Life On Sail

Moving out can be such a hassle. Over the past 17 years in Hong Kong, we’ve moved quite a bit—five times in total. It was an adventure, but when you’re not completely satisfied with your home, it’s important to keep searching and never give up. That’s my motto, and it’s always led to positive outcomes. This final sixth move is taking us back to Europe (France). However, we don’t yet know where we’ll ultimately settle since we’ll be traveling around the world during our sabbatical year. We decided to ship everything to Nico's parents in southern France. Given the uncertainty about our final destination, we chose to sell or give away 99% of our furniture. When we first moved to Hong Kong, we were young and carefree. Over the years, we’ve matured, so we know our new decorating and furniture style will be different when we eventually move into a new home or country. Movers quotations We decided to get quotes from three different moving companies. I had a piece of art to transport, a...

We've been living in Hong Kong for the past 17 years.  We finally decided to break free and live a life off the beaten tracks. Risking it all for a year of adventure and probably of discomfort.  It's now time to bid farewell, and little did I know it would be so admin heavy.  So here are the things you need to do on top of the usual moving out process if you want to claim your MPF and leave Hong Kong. Please make sure you do all of it at least 1 month or more before your final departure date (more if you need to consolidate MPF accounts, it can take from 3 to 6 weeks for a transfer!) 3 STEPS 1. Inland Revenue: Ensure that your taxes are settled before leaving Hong Kong. Your final paycheck will be withheld by your employer until they receive confirmation from the Inland Revenue (IR) that your tax obligations are cleared. Your employer must complete   IR56G If you don’t have an employer at the time of your departure, simply email the IR at taxinfo@ird.gov.hk to noti...