European removals
Removals from the UK to Europe, made simple
Four routes, by road, collected anywhere in the UK. The complicated part is the paperwork — so this page starts by splitting it into your half and our half.
Your half
Four documents to obtain
- The tax or identification reference the destination files against
- Proof of your address at the other end
- Evidence you are transferring your residence rather than importing goods to sell
- Identification, and any residence documentation you already hold
We tell you exactly what each one looks like for your destination, and we chase them until they are all in.
Our half
Everything else
- A numbered inventory, written at survey, describing contents rather than counting cartons
- The customs declaration, compiled from that inventory and lodged before the vehicle travels
- Chasing whatever is missing until it is all in
- The route, the crossing, and the delivery access at the far end
What we will not do is quote a clearance time. That decision belongs to the authorities at the far end, and any firm giving you a fixed figure is guessing.
The four routes
UK to France
The short crossing
Nord and Normandy are barely past the tunnel. Brittany, the Dordogne, Occitanie and Provence are long days on the autoroute. Second homes, retirements and job moves.
Read the route →UK to Spain
Down through France, in at one of two borders
Irun for Madrid and the west, Le Perthus for Catalonia and the coast. Apartment deliveries with height-restricted car parks are the norm.
Read the route →UK to Italy
Over the Alps, or round them
Alpine tunnels or the Ligurian coast road. Restricted-traffic zones in the old centres decide where a vehicle can stop.
Read the route →UK to Portugal
The long one
The length of France, across northern Spain, then the Algarve, Lisbon or the Silver Coast. The route that most rewards starting early.
Read the route →Collecting anywhere
There is no base town here and no collection radius. The vehicle comes to you, and once it is heading for the Channel the journey is the same wherever it began.
- London to France, Spain, Italy or Portugal
- Manchester to France, Spain, Italy or Portugal
- Birmingham to France, Spain, Italy or Portugal
- Leeds to France, Spain, Italy or Portugal
- Glasgow to France, Spain, Italy or Portugal
- Edinburgh to France, Spain, Italy or Portugal
- Bristol to France, Spain, Italy or Portugal
What changed after Brexit
Moving household goods into the EU is now a customs movement. You need a detailed inventory, a declaration, evidence that you are transferring your residence rather than importing goods to sell, and proof you have owned the items long enough to qualify for relief.
None of it is difficult. All of it has to be right before the vehicle travels, and it has to match the load — which is why our declaration is built from the survey inventory rather than from a separate form filled in later.
European removals — the questions worth asking
Which countries do you move to?
France, Spain, Italy and Portugal. Those four are what we run regularly and whose paperwork we know. We would rather be straight about the limits than list twenty countries and learn one of them on your move.
Where do you collect from?
Anywhere in the UK — there is no base town and no collection radius. Once the vehicle is heading for the Channel the rest of the journey is identical wherever it started.
Full load or part load?
A full house usually wants a dedicated vehicle. A flat, a part-furnished property or a second home is often better as a part load sharing the route — less cost, less flexibility on dates. We price both so the trade-off is visible.
How long does a European move take?
It depends on the route, on dedicated-vehicle versus shared-load scheduling, and on how clearance runs at the far end. Your written quote sets out an expected window for your move rather than a figure chosen because it sounds reassuring.
What cannot travel?
Anything flammable or pressurised, most plants, perishable food, and whatever the destination restricts. Fuel has to be drained from garden machinery. Alcohol in quantity attracts duty.
What if the property abroad is not ready?
Common, and fixable. Storage here bridges the gap and the load travels when your date is genuinely firm — far better than a vehicle arriving somewhere nobody can open.
Moving abroad?
Send both addresses and a rough inventory. We will come back about a survey and set out exactly what the paperwork needs.