If you are planning on making an international move, here are two things that you need to do in advance to ensure that your international move goes as smoothly as possible. 

#1 Digitally Scan All Important Documents

The last thing you need is to haul around a bunch of papers with you to a new country. To start with, paper takes up a lot of space and is really heavy. It takes up valuable packing and shipping space that you can use on items that you really want to bring with you across the ocean. 

The best way to reduce the amount of paperwork that you have to take with you is by scanning all important documents so that you can bring them with you in a compact, digital form. 

For example, if you are keeping paper copies on hand of all bills, those can all easily be scanned and placed in folders for each bill. You should also scan all of your tax documents as well as the supporting documentations for your taxes. If you have children, you can scan all of their artwork and schoolwork that they want to save as well. 

Try to convert everything you possibly can into a digital format and only keep physical copies of the things that you really need access to, such as identification documents and property ownership records. 

Once you have scanned all of your important documents, try to back them up in a few different formats. Keep one copy of your important files on your computer, save another to a hard format, such as a USB drive, and keep a third copy on the cloud. 

#2 Visit The Embassy Before You Leave

Before you move, it is vitally important that you double and triple check to make sure that all of your work permits and/or visas are all set-up. If you are moving for work, and your employer has ensured you that they have taken care of everything, you should still follow up on your own. 

The best way to make sure that everything is in order is by contacting or visiting the embassy for the country that you are moving to before you leave. That way, you can make sure that all of your paperwork is in place and ensure that you and your family have met all filing deadlines and understand any additional steps that you are going to need to take. 

This is also a good time to ask about rules for importing household goods into the country that you are moving too; you want to double-check that your international moving arrangements meet the laws and requirements of the country that you are moving to. 

For more information, contact local professionals like http://www.hollandermoving.com/.