GarciaLeave a comment

Cat de socanta e vremea in Anglia UK pentru straini ca noi?

How shocking is the weather in UK England for foreigners like us? English article here

M-am născut în România și am venit în Marea Britanie din Marsilia Franța și vremea in Anglia UK, de aici a fost un șoc complet pentru noi. Chiar dacă am fost avertizați de prietenul nostru care locuiește aici și, în ciuda faptului că am venit în vizită înainte de relocare pentru a cerceta locul, tot am fost loviți puternic de acesta. În mod remarcabil, în timpul vizitei noastre aici, nu a plouat aproape deloc, așa că cine lucra acolo sus la discursul de convingere, a făcut o treabă foarte bună.

Deci, practic, cam asa este Iarna în Anglia Marea Britanie:

Continue reading “Cat de socanta e vremea in Anglia UK pentru straini ca noi?” →

GarciaLeave a comment

UK Cum sa iei permis de rezidenta Settled sau Pre Settled Status

UK Residence – How to apply for Settled or Pre Settled Status

Corona Virus e in toate stirile acum, dar haideti sa nu pierdem esentialul pe termen lung. Cine nu are Settled sau Pre Settled Status, dupa 31 Decembrie 2020 nu va mai avea dreptul de a locui si munci in UK. Desi oficial guvenul UK a spus ca termenul limita pentru aplicare este de 30 Iunie 2021, asa ca nu stie nimeni sigur ce se va intampla dupa revelion. Mai sunt 8 luni asa ca aveti timp destul.

Procedeul e simplu si rapid. Va trebuie doar o adresa de email, un numar de telefon mobil de UK, un telefon cu camera care suporte aplicatia EU Exit: ID Document Check , pasaport electronic (cu chip), numarul NINO si posibil vi se cere si un act de dovada rezidentei (factura de utilitati, extras bancar, formularul P60 daca sunteti self employed). Se poate face si fara aplicatia de pe telefon, dar asta presupune sa trimiteti actele in original prin posta, un procedeu care dureaza mult mai mult si este si mai riscant. De asemenea recomand neaparat folosirea pasaportului cand aplicati. Puteti face si cu buletinul dar am auzit multe cazuri cand au fost intarziati destul de mult cu acordarea de Settled Status mult datorita procedurii de verificare a Cartii de Identitate Romanesti.

Continue reading “UK Cum sa iei permis de rezidenta Settled sau Pre Settled Status” →

GarciaLeave a comment

One Week in Valletta Malta

Malta, a small and beautiful island in the middle of the Mediterranean. It is a destination known to every sailor around the world. Due to it’s central location, today it is an International hub for container transshipment, and also a major financial hub. Although I had the opportunity to visit the port many times, due to the short stay in the port (usually 12 to 18 hours), I never had time to really enjoy the island.

That is until the summer of 2016 when due to an unexpected engine problem, we were instructed by the shipowner to go to the Palumbo shipyard in Malta. When I started to plot the route, to my surprise I saw that the site is located straight in the heart of Valletta harbour, the capital of Malta.

The entrance to the bay was very narrow, the pilot carefully maneuvering our 300 meters ship through the walls and medieval fortifications of the entrance to the port of Valletta. But at the same time, this does offer some very nice views, being the same views as the tourists on the cruise ships enjoy when they come here.

Continue reading “One Week in Valletta Malta” →

GarciaLeave a comment

Expat Marriage in England UK – procedure and costs

Unlike in Romania, the expat marriage in England UK procedure is a very simple one that does not imply headaches. Remember the article about how complicated it was to get PACS or married in France? Well, unfortunately It’s just as complicated in my home country Romania as well. We initially wanted to have the civil marriage ceremony in Romania but I was surprised to find that in our country besides the usual pile of papers requirement, you are also required to provide a “Prenuptial Medical Certificate”.
This supreme idiocy is required only in our country, and consists of a certificate obtained based on results of blood tests, that prove you do not suffer from any serious illness such as HIV, Syphilis or TB. This certificate issued by most clinics is valid for 14 days but must be submitted within 24 hours to the Register Office! So once you have it, run quickly to the Register Office, submit the application, and then you must wait at least 10 days to get married, but no more than 14 days, otherwise your prenuptial medical certificate to expire! Makes perfect sense, right? Only in a banana republic like Romania it does yes.

I searched the internet for a logical explanation regarding why you have to wait 10 days, but I could not find any. If anyone can explain this ridiculous request to me please do.

Overall, it seems that we had to take a minimum of 3 weeks leave for this event, so we decided to get married in England UK.

In the UK, unlike Romania, the Expat marriage in England UK procedure is very simple: you have 3 steps to follow, you pay 2 fees, show up with your passport and proof of address and soon you will be married. Let’s see these steps:

Continue reading “Expat Marriage in England UK – procedure and costs” →

GarciaLeave a comment

Casatorie in Anglia UK – Procedura si Transcriere Certificat Casatorie

Expat Marriage in England UK – procedure and costs – English Article

Spre deosebire de Romania, procedura de Casatorie in Anglia UK e una foarte simpla ce nu presupune multa bataie de cap. Mai tineti minte articolul despre cat de complicat era sa faci PACS sau sa te casatoresti in Franta? Cam la fel de complicat e si in Romania din pacate. Am vrut initial sa facem cununia civila in Romania dar am aflat cu stupoare ca in tara noastra pe langa mormanul obisnuit de hartii, ti se cere in plus si un “Certificat Medical Prenuptial“.

Aceasta idiotenie suprema se cere numai la noi in tara, si consta intr-o hartie obtinuta pe baza de analize de sange care sa ateste ca nu suferi de vreo boala serioasa de genul HIV, Sifilis sau TBC. Certificatul emis de clinica e valabil 14 zile dar trebuie depus in maxim 24 de ore! Mergi repede cu el la Casa Casatoriilor, depui cererea, si dupa trebuie sa astepti minim 10 zile ca sa te casatoresti, dar nu mai mult de 14 zile pentru ca iti expira certificatul medical prenuptial! Are logica perfecta nu? Doar intr-o republica bananiera ca Romania da.

Continue reading “Casatorie in Anglia UK – Procedura si Transcriere Certificat Casatorie” →

GarciaLeave a comment

How to get your UK Provisional Learner Driving License

Obtaining an UK Provisional Learner Driving license for those who do not have it, is often a priority for every new arrival here. Without it you often cannot apply to many jobs and in general, in this country it’s very difficult to get any daily chores done if you do not have a car. Furthermore, I also noticed that commuting by public transport is more expensive than commuting by car.

If you have an EU driving license, the process is quit simple. Any EU driving license is valid here. If you want, you can change it to a UK one quite easy. If you did not come with a driver’s license here, it’s not a problem, the procedure for obtaining one it’s relatively simple here.

First you apply for the UK Provisional Learner Driving License. With this license you can drive anywhere in the country except the motorways (the roads that start with the letter “M”) as long as you are supervised from the left seat by an experienced driver. You have be registered as a Learner driver on the car insurance. The experienced driver who supervises you must also be registered on the insurance of the car, must be at least 21 years old and have a driver’s license (UK or EU) for at least 3 years.

The driver who drives with a provisional learner permit must have displayed 2 square signs with the red letter “L” placed somewhere in a visible place in the front and on the back of the car. I recommend the magnetic ones because they do not leave permanent traces on the car.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is L-Plate-Size.gif
Continue reading “How to get your UK Provisional Learner Driving License” →

GarciaLeave a comment

UK Cum sa obtii permis de conducere provizoriu Anglia

How to get your UK Provisional Learner Driving License – ENGLISH article

Obtinerea unui permis de conducere provizoriu Anglia pentru cei ce nu au este deseori o prioritate pentru toti care ajung aici. Fara el deseori nu poti aplica la multe locuri de munca si in general in tara asta este foarte greu sa iti rezolvi diferite treburi zilnice daca nu ai masina. De asemenea am observat ca naveta cu transportul in comun este mult mai scumpa decat mersul cu masina personala.

Daca ai permisul de conducere din Romania, treaba este simpla. Orice permis de UE este valabil si aici, si daca doriti vi-l puteti preschimba in cel de UK foarte usor. Daca nu ai venit cu el din Romania, nu e nici problema, procedura de obtinere este relativ simpla aici.

Se aplica prima oara pentru Permis de conducere Provizoriu Anglia. Cu acest permis puteti conduce oriunde in tara cu exceptia autostrazilor (cele care incep cu litera “M”) si atata timp cat sunteti supravegheat din stanga de un sofer calificat si sunteti trecut ca sofer Learner pe asigurarea masinii. Soferul calificat care va supravegheaza trebuie sa fie de asemenea trecut pe asigurarea masinii, trebuie sa aibe minim 21 de ani si sa aibe carnet (UK sau UE) de minim 3 ani.

Continue reading “UK Cum sa obtii permis de conducere provizoriu Anglia” →

GarciaLeave a comment

UK NINO – How to get it and how long does it take to get it?

I notice that this is a wanted topic and in spite of Brexit (which apparently will not be happening), the world still wants to come here. NINO is the equivalent of our Social Security Number, and without it, you basically do not exist in the UK (England, Scotland, or Northern Ireland). You need it in order to pay your taxes and social contributions, and without it you can not work legally and you can not benefit from social or medical services. I will tell you how my experience was and the steps I took to obtain the NINO (National Insurance Number) in the UK.

Continue reading “UK NINO – How to get it and how long does it take to get it?” →

GarciaLeave a comment

UK Immigration: How much does it cost to relocate to England?

So you are thinking of coming to England and UK Immigration? Well if Brexit didn’t scare you off, here is a guide and a detailed list of expenses from my experience coming here. By the way, from the looks of it, as far as EU citizens are concerned there is nothing to worry about after Brexit. Things will pretty much carry on as usual for those who are already here before the end of 2020.

It’s now my second time moving to another country. My first experience was relocating to Marseille France. That time I had a lot of support from my employer with aspects and costs of relocation. In comparison now in England, I basically made it all on my own. Here is a chronological list of the expenses needed for immigration to England, UK. All costs are calculated for two persons as I emigrated with my girlfriend:

– Airplane Tickets: in my case: Bucharest – Manchester 286 EUR / 255 GBP (Great Britain Pounds) through Brussels Airlines, the price included 2 large hold luggage and one transfer in Brussels. Although we had the intention to take WizzAir’s low-cost company, we were surprised to find that the fares were more expensive on their website. It seems that all the Romanians are turning to this company lately and considering the fact that the fare price is calculated according to demand, you may find lower fares at the big airlines instead.

Attention: If using a Low-cost company, the price does not include hold luggage and must be payed separately. Be also very considerate of your final destination! The train in UK is very expensive if you buy the tickets on short notice, and the train ride from one of the airports near London to the city where you need to go, could turn out to be more expensive than the plane tickets;

Continue reading “UK Immigration: How much does it cost to relocate to England?” →

GarciaLeave a comment

FIRST 30 DAYS AS EXPAT IN ENGLAND UK

A month ago we were packing again our luggage to move to another country. After the very useful experience in France, we were now ready to move to England, UK. After living for a year in France, we left with mixed impressions. I knew we had to move somewhere where we speak the language and where we can really integrate into society, and I believe we could not truly achieve this there.

When the expiry date of my fixed-term work contract in France was approaching, I started looking for work options in England. After some promising interviews, I still had nothing secured, but I did had an invitation to come for a follow up face-to-face interview that seemed 80% sure. I took a risk and quickly bought a one way plane ticket. I was aware that if I came only for a few days visit just for the interview and somehow it failed, I would return to Romania with the tail between my legs and depressed and it would have been very difficult to ever come back. Fortunately, the interview here went well.

Continue reading “FIRST 30 DAYS AS EXPAT IN ENGLAND UK” →