Planning a relocation budget: one-time costs, recurring costs, currency and date

A budget is easier to check when different kinds of money are kept apart: a fee you pay once, a deposit you may get back, money that must be shown but is not spent, a cost that repeats, and a figure quoted in a different currency or year. This guide gives a structure for your own budget and shows which official figures we could confirm. We do not add them into one "total cost of moving", because the pages we read do not support one.

Step 1: sort every cost into separate boxes

1. Fees to authorities, treated as non-refundable. Visa and registration fees. Where the page does not say whether a fee is refunded, plan as though it is not, and ask.
2. Refundable money. Deposits, subject to the lease and the law.
3. Proof of funds. Money you must show you hold, such as a blocked account. It is not a fee, but it must be available and may not be freely accessible.
4. Recurring costs, paid monthly or yearly.
5. Unknown, which you need to ask about.

Total upfront cash is your own sum of what you must pay before or soon after arrival: boxes 1 and 2, plus any rent in advance. Keep proof of funds out of that sum and show it as its own line. We do not calculate a total for you, because we have no verified amounts for several lines.

Write the currency and the date next to each figure. A figure without a date cannot be checked.

Step 2: examples of official figures we read

Germany, one-time. The Federal Foreign Office page (dated 16 June 2026) states a national visa fee and a half-rate for minors, and lists waivers, such as for people on public-funded scholarships and for spouses and minor children of German citizens. The page does not say whether the fee is refunded if a visa is refused, so plan as though it may not be refunded, and ask the mission.

Germany, proof of funds. The Federal Foreign Office describes a blocked account (Sperrkonto) as one way to show you can support yourself for certain visa categories. The page gives no amount, says the sum depends on your purpose of stay, and says only a set amount can be withdrawn each month. You also pay the bank's fees, which that page does not quantify. The page has no publication date, so check the mission's current figure.

Germany, refundable (housing). A rental deposit is capped by law at three months' base rent, and you can pay it in three instalments. It earns interest for you in a separate account. It is recoverable subject to your lease, so list it as refundable, not spent.

UK, one-time and upfront. The gov.uk page on the immigration health surcharge lists a yearly amount for students, their dependants, Youth Mobility Scheme holders and under-18s, and a higher yearly amount for other applications, with part-year rules. It was last publicly updated on 28 November 2024, so confirm the current figure on the page. The amount is per year of visa, so a longer visa multiplies it.

Ireland, one-time. The Irish Immigration Service says the registration fee for your permission stamp may be up to €300 depending on permission type, and you are told the amount at your appointment. The service also says registration is free to book, and the card is posted to you.

England and Ireland, refundable (housing). England caps a deposit at five weeks' rent, or six at higher rent, and requires protection in an approved scheme. Ireland caps a deposit at one month's rent and advance rent at one month.

Step 3: add the recurring items you must research

Rent, utilities, food, transport and insurance repeat. The Make it in Germany family page says monthly living costs vary widely by region and lists categories, but the page we read does not give amounts we can quote, so we give none. For recurring costs, use a current local source for your city and write the month you collected it.

Step 4: handle currency honestly

Write each figure in the currency the source states. If you convert it, write the rate and the date you used. Exchange rates move, and banks and card providers may add a margin or fee when converting; we have not checked any such charge. This article gives no conversion into dirhams or any other currency, because we have not verified a dated rate. Use a current rate from a source you trust, or the site's own rate source where a tool shows one, and record its date.

Step 5: list what this guide excludes

The examples above leave out many costs. Typical items include flight costs, shipping, translations or certification of documents, health insurance, setting-up costs and the cost of money tied up while waiting for a decision. Mark each as unknown until you have a dated official or written quote.

A simple layout