About Time2Settle

Currently Lives:

Citizen of:

United States

Some Forum Posts:

Jamaica: Move to Jamaica?:

Hi, The last time I posted (2 years ago) I was about to move to Buenos Aires. Well, I finished that assignment and am contemplating a relocation to Kingston, Jamaica. Everything I read or hear about Kingston is does not paint a rosy picture and gives me the impression that I should steer clear and not make the move. Can anyone give me some insight? I am a single woman and want to be sure I will feel comfortable there for a few years before I go any further with the opportunity. Thanks much for your input. FMF

India: Question re: shipping house contents to India:

Neeper2, I can tell you that I have experience moving in and out of India and without representation, it is no easy feat. I would start by asking a couple of questions: Are you heading to India on your own rather than a relo for work which is so common these days? And, are you a US citizen or by chance do you or your wife have an Indian passport? The latter will make a world of difference, literally. If you are a US citizen, you are going to need to get the proper visas for long-term stay and then you are going to need a national ID type of document. Until you have the proper paperwork, you will not be able to get your goods out of Customs -- even an air shipment will be a problem unless you can have the things shipped to someone living in India. I was lucky to move on a great expat relocation package, so I had representation for processing my visa and other documents and someone to facilitate the shipping and receiving and the release from Customs. You do have to show up in person, but having someone with you at Customs and the Police Station is something I would not have done without. Also note that if you are going in with a US passport and are staying long-term, you are giong to be required to get an AIDS test. I had the relo company arrange for a doctor to come to the hotel I was in (I hadn't moved to my apartment yet) so that I did not have to wade through the process in the very busy hospital. If you can arrange this for yourselves, I would recommend it. All of this sounds like it could be very expensive, but in reality, it was just a few hundred US dollars. Well worth the expense. I have moved to other countries and was not required to go in person to sit through the inspection of my household goods, but I have had to go to the police station to get my national ID card/papers. Without someone to accompany me as my representative, I am not sure I would have made it through the process. I was not happy when the Customs Inspector was laying my belongings on the warehouse floor, but when he got to my underwear, I lost my cool. Electronics are heavily taxed and other goods are taxed as well, but not as much as electronics. Shipping is costly, but it will depend on the container size. You might want to contact a few relocation companies if you are on your own with this move to see what their processes are and how much they charge. Moving from the US to India will be expensive, but the on the ground work in India is a minimal expense. Good luck! Time2Settle

Date Joined:

6/28/2003

Total Posts:

2

Posts/Day:

0.00