We are delighted that you are looking to study at King’s from abroad. We have a comprehensive packing list for moving to university here, however there are some extra things that you should know as an international student 

In your hand luggage, make sure you have the following: 

• Phone, wallet/purse and other valuables 
• Identification and passport 
• Offer letter 
• Any financial evidence 
• Address of accommodation in the UK 
• Details of flight/travel 
• Physical money (don’t pack too much though just in case it gets stolen. You are likely to mainly use digital payments once in London) 
• Warm clothing – especially if moving from somewhere warm you may have forgotten about this! 
• Prescription medication (if you have any pre-existing medical conditions, whether they require a prescription or not, it is recommended to bring a physical copy of any diagnoses and prescriptions translated into English, as well as contact information for your old GP. King’s has it’s own health centre for staff and students, and their friendly team are best placed to advise international students on these matters. 

Check in luggage 

Do 

• Label with your details in English 
• Ensure it does not weigh over the baggage allowance by weighing at home 
• Clothes – weather in the UK can be very unpredictable, so ensure you pack clothing for all seasons! If you are coming from a different climate it may be cheaper to buy clothes once you arrive. 
• Electrical items e.g. travel adaptor (if you are planning to visit other countries you should buy multi national ones) 
• products that are harder to buy or more expensive in the UK; 
• any other personal items; 

Don’t Pack 

• Items easily bought in the UK 
• Any books you need for your course. You can buy these once you get here and King’s Libraries and Collections has a huge range of reading material online and in it’s libraries to reduce the need for this 
• Towels, bedding, kitchen items – these are bulky and can be bought for very cheap either directly from your accommodation, IKEA (in Wembley or North Greenwhich), Wilko, Poundland and most supermarkets such as Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsburys, Marks & Spencer 
• banned or restricted items, which can be viewed on the HM Revenue & Customs website; 
• if you are coming to the UK from outside the EU, please be aware that there may be restrictions on how much cash you can bring with you - you can read more about the restrictions on taking cash in and out of the UK on the Gov.UK website. 

Other things to consider 

As well as packing your bags well, there are other things you can do to be prepared for coming to King’s. 

• pdf scans of important documents such as passports and visas. IF you are wanting to work or volunteer, you may need to send scanned copies over. You can print these out on campus 
• Look at whether you need to ship extra things out with an international delicery company and how much this costs. 
• You may want to bring things from home, including food or spices (according to restrictions)  
• Consider restrictions on what you can bring in and out of the UK 

Bring or buy? 

Luggage can be very expensive, and a good way to avoid paying for the fees is to buy when you get here. After all, you will be studying here for a number of years, and you can always store over the summer! You can order pretty much anything you need from a larger supermarket, Argos, Wilko or Ikea, as well as Amazon.