Into Europe
Most road freight to the Continent crosses from Kent, through the Channel Tunnel at Folkestone or the port at Dover. Starting here takes the long motorway leg out of the first day. It does nothing for the customs file, which is what really decides when a vehicle leaves.
An international removal from Kent to France, Spain, Italy or Portugal is a customs export as well as a house move. We survey the household, then prepare an itemised and valued inventory and the export and transit paperwork before the vehicle leaves. You gather the documents only you can obtain: the tax or identity number the destination country requires, proof of your new address, and evidence that you are transferring your main residence, which is what allows used household goods in without import duty. Packing is done for a long road journey, the vehicle crosses by tunnel or ferry, and the same crew delivers to the door. If your UK sale completes before the new home is ready, the household waits in storage in Kent and is exported when you say. Each country page below sets out its own documents, route and official sources.
The Channel Tunnel terminal at Folkestone and the port of Dover are both in Kent, and our own address is beside the tunnel terminal. A load from Maidstone, Ashford or the Medway towns reaches the crossing without the long run round the M25 that a firm based further inland faces.
That is a real advantage and a limited one. It shortens the first leg, cuts exposure to motorway delays and lets a vehicle leave your street at a civilised hour. Kent is not the only way out, either: ferries also sail to France and Spain from Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth. For a load starting in Kent, though, the short crossing is the natural one. What no crossing does is speed up customs clearance, and anyone claiming otherwise is selling something.
The shortest of the four by a long way. Paris postings, Normandy and Brittany farmhouses, and the long run south to the Dordogne and Provence.
Île-de-France · Normandy · Brittany · Nouvelle-Aquitaine · Occitanie · Provence
Removals from Kent to FranceA popular choice for British households, whether retiring to the coast, working in Madrid or Barcelona, or working remotely by the Mediterranean.
Madrid · Barcelona · Valencia · Alicante · Málaga · Mallorca by ferry
Removals from Kent to SpainFewer households, more moving parts. The northern cities for work, Tuscany and Umbria for old houses, the lakes for a quieter life.
Lombardy · Piedmont · the Lakes · Tuscany · Umbria · Lazio
Removals from Kent to ItalyThe longest drive of the four, and more often a full relocation than a holiday home being furnished.
Lisbon · Cascais · Porto · the Silver Coast · the Algarve
Removals from Kent to PortugalTaking a household out of the UK is now a customs export, and three things follow from that. An inventory, itemised and valued line by line: "kitchen boxes" will not do. Transit paperwork, raised before the vehicle leaves. And evidence of a transfer of residence, which is what lets used personal belongings enter without import duty.
Our side of it is the export declarations; your side is the personal paperwork, and we tell you the sequence. The pieces only you can get, such as a residency application or proof of your new address, take the longest, so start them before you think about cartons.
This matters more than anything else on this page. Transfer-of-residence relief applies when the destination becomes your main home. If you are staying resident in the UK and furnishing a place abroad, the relief does not apply and the goods are a normal import, assessed on their declared value.
Plenty of people are not sure which applies at first, and that is fine. What matters is deciding before values go on the inventory; unpicking the wrong choice later is slow and expensive.
A household leaving the country is rarely all in one place. We collect from London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Bristol, so UK to France removals, a move from Birmingham to Portugal or moving from the UK to Spain via a London pick-up can all be combined with a Kent load before the vehicle heads for the crossing. Arrange extra collections when you book; adding one after loading has started is much harder.
A dedicated vehicle carries only your household and leaves when you are ready. On a shared load your household travels with others bound for the same country, cheaper, but on a timetable built around everyone.
We do not quote a day count for either. Transit depends on the route, the consolidation schedule and clearance at both ends, so your quote gives the expected window for your own move and says what could change it.
Very common. The UK sale completes before the new home is ready, and the gap can be long. Keeping everything in storage in Kent until you send word is far easier than hunting for a store abroad in a language you are still picking up.
Questions
For the driving, yes. The Channel Tunnel terminal at Folkestone and the port of Dover are both in Kent, so a load from Maidstone or Ashford reaches the crossing without a long motorway leg first. It does nothing for the paperwork, which is usually what sets the date.
Three things. A line-by-line inventory with a value against each entry; the export and transit declarations, lodged before departure; and proof that your main home is genuinely moving, without which used belongings attract import duty. The declarations are our job; the proof of residence is yours.
Entirely. Transfer-of-residence relief applies only when the destination becomes your main home. Furnishing a second home is a normal import assessed on the declared value of the goods, and it needs settling before the inventory is valued.
Dedicated means the vehicle is yours alone and departs on your date. Shared means space on a vehicle already heading that way, at a lower cost but on its timetable rather than yours. Either way, the quote gives the expected delivery window for your particular route.
Yes. A daughter's flat in Leeds, a lock-up in Bristol, a London pied-à-terre: we regularly collect in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Bristol and bring it all together with the Kent load first. Book them with the main move, not as an afterthought.
Yes, and it is very common. The UK sale often completes before the new home abroad is ready to live in, so the household stays in store here and is exported when you say.
Paperwork has the longest lead time on any European move. Tell us the country and roughly when, and we will tell you what to start first.