FAQ and list of things to do wen moving from US to UK

Is there a FAQ or list of things with their order and timing that must be done to move from the US to the UK. I'm seriously considering a move from Boston, MA back to the UK after 35 years as an expat, I'm now a US-UK dual citizen. It will require the sale of a house, the shipping of its contents and the organization of the usual US DC pensions, investment accounts and bank accounts for access from the UK. The only things I have back in the UK are a UK state pension in a few years and some family. I'm looking for something that gives some timing for the major events. My baseline plan right now would be to get my house sold and the contents packed up by an international mover like Rainier, Suddath, or Humboldt before I leave for the UK and then maybe put things in storage for a month or so while rent a place in the UK where my stuff can be delivered and so I can start getting stuff like UK bank accounts, credit cards, and a photo drivers license sorted...I still have my paper one from 1980;-) Then take a 6 months to a year to buy a place and get finally settled.

I don't know of a FAQ thread on site but here is a few thinks I suggested to my daughter as she prepared to move back last year after 35 years away. (No particular order, just things to consider)

1. Create a Wise.com account, linked to your US bank with 2 currency accounts, in USD and GBP. It will provide US and a UK Routing and account numbers.  Very easy to bring money to England plus you can get a Wise GBP debit card to use while you build a credit score and get a UK credit card.

2. Create an online IRS account if you don't have one - much easier to do before moving back. 2FA can be via an authentication app called id.me which is what I use.

3. Create an online Social Security account if you don't have one. Again, much easier to do so while in the USA, 2FA via email.

4. When eventually you claim SS you will be asked if you are a USC and if not have to send in your US passport as proof. Much easier to do so while still in the USA, walk into a SS office. I made the wrong assumption that registering citizenship status with my employer, applying for a US passport, filing US taxes for many years as a USC, and also proving that I was a USC to apply for health insurance was enough. When we did apply to start SS through the US Embassy we had send in our passports to get the SSA to have us on record as USCs. (Even though payment of SS benefits is not dependent on being a USC)

5. Move any 401k employer plans to an IRA or check that you can full access to your company plans from overseas. This is a non-taxable event. When our son moved back in 2017 he quit his job in Texas and initiated the process, which completed after he arrived in the UK but it all worked well.

6. Have a forwarding US address if necessary. I keep a US credit card linked to a US PO Box so that I can buy TurboTax each year.

7. Add voice recognition and/or check how 2FA is set up for all US financial accounts. Vanguard accepts UK phone numbers as does our US bank (HSC) but many don't.

8. Convert mutual funds to their ETF equivalents where you can - this is a non-taxable event in most cases. Retirement accounts are no problem.  After tax accounts mean no qualified dividends or capital gains from MFs but Vanguard ETFs and hundreds of others are recognized by HMRC. If you have MFs with a blend of stocks and bonds then all dividends will be taxed by HMRC as regular income, but no excessive PFIC style taxes and penalties.

9. US phone number for use in UK.  I use a Skype number but there are other options. (All US toll-free numbers are free which is useful for calling banks, credit card companies etc)

10. Car insurance no claims statement and keep a copy of your last insurance certificate. Aviva will accept no-claims notices from the US, but most others won't.

11. Bring along copies of medical records and prescriptions

12. When you arrive you may want to look into private health insurance and we found the folks at Active Quote to be really good. https://www.activequote.com/


Fire away with more questions, I'm sure others will have some good advice

Durhamlad Thanks!

Can you expound on items 2) and 4) please

2) How does ID.me work. Doyou down lad something to a smart phone or PC?

4) I have an online SSA account and don't understand about having to go into a local office with my passport?

I've read that Google Voice won't accept 2FA codes. So if I put Skype on my UK iphone etc (when I get one) will I be able to enter my US Skype number
as my 2FA phone number on all my US accounts and receive codes in the Skype app?

Durhamlad Thanks!

Can you expound on items 2) and 4) please

2) How does ID.me work. Doyou down lad something to a smart phone or PC?

4) I have an online SSA account and don't understand about having to go into a local office with my passport?

I've read that Google Voice won't accept 2FA codes. So if I put Skype on my UK iphone etc (when I get one) will I be able to enter my US Skype number
as my 2FA phone number on all my US accounts and receive codes in the Skype app?

Id.me authenticator is a standalone app on a smartphone. I registered my account with the IRS from the UK so it is definitely available on the UK App Store.

I had an SSA account for decades and didn’t realize that the SSA did not know I was a USC. (I was Naturalized in 1998 and apparently I should have taken my Naturalization Certificate into an SS office to register myself as a citizen). I would call them to determine if they have you down as a USC. This is assuming you were not a USC when issued with your SSN.

I do have the Skype app on my iphone and can receive and send phone calls including voice and text 2FA verification codes. I just tried it now, and it works great.

Do you have any practical tips and advice about selling a home in the US, moving the furniture and contents and renting or buying in the UK. Planning for the house contents to be in storage for a few months seems like a sensible plan.

Do you have any practical tips and advice about selling a home in the US, moving the furniture and contents and renting or buying in the UK. Planning for the house contents to be in storage for a few months seems like a sensible plan.

Not really. We sold our house long before we had plans to move back to England. We became semi-perpetual travelers after selling our house in Louisiana. We moved into a rented apartment where we could “lock and leave”. In 2016 we set up a rental house in England planning to be snowbirds spending the summers here and the winters back in Texas. But after 6 weeks back we decided to move back for good. So, we didn’t need to move our furniture into storage as we already had a place. When our son and last year our daughter moved back they planned to move their furniture into a rental place in England but in both cases they had bought a house before their furniture arrived so it was put straight into their new home. It was the same with us, by the time our furniture arrived we had a house waiting to receive it.

To sell our houses in the USA (us and our daughter) we used the usual method of signing up with a Realtor who managed it all. Our son was in a rented apartment so no sale needed there.

You can also access ID.ME on a computer.   Just in case you don't carry a smartphone.