Moving to the United Kingdom

Count flights, visa and health charges, your first rent and the deposit, and money to live on until your first pay or stipend arrives. Landlords usually want the deposit and the first month's rent before you get the keys.

Your new UK account can take days or weeks to open, so sort out how you will pay before you travel. A card that spends in pounds is one way. It is not the only one. A virtual card lives on your phone and works for online payments, and often in shops too. Some money apps let you hold pounds, or spend straight from the account you already have at home. Cross-border payment apps can turn your money into pounds in minutes. Set up at least two ways, in case one fails. For each, check the exchange rate, the fees, the monthly limits, and that the provider is licensed.

A bank asks for proof of who you are (your passport and your visa or residence permit) and often proof of your UK address. A letter from your university or employer can count as proof of address. Some banks open an account from their app with less paperwork.

Your credit history does not travel with you. In the UK you begin from zero. Paying bills on time from your UK account and keeping a phone contract in your own name both help. So does joining the electoral register, if you are eligible.

Look at the fee and the exchange rate together. A low fee can hide a poor rate. Compare how much arrives, not how much you send.

A new country brings surprise costs. An emergency fund is money set aside for those, so one bad week does not become debt.