Shipping personal goods to Spain
 

Hi All,
I know it’s early post brexit days, but has anyone any experience of shipping/taking your own goods and chattels out to Spain?

i renovated my apartment last year, partially through the Covid lockdown (nightmare) with a view to driving down in my van with quite a lot of furniture, rugs, artwork etc. (It’s far cheaper buying in the uk)

i was hoping to sneak it in at the end of the year pre brexit.

that was kiboshed so does anyone have any experience of import duties/requirements to bring my stuff in?

I have heard personal effects are exempt ???

regards
Al

I

Re: Shipping personal goods to Spain
 

I think you are too early to ask this question.
I do know one individual who was stopped pre Brexit and fined for a having a van full of gear which he could not convince customs officials were personal effects.
Do you have receipts for your items?

Re: Shipping personal goods to Spain
 

Hi
do we have receipts ? On the whole yes.... most of it is from eBay and was second hand when we purchased it, (I am an avid bargain hunter)

i can “produce” receipts for any that are missing.

i am aware the more paperwork I can muster the better. So I am currently compiling an inventory and a receipt list as documentary evidence.

regards
al

Re: Shipping personal goods to Spain
 

Before Brexit, if you wanted to bring in a car, you needed to have owned it for 6 months in the UK and bring it in within 6 months of becoming resident for it to be classed as a tax free import of personal goods.

I don't know if that has changed.

Re: Shipping personal goods to Spain
 

Good luck. You will be a pioneer, one of the first DIY removals post Brexit. I will be interested to hear how you get on. Not something I will be doing, but might be of interest to others on the forum.

Re: Shipping personal goods to Spain
 

Yes, I am in the same camp. I have masses of items, mostly from eBay. I should be able to dig up receipts for most items.

I would be very interested to hear how you get on!

Re: Shipping personal goods to Spain
 

Hi
I have done the trip in my van many times before, as I renovated a villa in Spain from 2012. I took all the furniture in the same manner to the villa (at a fraction of the cost and I had my van to travel round in).

i sold the villa in 2019 ( exchange rate and brexit driven)

so so I am very familiar with the drive down, which I would recommend to everyone to do at least once, just don’t go through the centre of Madrid 😩

i am a Brittany ferries regular and thoroughly enjoy the experience.(probably seen a few of you on there! )

Anyway this time is different.......and as a non resident I only intend to stay say 6 weeks with the van, take my booty out there then return to the uk.

In the past it has been easy Peasy but now I expect problems!

I am going to consult with shippers/ authorities/ Brittany ferries etc to try and make sure I’m fully prepared.

i feel that my driving down days are probably numbered because of issues like this but who knows what the future holds...

it will be a while yet as I have not had the injection yet (50s age group), but when I do go, I will keep you posted as to what happens!

regards
al

Re: Shipping personal goods to Spain
 

My comments about car import only applied if you were moving permanently to Spain, which you are not, so I doubt that you will find it so easy.

Re: Shipping personal goods to Spain
 

I am in the middle of bringing my U.K. car over and re-matriculating. It has been a long complicated process but I came across this quote on Facebook:-

“Just in case it helps anyone else, two weeks ago the local DGT insisted my GB car needed a Documento Unico Administrativo (Customs’ clearance and Single Admin Doc) to register it here (even though I’d driven over before the end of the Transition Period. I went back today armed with Royal Decree 38/2020 and the Withdrawal Agreement and link from the Hacienda’s website and after a bit of a wait they agreed the car retains EU good status and no need for Customs docs or the Customs and Excise charges as long as I take proof of arriving here before 01/01/21. Thank you”

I have dug out my ferry ticket from September and overnight hotel Bill for proof of arrival.

Re: Shipping personal goods to Spain
 

I'm in the process of doing it the other way around. What I do know is that if this is your second home you'll have to pay vat. Same goes if you return. We're packing up and leaving so we get TOR1 in the UK. Length of time spent in Spain/UK is also taken into account. Basically expect to be charged and pat yourself on the back if you aren't.

Re: Shipping personal goods to Spain
 

Hi Noonicorn,
Very interesting information, but I have a couple of questions

are you organising this with a company or personally with a government agency?

Is the vat charged on the current second hand value? (Which would be difficult to quantify) ((unless you had receipts, which could easily be fabricated)

Do you agree a vat price, then pay prior to leaving, showing a receipt at customs?

Regards
Al

Re: Shipping personal goods to Spain
 

As we're going back to the UK and permanently I've got to base my replies on that. I have to fill the TOR1 in myself it can't be done by the agent. This is then passed by HMRC as being non-taxable (we hope) and a code is generated for the removers to present at the border in the UK. I also have to fill in forms for customs in Spain which the removers have largely completed. I ALSO have to give a value, based on resale value not insurance value for the itinerary. It's incredibly annoying compared to when we came out here.

Customs is charged at the border coming in. I think you'll be ok leaving the UK, it's your entry into Europe, so probably France first off, where the issues will start. My removers have said that's where fees are levied.

The main issue is how long you've owned the goods and how long you will stay in Spain. You have to have owned them 6 months and be in Spain over 12 months to take goods back to the UK tax free. I assume the reverse applies too. Tbh there is a ton of info via removals companies on the internet for going to spain as well as returning to the UK.

All the removal companies I spoke to have said things WILL change but it will be post-covid. So by the time you can get here all this maybe moot anyway.

Re: Shipping personal goods to Spain
 

Thank you Noonicorn!

Re: Shipping personal goods to Spain
 

Friend wants to drive to Spain but he has the complication of a dog. He daily curses Brexit and Brexitannia !

Re: Shipping personal goods to Spain
 

Nothing has really changed re pets tbh. We're using a defra regd pet transporter to take ours back to the UK and it's expensive but the process is similar to when we moved here from Italy 7 years ago. Micro chip, rabies, health check, off they go. He might be better paying for the peace of mind. A dog would be around £400 I think plus passport etc.