The Ultimate Moving Abroad Packing Checklist: 7 Do's & Don'ts

Congrats on your decision to move abroad! Your life will change in an instant, and all the stress you’re experiencing right now will be worth it in the end.

But at this moment, you need a moving abroad packing checklist from someone who has moved abroad already. I’ve learned so much during two international family moves: what to pack when moving abroad, how to pack to move abroad, and exactly what to leave behind.

Here’s my ultimate moving abroad packing checklist to ease your stress and give you an easy to-do list. I’ve made a printable version for you, too.

moving abroad packing checklist: colorful graphics of moving boxes with text: "packing checklist for moving abroad"

⬇️ Print The Moving Abroad Packing Checklist Here ⬇️

moving abroad packing checklist Download

What to Pack to Move Abroad: The Basic Do’s and Don’ts

packing list for moving abroad: packing basics of what to bring and what not to bring. Bullet list of questions to ask yourself when paring down and packing your home for an international move, with colorful graphics and text

Shipping goods internationally is expensive. My basic rule of thumb is: if it’s more expensive to ship it than to buy a replacement at your destination, don’t bring it.

Some shipping methods charge by volume, and some charge by weight. Make sure you know which one you’re using so you can pack accordingly.

📦 See the Full Guide to Shipping Your Stuff HERE 📦

Also important: consider the size of your new home. For me, I couldn’t bring my American furniture to London even if I could afford to – the oversized dimensions would never fit in a London flat.

What to Pack for Moving Abroad: The Non-Negotiables

If you pack these 3 essentials, you can lose everything else and your move will still go ahead as planned.

what to pack moving abroad: the absolute essentials of paperwork, ID, Visas, medications, and financial information. Colorful graphics illustrating these essentials with text

Here are the most important things you need to bring. Square these away first.

1. ⭐️ Essentials of What to Pack When Moving Abroad: Documents

Get a small accordion-type folder that can fit in your suitcase. Make copies of or scan:

Passports, Visas & Immigration Documents
Employment documentation
Banking records
Birth/Marriage/Divorce Certificates or Decrees
Medical Records, including vaccines
Asset records: property deeds, etc.

If you’re getting a storage unit in your home country, it may be a good idea to photocopy all these documents and keep a set there for redundancy or emergency.

I keep all these scanned documents on my phone in the Turboscan App, so I always have everything within reach just in case.

I also like to make color paper copies of all of my family’s passports and keep them in a separate bag than the actual passports (like your carry-on), just in case.

2. ⭐️Essentials of What to Pack When Moving Abroad: Medications

If you can, get a 3 month supply of medication from your pharmacy. It’ll take you a while to get established with a new doctor in your destination. Keep a week’s worth in your carry-on, and the rest in checked luggage.

3. ⭐️ Essentials of What to Pack When Moving Abroad: Financials

Make sure you have all your credit and debit cards, checkbook, and cash, along with bank statements.

What to Pack to Move Abroad: Room by Room Checklist

Got your essentials squared away? Cool.

Now let’s go through your house by category and I’ll tell you exactly what to pack and what to leave behind.

1. What to Pack When Moving Abroad: Clothing & Shoes

how to pack to move abroad: bedrooms clothing and shoes. Bullet point lists of what to pack in your suitcase and what to ship to your destination. Colorful graphics with text

Now is the time to ruthlessly Marie Kondo your closet. The sweater you haven’t worn in 2 years? You won’t wear it just because you’re in another country.

✅ Bring – Pack in your Suitcase:

About 10 days worth of weather-appropriate clothing & shoes, assuming you’ll have access to laundry at your temporary accommodation. Yes, you’ll wear the same stuff for a month, but who cares? You have enough to worry about already.

✅ Bring – Ship:

Your newly pared-down wardrobe and shoes. Remember, it costs a lot of money to ship things internationally; don’t bring things you don’t need.

❌ Don’t Bring:

Old clothes or shoes you won’t wear. This is the time to be brutal to your wardrobe: you will want to shop and reinvent your style when moving abroad. Trust me!

2. What to Pack to Move Abroad: Tech and Gadgets

✅ Bring:

Laptops and tablets, along with charging cables. Purchase power adapters before you leave. You can bring any dual-voltage items if you’re moving to a country with different voltage, like shavers, cameras, fans, humidifiers, etc.

❌ Don’t Bring:

Large electronics (like TVs), or single voltage items (these will blow out and break if your new country has higher voltage).

3. How to Pack to Move Abroad: Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the trickiest rooms for figuring out what to pack when moving abroad. My rule of thumb is: don’t bring anything super bulky, the wrong voltage, or super breakable.

✅ Bring:

Utensils, knives, dishes (if you want, though these can be heavy), basic pots and pans, smaller bakeware, towels & aprons, a small set of spices (just not in glass jars).

❌ Don’t Bring:

Kitchen appliances that are large – like microwaves – or that aren’t dual voltage.

Don’t bring huge roasting pans or baking sheets unless you know they’ll fit in your new oven. Don’t bring fragile stuff like stemware or liquids.

Check your destination country’s food entry policies for shelf-stable items, but in most cases it’s not worth it to bring these anyway.

4. What to Pack When Moving Abroad: Furniture

packing list for moving abroad furniture: bullet point lists with illustrative colorful graphics of what furniture to pack and what furniture to leave behind when moving abroad

What to pack when moving abroad when you have a house full of furniture?

Generally, it costs more to ship furniture than it does to purchase or rent new furniture at your destination. But if your company is paying for you to relocate, it’s up to you and the shipping budget.

✅ Bring:

Smaller pieces, if you want, like entry tables or coffee tables.

❌ Don’t Bring:

Very large or heavy beds, memory foam mattresses, or any oversized furniture like big sectional sofas or oversized dining tables.

5. Packing List for Moving Abroad: Home Comforts & Decorative Items

how to pack to move abroad: home comforts, decor, and sentimental items. Bullet point lists of what to bring and what not to bring with colorful graphics and descriptive text

What to pack to move abroad of all your many home decor items?

Only you can decide what to bring to feel at home in a new place: it’s a balance between sentimentality and practicality.

✅ Bring:

Bedding, throw pillows and blankets, small framed art & decor.

❌ Don’t Bring:

Plants (usually forbidden), mirrors, large art, or very valuable items (unless you have specific insurance).

6. What to Pack to Move Abroad: Bathroom Items & Toiletries

what to pack to move abroad: bathroom and toiletries. Bullet point lists with illustrative colorful graphics of what to bring and what not to bring from your bathroom when moving abroad

How to pack to move abroad for your bathroom can also be tricky.

What liquids you can ship totally depends on the moving company and destination, but in general, I say keep the bathroom stuff on the low side. It’s way more expensive to ship that shampoo than to buy a new bottle once you’re there.

✅ Bring:

Towels, brushes, meds, hair tools, first aid kit, etc.

❌ Don’t Bring:

Aerosols like hairspray (most moving companies forbid these), unsealed liquids, or anything that can explode or leak. Paper products like toilet paper are just not economical to ship.

7. How to Pack to Move Abroad: Home Maintenance & Tools

what to pack to move abroad: home maintenance products and tools. Bullet point lists of what to bring and what not to bring when moving abroad for tools and home repair.

If you’re a DIY-er like me, your packing list for moving abroad will include some tools and maintenance supplies. But what should you bring and what should you leave behind?

If you’re moving from a home you own to a rental, you won’t need the same set of tools and maintenance supplies. In my experience, a basic set of tools is just fine for starting out in a new place.

✅ Bring:

A basic set of tools: battery-powered drill & bits, screwdrivers & hex wrenches, pliers, wrenches, hammer, felt pads, command hooks, tape, zip ties, picture hooks, glue, etc. If you will have a garden you can bring a basic set of gardening tools.

❌ Don’t Bring:

Large tools or single-voltage power tools, toxic supplies or paint, large gardening tools like lawnmowers or leaf blowers.

What to Pack to Move Abroad: Final Tips

Ultimately, your packing list for moving abroad will be determined by your budget and space. Simply planning ahead is the best thing you can do, along with paring down your belongings.

In the end, you might be surprised by what you miss, what you really need, and what you totally forgot you owned. Remember, less is more!