Kent → Spain
Removals from Kent to Spain
A long drive with a short first leg, on a timetable set almost entirely by paperwork. On a Spanish move the vehicle is rarely the part that runs late.
What does moving from Kent to Spain involve?
Moving from Kent to Spain means a house removal, a customs export and a set of Spanish registrations, and the registrations set the pace. First comes the NIE, Spain's identification number for foreign residents, which you can start from the UK. Alongside it you need the right to reside, normally a visa for UK nationals, and proof of your Spanish address. We survey the house, prepare an itemised inventory in Spanish for you to sign, and pack for a long road journey. The vehicle crosses from Kent, runs down western France and enters Spain at Irún or La Jonquera depending on where you are going. Once you are living there you register on the town hall padrón. If the Kent sale completes before the Spanish side is ready, the household waits in store here and travels when it can be cleared.
What documents do you need to move to Spain?
The table sets out the usual file for a household transferring its residence to Spain. Your own circumstances, such as employment or retirement, may change what the consulate asks for.
| Document | What it is | Who issues it | When you need it |
|---|---|---|---|
| NIE | Número de identidad de extranjero: the identification number every foreign resident needs for property, banking, tax and customs. | Spanish National Police, applied for in Spain or through a Spanish consulate in the UK | First of all, before you rent or buy and before the goods travel |
| Residence visa or TIE card | Permission to live in Spain as a UK national, and the resident's identity card that follows it. | Spanish consulate (visa); National Police (TIE card) | Visa before you move; TIE after you arrive |
| Proof of the Spanish address | Title deeds (escritura) or a signed rental contract in your name. | Notary and land registry, or your landlord | Before the goods are cleared into Spain |
| Padrón certificate | Your registration on the municipal register of the town you are moving to (empadronamiento). | The town hall (ayuntamiento) | After you are living at the address |
| Valued inventory in Spanish | An itemised list of every carton and piece, with values, signed by you as accurate. | Prepared by us, checked and signed by you | Before loading in Kent |
| Passport | Identity document whose name must match every other document in the file. | HM Passport Office | Throughout |
Check the official source
- GOV.UK: Living in Spain residency, healthcare and registration for UK nationals
- Policía Nacional: sede electrónica NIE and TIE procedures and appointments
- Consulate General of Spain in London visas and consular services for UK residents
Requirements are set by the authorities above and can change. Treat their pages as the final word; we work to whatever they currently ask for.
Why Spanish moves stall on paperwork
Spain is unusual in that part of the file cannot be finished until you have arrived. The padrón needs you living at the address; customs want to see that you have genuinely moved. So the Kent sale, the Spanish registrations and the vehicle all have to be lined up, and the one that slips is almost never the drive.
Which route does the vehicle take?
Across the Channel from Kent, then France as a long middle section rather than a destination: past Rouen, Le Mans and Tours to the Bordeaux ring road.
There the route divides. South-west across the border at Irún for San Sebastián, Burgos, Madrid and the centre and south; or onward through Toulouse and over the eastern Pyrenees at La Jonquera for Girona, Barcelona, then down the coast to Valencia, Alicante and Murcia. Andalucía is the furthest point either way, and the quote reflects that.
Shared loads, and when they make sense
Plenty of household moves travel between Britain and Spain, so shared vehicles on this route are common. If you are moving a flat's worth, or a house that has been partly sold or given away, and your date can flex, a shared load usually suits.
With a full house and a fixed date, it does not. Then you want a dedicated vehicle that leaves when you say and delivers without working around other households.
Why storage in Kent helps
The Kent completion is fixed by solicitors. The Spanish registrations are fixed by appointment systems you do not control. The two do not negotiate with each other.
So the household goes into storage here, and Spain sets the departure date. You avoid paying Spanish storage while you are still working out where the post office is.
Delivering in Spain
Coastal urbanisations are usually straightforward: wide roads, space to park, often a lift. Old town centres are not. Narrow medieval lanes, rising bollards and loading allowed only at set times are normal in the historic quarters of Spanish cities, so the last stretch is often done in a smaller vehicle, and that goes on the quote.
For Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, the road journey ends at a mainland port and the goods cross by ferry, a scheduled sailing that has to be booked into the plan.
Weighing Spain against its neighbour? Our Kent to Portugal page explains how that route differs once it crosses the Spanish interior.
Questions
Moving from Kent to Spain: your questions
Which way does a Kent removal to Spain go?
Two ways in, chosen by the address. The western crossing at Irún suits Madrid, the north and the interior; the eastern one at La Jonquera, beyond Perpignan, suits Barcelona and everything down the Mediterranean side.
What is the NIE, and when should we apply?
The número de identidad de extranjero, the identification number Spain issues to foreign residents. Banks, notaries, landlords and customs all ask for it, so start the application the moment you know you are going, well ahead of any talk of packing. In our experience it is the document most likely to hold a Spanish move up.
Why does the order of Spanish paperwork matter?
Because some of it can only be done after you arrive. The padrón, your entry on the town hall register, needs you living at the address, while customs want evidence that you have genuinely taken up residence. Start what can be started from the UK, and keep the household in store until the Spanish side is ready.
Does the inventory have to be in Spanish?
Yes: itemised, valued and signed by you. A vague list causes problems at clearance. We prepare it and you check it line by line, because your signature says it is accurate.
Is a shared load sensible for Spain?
Often, yes. Spain is a well-travelled route for household moves from Britain, so shared vehicles heading that way are common. With part of a household and a flexible date, a shared load is usually the sensible choice; with a full house and a fixed date, a dedicated vehicle is.
We are keeping our UK house. Does duty relief still apply?
No. Relief on used household goods applies when you are transferring your main residence to Spain. Furnishing a Spanish apartment while remaining UK-resident is a normal import, assessed on the declared value, and it should be declared as exactly that.
Can the furniture wait in Kent while the NIE comes through?
Yes, and on this route it is one of the most useful things we do. Spanish moves stall on documents far more often than on transport. The goods sit inventoried in store in Kent and leave once the Spanish side is ready.
Apply for the NIE now. Talk to us at the same time.
The documents and the packing run on separate timetables. If the paperwork slips, the household waits in Kent rather than at a border.