You have chosen to move to the Baltics; the house has been bought, the language books have been boxed, and you are ready to begin your new life abroad. Whether you have chosen to live in Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania, one thing is for sure; you will have a lot to organise once you get there!

1) Learn the language. Not enough emphasis can be put on the importance of trying to learn the language of your new country. Even learning basic words can help you get by on a day-to-day basis and will earn you respect with the local people. The people of the Baltics can appear hostile on the outside, but the truth is that once they get to know you, they will open up a bit more, what better way to do this than to learn their language!

2) Get a residency permit. People moving to the Baltics from the UK are permitted to stay for three months without a visa. After this time you will need to apply for a residency visa. The visa will be issued for a certain length of time, usually 1-3 years, after which time is can be re-issued. Upon receipt, a valid health insurance document may be asked for. This is to ensure that you are not staying in the country for the sole purpose of receiving health care or treatment.

3) Register with a doctor/dentist. It is important to register with a doctor and dentist and introduce yourself to them, should the time come when you need them. As a general rule, you have a free choice of which doctor and dentist you use in your area, providing they have space. You should however make sure that whoever you choose is funded by the state budget, otherwise you could find that you have some bills to pay! You might also want to think about private healthcare in case something goes seriously wrong, as many treatments may not be covered by the public health sector.

4) Find childcare. It is extremely difficult to find nursery places in the Baltics; this is due to the funding for existing day care centres being abolished, particularly in Latvia. It is more likely that you will have to fork out money for a private nanny or au paire for your child(ren) if you want them to be looked after properly.

Things are not going to be easy, however think of the reasons why you moved in the first place and remember that nothing lasts forever. The stressful times are most likely going to be outweighed by the long term benefits in the long run.