8+ weeks before you fly
- Decide your visa pathway (see /guides/visa)
- Confirm passport has 6+ months validity remaining
- Start gathering proof-of-income / proof-of-funds documents
- Research compliant private health insurance options (required for most residence permits)
- Start researching neighborhoods, not apartments yet
4-8 weeks before
- Book short-term furnished housing for your first 2-4 weeks
- Apostille/notarize any documents your pathway requires in your home country
- Book flights with enough buffer before any visa deadline
- Set up international banking access (a card with no foreign transaction fees)
- Back up important documents digitally (passport, insurance policy, bank letters)
1-4 weeks before
- Confirm airport transfer or at least know the route from the airport
- Download offline maps and a translation app
- Notify your home bank/phone carrier of international travel
- Print physical copies of key documents — don't rely on phone access alone
Want the full step-by-step with timing dependencies?
The Full Sequence page lays out what needs to happen before what, not just a flat list.
Read the Full Sequence