Did you know that there are more than 7 ½ million Americans who move to a new state each year, according to the US Census Bureau? Many people actually regard moving as one of the most stressful events they ever have to deal with. Of course, by planning ahead and actually getting yourself prepared, a cross country move can go smoothly. One of the areas to focus upon when making such a move are the documents you will need.
Special Documents Not Required:
As long as you are a United States citizen you are not going to need any special documents in order to move cross country or to another state. Certainly no one will be waiting for you at the border asking to see your papers.
That being said, you will want to ensure that everyone is properly organized and has all of their documents readily available. Better still, have all your family documents in a central location to prevent anything from being lost.
Moving Company Documents:
As it relates to the move itself, you will want to have your moving documents close at hand. This should include the bill of lading, which is clearly the most important. It acts essentially as the contract between yourself and the moving company. All of the terms and conditions of your move will be laid out here, so be sure to spend some reading and understanding this one.
According to federal law, all interstate moving companies are required to prepare and present you with such a document. This must also be the same information as is shown on your order for service and the driver is required to give this to you before they load any furniture.
You should also keep on hand your non-binding estimate document. This one lays out what items will be moved and what types of services will be provided. Should there need to be any change, the mover must prepare a written change to the order of service (another moving company document) which attached and then signed by both parties.
Family Documents:
When conducting a cross country or long distance move you will also want to be sure to track down all important family documents so that they make the move with you as well. This should include anything from bank and insurance statements to really important pieces of identity confirmation. In other words, be sure to bring along all social security cards, passports, birth certificates, pay stubs, tax returns, medical records, insurance policy documents, checkbooks, and anything else that is important to you.
You will need all of these items in order to start obtaining new documents from your new state. In almost every case, you will be expected to obtain a new drivers license within 30 to 90 days, depending on the rules and laws of your new home state. Plus, having these documents on hand can make it much easier to transfer and / or turn on new household services like gas, water, and electric.
Bottom Line:
Having the proper documents is very important when moving. This includes keeping all of the documents recording the move between yourself and any other professional moving company or shipping service involved. Additionally, you will also need to make sure that no important identification or other basic document is left behind. For more help about which documents are needed, contact our experienced team at Atlanta Peach Tree Movers, for your FREE consultation
