Tell Your Bank that You’re Expatriating to Hong Kong
Sounds like an obvious thing to do, but because of the headaches this can cause if you don’t do it, the writer decided that it was worth mentioning. Simply call your bank and they’ll usually ask where you will be in the next six months and note it. Quite often you’ll need to top this up every six months.
See how to open an account in Hong Kong here.
Arrange Accommodation before Moving to Hong Kong
Be it long term rental or short term accommodation, expats are best having some sort of an arrangement before you arrive in Hong Kong. If you’re looking for immediate accommodation in Hong Kong at reduced cost, check out Hotels Combined to get the cheapest rates going in Hong Kong. It is possible to arrange a short-term apartment prior to moving to Hong Kong, which is cheaper than staying in most hotels. Visit our guide for more.
Shipping
Go through a number of quotes if possible, before deciding on a moving company. If possible, the shipping company you decide on should have a partner in your home country, and DEFINITELY should have an office in Hong Kong. It is a good idea to ask your employer, or another reliable source for advice on which moving company to take. Moving to Hong Kong will be so much easier if you get a decent mover.
Getting this part right can save months of phonecalls and complaints that come with a rogue mover. Having said that- be prepared to pay the premium for a reliable mover- it’s worth it. To ensure reliability, look for accreditation like licenses, affiliations and recommendations. Also, make sure that the mover/shipper does not subcontract parts of the move as this creates real problems if something is mislaid. Finding the one responsible in this situation can be tiresome.
Health Check
Before moving to Hong Kong, getting a full health check is a good precaution as it will be one less thing to worry about once you arrive. Having final treatments and checks done by doctors and dentists that you know and trust will save time and give you peace of mind- one less thing to worry about. Having said that, healthcare in Hong Kong is among the best in the world.
Insurance
Making sure that you are fully covered before moving to Hong Kong is very important. Make sure that you’re either covered by your employer, or make sure that you arrange to be fully covered. Getting emergency treatment in Hong Kong as an expat is very expensive.
Have Important Mail Forwarded
Again, this is quite obvious but will save time later, after moving. Any important mail should be forwarded to someone that you trust to open it, or it should be cancelled. Trying to co-ordinate this after moving to Hong Kong will be tricky.
Make Sure Your Passport is Valid
Hong Kong and all neighbouring countries require passports to be valid for six months. Almost make sure you have at least half a passport of pages left before moving to Hong Kong- many of the countries in the region gobble up an entire page for the visa.
Thanks so much for the checlist. I’m moving to Hong Kong in a week and trying to organise myself. Any other suggestions for preparing for life in Hong Kong??
Hi.. Thanks for the information. I’m also moving to HK in two months.
Before moving make sure you tell your Banks and Credit cards you are staying in HK for at least 3 months. You’ll be able to get cash at most ATM’s for a charge. If you have Capital One credit cards, you won’t get charged a 3% foreign fee. Movers: Make sure you use a reliable service. I think I chose Aliied Movers. They are international. They have an office in HK. They’ll contact you once your items arrive in Port.
When you land, Get a Sim Card for your GSM phone from any 7-11 Store. make sure your Phone is UNLOCKED! If you have Sprint or Verizon have it UNLOCKED. Most of the cell phone service here is 3G or LTE 4G. Many of the SIM cards include data. Most reliable service is usually CSL, or Smart Tone or PCCW. This will give you a local number here. You can get a phone contract later which requires a 2 year signing. Meals are cheap here if you eat locally. No tipping is required. Only if you leave 2-3 HKD they’ll be happy. Make sure you have access to Wifi and a laptop. Make sure you can access your banking online. Remember emergency number is not 911 in Hong Kong it’s 999. Also buy yourself an Octpus Card for MTR (subway) and other stores. It’s like a debit card but can be used anywhere in HK to purchase small items in 7-11 and stores like this. Card cost 50HKD. Add 100 HKD is normal. Copy your passport and scan it. Upload it to a web based email such as Gmail or Hotmail. KEEP IT THERE! Also find the Embassy of your country. The American Embassy is located in HK island. Also before you leave, bring all your medication with you on board the plane. You will not be able to ship or send any medicine through the mail from the US. Alot of the over counter medicines are in Chinese and you will need someone to tell you what you are buying. Bring plenty of deodorant, HK is brutally hot in the summer time. You will need it. When you arrive here, get Power plug converters! all your power plugs are useless here! You can buy them for few HKD. What I did was bring a US power strip and then buy one HK power plug converter and plugged my strip into it, thus allowing me to plug all my US plugs. Remember HK is 240 VOLTS, NOT 120! make sure your electronics can support 240 volts. Remember to print Name cards with your name, local phone and information on it. Name cards are important here. Always hand it over with BOTH hands. If you’re at a party or get together, you’ll need it to find a job. Also locate any local hospitals in your area. Some or Public, and others are private. The public ones are very very Slow. The private ones are excellent but expensive. your welcome
Great advice. Thanks for sharing
Very important to get these thing sorted when moving to hk… i forgot to tell my bank i was moving to hong kong… locked out of my account for three days!!