Russia - Expat Network

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Downtime In Europe

If your expat assignment takes you to Europe, why not travel to these recommended places in your time off? Get away from your work assignment and truly explore your new environment, its culture and unique sights. Istanbul, Turkey Europe and Asia meet in Istanbul, where breathtaking ancient architecture coexists with modern restaurants and nightlife. The...

Healthcare For Expats In Russia

Life in Russia is undoubtedly a unique experience for most expats. Russia is a distinctive country with a history strongly shaped by socialism – which, among many other things, has led to a healthcare system that provides a complete range of state-funded free medical services. But is this really as good as it sounds? Can...

Pöyry win Russian engineering pulp mill contract

LLC Siberwood has awarded Pöyry with the ‘Proekt’, i.e. permitting engineering assignment for the construction of a new integrated pulp mill in the Krasnoyarskiy region. ‘Proekt’ is an official stage in the approval process of construction projects in Russia. The assignment is to be completed by April 2016. The pulp mill will produce northern bleached...

Astaldi lands £765m St Petersburg contract

A 50-50 joint venture of Astaldi and IC Ictas has signed a €1.1bn (£765m) contract to build 140km of the Moscow to St Petersburg motorway in Russia. The Italian and Turkish contractors will carry out the design and construction of two lots of the motorway. The joint venture will work as general contractor and on...

Turkey’s Limak to build $236m airport in Rostov

Limak Construction in Turkey has won the tender to build an airport in the Russian city of Rostov, which is one of the host cities of the 2018 World Cup, according to a statement by the company. Limak has said that it would build the facility in a joint venture with a Russian partner, Marashstroy....

Hyundai HH wins Kaliningrad FLNG tender

Hyundai Heavy Industries, South Korea’s shipbuilder, has been awarded a Gazprom Flot tender to build a floating LNG terminal in Kaliningrad, Russia. As Interfax reported, HHI outbid its compatriots Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, and Samsung Heavy Industries in the tender, with a bid of USD 295 million. “The possibility of delivering LNG by sea will...

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.