Home sweet home!
May 24th 2014, 1:37 pm
#1
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Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 800
Home sweet home!
So its been a week since I got back and thought I would post an update. Arrived to lovely weather and already have a tan. Things have been going smoothly getting myself re-established and I haven't run into any of the problems that people have posted on this site.
Firstly let me say that if you are bringing a pet back with you definitely consider flying Virgin. The service for my dog was amazing. When we checked her in everyone was so friendly and reassuring, you can tell they are animal lovers. When I boarded the plane the man who loaded her was waiting for me to tell me she was safely on board and doing fine. He even had photos of her strapped in the cargo hold so I knew she was safe. When I landed she was off the plane before me and the rep was waiting to tell me that she was off the plane and in one piece. I headed over to HARC after about an hour and was greeted by another Virgin rep who was making sure that she was cleared and ready to go. He brought her to my about two hours after i landed. While I was waiting there were other people from different airlines such as BA who had no one to help them at the ARC and the james cargo people were not being very helpful to them either. Virgin takes them from the planes themselves to ARC to ensure they are ok and to coordinate their release. She was a bit dehydrated and mad at me but within a few minutes of being outside and a few bowls of water she was back to her happy loving self. Its no wonder Virgin has a 100% success rate flying animals, they take it very seriously.
Setting up things has been easy. Banking is not a problem if you chose the right bank. Go in with your passport and something with your new address and walk out with your account set up.
Called HMRC to let them know I was back. 2 minute call to take my new address, old address and date of arrival. Nothing else needed.
Doctor registration was also not a problem. Went in with my NHS number, asked to register. Filled in a form asking for my last UK doctor info, got put in the system straight away and appointment scheduled with the nurse for Tuesday. I simply told them I wanted to register, didn't go into the long story about moving back and all they needed was my NHS number.
Getting a cell phone contract is also easy and you don't need a credit history, all you need is a bank card and you can get a contract. If you don't have a bank card then you can use Giff Gaff. They send you a SIM card in 3 days and you can use a top up voucher to pay for your first monthly payment. Then once you have your bank card set it up for monthly direct debit.
Dog has ben registered with her new vet and they were able to register her US microchip in the UK database. Oh and the vets are definitely cheaper then the US.
My Amex credit card is on its way so I can start building my credit. I had a US card and completed the application online for their global transfer to change it to a UK card. They called me within two days to request a copy of my passport and my bank statement for their records. It was extremely easy and is the best way to get your first UK credit card as it is based on your previous credit history on your AMEX card from the US.
Can honestly say I am happy to be home and the dog loves being here too! Next on the to do list is to buy a car. Hoping that getting car insurance will be as easy as everything else has been so far
Firstly let me say that if you are bringing a pet back with you definitely consider flying Virgin. The service for my dog was amazing. When we checked her in everyone was so friendly and reassuring, you can tell they are animal lovers. When I boarded the plane the man who loaded her was waiting for me to tell me she was safely on board and doing fine. He even had photos of her strapped in the cargo hold so I knew she was safe. When I landed she was off the plane before me and the rep was waiting to tell me that she was off the plane and in one piece. I headed over to HARC after about an hour and was greeted by another Virgin rep who was making sure that she was cleared and ready to go. He brought her to my about two hours after i landed. While I was waiting there were other people from different airlines such as BA who had no one to help them at the ARC and the james cargo people were not being very helpful to them either. Virgin takes them from the planes themselves to ARC to ensure they are ok and to coordinate their release. She was a bit dehydrated and mad at me but within a few minutes of being outside and a few bowls of water she was back to her happy loving self. Its no wonder Virgin has a 100% success rate flying animals, they take it very seriously.
Setting up things has been easy. Banking is not a problem if you chose the right bank. Go in with your passport and something with your new address and walk out with your account set up.
Called HMRC to let them know I was back. 2 minute call to take my new address, old address and date of arrival. Nothing else needed.
Doctor registration was also not a problem. Went in with my NHS number, asked to register. Filled in a form asking for my last UK doctor info, got put in the system straight away and appointment scheduled with the nurse for Tuesday. I simply told them I wanted to register, didn't go into the long story about moving back and all they needed was my NHS number.
Getting a cell phone contract is also easy and you don't need a credit history, all you need is a bank card and you can get a contract. If you don't have a bank card then you can use Giff Gaff. They send you a SIM card in 3 days and you can use a top up voucher to pay for your first monthly payment. Then once you have your bank card set it up for monthly direct debit.
Dog has ben registered with her new vet and they were able to register her US microchip in the UK database. Oh and the vets are definitely cheaper then the US.
My Amex credit card is on its way so I can start building my credit. I had a US card and completed the application online for their global transfer to change it to a UK card. They called me within two days to request a copy of my passport and my bank statement for their records. It was extremely easy and is the best way to get your first UK credit card as it is based on your previous credit history on your AMEX card from the US.
Can honestly say I am happy to be home and the dog loves being here too! Next on the to do list is to buy a car. Hoping that getting car insurance will be as easy as everything else has been so far
May 24th 2014, 6:04 pm
#2
Banned
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 73
Re: Home sweet home!
So its been a week since I got back and thought I would post an update. Arrived to lovely weather and already have a tan. Things have been going smoothly getting myself re-established and I haven't run into any of the problems that people have posted on this site.
Firstly let me say that if you are bringing a pet back with you definitely consider flying Virgin. The service for my dog was amazing. When we checked her in everyone was so friendly and reassuring, you can tell they are animal lovers. When I boarded the plane the man who loaded her was waiting for me to tell me she was safely on board and doing fine. He even had photos of her strapped in the cargo hold so I knew she was safe. When I landed she was off the plane before me and the rep was waiting to tell me that she was off the plane and in one piece. I headed over to HARC after about an hour and was greeted by another Virgin rep who was making sure that she was cleared and ready to go. He brought her to my about two hours after i landed. While I was waiting there were other people from different airlines such as BA who had no one to help them at the ARC and the james cargo people were not being very helpful to them either. Virgin takes them from the planes themselves to ARC to ensure they are ok and to coordinate their release. She was a bit dehydrated and mad at me but within a few minutes of being outside and a few bowls of water she was back to her happy loving self. Its no wonder Virgin has a 100% success rate flying animals, they take it very seriously.
Setting up things has been easy. Banking is not a problem if you chose the right bank. Go in with your passport and something with your new address and walk out with your account set up.
Called HMRC to let them know I was back. 2 minute call to take my new address, old address and date of arrival. Nothing else needed.
Doctor registration was also not a problem. Went in with my NHS number, asked to register. Filled in a form asking for my last UK doctor info, got put in the system straight away and appointment scheduled with the nurse for Tuesday. I simply told them I wanted to register, didn't go into the long story about moving back and all they needed was my NHS number.
Getting a cell phone contract is also easy and you don't need a credit history, all you need is a bank card and you can get a contract. If you don't have a bank card then you can use Giff Gaff. They send you a SIM card in 3 days and you can use a top up voucher to pay for your first monthly payment. Then once you have your bank card set it up for monthly direct debit.
Dog has ben registered with her new vet and they were able to register her US microchip in the UK database. Oh and the vets are definitely cheaper then the US.
My Amex credit card is on its way so I can start building my credit. I had a US card and completed the application online for their global transfer to change it to a UK card. They called me within two days to request a copy of my passport and my bank statement for their records. It was extremely easy and is the best way to get your first UK credit card as it is based on your previous credit history on your AMEX card from the US.
Can honestly say I am happy to be home and the dog loves being here too! Next on the to do list is to buy a car. Hoping that getting car insurance will be as easy as everything else has been so far
Firstly let me say that if you are bringing a pet back with you definitely consider flying Virgin. The service for my dog was amazing. When we checked her in everyone was so friendly and reassuring, you can tell they are animal lovers. When I boarded the plane the man who loaded her was waiting for me to tell me she was safely on board and doing fine. He even had photos of her strapped in the cargo hold so I knew she was safe. When I landed she was off the plane before me and the rep was waiting to tell me that she was off the plane and in one piece. I headed over to HARC after about an hour and was greeted by another Virgin rep who was making sure that she was cleared and ready to go. He brought her to my about two hours after i landed. While I was waiting there were other people from different airlines such as BA who had no one to help them at the ARC and the james cargo people were not being very helpful to them either. Virgin takes them from the planes themselves to ARC to ensure they are ok and to coordinate their release. She was a bit dehydrated and mad at me but within a few minutes of being outside and a few bowls of water she was back to her happy loving self. Its no wonder Virgin has a 100% success rate flying animals, they take it very seriously.
Setting up things has been easy. Banking is not a problem if you chose the right bank. Go in with your passport and something with your new address and walk out with your account set up.
Called HMRC to let them know I was back. 2 minute call to take my new address, old address and date of arrival. Nothing else needed.
Doctor registration was also not a problem. Went in with my NHS number, asked to register. Filled in a form asking for my last UK doctor info, got put in the system straight away and appointment scheduled with the nurse for Tuesday. I simply told them I wanted to register, didn't go into the long story about moving back and all they needed was my NHS number.
Getting a cell phone contract is also easy and you don't need a credit history, all you need is a bank card and you can get a contract. If you don't have a bank card then you can use Giff Gaff. They send you a SIM card in 3 days and you can use a top up voucher to pay for your first monthly payment. Then once you have your bank card set it up for monthly direct debit.
Dog has ben registered with her new vet and they were able to register her US microchip in the UK database. Oh and the vets are definitely cheaper then the US.
My Amex credit card is on its way so I can start building my credit. I had a US card and completed the application online for their global transfer to change it to a UK card. They called me within two days to request a copy of my passport and my bank statement for their records. It was extremely easy and is the best way to get your first UK credit card as it is based on your previous credit history on your AMEX card from the US.
Can honestly say I am happy to be home and the dog loves being here too! Next on the to do list is to buy a car. Hoping that getting car insurance will be as easy as everything else has been so far
May 25th 2014, 3:31 am
#3
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 360
Re: Home sweet home!
wow,fantastic news. So glad things are going so smoothly for you.Thanks for the update
May 25th 2014, 1:46 pm
#4
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 4,100
Re: Home sweet home!
That's great news!
I checked to see if Virgin flies out of my location but it doesn't.
It would mean a connection and that is something I thought it better not to do for my pets.
I checked to see if Virgin flies out of my location but it doesn't.
It would mean a connection and that is something I thought it better not to do for my pets.
May 25th 2014, 2:35 pm
#5
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 4,100
Re: Home sweet home!
<<Dog has ben registered with her new vet and they were able to register her US microchip in the UK database>>
Why did the US microchip have to get registered in the UK database? I thought they had to have Euro chips inserted for the UK before leaving the US which would surely mean the US chip just gets ignored in the UK.
Why did the US microchip have to get registered in the UK database? I thought they had to have Euro chips inserted for the UK before leaving the US which would surely mean the US chip just gets ignored in the UK.
May 25th 2014, 7:05 pm
#6
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Joined: Aug 2012
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Re: Home sweet home!
You don't have to have a European chip you just have to make sure that the US one can be read at the animal reception center. My dog has a us home again chip and they were able to read it with their scanner. Even if you have a European chip they still have to be registered in the database. The database registers your address and phone number in the UK so that if they get list they can contact you. Just having a chip doesn't register them in any identification database so you have to do it.
May 25th 2014, 7:52 pm
#7
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 4,100
Re: Home sweet home!
You don't have to have a European chip you just have to make sure that the US one can be read at the animal reception center. My dog has a us home again chip and they were able to read it with their scanner. Even if you have a European chip they still have to be registered in the database. The database registers your address and phone number in the UK so that if they get list they can contact you. Just having a chip doesn't register them in any identification database so you have to do it.
May 25th 2014, 8:08 pm
#8
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Re: Home sweet home!
No you don't. HARC has scanners that can read pretty much every microchip. Just make sure when you get over here that you get them to the vets and have them register them in the UK database.
May 25th 2014, 8:18 pm
#9
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Re: Home sweet home!
It's great news. Did you find this on the DEFRA paperwork (that you don't need EU microchips)?
May 25th 2014, 8:37 pm
#10
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Joined: Aug 2012
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Re: Home sweet home!
It's on the website somewhere.
May 26th 2014, 10:34 am
#12
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Joined: Jul 2013
Location: durham, durham, England
Posts: 730
Re: Home sweet home!
Great update. Pleased everything is going smoothly for you. We had no problems insuring our car. I went onto comparethemarket.com. All done in 15 minutes.
Good luck with everything.
Good luck with everything.
May 26th 2014, 12:10 pm
#13
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 4,100
Re: Home sweet home!
So its been a week since I got back and thought I would post an update. Arrived to lovely weather and already have a tan. Things have been going smoothly getting myself re-established and I haven't run into any of the problems that people have posted on this site.
Firstly let me say that if you are bringing a pet back with you definitely consider flying Virgin. The service for my dog was amazing. When we checked her in everyone was so friendly and reassuring, you can tell they are animal lovers. When I boarded the plane the man who loaded her was waiting for me to tell me she was safely on board and doing fine. He even had photos of her strapped in the cargo hold so I knew she was safe. When I landed she was off the plane before me and the rep was waiting to tell me that she was off the plane and in one piece. I headed over to HARC after about an hour and was greeted by another Virgin rep who was making sure that she was cleared and ready to go. He brought her to my about two hours after i landed. While I was waiting there were other people from different airlines such as BA who had no one to help them at the ARC and the james cargo people were not being very helpful to them either. Virgin takes them from the planes themselves to ARC to ensure they are ok and to coordinate their release. She was a bit dehydrated and mad at me but within a few minutes of being outside and a few bowls of water she was back to her happy loving self. Its no wonder Virgin has a 100% success rate flying animals, they take it very seriously.
Setting up things has been easy. Banking is not a problem if you chose the right bank. Go in with your passport and something with your new address and walk out with your account set up.
Called HMRC to let them know I was back. 2 minute call to take my new address, old address and date of arrival. Nothing else needed.
Doctor registration was also not a problem. Went in with my NHS number, asked to register. Filled in a form asking for my last UK doctor info, got put in the system straight away and appointment scheduled with the nurse for Tuesday. I simply told them I wanted to register, didn't go into the long story about moving back and all they needed was my NHS number.
Getting a cell phone contract is also easy and you don't need a credit history, all you need is a bank card and you can get a contract. If you don't have a bank card then you can use Giff Gaff. They send you a SIM card in 3 days and you can use a top up voucher to pay for your first monthly payment. Then once you have your bank card set it up for monthly direct debit.
Dog has ben registered with her new vet and they were able to register her US microchip in the UK database. Oh and the vets are definitely cheaper then the US.
My Amex credit card is on its way so I can start building my credit. I had a US card and completed the application online for their global transfer to change it to a UK card. They called me within two days to request a copy of my passport and my bank statement for their records. It was extremely easy and is the best way to get your first UK credit card as it is based on your previous credit history on your AMEX card from the US.
Can honestly say I am happy to be home and the dog loves being here too! Next on the to do list is to buy a car. Hoping that getting car insurance will be as easy as everything else has been so far
Firstly let me say that if you are bringing a pet back with you definitely consider flying Virgin. The service for my dog was amazing. When we checked her in everyone was so friendly and reassuring, you can tell they are animal lovers. When I boarded the plane the man who loaded her was waiting for me to tell me she was safely on board and doing fine. He even had photos of her strapped in the cargo hold so I knew she was safe. When I landed she was off the plane before me and the rep was waiting to tell me that she was off the plane and in one piece. I headed over to HARC after about an hour and was greeted by another Virgin rep who was making sure that she was cleared and ready to go. He brought her to my about two hours after i landed. While I was waiting there were other people from different airlines such as BA who had no one to help them at the ARC and the james cargo people were not being very helpful to them either. Virgin takes them from the planes themselves to ARC to ensure they are ok and to coordinate their release. She was a bit dehydrated and mad at me but within a few minutes of being outside and a few bowls of water she was back to her happy loving self. Its no wonder Virgin has a 100% success rate flying animals, they take it very seriously.
Setting up things has been easy. Banking is not a problem if you chose the right bank. Go in with your passport and something with your new address and walk out with your account set up.
Called HMRC to let them know I was back. 2 minute call to take my new address, old address and date of arrival. Nothing else needed.
Doctor registration was also not a problem. Went in with my NHS number, asked to register. Filled in a form asking for my last UK doctor info, got put in the system straight away and appointment scheduled with the nurse for Tuesday. I simply told them I wanted to register, didn't go into the long story about moving back and all they needed was my NHS number.
Getting a cell phone contract is also easy and you don't need a credit history, all you need is a bank card and you can get a contract. If you don't have a bank card then you can use Giff Gaff. They send you a SIM card in 3 days and you can use a top up voucher to pay for your first monthly payment. Then once you have your bank card set it up for monthly direct debit.
Dog has ben registered with her new vet and they were able to register her US microchip in the UK database. Oh and the vets are definitely cheaper then the US.
My Amex credit card is on its way so I can start building my credit. I had a US card and completed the application online for their global transfer to change it to a UK card. They called me within two days to request a copy of my passport and my bank statement for their records. It was extremely easy and is the best way to get your first UK credit card as it is based on your previous credit history on your AMEX card from the US.
Can honestly say I am happy to be home and the dog loves being here too! Next on the to do list is to buy a car. Hoping that getting car insurance will be as easy as everything else has been so far
With your US credit following you, you shouldn't have trouble getting a loan if you need one. Come to think of it, I wonder how those who start from scratch credit-wise in the UK manage to get a car loan.
May 26th 2014, 2:13 pm
#14
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Re: Home sweet home!
Good luck buying a car - and have fun trying out the different models. With your US credit following you, you shouldn't have trouble getting a loan if you need one. Come to think of it, I wonder how those who start from scratch credit-wise in the UK manage to get a car loan.
With your US credit following you, you shouldn't have trouble getting a loan if you need one. Come to think of it, I wonder how those who start from scratch credit-wise in the UK manage to get a car loan.Ive narrowed it down to a couple of cars and am going to check on the insurance before making my decision.
May 26th 2014, 5:00 pm
#15
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Re: Home sweet home!
Great update, thanks for posting.