Moving back to India: the decisions that stop being available once you go

Most relocation checklists start three months out. Several of the decisions that matter most have already closed by then, so here are the ones worth knowing early. **Health cover.** Indian policies impose a waiting period on pre-existing conditions. Buying while you are still well is the difference between being covered and being excluded, and there is no way to buy the waiting period back afterwards. **Social Security credits.** If you are close to qualifying for lifetime benefits, staying a few extra months can be worth a great deal — and Indian working years cannot be added to make up a shortfall, because there is no totalisation agreement between the two countries. **The order you move money in.** Which account holds it when your residency changes decides what you can move later, and that ordering is much harder to undo than to plan. We have a fuller version of this at /relocation, including the two tax calendars that do not line up. It is marked as unverified where it is unverified — take the money and immigration parts to a chartered accountant before you act on them.