Moving to Scotland – Practical Things You Should Know

So you decided to move to Scotland and probably already have your visa secured, know more or less in which part of this great country you want to live and are looking forward to your new life in Scotland. But there are a few things you have to think about before making the move, especially if you move from overseas.

Appliances

If you plan to bring your appliances with you, you should know that the voltage in Scotland is 220-240 volts opposite to U.S: and Canada voltage of 110-120 volts. So before bringing your fridge or washing machine make sure that it can adapt to the higher voltage as otherwise you will need a transformer, which can be a pain and you will have to be very careful about volts and watts. So if you can let go of your appliances it might be best to sell them in your home country and buy new ones in Scotland.

TVs and DVDs

If you want to bring your TV set or DVD player, don’t, unless you only want to watch the DVDs you brought with you. There are different Regions for DVDs and DVD players, USA and Canada being Region 1 and Europe being Region 2.

Furthermore there is the NTSC and PAL systems on video players and TVs, NTSC is the U.S. standard that was adopted in 1941 as the first standardized television broadcasting and video format that is still in use. NTSC stands for National Television Standards Committee and was approved by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) as the standard for television broadcasting in the U.S. while PAL is the dominant format in the World for analog television broadcasting and video display and is used in the U.K., Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, China, India, most of Africa, and the Middle East.

Pets

If you want to bring a pet from the U.S. or Canada to Scotland your cat or dog need

• a microchip
• a rabies vaccination
• a blood test – the vet must take the blood sample at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination (the date of vaccination counts as day 0 not day 1)
• a third country official veterinary certificate
• a tapeworm treatment (for dogs only)

You must wait 3 calendar months from the date the blood sample was taken before travelling. The vet must give you a copy of the test results. These must show that the vaccination was successful.

Pet rabbits and rodents from countries outside the EU must spend 4 months in quarantine. They need a rabies import licence.

In the UK, it’s against the law to own certain types of dog. These are the:

• Pit Bull Terrier
• Japanese Tosa+
• Dogo Argentino
• Fila Braziliero

Doctors and Dentists

Make sure you and your family have access to health care in Scotland by registering with a doctor, known as a General Practitioner (GP), shortly after you arrive. Your GP will often work alongside community health specialists like nurses and midwives. Where appropriate, they can refer you to hospitals or specialist clinics.

You can choose to receive dental treatment through the National Health Service (NHS) or a private dental centre in Scotland. However, private dental care is more expensive than the NHS. You are entitled to free dental care if

• you are pregnant
• have had a baby in the last 12 months
• receive income support or certain other benefits or

are 18 and in full-time education.

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