European removals
Removals from the UK to France, Spain, Italy and Portugal
Four road routes, collected anywhere in the UK, with the customs paperwork prepared before you travel — and the heavy pieces treated as heavy pieces rather than as line items.
Moving a household to Europe is a road job. We load at your address wherever that is in the UK, run down to the Channel, cross by tunnel or ferry, and drive to the property. Nothing is handled in between — which matters for ordinary furniture and matters a great deal more for a piano or a safe.
Four routes, as full loads on a dedicated vehicle or as part loads consolidated with other moves going the same way.
UK to France
The short crossing, then whatever distance you choose
Hauts-de-France and Normandy are barely past the tunnel. Brittany, the Dordogne, Occitanie and Provence are long days on the autoroute. The route most heavy pieces take first.
Removals from the UK to France →UK to Spain
Down through France, in at one of two borders
Irun for Madrid and the west, Le Perthus for Catalonia and the eastern coast. Apartment deliveries with height-restricted car parks are the norm rather than the exception.
Removals from the UK to Spain →UK to Italy
A mountain range in the middle of the drive
Alpine tunnels or the Ligurian coast road. Restricted-traffic zones in the historic centres decide where a vehicle can actually stop.
Removals from the UK to Italy →UK to Portugal
The longest road we drive
The length of France, across northern Spain, then in at the border. Consular paperwork that moves at its own pace, so it starts early.
Removals from the UK to Portugal →The heavy side
What changes when a heavy item goes abroad
Four things, and the first one is the one that holds loads up at borders.
Each heavy piece gets its own line
A customs inventory that says "one piano" is fine. One that folds it into a carton count is the kind of paperwork that gets a load looked at. Heavy and valuable items are itemised with descriptions and values.
The vehicle is loaded differently
A piano or a safe that shifts on a motorway is a serious matter, not an inconvenience. Heavy items are strapped to the vehicle independently rather than held by what surrounds them, and the load is balanced for a long run.
The destination access is checked first
Spanish underground car parks with height barriers, Italian restricted zones, Portuguese tracks behind a car-width gate. We look at the delivery address before the vehicle is planned, not when it arrives.
Some things are better replaced
Every item travels the full distance. Tired appliances and furniture that was already past its best are frequently cheaper to replace at the other end, and we will say so rather than charge you for the space.
Collecting anywhere in the UK
There is no base town here and therefore no collection radius. A European load can start anywhere, and once the vehicle reaches the M20 the rest of the journey is identical regardless of where it was packed.
If you are moving from one of these cities to France, Spain, Italy or Portugal, ask — a part load going that way may already be planned.
- 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, and that is the part people underestimate. You need a detailed inventory, a customs declaration, evidence 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 all of it has to match the load — which is why our declaration is built from the survey inventory rather than from a form you fill in separately.
We do not quote clearance times. That decision belongs to the authorities at the far end, and any firm giving you a fixed figure for it is guessing at somebody else's process.
European removals — the questions worth asking
The country pages go further into routing, customs and what each destination is actually like to unload into.
Which countries do you actually move to?
France, Spain, Italy and Portugal. Those four are what we run regularly and whose paperwork we know. People search for long-haul destinations by the dozen — we do not run those routes and we are not going to list them to catch the search.
Can heavy items go abroad?
Yes, and they need flagging early. A piano, a safe or a full multi-gym changes the customs inventory, how the vehicle is loaded and what the delivery access needs to be. Mention them at survey rather than at the border.
Where do you collect from?
Anywhere in the UK — we have no base town and no collection radius. London constantly, and Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Bristol regularly. Once the vehicle is on the M20 the journey is the same 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.
Do I deal with customs myself?
We prepare and lodge the declaration. You supply the personal documents — proof of address at the destination, evidence you are moving your residence, identification, and whichever tax reference that country files against. We tell you what each looks like and chase anything missing before we load.
What cannot travel?
Anything flammable or pressurised, most plants, perishable food, and whatever the destination restricts. Fuel has to be drained from machinery and mowers before they go anywhere near the van.
What if the property abroad is not ready?
Common, and fixable. Storage here bridges the gap and the load travels when the date is genuinely firm — far better than a vehicle arriving somewhere nobody can open, particularly with a heavy item on it.
Moving abroad, heavy things included?
Send both addresses, a rough inventory and a note of anything heavy. We will come back about a survey and set out what the paperwork needs.