10 Things to Do When You First Arrive in London

I can guarantee that if you do these 10 things when you get to London, you will make your life easier down the track. For more tips, have a look at 20 apps I recommend you download to optimise your life in London.

1. Collect your BRP

Collect this from the nominated post office. This is your ticket to being in the country and you need to keep it safe. I’ve heard different advice on this but given how precious your BRP is and the fact that it costs ~£150 to replace I keep mine safe at home.

2. Get your sim

Giffgaff delivers sims internationally which will let you have connectivity on day one. The plan costs £10/month for 15GB data which is quite good value. It also offers free data roaming in Europe which is very useful when travelling.

3. Get money

If you can find someone who needs money in your home currency (e.g. to pay off a mortgage) you can cut out the middle man on exchanging currency. Otherwise Wise is best value, easiest way to transfer money.

4. Start searching for an apartment as soon as you can

At the moment, due to the gradual “end” of covid, competition for apartments is high and supply is low. Even in normal times I’ve heard that apartments get let very fast. Before you leave for London, try to shortlist areas you may like to settle. Have a look at this map of London to get an unofficial (and often fairly brash) perspective. Facebook community groups are also a good way to ask for recommendations based on your particular requirement (have a look at Aussies in London). I don’t recommend renting before getting on the ground because you won’t yet have a sense of the area. The top search sites are Rightmove, Zoopla and Onthemarket (monitor all three).

5. Register as an overseas voter in Australia

Unless there’s an election coming up soon, this isn’t critical but it’s helpful to do so you don’t forget (and get fined) when the time does come. For some reason, you can't do this while still in Australia

6. Get healthcare sorted

I recommend registering with Babylon as your local GP because it’s so easy to use and Telehealth is incredibly convenient. After registering you should get an NHS number within 12 weeks (but usually within 10 days), giving you full access to healthcare

7. Apply for a National Insurance Number (NIN)

This requires a wait of 12 weeks. I've heard of people getting it earlier but I'm now 9 weeks into waiting with no luck. You can still start working without a NIN, however you may be taxed at the highest level until it arrives. A tip: the UK tax year ends at the start of April and there's a tax free allowance up to £12,570 so if you move at the end or start of the calendar year and are getting more after-tax income than you expect, that may be why - yay!

8. Open a bank account

I highly recommend Monzo or Revolut. . Unfortunately a UK address is critical to open an account so don’t try to open this from Australia because they may lock you out permanently. Use a Citibank card and local cash in the interim. For full disclosure, the links above are referals from my own accounts so I'll get a small kickback if you click them.

9. Get an Oyster card

Top it up on the TFL Oyster app

10. Get a railcard

If you’re under 31, get a railcard and attach this to your Oyster card to get a 30% discount on off-peak tube rides