Picc

Hello,
Has anyone tried driving from the U.K to Italy post-Brexit yet? I'm a British citizen with Italian residence and am looking to do a home removal from London to Tuscany. I understand it's not as simple as just hiring a van and driving down with personal effects and bits of furniture, and that all items have to be declared and taxed at customs now? I am aware that even crossing schengen borders within the EU on the drive (France-Switzerland-Italy) is also difficult due to Covid restrictions. If anyone has had experience of this I'd love to hear about it!
Or inexpensive removal companies people have used would be much appreciated?!
Thanks

jiminalpago

The lack of response is an indication of how Covid, and Brexit, have impacted.
No recent experience of driving to offer but are you sure of the "taxed" comment? Even before the UK entered the EEC there was a convention that personal possessions, especially household effects, were not subject to taxation on a cross border removal; list, yes, control, yes, and obviously something "still in the box" would invite questions.
Good luck.

modicasa

Im trying to bring some family stuff over from the UK and can confirm there are customs duties to pay, even on old stuff.

jiminalpago

I stand corrected.

heritagestanley

Customs duties: ugh! Where does one find what the rate is and if there's a threshold?

Picc

Thanks for the replies. Yes seems a grey area! Not as simple at just chucking all your personal belongings in a van and driving across the border as I had once thought/hoped!
I am trying to get some quotes from shipping companies at the moment. They say the paperwork is extensive and needs to be well prepared so that possessions aren't seized at the border. Full inventory of every item and measurements needs to be provided well beforehand. If anyone has recommendations of companies they've used and trust I'll love to know because it feels like the wild west.

modicasa

Yes, its a bit of a nightmare. You need the HS code for every item which you can find here: www.trade.gov
Then you need the value, size, insurance amount plus in most cases the reason for the export - depending on which company you use.
I used european removals years ago, and couldnt complain.

jodvova

Did you manage to do this in the end ?

I'm facing the same problem, moving household items to Swiss via France in the van.

Picc

I ended up using a company in the end as I couldn't find proper answers. The company I used was excellent, reasonably priced and I can highly recommend them. They are based in Genoa but maybe they could help you. Fabbri Traslochi. They brought a lot of customs paperwork for me to fill in so I was relieved I went with them in the end cause I wouldn't have known what was all needed myself. Correct Info for crossing the border post-Brexit is scarce!

All the best with the move.

GeorgeYoung

I used Fabbri last year to move back from Italy and I was very impressed by their service. Obviously, this was pre-Brexit, so there were far fewer formalities but nonetheless they did a good job of packing things up and made sure everything turned up in one piece a few days later.

tpw21

How long ago what that?
60 years?

Geordieborn

Necessary?

tpw21

Probably not, apologies to the poster.

modicasa

Apparently the threshold is about 400 euros, if its the same as bringing in stuff on the aeroplane. its virtually impossible to find anything precise.

jiminalpago

First time 1970, back to UK '74.
As it happens, I shared an office with a colleague who administered our staff removals, from UK and Italy, and picked up the gossip, would have been interested in any later change in policy. Therefore moving to Italy in '94 (EU or not) it never occurred to me that I would encounter a difficulty, and so it proved.
I hadn't wanted to ask, but I can now: did the original poster pay Customs duty, please?
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