An ordered plan for the first month: address, residence card, tax number, bank account, SIM and utilities, health cover, driving licence, school and documents, with the deadlines that cannot be missed.
In brief
The first 30 days decide how smooth the next year is. Do the legal basics first (address registration, residence card, tax number), then the things that depend on them (bank account, SIM and utilities, health cover), and put the driving licence on a calendar, because its grace period is often only 6 months to 1 year. Deadlines differ by country and by passport. This page is a framework; the six country checklists below give the local specifics. Position as of 6 November 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.
Why the order matters
Almost everything you need in the first month asks for something you do not have yet. A bank wants proof of address and a residence document. A utility contract wants a bank card. A residence card appointment wants a rental contract or a property deed. If you do these in the wrong order, you queue twice.
The safe sequence is always the same: first your legal status and proof of where you live, then identity numbers, then money, then everything that is paid or insured through that money. The checklist below follows that order, in four blocks of roughly a week each.
Keep one folder, paper and phone, with every paper you receive. Officials in most countries ask for the same five or six documents again and again, and the person who can produce them in one minute finishes in a day what others finish in a month.
Before you leave: the folder
Take originals and two sets of copies of: passport (and the passports of every family member), marriage and birth certificates where relevant, diplomas, driving licence, medical records you may need to show, and the documents behind your move: the purchase deed or rental contract, the residence permit approval, the work or study contract.
Documents issued in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan or Ukraine usually need an apostille or legalisation and a certified translation before a foreign office accepts them. Do not translate everything in advance: translate what you will actually be asked for, and use a sworn translator from the destination country where that is required. Our guides on the documents cover the detail: apostille and legalisation, certified translations, and the documents from Russia and the CIS.
Also write down the date and place you entered the country. In some countries a clock starts at entry (for the driving licence in Georgia it runs from your last entry), and a stamp or a border app record is your proof.
Days 1 to 3: status, address and proof
1. Confirm your legal status. Know on which basis you stay: visa-free entry, a visa, a residence permit, or a residence permit in progress. Write down the date it ends and the date by which you must act. 2. Register your address if the country requires it. In many countries it is an obligation within days or a few weeks of arrival, and the landlord or owner must cooperate. The country checklists give the local deadline. 3. Keep proof of where you live: the rental contract or the deed, with your name on it, and a utility bill as soon as you get one. Banks and offices accept these over almost anything else. 4. Get a local phone number. A tourist SIM works for a week, but many services send codes to a local number, and a contract in your own name is another paper trail.
Days 4 to 10: residence card and tax number
Book the appointment for the residence card and biometrics the moment your status allows it. Slots in popular places can be weeks away, and some deadlines count from the date of entry rather than from the date of your appointment.
Apply for the tax number that the country uses (for example the NIF in Portugal, the tax number in Cyprus, Spain's NIE, Georgia's personal number). It is usually the key that opens the bank, the utilities, the car purchase and a later property sale. Ask whether you can get it before you hold a residence card; in some countries you can, and it saves a week.
Learn your tax position early. If you spend more than about 183 days in a country, it can treat you as tax resident, and the country of your passport may still tax you as well. Read our overview of tax residency when relocating before you sign anything that depends on it.
Days 11 to 20: bank, phone, utilities and payments
Open a resident account as soon as you hold the documents the bank asks for. Expect questions about the source of your funds, and expect that holders of Russian and Belarusian passports get extra checks in many EU banks. We cover documents, typical refusals and alternatives in the article on a resident bank account abroad; for the checks themselves, see bank checks for Russian citizens living in the EU.
Set up utilities, internet and household payments in your name, and pay by card or transfer so there is a record. Cash leaves no paper trail and makes the next bank questionnaire harder.
Plan how money moves: salary or savings in, rent out. Large transfers should have a clear paper explanation (a sale contract, a salary statement, a gift deed). Do not split a large amount into small transfers to avoid questions, because banks look for exactly that pattern.
Days 21 to 30: health, driving, school and documents
Health cover. Do not rely on travel insurance beyond the visa-free stay. Find out whether you must enrol in the public system, buy a private policy, or both, and what your residence permit requires. The next article in the series goes through this in detail.
Driving. Look up two things this week: how long your home licence stays valid after you become a resident, and whether your country exchanges it or requires a new exam. The grace period is often as short as 6 months and sometimes up to 1 year, and after that you may be uninsured. Details by country are in the driving licence guide.
School. If you have children, enrol early: popular schools fill up, and some systems require documents translated and a language assessment. Our guide on schools and education when relocating abroad covers the options.
Documents and translations. Order the translations you now know you need, not before. Keep digital scans of everything, and a list of what has been legalised and when.
What depends on your passport
Rules differ between Russian, Belarusian, Kazakh and Ukrainian passports, and also depend on where you move.
- Russian and Belarusian passports usually meet more checks at banks and sometimes longer processing for residence, because of sanctions-related screening. Prepare the source-of-funds papers in advance.
- Kazakh passports often enter visa-free in a number of the popular countries, but the permitted stay and the rules for working differ, so check the residence basis before you rent long-term.
- Ukrainian passports in the EU may be covered by temporary protection, which gives its own rights and a different set of deadlines. Check your status with the local migration office.
- Dual citizens: tell each authority which passport you use, and be careful that the same person does not appear with two different names.
None of this replaces a check with the local migration office or a lawyer in the country.
Deadlines you cannot miss
- Address registration: often within days to a few weeks of arrival. Check the local rule.
- Residence card or permit: the application and biometrics date, and the end date of your current stay.
- Driving licence: as short as 6 months after you become a resident in Germany, 185 days in Poland, 1 year from your last entry in Georgia, 6 months to 1 year in Turkey, and 90 days in Portugal for some licences. Details are in the driving guide.
- Health insurance: from the day your residence is granted or your public enrolment becomes mandatory.
- Tax: the first filing date in your new country, and any filing in your old one.
- School enrolment: the application window for the next term.
Seven common mistakes
1. Letting the grace period on the home licence run out without checking the local rule. 2. Registering the address late, or not at all, and then being unable to open an account. 3. Relying on a tourist SIM and a hotel address for months. 4. Paying cash for rent and bills and having no paper trail for the bank. 5. Translating the whole archive instead of the few documents that offices actually ask for. 6. Ignoring the tax residency rules because "I still pay tax at home". 7. Buying a car or signing a long contract before the residence card is issued.
Country checklists
We are preparing a first-30-days checklist for each of the main destinations. Start with the one that matches your move:
For the detailed topics, see health insurance and doctors after moving abroad, the driving licence guide, a resident bank account, and the existing guides on relocation and settling in, relocating with family, schools and tax residency.
FAQ
Do I need a residence card before I open a bank account? In many countries yes, or at least proof that your application is under way and a proof of address. Some banks open a non-resident account on a passport and an address, but it often has limits. Ask what the bank accepts before you book.
How soon after arrival must I register my address? It depends on the country. The usual range is from a few days to a few weeks, and the landlord often has to take part. The country checklists give the local deadline; if in doubt, ask the municipality on your first day.
Can I keep driving on my home licence? Only for a limited time after you become a resident, and the limit differs sharply between countries, from 90 days to 1 year. Check the rule in the first week, not the last.
Do I need health insurance on day one? Yes, in practice. Travel insurance covers a short visit, not residence. Your residence permit may require a specific policy, and public enrolment may be compulsory.
Is this legal advice? No. It is a practical framework as of 6 November 2026. Rules change and differ by passport, so confirm with the local authority or a lawyer.