If you are preparing to say good-bye to the Netherlands, there are a few simple things to do before you leave that can save you a lot of time and unnecessary costs. 5 months before moving Contact your local government office and de-register. If you don’t contact the authorities before you move then you are likely to continue to be billed for local and national taxes. In the same way, compile a list of the people, companies and services you need to contact before you go. Inform your landlord about your plans well in advance or if you own a house and intend to sell it start the process at least six months before your departure date. Contact your telephone company and arrange to have your phone disconnected by the time you leave and cancel your contract with your internet provider. Fix a cancellation date for the electricity, water and gas and contact any television, digital or cable television providers to cancel the service. If you have children, you will need to notify the school that you are moving at least 5 months in advance. Before thinking about relocating your pet, you will need to contact your vet to find out if you are permitted to take them to your new location and to ensure you are following quarantine requirements. 2 months before moving A good way to keep companies and family informed of your move is to order a moving service from your local post office. The service can be used to inform 250 commonly-used companies that you are leaving and it gives you free mail forwarding for a month to anywhere in the world. After the first 30 days you have to pay EUR 3.60 per week for delivery in Europe and EUR 6.95 per week for the rest of the world. Notify your doctor and request any records or healthcare items that you might need to go to your new country. Insurance, including private health insurance, car insurance, house insurance and any other insurance you pay for will need to be cancelled. The insurance company could continue billing you or just take the money directly from your account if you signed a direct debit and failed to inform them. Your bank will need to be notified and depending on where you are moving to you may have to deactivate and close your account. You should think carefully about when to close your account as your last wages may come in after you leave as will any outstanding bills. Although contacting a long list of companies can be a hassle, it’s better to confirm and double check everything is cancelled before you leave rather then returning for a visit and being met with surprise bills.