Before you leave

​Before you leave Belgium behind, there are number of things you need to take care of . They include (but are not limited to):

• Get a passport that is valid till at least 6 months after your arrival
• Get a visa. For more info about visas, have a look at our visa blog article here.
• Organise your itinerary.
• Quit your job and contact VDAB or Forem to get advice on your duties regarding pensions and unemployment administration Contact the Belgian Tax Office to find out about what you will need to do regarding your taxes.
• Contact your municipal council to find out about registration in the Belgian national register, change of address, your duty/right to vote in elections…
• Get your international drivers’ licence at your municipality, if you plan to drive a car in Australia. For the first few months that paper form together with your official licence are sufficient. When you plan to stay longer, you eventually need to request an Australian driver’s licence. See our blogpost on driving in Australia for more info.
• Contact your bank to arrange your finances.
• Send out your forwarding address to whom it may concern.
• Make sure that you are insured for your trip and think about health insurance when you are living in Australia. You can choose to use a private insurance or the Belgian Overseas Insurance Service. You should also contact your Belgian health insurance ‘mutuality’.
• Contact a removal service like Worldwide Baggage Services to assist you with shipping your luggage and home contents.

You can get a lot of information on moving abroad through organisations like Vlamingen in de Wereld and the Union Francophone des Belges à l’Etranger.

Alternatively, ask a local on http://www.askalo.com.au/ for their opinion, thoughts etc or to find the best car dealer, restaurant, hotel, ... 
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Lastly, it might also be helpful to check out the Facebook groups Belgians in Australia and Belgians in Melbourne. Here you can find frequently asked questions  by Belgians related to moving to Australia and answered by peers.