chefandy

Hi
My wife (south african) and I will be moving to durban in july '18 with our 1 child. We are planning to eventually open a restaurant but will begin with doing markets.
We will have been married 2 years by then and have been together for 5 years.

I have been advised to get a spousal visa and then add the business/work endorsement once in the country and have business plan. Also the market business can be in my wifes name.

Can anyone suggest a shipping company? We have a few household goods to ship along with plates for restaurant and clothes etc etc..

We are also planning on buying a car in November before our child is due so would also want to ship that.


Any help is very welcome

Pablo

Pickfords worked for me.
I also shipped a car, twice, with Pickfords. But my advice would be to save yourself the hassle and buy a car in SA instead.

ededed

Crown relocations did mine and they were ace.

You can't ship a car unless it's fully paid off and you've owned it for a year. Just something to consider... as Pablo says, use the weak rand and buy one there. AutoTrader has a ZA website - and with cash, you can negotiate very well in South Africa.

More info here: Importing a second-hand or used vehicle | South African Government

chefandy

Thanks for reply guys...

I was told it was only 6 months that you had to own the car before importing...

Our worry with buying a car in SA is the quality of second hand cars in the country with no MOT or yearly service checks

ededed

It may have changed, but was definitely a year in 2015.

If you buy from a main dealer you'll be ok. Consumers are well protected in SA. An MOT in the U.K. is easy to obtain, so your chances of being conned are about the same! Most have service plans, so you'll have dealer history too.

chefandy

ok thank you for that.

Also with pensions what do i need to do before leaving uk?

ededed

I'd speak to an expert. I don't know if the QROPS scheme is still running, but that's a question you should ask.

kirstyp

hi!
A great place to start for shipping is to check out FIDI website for a list of FAIM certified international removal companies that serve your area to make sure whoever you're using is fully qualified, licensed and independently vetted for overseas moving.
There are lots more tips about choosing reputable removals companies and your different options over on our British Expats vendor forum for International Removals advice. Hope it helps!