Staying Safe: Insurance to Consider When Moving Abroad

Moving to a new place means you’re about to start a new, exciting chapter of your life, filled with all kinds of opportunities and challenges.

You’ll need to consider the new culture, adapting to the new neighborhood, recognizing differences in social interactions, all the way to finding the best parking space near your office. In all of that confusion and fun, you also need to plan for many potential negative events, be it a health situation, a car accident, or even burglary.

Whether you’re moving to the chill landscapes of Scandinavia, the exotic French Riviera, or all the way to sunny Australia, you should consider the local relevance of different insurance policies for you, your family, and your possessions. There are a few crucial policies you should consider when you’re planning your move, as they’ll give you the needed peace of mind and security, so that you can focus on other, more exciting aspects of the move.

Life insurance for your whole family

Not all policies are created equal, and this is especially noticeable with life insurance. When you’re about to move abroad, your old life insurance policy might become void. However, nowadays, considering the rise of digital nomadism and more expats around the world, you can consider an international life insurance policy.

This is a vital policy to add to your list just in case anything unexpected happens to you or one of your family members. 

Keep your car covered

Families and expats moving to expansive countries such as Australia will greatly benefit from bringing their own vehicles with them. Not only is that a great option for exploring the country itself, but it’s the main means of transportation for most families there. Since your car is one of your most valuable investments, you should consider getting car insurance in QLD tailored to your driving needs, and your make and model. 

This takes on crafting a specific policy with a premium that makes sense for your budget and the level of car use you’re accustomed to can help you make a sound decision while you protect your car from any potential damage, theft, or in case of an accident. 

Make sure your possessions are protected

In case you’ve moved a few times before, you already know that you need to pack your most sensitive, breakable items carefully, and in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Bubble wrap helps to a great extent, but your moving company should also take notice of any fragile things they are sending ahead of you to your new home. 

Still, not every moving company will take excellent care of your things, and accidents can really happen despite their best efforts. To make sure your valuable items are at least financially covered, you can get a policy protecting your things for the move itself. 

Health insurance policies will vary

As an expat, you need to make sure that your health insurance is valid in your new country of residence. That said, different countries offer different levels of basic protection to its residents, for instance, emergency procedures, but if you need your regular appointments, or you have a chronic illness that needs ongoing treatment and monitoring, all the more reason to consider official health insurance for expats such as Pacific Prime.

There are different policies you can consider, from travel medical insurance for brief stays in your new country, all the way to global insurance that will keep you covered for the most part wherever you go. There are some exclusions to take note of, so do check if all the places you visit are included. 

Real estate insurance for your new home

When you’re moving to a new place, you also need to think about the ideal place of residence for yourself and your family. For example, when you’re looking for a place in the US, you should always ask for an apartment that has a built-in security system, such as an alarm, that works properly. Security is a major element to help you make the right decision when you’re moving, but you should nonetheless add your own layer of safety by getting an insurance policy.

Although this kind of a policy is not mandatory in most places across the globe, property insurance is a great investment especially in areas where you’re not entirely certain about crime rates, or even natural disasters, or you’d simply feel safe knowing that you’re covered in case of a burglary or a flood. 

Of course, depending on the country where you’re going, you might discover that there are other affordable and preferable policies to consider. For instance, a kidnapping policy is quite common in less stable countries in the Middle East and it’s recommended for expats just in case. For starters, consider these policies as your most essential prevention measure to stay safe, and use them to your advantage to start your new life with your mind at ease.