How to Organize Important Documents When Moving

By David Green

Updated: Oct 10, 2023

4 min read

Fact-checked by Martin Panayotov

Reviewer & editor

A house move will often prove to be a rather chaotic period in a person life, and if your move-out date has already been scheduled, then the organization task alone can easily prove to be a much bigger challenge than you anticipated in the very beginning. The major issue when moving to another home is that there are simply too many important tasks to tackle in the space of few months, or even within few weeks’ time.

So, how do you manage the unfavorable situation of having too many things to do and too little time to do them all? It’s all about proper organization and task prioritization, of course!

Understandably, your mind will be preoccupied with overwhelming thoughts about how and to find the best removal company for you, as well as how and where to start the packing marathon. Even more understandably, you will be frantically looking for good ways to cut your moving expenses and end up saving hard-earned money from the entire residential move.

But due to having your primary focus on finding removers, initiating packing, and saving money, you may end up committing the habitual moving mistake of neglecting other important move related issues, such as how to organize important documents when moving out.

What personal documents do you need to take with you when moving?

How to keep important documents safe during a move?

What documents to change when moving?

Find the right answers below.

What important documents to take when moving

Now, taking the right documents with you is vital as it will keep you away from paperwork troubles later on, and will save you time and money in the long run. The first thing you should do, however, is to gather these essential documents from their various hiding places in your home: filing cabinets, desk drawers, bookcases, and high quality fireproof safes or document chests. Some ultra-important documents, such as a house deed, for example, may be even kept safe in a safe deposit box at a bank.

Here’s a complete checklist of the important documents to collect before you move:

Personal documents

birth certificates,
civil partnership certificates,
marriage and death certificates,
adoption documents,
custody documents,
divorce and separation documents,
passports,
visas (if moving to another country),
driving licence,
immigration documents,
national insurance card and all related documents,
diplomas, proof of academic and professional qualifications,
military records and related documents.

Employment documents

copies of work contracts,
letters of recommendations,
evaluation reports,
and other important employment paperwork.

Housing documents

property deeds,
rental agreements,
rent receipts,
inventory documentation,
mortgage documents,
utilities bills,
Council Tax bills,
home repair receipts and warranties,
product warranties,
and other important housing documentation.

Legal documents

wills,
Power of Attorney documents,
bankruptcy documents,
and other important legal documentation.

Financial documents

pay slips,
bank statements and credit card statements,
bank transaction statements,
debit and credit card receipts,
investment documentation,
tax receipts,
load documentation,
and other important financial documentation.

Motor vehicle documents

vehicle registration,
motor insurance documents,
repair contracts, warranties and receipts,
manuals and service books,
credit agreement documents,
tax receipts,
and other important vehicle related documentation.

Medical records and documents

health insurance card,
medical insurance documents,
immunization records,
letters of referrals to specialists,
veterinary records and vaccination certificates for your pet(s)

School records

copies of school transcripts,
evaluation reports,
grade report cards,
and other important school related documentation.

Moving documents (of course!)

moving contract (Bill of Lading) with your removal company,
binding price estimate,
house inventory sheet,
company tariffs,
additional agreements,
receipts,
and other important move-related documentation.

How to keep important documents safe during a move

One thing is certain – you don’t have to be reminded how critical it is to keep all your essential documents perfectly safe during the usually chaotic period of moving from one home to another. But before you can learn of the various ways to protect the accumulated paperwork of your life, here is some more information on how to organize the documents before the actual move takes place.

Organize important documents for your move

Do not underestimate the task of inspecting your documents before the actual house move.

The very first step to organizing the documents that you’re taking with you to your new home is to go through them carefully and check if you should keep them at all. For example, some product warranties may have already expired so there’s absolutely no reason to hold to them anymore. As you’re going through each piece of paper, be extra careful not to discard a document that is still valid and that you’re surely going to need in the future. If unsure about a document, just keep it.

Next, a good tactical move is to separate all of your important documents into different categories for easier access and identification when needed. You are free to use the above-mentioned checklist categories, or think of a similar type of classification that will somehow make more sense for you.

Purchase one or two accordion folders as they are excellent for keeping essential documents safe and perfectly organized during a house move. Use a quality permanent marker to label the individual pockets accordingly.

Besides ultimate protection, the whole idea of organizing your documents when moving house is to be able to find a specific piece of document quickly when you need it. Keep in mind that it’s such a relief to know that all your fundamental documentation is kept in a secure place, perfectly organized and accessible at any time.

Keep your essential documents with you at all time

In additional to that accordion folder you are recommended to buy and use, if you own a personal fireproof safe, a small lockbox, or a special file box, you should also use it to keep and transport the most important pieces of documentation you have.

A good level of research will help you find a top rated and highly reputable removal company to help you handle the toughest aspects of your residential move. However, having a reliable professional relocation partner by your side is one thing, and entrusting your removals with any or all of your important documents is something entirely different. In fact, it is so different that it’s universally viewed as a serious moving mistake. So, don’t do it. No matter what happens before, during and after your Moving day, your essential documentation must stay with you through all stages of the relocation process.

Keep photocopies of your most important documents

Prevent identity theft — Identity theft sounds like something straight from the thriller films, doesn’t it? The thing is, it could happen to you too.

If you have ample time and the technological means to do it, you are strongly advised to scan your most essential documents and store digital copies of them on your computer. Another good option is to use an online cloud storage service to store safely the scanned copies of your essential documentation.

The thing is, you never know what will happen during a highly unpredictable house move, so you should do your best to preserve your peace of mind by keeping your fundamental paperwork safe.

Having extra paper photocopies is also a good idea but be careful not to overdo it, as finding additional space to store them may turn out to be a problem. As you well know, having digital copies at your disposal 24/7 is by far the better choice when it comes to possible life-saving backup.

Don’t fall victim of identity theft

You should know that the task of transporting documents from one house to another poses a type of risk which you probably don’t worry about – identity theft. Moving important personal documents from one place to another also means that you will be moving tons of sensitive information that should never fall into persons outside your own family and circle of trustworthy friends. Yes, we’re talking about theft of credit card numbers, passwords, registration numbers, and so on.

Here are a number of things you can do to make sure you don’t become a victim of identity theft during your residential move:

Do not simply throw away outdated or irrelevant documents into the trash bin, for they are sure to contain sensitive information that could do damage if it fell into the wrong hands. Instead, shred or burn all the documents you don’t intend to take with you.

The digital copies of your important documents should also be well protected. To do this, make sure you think of really strong passwords (your very first line of defense against unauthorized access!) to safeguard your personal data online.

Don’t forget to change your postal address before the move so that your mail can be forwarded efficiently. This way, you will know that no essential documents will be delivered to your soon-to-be old address, and no identity fraud will be possible.

What documents to change when moving house

The moment you reach your new home, you will be expected to change or update a number of essential documents. Be mindful that in most cases you will have specific deadlines to get back your important documentation in order, so this task has a high priority status unless you are willing to pay a fine or two, or face unpleasant problems in your new city.

This is how your documents should be organized.

As mentioned above, you will have to change your new postal address and notify important institutions and organizations of that updated address. You can redirect your personal mail from the Royal Mail website.

Contact your insurance company to update your insurance policy, whether it’s your motor insurance, home insurance, health insurance, etc.).

Contact the service providers in your new city and transfer the utility accounts to your name and your new address. In fact, you are advised to tackle this utilities transference task prior to the residential move.

If you have your school age children, use their school records, as well as their medical and vaccination records you have already obtained to enroll them at the new school.

If you’re moving to a new city, then you will need to find and register with a suitable family physician for you and your family members. Get ready the medical records from your former GP to ensure adequate medical help whenever you may need it. Also, the vaccination records of your pets, if applicable, should help you locate a skilled veterinarian for your animal friends.

Now that you know how to organize important documents for your move, you will only get the peace of mind you so badly need during this very chaotic period in your life, but you will also make things as smoothly as they can possibly go.

How to Organise Important Documents When Moving