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  3. Living in Northern Ireland

Moving back to Northern Ireland from abroad

From enrolling your children into schools to sorting out your tax situation, here are some of the things you should think about when preparing to move back to Northern Ireland from abroad.

Tax, benefits, pensions and National Insurance

  • tell HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) when you will be coming back and find out about your tax liability on returning to the UK
  • check with the country you are living in about any tax you may owe before you leave
  • for National Insurance contributions, contact National Insurance: general enquiries
  • get in touch with your local Social Security / Jobs & benefits office, about your pension and benefits giving them details of your return move and your contact details abroad and in the UK

Find out how to tell HM Revenue and Customs about a change of income or circumstance. 

  • Tell HMRC about a change to your personal details

Health

  • register with a GP and a dentist in Northern Ireland
  • Find a GP practice
  • Find a dentist
  • contact any private medical insurance and travel insurance companies with which you have policies
  • tell your GP, dentist and other health practitioners in the country you are leaving, and see if your records can be sent to your new health professionals in Northern Ireland

Your home

  • arrange to sell your property or end its lease and sort out removals
  • contact Land & Property Services and the Electoral Commission as they will need to know when you will be returning to Northern Ireland and your Northern Ireland address
  • tell your utility companies abroad that you are moving and give them a forwarding address, so they can send you final bills and information on any payments you owe or refunds - you will also need to set up accounts for utility services once you have found a property in Northern Ireland
  • tell your bank, building society or any financial institution with whom you have a policy or agreement that you are moving
  • have your mail forwarded

Your children

  • tell the school authorities that you are leaving the country
  • before returning to Northern Ireland, contact the relevant education authority office about school places
  • Education Authority

Driving

  • Exchanging your foreign driving licence

Looking for a job

  • Finding a job
  • Applying for jobs
  • Apply for an AccessNI check
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Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

Carer's Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912
Email 
dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

Call 0800 587 2750 
Email 
customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

Disability Living Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912 
Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Employment and Support Allowance

Call 0800 587 1377

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

Personal Independence Payment

Call 0800 587 0932

If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

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If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

For queries about:

  • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
    contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
     
  • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
    contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

 

For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

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