So glad to hear it's all come through! Can't wait to hear about your UK adventures! We absolutely love living in the UK!

WOO HOO!!! So very happy for you - and a HUGE relief given all you've gone through to make this happen. Wow, what a journey it's already been!

Best wishes as you settle in and hope you will update us about your adventures abroad!

This is great!! Bon Voyage, smooth trip, and safe Travels ...

awesome! Safe travels :)

UPS just delivered my paperwork and passport with the Visa taking up one of the pages!!! Hopefully everything will go more smoothly this time when I arrive at Heathrow on Saturday. Also included was a letter that I show at the UK Post Office to obtain my biometrics card with my NHS number on the back.

I'll post pictures to this thread once I'm there and settled!

So I'm getting settled in. There is a LOT more to relocating than just getting the Visa. It took 3 weeks and 6 trips to the bank to get a checking account!! My DBS background check, clearing me to work with children, only took a week. It was easy to get approved to work with children. But proving that I'm not a money launderer was much more difficult!!!

I took my Visa paperwork, my Residency Permit and my passport to the bank. My Visa paperwork is related to the Visa in my passport, so it can only be used for ID, not as proof of address. They said to come back with a letter from the Council showing that I am on the tax roll. OK.

My friend who owns the house calls in, has me added, we wait for it to come int he mail, and I take it to the bank. The young guy who worked there opened an account for me!!! Yay!! I took the account number to HR the next day- the last day I could get that to them and still get paid in September.

I get a call from the bank two days later. They said, "Sorry. It's addressed to the homeowner, not to you. Just because you're listed in the letter as living at that address, but it isn't addressed to you, it doesn't count as proof of address." <sigh> I had 10 days to get valid proof to them. They suggested a utility bill- but not a cell phone bill.

I took in my DBS background check when it arrived a few days later. It was issued by the Council (the same one with the council tax), addressed to me. The bank said, "Sorry. A DBS background check isn't on the approved list of documents." <sigh>

I had my friend add me to the electricity bill. A few days later, a letter comes in from them, addressed to me! I take it to the bank. They said, "It has your name, and address, but doesn't have the account number. This won't work as proof of address." <sigh>

I call the electric company and explain what I need. They tell me to go home, take a meter reading, and call them back. I do that, and they send me a bill a few days later. I take it to the bank. It has my address, and it has my account number. It is addressed to Ms. TCSparky. No first name or initial. So it won't work. I need it to have my first name or initial. <sigh.

I call the electric company back. Tell them I need the bill reissued. WITH MY FIRST NAME OR INITIAL. AND MY ACCOUNT NUMBER. They say, "No problem." And I wait for it to come in.

Nothing comes in, so I call them back. They said, "We can't just reissue the bill. We can send you a gas bill if you'll give us the meter reading. OK, fine. I give them the meter reading. I wait several days for the bill to come in. I take it to the bank on a Saturday.

Success!!!!!!!!!!!! I made it just on the last day to get the address verified. So I have now have a bank account that I can use. I can actually now use my debit card and withdraw money from my account. Hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hahaha! Oh man....what an ordeal! I'm sorry you had to deal with that. I had to jump a few hoops too, but I don't recall it being that much of a song and dance number when I opened my UK bank account.

I want to buy a car during the half-term break. Question for those of you who are / have lived temporarily in the UK:

Do I need to get a UK driving license? Whenever I have rented a car, my US driving license was considered valid. However, if I am a temporary resident (as opposed to a temporary visitor), do I need a UK license?

We had a similar bank issue when moving here! The UK banks do not love working with Americans because it means more paperwork for them (they have to report the accounts to the IRS) - so it's really difficult to get accounts. The paperwork juggle is crazy!

UK Driving License - you can drive on your US license for 1 year, then you are supposed to get a UK License. Start the process early because it can be quite lengthy (https://www.gov.uk/driving-nongb-licence -- more info here). It can sometimes be hard to find someone that will insure you here on your US licence and insurance is more expensive than in the US.

Taxes
 

OK, here is another question for those of you who have lived here or are living here now. How do I go about filing income taxes? For state taxes, would I file in the state where I lived until June? Or the state where I have official US residence but never earned income? And for Federal taxes, can I do it online, or should I get a CPA in the states to take care of it all?

What do you recommend?

Thanks!!!

Definately get a CPA. As for state taxes, each state is different, some tax your income from other states. I believe all tax your income earned in that state (if there are income taxes.)

Hard to believe I have been here for a full year now! I am finally getting around to getting the UK driving license. I have hired a Driving School to support me with this. They are SO nit-picky. For example, every time I transition to a new road (turn a corner, merge, etc), I have to make exaggerated head movements to show that I am checking all three mirrors. If the examiner doesn't see clear enough head movements, they will mark me down as having not checked all mirrors.

When turning onto another street, they have Give Way, not stop signs. OK. But sometimes I can't see well enough to just drive out into the street! So I stop or pause before making the turn. On the driving test, I can get dinged for pausing too long, because it endangers the other drivers behind me.

And don't even get me started on the round-abouts!! I don't think ANYONE actually knows what to do in those. It looks like an automobile free-for-all!

Wow! I can't believe it's been a year either!


Haha....I did that on my California driver's test way back in 1993. The driving school drilled it in to us that we would be marked down for "not looking" before proceeding through an intersection and advised us to make sure the examiner saw us checking. On the day of my driving exam, I came up to the first 4-way intersection on the test. I came to a full stop, looked left, right, and then left again like I'm supposed to. Except, the examiner was also looking down the cross street to make sure it was clear. So, when I was looking right, he was also looking right and his back was towards me. I panicked, because if he was looking away from me, then he might not have seen my head movements and I didn't want to get marked down. So, with exaggerated head movements, I quickly looked left-right-left one more time. I then got marked down for being too cautious. LOL! (I still passed though!)

Glad you are having a great experience so far!