Preparing To Leave

Before Leaving the Philippines

1. Maximize your luggage - need I say more. We didn't bring any appliance except for a DVD player due to fear that it won't play my Region 1 DVDs. You can buy multi-region as low as A$150 (around 6k). There are other models/brands who can go as low as A$69. In hindsight, I should have bought one here. Assures me that it is an all-region DVD, I don't need a transformer (my DVD player is 110V).
   
2. Driver's License - make sure that you have renewed your license before leaving the country. If you have not kept your old O.R. you better get a certification from LTO (we live in Makati but my brother was asked to go to the head office in East Ave.
3. Medical Records - it doesn't hurt to bring some documents from your current doctor especially if you have a specific ailment. If you have a baby, get a certification of all the immunization he/she received. Once you arrive, just show it to a doctor so he can update your child's record with Medicare. Having an updated record helps you to get some Child Care Benefit (CCB through Centrelink).
   
4. Keep your old credit cards and find a way to have someone to pay for it - while starting up a life in a new place, you don't know if you will be given a credit card at once unless you get a job fast. It doesn't hurt to have some extra credit while trying to be prudent with purchases. Organize also someone to pay your bills while you are away. Better if you bank on the same company providing the credit card, you may be able to pay for it online.
   
5. Keep your philippine phone number and have it on roaming - when we arrived and tried to apply for a mobile phone, you need to show several documents. Some may take some more time to acquire like a drivers licence, a billing address, etc.
   
6. NSO Document - have at least one copy so you have an original certified copy. Once in a while you will be asked by a govt agency a proof of birth and your birth certificate and passport are a sample of documents you will be able to show.
   
7. Shipping items - we ended up shipping several items from Manila - my daughter's toys, kitchen stuff like plates, glasses and cookware. Most were relatively new so it seems a waste to sell it cheap and buy a new one here. We did bring most of the clothes and shoes that didn't fit our luggage. Take note also of the cost involve to have it shipped. You pay the forwarder in Manila to have it shipped, when it arrives in Sydney, you need to pay some amount to have it cleared through customs fee in customs depends on how many boxes. You don't need a customs broker to handle it for you. It is quite easy to handle. Of course when the broker in Sydney talks to you, they will say it is difficult
1. You get a notification from the broker on the date of actual arrival of the shipment
2. You pay the broker the fee required and get the documents you need to have it cleared in customs. We paide something like A$240. If we got their service to clear it through customs, they were charging me A$1200 delivery was another A$100. Doing it myself just caused me some manhours to take care of it, nothing else.
   
3. Go to the Customs Office and bring the necessary documents. If your items needs to go through quarantine, then you need to pay extra. So what we did is we didn't bring any items like wood and food/fruit related so we are sure we are free of that requirement. Once custom will stamp your document that it is cleared.
   
4. Go to the shipyard where your boxes are located and bring a vehicle that can fit your shipment. We ended up hiring a removalist (lipat bahay service) since we shipped about 14 boxes. Another option is hire a van (if you can drive or have a friend who can drive a van. Removalist worked for me to minimize lifting and we also picked up some items along the way that we bought from a friend so we sort of maximized their service.