Into Europe
Every household leaving Britain by road leaves through this county. Starting here removes several hours of driving from the front of the job — and changes nothing about the customs file, which is what actually decides when a vehicle moves.
The Eurotunnel terminal at Folkestone and the port at Dover are both in Kent. A load leaving Maidstone, Ashford or the Medway towns is at the crossing while a firm starting inland is still on the M25.
That is a real advantage and a limited one. It shortens the first leg, reduces the exposure to motorway traffic, and lets a vehicle leave your street at a civilised hour. It does not speed up a customs clearance, and anyone claiming otherwise is selling you something.
The shortest household move out of Britain begins in this county. Paris postings, Normandy houses, and the long run down to the south-west.
Île-de-France · Normandy · Brittany · Nouvelle-Aquitaine · Occitanie · Provence
The Kent–France routeThe busiest British destination in Europe. Retirement to the coast, work in Madrid and Barcelona, and remote work on the Mediterranean.
Madrid · Catalonia · Valencia · Costa Blanca · Andalucía · the Balearics by ferry
The Kent–Spain routeFewer moves, more moving parts. Northern cities for work, Tuscany and Umbria for property, the lakes for a slower life.
Lombardy · Piedmont · the Lakes · Tuscany · Umbria · Lazio
The Kent–Italy routeThe longest drive of the four, and increasingly a complete relocation rather than a holiday home being furnished.
Lisbon · Cascais · Porto · the Silver Coast · the Algarve
The Kent–Portugal routeMoving a household out of the UK is a customs export now. Three things follow. An inventory, itemised and valued line by line — "box of kitchen" is not an inventory. Transit paperwork, raised before the vehicle leaves. And evidence of transfer of residence, which is what allows used personal effects to enter without import duty.
We prepare and lodge the export side and tell you what to obtain and when. The pieces only you can get — your residency application, your address proof at the far end — have the longest lead times and should be started before anyone thinks about boxes.
This matters more than anything else here. Transfer-of-residence relief applies when the destination becomes your primary residence. If you are staying resident in Kent and furnishing a place abroad, the relief does not apply and the goods are a conventional import assessed on declared value.
Plenty of people genuinely do not know which they are on the first call. That is fine — it just has to be settled before the inventory is valued, because correcting it afterwards is painful.
A household leaving the country is rarely all in one place. We collect from London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Bristol and consolidate with the Kent load before the vehicle heads for the crossing. Arrange it early; adding a collection once the vehicle is loaded is a different proposition.
A dedicated vehicle carries your household alone and leaves when you are ready. A shared load consolidates with other moves going the same way, so you pay for your share and fit around the other deliveries.
Neither comes with a day count from us. Transit depends on the route, the consolidation schedule and clearance at both ends — your quote sets out the expected window for your move and says what would shift it.
Very common, particularly here. The UK house completes before the destination is ready, and the gap can be weeks. The household sits in store in Kent and exports when you say — simpler and cheaper than storing it in a country whose paperwork you are still learning.
Worth knowing
For the driving, yes — the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkestone and the port at Dover are both in this county, so a load leaving Maidstone or Ashford reaches the crossing quickly. It changes nothing about the paperwork, which is what usually sets the date.
An itemised, valued inventory rather than "box of kitchen"; transit paperwork raised before the vehicle leaves; and evidence of transfer of residence, which is what allows used household effects to move without import duty. We prepare and lodge the export side.
Completely. Transfer-of-residence relief applies when the destination becomes your primary home. Furnishing a second home is a conventional import assessed on declared value, and it has to be settled before the inventory is valued.
Dedicated carries your household alone and leaves when you are ready. Shared consolidates with other moves going the same way, so you pay your share and fit around the other deliveries. Your quote sets out the expected window for your route rather than a general promise.
Yes — London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Bristol are all ordinary pickup points, consolidated with the Kent load before the vehicle heads for the crossing. Arrange it early rather than once the vehicle is loaded.
Very common. The UK house completes before the destination is habitable, so the household sits in store here and exports when you say — cheaper and simpler than storing it in a country whose language you are still learning.
The documents have the longest lead time on any European move. Tell us the country and roughly when, and we will tell you what to start today.