The next steps before departure

The list of things to do before departure

Organize your move

Visa application

 Vaccines

Organize your move

Once our decision was made, many things had to be put into motion. First of all, we had to empty our house in Brussels. Indeed, we cannot go to India and still keep the house. Because what is certain for us is that we will not return to Brussels after the adventure. This is why we are selling the house. The uneasy decision to make has been made. And surprisingly we feel a kind of relief. But we must first sort out the house, designate what will go to India, and what will stay in storage. The next steps were the container in front of the house to empty the filth, the things for sale which were evacuated, the furniture we needed to bring back from Germany in order to be send to India and eventually the first move to a storage unit in Belgium.

Then we organized the actual move to India.
We asked four different companies to give us a quote.
Three answered us:
CROWN
SERVILE
INTEREM

The fourth one (PM Relocation) did not even bother to answer us despite several reminders.

We are still waiting to have the three quotes which we will send to the company my husband will work for and then the company will be the one to negotiate the final price.
You should know that most quotes are done virtually; you send photos and videos so that they can get an idea of the volume and then it is mainly on the basis of the volume that the price is given. But you will have to make an exhaustive list of everything you are taking with with the value indicated (this way the amount of the insurance can be calculated), I am posting an example of a list to be done below. Please note that for each household appliance or electronic device you need the article number and the serial number (both are indicated on the device itself). Regarding import taxes in India, it is not yet very clear... But in principle if your furniture and household appliances are "used", there is no tax. The futur will tell us if this is entirely true ;-).
Otherwise it takes more less 4 weeks (since the first contact email sent) to have the quotes in hand and then 8 weeks of freight (by boat). I have seen that some people have their belongings sent by plane but this concerns 3 or 4 m3 in volume. Generally for 20 or 30m3 (this is what furniture and household effects most often represent) it is sent by cargo. Do not send a car, boat, caravan or mobile home because it is very expensive in import taxes!

Visa application

In the meantime, we applied for our visa at the Indian embassy in Brussels. However, being German residents, we had to apply for our visas for India via Belgium because all work visas for India were sold out in Germany. You really have to arrange visas in advance because there is a quota of visas distributed and when there is no more, you have to wait until others become available. Sometimes it can take several months. In Belgium, at the Indian embassy, we came across a really nice person who helped us fill out the applications and collect all the documents. As it is a work visa, you need a ton of documents and each time in three copies, one for Gérald, one for Joséphine and one for me. Of course each person (even children) must be there in person to apply for a visa.

Pay attention, the visa office is NOT at the Embassy, chaussée de Vleurgat BUT chaussée de Louvain in Schaerbeek.

(India Visa Application Centre, chaussée de Louvain 467, 1030 Schaerbeek, Bruxelles. Tel +32 26270812 (Timings : 0800-1000 hrs. and 1400- 1600). 
 

Then, when the file is complete, you must leave your passport at the visa office and then collect it around 7 to 10 days later and the Indian visa is glued on one of the passport's pages…

Vaccines

We also had to manage the different vaccines.

These are not mandatory if you go to India as a tourist but if you settle there, it is a must have!

List of vaccines for India
The rage
Hepathitis A and B
Diphtheria tetanus pertussis
The dengue
Japanese encephalitis
Pneumococcus
Polio
Cholera
Thyphus
Meningeococcus
Measles rubella mumps

You should know that vaccines are expensive! Per person, it cost us around €750.
You must discuss this with your employer so that it is included in the expatriation package.
For the full round of vaccination, you need to allow at least 4 weeks, in fact, some vaccines are given in two shots and all the vaccines cannot be injected at once! In Brussels, we have the Travel Clinic which is specialized in this type of request. I think that in France it is the Pasteur Institute. It’s super easy, you make an appointment at the secretariat, specifying that it’s for a move to India. Then, the doctor will explain you everything you need to do in terms of vaccination during the first consultation while administering the first round of vaccines. Additionally, all vaccines are in stock.
Here in Germany, you go to your family doctor to get the vaccines but the downside is that they don't always have all the vaccines in stock.