dickydog

Hello again,
in January we will be relocating fully to a small village outside Coimbra. I have had some great advice so far on this forum and I,m looking for any recommendations on transporting our stuff over, a large van would do because we’re already fully furnished, so it’s mainly a lot of boxes with a couple of cabinets.
is there a reliable man and a van anyone knows or should I self hire and DIY it or maybe get some container space and ship it over, to those that have experience, what would you suggest ?

Many thanks 🙏

SgtTroy

Few years ago we used a UK moving company, but that was pre-Brexit.

My understanding is that things are a lot more difficult now, esp. through land borders, so unless it is something of truly practical or emontional value you'd be better off not to bothter, considering the costs involved.

dickydog

Thanks for the reply ST
Are you suggesting there’s some cost attached to our household belongings, like import tax or duty ?
My wife has been collecting, junk is maybe not the correct word but old stuff for several years now to furnish the house to her tastes, I sure hope it can’t be taxed 😳

SgtTroy

I'm afraid so.

I read about that a while ago and it seemed quite complicated.

Perhaps it would be best to ask a removal company for a quote and along with the quote they should be able to advise about the associated formalities and the current regime.

Just do the research now to avoid surprises later.

dickydog

Thank you
will do it later today


Cheers ST

Rambling archer

There have been posts on the forum since Brexit, earlier this year, about customs regulations, guessing values to quote, being stopped from the ferry in Northern Spain and having to pay customs/taxes there in Spain and supposedly claiming/registering that fact when you finally get you and your chattels to Portugal and your new home. Probably less of a nightmare to get a part-load in a reputable removal van, as they should be able to quote details and timing and possible costs before you start the journey ... Long lists of details of every item with a value to each item ...
Perhaps it is a bit more organised now they (removals companies and tax/customs authorities) have had 9 months to get organised?

Good luck and let us know what you find out?

m2m2012

I fear you might be in for a shock when you receive a quote for the shipping. Prices for such things have gone up significantly since the pandemic started.

dickydog

This is not sounding good !!
my wife has been collecting antiques for five years to take with us, it will be easier to chop her hands off than leave them behind.
crap !!!

kirstyp

Hi dickydog ,

As the others have said moving to mainland Europe has got a whole lot more complex since Brexit, which makes it quite offputting to try and do DIY and risky to do through a non-professional/experienced mover. However, it IS still perfectly possible to move your household goods, and in many instances without duties/taxes, but I would strongly recommend using a professional removal company to do this as they will handle all the processes and paperwork for you and guide you through any information you might need to provide for clearance.

Sounds like the first step is to work out what you can/can't/want/don't want to take with you. The best place to start is either asking a mover who will come round and look at what you want to move and advise based on what they see, OR if you want to do a little research first FIDI (The professional association for international removals) have customs guides for every country https://www.fidi.org/customs-guides. You can see the documents required, customs rules and any possible duties/taxes for different types of items. On the FIDI website you can also search for a reputable/certified mover that covers your area.

Given the shipping crisis at the moment (restricted capacity, higher freight rates and risk of last minute changes) I would say for anywhere in mainland Europe that road transport rather than sea shipping would be the best mode of transport.

Hope this helps!

toots sweet

I may be wrong but I think I read somewhere that you are allowed to bring up to €430(I think per person) tax free.

dickydog

Firstly thank you for your support on here over many years now, it’s greatly appreciated and by a lot of people I know.
Back in the UK after our trial ferry crossing and here’s what we learned that may work for us.If I,m getting some of this wrong I,m happy to stand corrected.

It’s better to take as little as possible when moving UK to Portugal
vans and Campervans get searched coming off the ferry but not a high percentage
We’re going to hire a Portuguese van and collect our stuff this end and drive back as euro plates appeared to have less scrutiny
itemise all your items with a cost attached, I believe antiques are free from taxation, so if you do get checked it will be a quicker process as you will have to pay import duty at 40%
Value your possessions cheaply, reducing duty
If you have a lot of stuff use a recognised company
The beer and wine is reasonably priced on the ferry and the evening meal is of a very high standard, although the ferry lacks any entertainment and the WiFi is only free for 30 minutes, oh and switch off roaming on your devices, maritime is quite expensive.

Thats what we discovered, I think our move will happen in January so will post again to let you know our experiences, to help others hopefully

chris

Rambling archer

Thanks for the update, and keep us posted as you progress to "the Move".

Shanorme

I had to itemise, value and provide a custom's code for each and every single item. I also had to provide a Certificate of Conformity for any electrical goods. As a result, I have a very long list of items, which already have custom's codes assigned, so if anyone needs, I am happy to look up various items and provide the code if they appear on my list.

dickydog

It sounds like you went down an official path Shanorme ?

it’s the first I,ve heard about custom codes and can’t see any reference to it on the Fide pdf for import to Spain, I,m not taking a lot and follow the advice of folks on other threads which suggest if your stopped, have an inventory with items and costs and be prepared for a 40% import charge.

Could you tell me where are the custom codes listed please ??

chris

Shanorme

Customs/commodity codes can be found on https://www.trade-tariff.service.gov.uk/sections It's a labyrinth of 'confuddlement' (my word for confusing info). Fortunately, I have had experience with imports/exports outside of the EU, so commodity codes are not new.

I moved my stuff with Algarve Express. Even if I had chosen to go down the road of trying to do it tariff free, I would still have needed a commodity code per item.