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General Relocation Tips

Although of course you can never be 100% prepared for all that an international relocation will include, we hope that the following tips will help make the transition a bit smoother.

Documents

Legalized/Apostilled copies of the following documents should be brought with you:

 

  • Marriage and Divorce Certificates.     

 

  • Birth Certificates.

 

  • For U.S. retirees (Rentistas) letters from Social Security.

 

  • If planning to get a driver’s license- high school or college degrees, and driving records, if any, from your home state or country.

 

  • It is a very good idea to scan any and all important personal and medical documents and keep them digitally on your computer or USB as well as to back them up in the cloud using Google drive, Dropbox, or Amazon S3.

 

 

Language

  • It is not an exaggeration to state that learning as much Spanish as you can prior to arrival, may be the biggest step that you can take to minimize culture shock. Find the method(s) that works best for you and be consistent. With the convenience of online classes taught by Peruvian instructors via Skype, you can begin learning "Peruvian Spanish" even before landing at Jorge Chavez International Airport.

Clear Out

  • As is true with even relatively simple, across town moves, international relocation is the perfect time to sell, give-away or recycle the things that are not of real practical importance or sentimental value.  You may also want to consider digitalizing all music and movies to conserve on huge amounts of space. Consider getting a Kindle or similar product that allows you to download English and other language books that are much less readily available in Perú. On the whole you will be surprised how little you will miss most items left behind and will likely find the process freeing. In addition to having fewer items to pack, move and unpack, the actual shipping and insurance cost will of course be much less.

 

  • There are some items that may not be replaceable here in Lima, or will be worth shipping due to a high replacement cost, but often the opposite is true. Becoming educated on the average prices and availability of the things that you will require, helps your decision making process as relates.

Pre-Departure Education

  • Learn all that you can about Lima Perú and Latin American culture in general, via books and the Internet. Getting all members of the family involved will promote healthy discussions and help to ease the overall stress and fear of the unknown, as well as build excitement as the big day approaches.

Some of the most popular and informative websites include:

Costs

  • Find out current costs of the goods and services that you will require in your soon to be, new home country. Very often expats who have moved to Perú are unpleasantly surprised at the actual total cost of living in the manner in which they are accustomed. For example, while such things as food, domestic help and taxis are usually much less expensive than the equivalent in the typical expat country of origin, current rental prices and in particular the costs of suitable schooling are much higher than most expect.

 

  • NUMBEO is a very helpful website for getting a broad market idea of current actual prices in Lima as well as city to city comparative costs.

 

  • If you are coming to Perú as part of a corporate relocation, accurate price information for consumer goods and services as well as schooling, healthcare and the actual move itself, is vital in negotiating a favorable relocation package.

 

Banking

  • Banking in Perú is very different than in most countries. Here for instance, the use of checks is much less common, with cash deposits and bank wire transfers being the typical methods of exchange.

 

  • The banks here are not very accommodating to prospective new customers, and in fact as a foreigner, you many not even be able to open an account until you have a residency card. Either way, it is advisable to keep an account open in your home country, as you will likely need it at some point

Upon Arrival

  • It is suggested that as soon as possible after arrival that you register at your home country’s embassy or consulate. In the event that your need their assistance to renew or replace a stolen or lost passport, are arrested for whatever reason, or find yourself in any major problems while living in Perú, it is much better that they have your details in advance.

Adjusting to Life in Lima

 

  • Immediately start living like you will be here forever. Take language classes and join some the many expat groups that cater to all types and interests.  This is particularly important for a non-working spouse who can easily feel isolated in a different culture, without the ready-made network available in the work place. Taking these actions are the best way to quickly shake off the feeling that you are a fish out of water, not really a part of it all.

 

  • Of course, you will at times feel a bit homesick, but thankfully in this day and age we have the Internet to stay in touch with friends and family as well as to enjoy movies, television programming and books in your native language to help stay connected.

 

  • Prepare for the fact that this is a different culture and that you may, at least initially, become frustrated with the manner and the pace in which things are done, or perhaps not done, relative to where you are from.  It is tempting at these times to become judgmental and fail to recognize all the new, exciting and wonderful things that Lima and Perú have to offer.  If you want to be happy here, just shake it off and enjoy the ride.  No doubt, you are in for an adventure.

 Bienvenidos a Lima!

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