Preparing to go abroad includes securing important documents, making copies, and a lot of planning. It is vital to make copies of everything and keep it in a separate secure space. It is a great idea to take 3 copies of your passport, visas, and other paperwork that is facilitating your move. Keep one with you, one in an accessible, but safe place (ie safe deposit box), and one that is with a trusted relative of friend that can give you the information if something were to happen to you or the other copies.
If you are bringing pets with you, documentation is required and you will need to plan in advance. Taiwan is a rabies-free country which means the import of animals is tightly controlled. A strict dog/cat importation quarantine is enforced. Animals should be vaccinated prior to being imported.
This information is needed to receive a import permit document. This permit, along with the proof of vaccination, should be submitted upon entering the country and the animal entering quarantine. Quarantine usually lasts 21 days and the animal may be sampled and tested again for rabies antibody. If the rabies antibody is under 0.5 IU/ml, the dog or cat shall be re-vaccinate with inactivate rabies vaccine.
It is strongly advised that pets arrive in Taiwan on a weekday morning as pet customs is only open during business hours. If your pet arrives in the evening or on the weekend, you will have to wait until 9:00 AM the next business day to clear customs. If your pet is held at the airport, only you, the owner, will have access to the pet, and you will be responsible for providing food and water.
For more on official regulations, go to NTU Quarantine website.
On the home front, make sure all bills are paid or have a means of being paid. If you are retaining a residence while abroad, make sure the rent/mortgage is taken care of and that utilities are being paid while you are away. Insure that important institutions like your bank are able to reach you.
If you are retaining a bank in your home country, ask about fees for overseas transactions. If you have a credit card, find out if there are additional fees or any changes you need to make with your account. Inform banking industries that you will abroad so as to not arouse suspicious activity on your account as anti-theft systems can see this activity and put a most inconvenient hold on your account.
It is best to inform tax offices of any change in residency. Some countries have reciprocal tax agreements, and others may require you to pay some form of taxes both in your home country and aboard. Most National Tax Administrations are an excellent resource for exactly what steps to take when moving away. For more information, refer to our section on taxes.
For example, UK nationals should refer to the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) for details of managing their taxation payments and National Insurance contributions in the UK if they are living and working in Taiwan.
Standards of health are generally high and compare favourably with those in other countries.
All water should be regarded as being potentially contaminated.
For concerns about your health when abroad, the World Health Organization (WHO) publishes International Travel and Health which is revised annually and is available free online. Another excellent resource is MD Travel Health. It provides free, complete travel-health recommendations for every country and is updated daily.
Update 10/12/2010
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