How much money do you need to move abroad?

Stage six loadshedding is enough to push South African families who are on the fence about relocating, into considering it seriously. However, while the grass might look much greener abroad, the costs for getting you and your family to pastures anew can be quite a complex procedure and can quickly rack up.

Rough estimates show that it can cost a family of four a minimum of R300,000 to relocate to another country. Let’s break it down.

Paperwork problems

Applying for visas is probably the first step for most South Africans but the costs vary significantly depending on the chosen country and whether you are going down the work visa or permanent residence route.

Aside from the permit application fee, their other costs to consider too like agency fees if you are using one. There are also costs associated with biometrics, medical examinations, language tests, as well as police clearances, and verification checks on your qualifications. In some cases, there might be extra costs for translation services as well for couriers to get your passport and visas returned. Some of these costs are required upfront, whereas others are only payable later in the application process.

Online emigration portal Moovguide estimates the visa costs for four of the most popular destinations for South Africans – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK. It suggests a family of two adults and two children under the age of 18 will need approximately R220,000 for visa costs to Australia, R190,000 for New Zealand, R180,000 for the UK; and R80,000 for Canada.

Adding your things

If you’re thinking of taking your household goods then shipping can be a costly exercise too. Other costs include insurance and transporting the goods from your home to the port and you should also factor in the costs of transporting them from the port on the other side to your home.

There are plenty of removal experts who specialise in this, and most will have either offer you a 20 foot or a 40-foot container. Generally, the household goods of a one- to two- bedroom apartment will fit into a 20-foot container and will set you back approximately R95,000 to ship it to the UK or Canada. The costs to New Zealand and Australia are a little less, at roughly R80,000.

Not forgetting your furry friend

Cost to transport a pet will depend on its size as the rates from the airlines are submitted using the actual weight of the pet. ‘For a cat, you can look at paying in the region of around R29,000, a beagle would be R37,000 and a Labrador as much as R44,000,’ says Vaughn Kukard, operations manager at Animal Travel Services.

The timing of the pet move is important to consider too, warns Kukard. When relocating to the UK for example, a pet must be microchipped and vaccinated for rabies at a local vet first and then owners must wait a minimum of 30 days before taking them to have their blood drawn for the Rabies Neutralizing Antibody Titration Test (RNATT).

‘After this, you will need to wait 92 days or exactly three months before your pet will be able to enter into the UK Once they arrive in the UK, you will have to get their health certificate and heartworm treatment completed within 120 hours of arrival,’ he adds.

Kukard’s best advice is to avoid tips and advice from friends and social media and instead contract the services of an animal travel agent that knows exactly what requirements and costs are needed for your chosen country.