Before You Fly: A Checklist for a First Overseas Assignment
Most problems on a placement are decided before departure. A short list covers documents, health, money and what you agree with the people sending you.
Documents
- Passport validity well beyond the end of the assignment, and spare pages.
- The correct visa or work permit for what you will actually be doing.
- Copies of everything, on paper and stored online.
Health
- A travel health appointment in good time; some vaccinations need several weeks.
- Enough of any regular medication, with the prescription.
- Insurance that covers medical evacuation, and the emergency number written down.
The agreement
Read the terms of reference and the contract together. Check what is paid as salary and what as allowance, who pays for housing, what happens if the assignment ends early, and who you report to day to day.
Money
Tell your bank you are going. Carry two cards on different networks and a small amount of cash in a widely accepted currency. Read moving money across borders before you rely on transfers.
The handover
Ask for the previous adviser's notes, if there was one, and a call with whoever you will work alongside. An hour of that conversation is worth a week of reading reports.
Entry reviewed 2026-10-13