- Make a list of companies and institutions that you need to contact... this means your insurance agencies (health, travel, etc.), your bank, your phone provider, make it as complete as possible.
- Visit their websites and see what their regulations are for you living abroad for an extended period. If there's no info on there, don't hesitate to contact them. Most will have no issue with it whatsoever, but then at least you have a good to-do-list before you leave.
- On health insurance: you will be obligated to keep your Dutch health insurance despite whatever insurance you pick while abroad, unless you get a job. In the UK, you will be eligible for NHS; for this, visit your closest GP, ask for the registration form and fill it out. It will take up to 8 weeks or so for your card to arrive in the mail including all your information, but from then on you won't have to worry about UK health insurance. Do be aware that you need to have a valid UK address and plan to live there for more than 6 months (no requirements on having lived in the UK before).
- On banking: it's best to inform your bank that you'll be living abroad, so they won't, for instance, block your debit card for unusual transaction patterns. Also, if you have ING, make sure your Dutch phone number is registered as '+31' so you can receive your TAN-codes wherever you are and change your phone number without hassle. I'm not familiar with other banks, but in any case it's best to just find the nearest branch, make a physical visit and ask about peculiarities.
In the UK, you'll most likely be subjected to a 3-month trial period on your bank account because you'll have no credit rating whatsoever. In order to open a bank account, bring your passport and just to be sure bring a letter from your uni addressed to you on your UK address, so a) you can show you ARE in fact studying there and b) the bank will know it's a serious address on which you really live. The UK has no such thing as our GBA, so in a sense serious mail addressed to you on your address is the only way for any company or institution to know that you actually do live there and aren't just faking it. Also, they'll prefer it if you register a UK phone number but since you won't be able to get a UK phone subscription without a bank account, they will usually accept a Dutch number. Change it to your UK number as soon as you've got one. - On phones: What you do with your Dutch phone is up to you. If you can, it's probably better to change it to a top-up plan if your subscription has run out, preferably one in which you can also top-up via internet or text, so you won't be stuck with Dutch subscription fees per month.
In order to get a UK phone, most phone companies will be very hesitant to sign you up for a subscription, because of your lack of credit rating, and you won't be able to get one at all without a UK bank account. From personal experience, I know 02 does subscriptions without a credit rating, but you'll have to pay a 100 pound deposit which you'll get back three months later (or can leave on your account so they'll take the subscription fee from the deposit in the months afterwards, until the deposit runs out).
You can also get a phone using a top-up plan. That's way easier, as you can spend as little as you want on the Sim-card and phone, won't have to suffer the credit check and can get it everywhere. - On the GBA: You can only get "uitgeschreven" from the GBA within five days of you moving abroad. Most likely, your municipality will allow you to do this online, for which you'll need a DigiD. Seeing as you have stufi, you have DigiD... if you don't, I suggest you get a DigiD NOW. You will need to de-register with the GBA.
- On DigiD: Make sure the number registered for text-validation is a +31 number so you can receive texts abroad and change your number if necessary.
- On stufi: DUO is wildly annoying when it comes to studying abroad. You'll need to make sure of a number of things. One of them is letting DUO know you'll be studying abroad, and you'll need to do this as soon as possible because it can take them up to 3(!) months to deal with your request, leaving you possibly without stufi for the first few months (you will get your stufi eventually, with retrospective effect, but your first few months are the most expensive and having your stufi then makes them much easier). You'll furthermore be eligible for the whopping extra 147 euros because your tuition fees are higher than the regulated Dutch fees, but in order to get this you'll need to send them proof of your tuition fees being that high. The acceptance letter from your uni (which'll specify this) will do. They'll also want to know your address abroad, but you can leave this empty until you actually know your new address. Do this stuff early enough and you won't have to deal with them very often. Email doesn't work, you'll have to call them if something goes wrong.
- UPDATE: On doing English language tests: If you've been at RA your English should be sufficient. Nevertheless, most UK unis still require you to take a TOEFL/IELTS (I think there's only a handful that waive them, among them Oxbridge... I think.), despite the letter that you've received education in English for three years and even if you have a letter from a professor supporting your English proficiency. Take the test as soon as possible. TOEFL is in Arnhem, in a place that takes forever to find, and it really isn't very difficult if your English is relatively decent. Basically; if your English was good by RA standards, you'll get a good score on the TOEFL without practicing (heck, you'll have been practicing for three years).
- The key to everything is start early. Not because you have to, but because that way you'll have a time-margin to deal with the bureaucratic stupidity that comes with most companies and institutions.
If you're thinking of studying abroad next year and I haven't covered it here, feel free to contact me or comment below... and GOOD LUCK! :)
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