Planning Your Move to Ireland

• • Getting to Ireland
  • Moving Companies
  • Packing

Getting to Ireland

Flights

Ireland has three international airports which are located in Dublin, Cork and Shannon. It will depend on where you are flying out of as to which airport options you will have available to you. Find out how to get to and from each airport in Ireland.

Ferry

You can get a ferry to either the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland. Ferries are a popular choice for those coming from Europe and wanting to bring their car with them. There are a number of ferry companies that operate services to Ireland from Europe.

Irish ferries depart from:

• • • Fishguard, Holyhead and Pembroke, Wales
    • Liverpool, England
    • Roscoff and Cherbourg, France
    • Cairnryan and Troon Scotland
    • Douglas, Isle of Man

Find cheap fares by using the comparetravel.ie ferry fare comparison website.

Moving Companies

Moving your personal effects to Ireland will not be cheap. Moving companies typically charge by volume. If you only have a small amount of items to ship then it may be cheaper to transport your items in a shared shipping container. If you have a lot of items, then it may be more cost effective to pay for an entire shipping container.

If you only have a small number of boxes to move, you may find it difficult to source a company willing to take on such a small job. But don’t give up, keep ringing around the companies and you will eventually find someone that will ship your goods. Prices vary wildly, so it’s worthwhile taking the time to get a number of quotes. I have not listed any moving companies because you would typically hire an international moving company based in your country who would then have a branch or contracts with companies in Ireland to deliver them to your new address.

Be aware that if you pack yourself, some moving companies won’t pay for breakages. If that’s the case, then you may be better off paying for the company to pack them for you. Also, if access to your current or new home is difficult, you may be charged more.

Be prepared to wait a long time for your shipped items to arrive in Ireland. When I moved from Australia, it took four months for mine to arrive! Depending on where your items are being shipped from, they may need to go through UK customs before being transported into Ireland. This can extend the shipping time.

Packing

When packing, make three piles:

1. Definitely taking with me
2. Definitely getting rid of
3. Undecided

If you have the time to begin sorting your belongings early, try packing up the ‘undecided’ items and putting them away for a while. Then, when you go through these ‘undecided’ items again closer to your moving date, it’s easier to make a final decision. Ask yourself, did you honestly miss any of it? If not, then do you really need to take it with you?

When it comes to your electrical goods you need to consider your options. You can get cheap adapter plugs in Ireland for about €2 from the bargain stores. You could also get the plug on your power cord changed. However, standard voltage in Ireland is 230V AC, so if your electrical goods don’t run on this voltage you will need to get converters for them.

If you are going to bring your vehicle with you, then you will be liable to pay vehicle taxes as well as the other costs associated with maintaining a car in Ireland.

If you are planning to take a fridge freezer with you, make sure that you allow enough time for it to be defrosted. Do not pack perishables like food, plants and flammable items.

Make sure any clothing or bedding packed is clean. If items are left dirty for a length of time, then they can form yellowy brown oxidation stains that are extremely difficult to remove. If this does happen to you, then try scrubbing the stains with:

• • • Soft soap (handwash)
    • Washing detergent
    • Shampoo
    • Lemon juice
    • Oxygen bleach made into a paste

After treating with one or more of these options (sometimes on tough stains I’ve been know to try all of them), soak the items in a diluted bucket of oxygen bleach. Don’t be tempted to use chlorine bleach on these types of stains as it will just set the stain and then you will never get it out.

Selling Your Unwanted Items

Getting rid of your unwanted stuff takes a lot of work and is time consuming. Take photos of each item and set a price. However, you will need to be flexible with the price if you want to get rid of things quickly.

Sell items of value online using Ebay, Gumtree etc… You can also try selling your items by posting or emailing the list through your work, your kids schools, and on community notice boards. Try and include lots of photos from different angles and measurements.

Schedule time to hold a garage sale. Make sure you advertise it via social media, local community sites and even putting signs out. On the day, make sure you lock up your house, secure valuables, and have someone to help you keep an eye on things. If you don’t like the idea of holding a garage sale, then take your items to a local car boot sale or flea market.

Important Documents

Scan or take a photo of all of your important documents and save them onto your own personal storage device and the cloud, e.g. Dropbox account, to ensure they don’t get lost.

Take this opportunity to scan all of your non-digital photos. It’s actually very cheap to get this done professionally. That way, if the originals get lost, at least you have a copy of them.

It’s safer to transport your most important documents with you in your carry on luggage to reduce the risk of them being stolen or lost. It also makes them easily accessible if you need them as you go through Irish immigration when you arrive in Ireland.

For example:

• • • Birth and marriage certificates
    • Insurance policies
    • Passport and immigration documents such as your visa and work permits
    • Your new employment contract
    • Employment records
    • Academic record and certificates
    • Medical documents such as vaccinations, medical, dental and optical records.
    • Property documents
    • Living will and testament
    • Bank account details and recent statements

If you do eventually decide to make the move to Ireland, then you need to plan well in advance. To assist you, use this detailed Moving Checklist.