive, email to yourself, email to a parent). Print one physical copy and keep it separate from the original. You’ll need copies of your visa and passport for your NI application, and if you ever lose the originals abroad, having scans makes replacing them dramatically less painful.

Find Your People Before You Land

Join an online community for wherever you’re headed before you arrive: Meetup, Facebook groups, whatever’s active for your city. It’s the fastest way into a social circle and a good place to crowdsource the small stuff, like which phone provider or which neighbourhood. I joined both Kiwis in London and Aussies in London the day I landed and they carried me through the first few months.

13 tips on making friends in London, mostly transferable to the rest of the UK too.

Tidy Up Your Bank Accounts

Check with your bank whether you can switch to a fee-free account for the move, and if you’re keeping a fee-paying one open, make sure there’s enough in it to cover the charges. Close anything you won’t use, and cancel any credit cards with annual fees you don’t need anymore.

Tell your bank you’re travelling: where, and for how long. Unflagged foreign transactions can get your account frozen for security, which isn’t ideal when you’re trying to access your money abroad. And if you’ll have a UK number, make sure your bank can reach you on it, especially for security codes.

Plan How You’ll Access Money

Bring at least two ways to pay, because cards break or get lost more often than you’d think. A friend of mine lost one card and had two others fail on a Europe trip, not a situation you want with zero backup. Options worth mixing:

• A small amount of local currency, enough that you’re not carrying (or short of) large cash sums
• A prepaid travel card; check the withdrawal and purchase fees before committing
• Your existing debit card, being mindful of foreign transaction and ATM fees on both ends
• A credit card with low or no foreign fees
• Keep your home account open and transfer money over as needed once you’re set up locally. I use and recommend Wise for this, still haven’t found better rates

Unlock Your Phone and Sort a SIM

If your phone’s locked to your home network, get it unlocked before you fly so it’ll take a UK SIM. Confirm it’s compatible with UK SIM cards while you’re at it.

You can arrange a UK SIM before you leave (giffgaff ships internationally) or just grab one on arrival: airports, phone shops and some supermarkets all sell them. Honestly, doing it on arrival is the easier call. You can compare providers (EE, O2, Three, Vodafone, Tesco Mobile, giffgaff, iD Mobile and others) once you actually know what coverage you need.

Sort Your Airport-to-Accommodation Plan

Every UK airport has train, bus, taxi and private transfer options, and the “best” one depends entirely on which airport you’re landing at.

By train: booking ahead usually saves money via National Rail Enquiries; most UK train company websites let you book from abroad with no card fee. Selecting station collection over postal delivery avoids the postage charge (just bring the card you paid with).

Tip if you’re landing at Heathrow: most people now just tap in with a contactless bank card or phone rather than buying an Oyster card. The fares and daily caps are identical, and you skip the Oyster card’s fee entirely. If you do want a physical Oyster card, it’s now a flat, non-refundable fee rather than a deposit you get back, worth factoring in.

By bus: National Express covers most UK airports with direct coach routes; a few smaller operators run airport-specific routes for the likes of Luton and Stansted.

Taxi or private transfer: a private transfer gets you a fixed price agreed up front, versus a taxi’s metered mileage-and-time fare. Worth comparing options through a transfer comparison site before you land.

Worth It / Not Worth It, Oyster vs. contactless: Not worth it, for most people. Contactless gets you the same fares and caps with zero card fee and nothing to remember to top up or reclaim. Worth it only if you don’t have a contactless-capable card, or you specifically want a physical backup card in your wallet.

Download the checklist again if you’ve lost it in seventeen browser tabs by now; track your progress, tick it off, breathe.

Let me know in the comments how the admin’s going, and if you’ve got a horror story from your own move, send it my way. I collect those.

More Moving to the UK Articles

• How to Build a Credit Score as a New UK Resident
• How to Move to the UK from Australia (Epic Guide!)
• Cost of Living in London
• How Do I Get a UK Address Before I Move There? With Solutions
• Can I Get a UK Bank Account Before I Move to the UK? With Solutions
• A Helpful Guide on How to Find a Flat in London
• How Do I Get A National Insurance Number (Everything You Need to Know)

Everything you need to do to set up your life in the UK requires a secure UK address for official documentation to be sent to. For example, bank accounts and National Insurance Number (NINO) require a UK address. Neither the banks or HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) will send out the official documentation to an unsecured address like a hostel or a hotel.

It is possible to get proof of address and there are a variety of ways to achieve this. However, it’s not possible to get an address before you move to the UK without the help of a company, family, friends or having a place you’ve rented or bought beforehand. 

I moved to the UK solo and found out first hand what challenges there are in getting a UK address. It can seem like a catch 22 situation. How do I get a bank account without an address? How do I get a NINO without an address? On the other hand, how do I get an address without a bank account?

Options for Getting Proof of a UK Address

Here are a few options you can try to get proof of a UK Address: