1 month to go until you hop on a plane to SA

If you’ve decided to return home with only 1 month to go, then do check out all the months’ hints and tips prior to this.

• Let the local tax authority know that you are no longer going to be a permanent resident
• Make application for a tax refund
• Cancel or make arrangements for your foreign pension fund/ contributions
• Let your bank know your new SA address (or a family member’s address as a temporary measure)
• File your most recent documents in case you need them (the norm is the past 5 years) – take these with you on the plane, do not post or ship them.
• Give notice to your landlord
• Cancel all bills in your name if you live in a communal environment – you don’t want bills arriving in your name when you are gone as you will be liable
• Send your pets home
• Send out a change of postal, email address and telephone number to all your friends and colleagues
• Arrange for a redirection service with your local postal service, so that all of your post can get sent to a friend or family member in the country you were living in and forwarded on to you if anything does arrive.
• Send money back home
• Pack your boxes, list an inventory (take a copy for yourself) and have them collect the boxes.  It takes a while for the boxes to get home and clear on the other side.
• Make sure you’ve taken out insurance on the goods you’re shipping home
• Contact schools and arrange for transfer of students records.
• Contact your doctors for medical records and possible referrals to new physicians.
• Arrange for hotels, rental cars or temporary housing if needed.