8–12 weeks
A route for every person
Visa, residence, work and study are four separate checks. Confirm whether you may apply from your current country and whether attendance is required.
Paperwork before packing.
What is easier to arrange before departure: records, apostilles, power of attorney, school and veterinary timelines. Tick off tasks and save on your device.
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8–12 weeks
Passports & names
Check remaining validity for the chosen route, blank pages and consistent transliteration across records. Check separate passport requirements for each child.
8–12 weeks
Civil records & archives
Order the needed birth, marriage, divorce and name-change records. First confirm whether the destination authority accepts an original, duplicate or extract.
Route-specific validity
Police certificates
List residence countries for the required period. For each certificate record issuer, processing time, apostille/legalization, translation, validity and the date from which validity is measured.
After checking requirements
Apostille ≠ translation
Check both countries' Hague Convention status and treaty exemptions. Establish which document needs an apostille and whether sworn translation is required. Do not apostille every document blindly.
Before departure
Power of attorney
Specify actual tasks: collect a certificate, represent you before an institution or manage property. Confirm banking powers with the bank. Check expiry, substitution and revocation; retain notarial details.
Before lease & school
Children: custody & consent
Prepare custody records and the other parent's consent where required. Permission for a holiday may not cover permanent residence. Check translation and legalization.
Before school payment
School records
Collect school reports, curriculum and language records, special educational-needs documents and vaccination history. Ask about deposits, joining fees, meals, bus and refunds if a visa is refused.
Before departure
Health records & medication
Collect medical summaries and prescriptions with generic ingredient names. Check import permission, limits and permits: medicine common at home may be regulated differently abroad.
Before status changes
Banking, mobile & source of funds
Check access to your number and 2FA abroad, card expiry and nonresident banking rules. Keep contracts, returns, statements and savings-origin records. Avoid relying on one SIM without a backup.
Before moving
Two tax calendars
Track entry and exit days. Check continuing home obligations, new tax residence, income source, treaties and business duties. A visa does not automatically determine tax status.
Sometimes 4+ months ahead
Cats & dogs
Check microchip, vaccination, antibody test, waiting periods, health certificate, transit and airline capacity. Avoid nonrefundable tickets until the carrier confirms the pet.
Before shipping a car
Your own car
Check temporary/permanent import, customs costs, age and technical rules, registration, insurance, license category and exchange deadlines. Import permission is not unlimited foreign-plate use.
Before a long prepayment
Housing in winter and summer
Ask for bills; inspect each bedroom, heating, A/C, screens, mold signs, drainage and noise. Test real school, doctor and beach journeys. Confirm deposit returns and pet rules.
Example: a pet from Russia to the EU
Russia and Belarus left the titre-exemption list on 16 September 2024. This route generally needs antibody testing: blood at least 30 days after vaccination, result ≥0.5 IU/ml, then at least 90 days from sampling to certificate issue. Microchipping precedes or coincides with vaccination. Continuous timely boosters may avoid repeat titration.
This example concerns cats, dogs and ferrets under the relevant noncommercial rules, not every animal. Forms and rules changed in 2026; check current EU instructions before the veterinary appointment.
European Commission · pet-entry rulesRoute-specific verification
This checklist is an organizational plan, not a universal visa document list. Check the purpose and filing country for each document first.
HCCH · apostilles & competent authorities