hobbes79

If you have someone you trust, put them as a joint name on your UK bank account.

Then if you need to do anything with your bank, you can send them in.

Otherwise, it's a pain to do things over the phone. The web has changed things a bit, but wire transfers and anything of significance still seem to require you in person.

hobbes79

You can change the wiring and bulb fitting on a lamp if you really like it. I rewired a floor lamp we particularly liked with new wire and it'll take the screw in bulb now. I'm no electrician, but it was pretty easy.

GeoffM

You can set up Lloyds wire transfers online now. You have to be able to receive a phone call to confirm it though, but they do accept US phone numbers - you just need to remember to change the phone number at least a week before you need to use it for any confirmation. And Lloyds sit on your cash for 2-3 days before bothering to wire it. Compare to my mum's A&L (well, Santander ) account which showed up in my account 2 hours later as pending and then available within 24 hours.

Only other thing (so far) I wished I'd done was chase my bloody doctors for the records and letters we needed long before we moved. Them taking 4-6 weeks before nagging takes effect seems the norm, the incompetent idiots. Even when we did get the letter confirming NHS cover, nowhere did it actually say NHS, and it was not even on headed paper!

Katsu

What sort of information does your GP give you? I imagine there's a charge for this. I wasn't aware we'd need something in writing to say our health care was provided by the NHS (presumably for health insurance purposes)? Better get on the case if it's going to take 4-6 weeks...thanks for the tip.

Katsu

Which takes me back to the earlier posts about family and email/Skype ... I think I'd rather battle telephone banking than attempt to relay banking instructions to my most trusted relatives! It's something to think about though (but I'm not anticipating a great deal of activity within my UK account).

jackattack

If you put them as a joint name then they technically are joint owners in the funds which can get complicated should anything (god forbid) happen.

If you use Power of Attorney, then it just means that they can execute your requirements for your account rather actually be a joint owner. The banks (all high street) that we've had to deal with on this have all accepted the Power of Attorney piece of paper without question.

GeoffM

Firstly we needed medical reports for the immigrant visa medical (maybe not relevant to you, I don't know). Then I asked for a simple letter saying we were covered for NHS treatment - yes, for health insurance - and in both cases they took several weeks. Because they had an 0844 number with no geographic alternative, I couldn't phone them from the UK. I couldn't email because they only do repeat prescriptions by email. In the end I faxed them a snottogram. A week later (last week) they deigned to reply by fax with a fairly useless piece of prose. That cost 28 quid I think - and dated that day, so they'd done bugger all since mid-March when I first requested and paid for it.

But my surgery were pretty useless, so YMMV.

Weeze

I used my NHS card to show my previous cover. I got a free print out for all of us for the medical records from the doctor. It covers the last few years vaccinations. If you have kids it's vital as the pediatricians can't understand the red book and you don't want to have to repeat their vaccinations. Also, if you are on medication, you can ask your gp for a bigger supply to allow you time to find a doctor over here. Mine was very happy to.

Yorkieabroad

If you have any uk shares (especially if they are paper) get them transferred into an online trading account with one of the cos that has uk and us operations. Then when you get here transfer them into an international account with the US co. Makes it a lot easier for dealing and reporting.
Make side you have a bank account with a bank tha t has decent online and phone banking AND will let you keep it once you move here.

kins

Printout of all the kids' vaccinations and visits from the GP surgery.

Also we were in the process of selling a house when we left, so I signed all the solicitor's forms before we flew out, even though we were still a way off completing.

guitarmaan

So was signing up to pay easier from within the UK?

And what are the tax implications of a UK pension?

nun

Signing up is easy at any time, you just need to send in the form at the back of the NI38 leaflet.

Potential US tax implications of UK pensions vary depending on the type. In the accumulation phase you have to deal with US tax on gains and in the income phase you obviously have to pay US tax and make sure there is no UK tax withheld. Some advisors say that all UK pensions are covered by the US/UK tax treaty which shelters gains from taxation, however, if you have things like SIPPs there is a lot of dispute as to how they are seen by the IRS.....some say they are covered by the treaty and all gains are tax deferred, some say that they are a foreign trust and should be dealt with accordingly.

Tax on things like UK ISAs and investments accounts also needs to be considered along with US reporting forms like FBAR and FATCA.

lisa67

We didn't bring over medical records (excpet for the kids red books) and our US Dr. Was very sympathetic when it came to recording what shots the kids had had and when and took my word for it. It would have been very difficult if she hadn't though!

Katsu

Thanks everyone, these replies have been ever so helpful. It seems like we are on the right track with everything and have some new things to think about (which is good).

Our cat, who we are taking, is most prepared - he was the easy bit. Our house sale is going through conveyancing at the moment, and we're trying to sort out via the relocation company when our stuff will be shipped (we've been told that the Olympics is causing port chaos in London about the time we will be leaving in July and we shouldn't expect to see our stuff for 2 months)... It's going to be a busy few weeks though as we finish work, see friends and family and make all the arrangements. It's all exciting though

Bob

Extra copies of birth certs, medical records -vaccination records especially, doctor/NHS trust letter of healthcare cover.

Proxy voter sorted because postal vote usually arrives to late to get back in time to count, so if you've got a parent etc you trust. Same for power of attorney/co-signer on bank account perhaps, in case one of you bricks it, some one on the other end can access the funds to help you out without it being closed on you.

NI contributions.

Do the tourist thing? Arrange leaving do for a few days before you actually go and don't tell folks you're leaving a few days later, it'll give you time to spend with your family/friends without someone popping in for a cuppa as you're heading out to the airport.