Relocating for work is more than flights and boxes. The quiet risk is digital: accounts locked to a phone number you’ll soon retire, files scattered across laptops, and security checks that slow you down during your first week on the ground. This guide stays on the business side – data, devices, and access – so your tools work the moment you land.
Pre-flight: stabilize what you have before you touch anything
Treat your current setup as a system you’re about to hand over to yourself in a new country. For the household side of the move – shipping, utilities, rentals – a short primer such as how to move to Australia from Dubai can cover the non-IT steps while you run the checks below. Start with a snapshot: list the work accounts, personal accounts, and shared tools you actually use (email, cloud storage, password manager, 2FA app, banking, tax portals, messaging, subscriptions). Next to each, note two items: where recovery codes live and which phone number or device they depend on. If recovery hinges on a UAE number that will be deactivated, move it now..
Shift all critical logins to app-based two-factor (authenticator or hardware key) instead of SMS where possible. SMS will change with your SIM; authenticators travel with you. Save recovery codes to a secure location you control (password manager or an encrypted file), not your inbox. If your company uses SSO and MDM, confirm that your phone and laptop are enrolled and compliant; arriving with a device that fails policy checks is a sure way to spend day one on hold.
Back up the entire laptop to an encrypted external drive and verify you can restore a single file. Then make a cloud backup for essential working folders. Keep the external drive in carry-on; checked bags have their own adventures.
Finally, set a cutover date for your phone number. Many services (banking, messaging, tax) are tied to it. Before that date, add a secondary email and, where supported, an alternate authenticator so you can pass security even if the SIM swap doesn’t go as planned.
Phone numbers, eSIMs, and the 2FA domino effect
Your phone is a small switchboard. If you’re moving to an Australian carrier, consider an eSIM to avoid downtime and keep your UAE number active for a short overlap. During the overlap, switch important services away from SMS. Banking apps often support device-based approvals – enroll the new phone while the old number still works.
Messaging matters for work and family. Export chat histories if you need them, and confirm how your chosen app handles number changes. Some platforms treat a new number as a new identity unless you link accounts first. For services that insist on SMS, keep the old number on a low-cost plan for one month, then phase it out once you’ve updated every critical account.
Laptops and data: less on the move, more in the cloud
Border officers in many countries may examine devices under specific rules. The calm approach is data minimization: travel with only what you need to start work. Archive large, rarely used projects to your company’s cloud; keep a short, encrypted travel workspace on the laptop with the files for your next two weeks. If your firm supports it, enable “travel mode” on your password manager to hide vaults until you’re safely at your destination.
Encrypt everything – full-disk encryption on laptops and phones should be on by default. Set long passcodes (not just biometrics), and review remote-wipe settings for lost devices. If you handle regulated data, get a short sign-off from compliance that your travel setup matches policy; it’s easier to adjust at home than under jet lag.
App stores, regions, and payments
Moving countries touches app stores and billing. Before you change your Apple ID or Google Play region, update critical apps, then check which subscriptions are tied to the current store. Some require you to cancel and resubscribe in the new region. Plan this during a quiet week so you don’t lose access mid-project.
For payments, keep one international card with online controls and alerts enabled. If your bank uses number-based one-time passwords, switch to an authenticator or your bank’s secure app while your UAE number is still active. In Australia, set up local rails (PayID/Osko) once you open a bank account; they simplify reimbursements and reduce card exposure.
Arrival week: cutover with intention
Your first seven days should be predictable. Use this short flow.
- Day 1–2: network and identity. Get a local SIM/eSIM working, add it as a secondary number where needed, and update your account recovery methods. Connect to trusted Wi-Fi, enroll devices in MDM, and pass any company health checks.
- Day 3–4: access and automation. Sign in to core tools from the new location – email, calendar, cloud storage, project trackers – and reissue API tokens or SSH keys if location policies require it. Reconnect your automations (calendar travel calendars, expense apps) so routine admin doesn’t pile up.
- Day 5–7: close loops. Remove the old number from services that no longer need it, cancel unneeded plans, and test your recovery path once (log in to a key account using codes only). Document the final state in a short note for future you.
(That’s the only list in this article – short on purpose.)
Team moves: one person traveling, many people depending
If you manage others, your move touches their schedules too. Publish a clear availability window for the first two weeks in Australian time, block a daily catch-up with your deputy, and route urgent requests through a shared inbox your deputy can monitor. For clients, share a single update: where to send time-sensitive items, and when you will resume normal response times. Keep tooling changes minimal; a familiar stack plus reliable hours beats a new stack with guesswork.
Offboarding your old footprint
Once you’re stable, tidy the trail you left behind. Deauthorize the old phone from 2FA apps, remove the UAE number from account recovery, and archive regional subscriptions you no longer need. For hardware you’re not bringing, wipe devices and log the serial numbers you return to IT. In personal life, reroute deliveries, shut down old utility logins, and set a mail redirect – lost letters often cause the longest problems.
A few small signals that prevent big delays
- Keep a one-page inventory of accounts, devices, and recovery methods. When something fails, that page saves an hour.
- Use notes in your password manager to store support URLs and policy links; recovery becomes a two-tab process, not a scavenger hunt.
- When you must call support, lead with the reference (ticket ID, case number) and the exact step that fails. Precision shortens calls.
Wrap-up
A country move doesn’t have to reset your digital life. Stabilize access before you fly, minimize the data you carry, swap number-based security for authenticators, and run a deliberate cutover during your first week. With a small plan and a few prompts saved in the right place, you reduce the chance of locked accounts and lost files, and you get back to the work you moved for – on schedule, with your tools ready when you reach for them.