Personal Paperwork

[Sylea 30]

So - as I start packing and building my 'manifest' for the moving company, I'm wondering about the security of personal papers - IE Tax returns etc that I need to keep even after I'm stateside.

Should I be packing them in a suitcase or packing a box for the moving company??

SO much fraud/identity theft etc. I feel like a sealed box with the moving company may actually be more secure than packing them in a suitcase for my POE.

Opinions???

Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Peace.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Topic has been moved from Off Topic to 'Moving to the US and Your New Life in America' forum as a more useful location for this discussion.

Moderator hat off:

If you are driving across the border into the US, you can pack them in a box, labeled and sealed, and bring them in the vehicle with you. If you are flying, then pare that down to the absolute irreplaceable personal documents such as birth certificates, health records, marriage documents, SIN documents and anything like that that you can place in carry-on luggage rather than checked luggage and keep that in your possession. I would be leery to check anything like that since it is subject to inspection and you won't know what happens while it is out of your control. Previous year tax records you can box and ship without a problem with the moving company.

We drove down when I immigrated so I brought all of my personal files with me along with some I could probably have shipped. I also brought documents related to my current financial life in Canada which I was in the process of wrapping up so I made sure I had the photocopies of all of the notices I had sent out to terminate accounts, etc. The rest I shipped with the movers, such as previous tax years, school records, daily living account documents, etc.. These all arrived safe and secure, still sealed, and without a problem. I identified the box as 'personal files' for the movers.

Edited September 7, 2014 by Kathryn41

[Sylea 30]

Topic has been moved from Off Topic to 'Moving to the US and Your New Life in America' forum as a more useful location for this discussion.

Moderator hat off:

If you are driving across the border into the US, you can pack them in a box, labeled and sealed, and bring them in the vehicle with you. If you are flying, then pare that down to the absolute irreplaceable personal documents such as birth certificates, health records, marriage documents, SIN documents and anything like that that you can place in carry-on luggage rather than checked luggage and keep that in your possession. I would be leery to check anything like that since it is subject to inspection and you won't know what happens while it is out of your control. Previous year tax records you can box and ship without a problem with the moving company.

We drove down when I immigrated so I brought all of my personal files with me along with some I could probably have shipped. I also brought documents related to my current financial life in Canada which I was in the process of wrapping up so I made sure I had the photocopies of all of the notices I had sent out to terminate accounts, etc. The rest I shipped with the movers, such as previous tax years, school records, daily living account documents, etc.. These all arrived safe and secure, still sealed, and without a problem. I identified the box as 'personal files' for the movers.

Excellent thanks so much for the tips, Kathryn41!! I was kind of thinking along the same lines.

I'm inclined to courier all the original docs like birth certificates etc straight to my husband at our house. Then just box up all the banking and tax stuff I'll need for the next year or so.

Hope you're having a great weekend and thanks again!