European removals
Removals from Northamptonshire to France, Spain, Italy and Portugal
Moving from the UK to Europe is a road job, and from the middle of the country it starts well — M1 to the M25, round to the M20, and across.
Northamptonshire is a good place to leave from. The M1 runs down the west of the county, the M25 is a straightforward hour from most of it, and the M20 puts you at Folkestone or Dover without any of the cross-London grind a west-country load has to survive first.
We run four routes, as full loads on a dedicated vehicle or as part loads consolidated with other moves going the same way.
Northamptonshire to France
The closest, and the county sends most people here
Nord and Normandy are a short run past the crossing. Brittany, the Dordogne, Occitanie and Provence are long days on the autoroute. Second homes, retirements and job moves in roughly that order.
Read the route →Northamptonshire to Spain
Coast or inland — a different move either way
Down through France and in at Irun or Le Perthus. The Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol, Valencia, and the inland towns people move to when the coast gets busy.
Read the route →Northamptonshire to Italy
Over the Alps, or round them
Through France to the Fréjus or Mont Blanc tunnel, or along the Ligurian coast. Milan and Turin for work; Tuscany and Le Marche for the house.
Read the route →Northamptonshire to Portugal
The long one, and the one to start early
The length of France, across northern Spain, then the Algarve, Lisbon or the Silver Coast. Consular paperwork that sets its own pace.
Read the route →How the move runs
From the survey to the delivery address
- One
Survey and inventory
A full list, room by room. It sizes the load and it becomes the inventory customs will read. Vague inventories are the commonest reason a household load waits at a border.
- Two
Paperwork before you travel
A household move into the EU is a customs movement: a declaration, evidence you are transferring your residence, and proof you have owned and used the goods. We compile it and tell you what to supply.
- Three
Load in Northamptonshire
Packed and loaded at your county address. Furniture blanketed, pictures and mirrors cased, everything numbered against the inventory and secured for a long run.
- Four
M1, M25, the Channel
Down the M1 to the M25, round to the M20 and across at Folkestone or Dover. From the middle of the country it is a clean start to a long journey.
- Five
The drive, then delivery
Motorway wherever the destination allows it. At the far end we deliver into the property, position the furniture and take the packaging away.
Collecting beyond the county
Most European loads from us start in Northamptonshire, but the M1 and A14 make collection elsewhere straightforward when a load justifies the run.
- London to France, Spain, Italy or Portugal
- Manchester to France, Spain, Italy or Portugal
- Birmingham to France, Spain, Italy or Portugal
- Leeds to France, Spain, Italy or Portugal
- Glasgow to France, Spain, Italy or Portugal
- Edinburgh to France, Spain, Italy or Portugal
- Bristol to France, Spain, Italy or Portugal
What changed after Brexit
Moving household goods into the EU is now a customs movement, and that is the part people underestimate. You need a detailed inventory, a customs declaration, evidence that you are transferring your residence rather than importing goods to sell, and proof you have owned the items long enough to qualify for relief.
None of it is difficult. All of it has to be right before the vehicle travels, and it has to match the load — which is why our declaration is built from the survey inventory rather than from a separate form.
We do not quote clearance times. That decision belongs to the authorities at the far end, and any firm giving you a fixed figure for it is guessing.
European removals — the questions worth asking
Which countries do you move to?
France, Spain, Italy and Portugal. Those four are the routes we run regularly and whose paperwork we know. We would rather be straight about the limits than list twenty countries and learn one of them on your move.
Do you only collect from Northamptonshire?
The county is where most of our European loads start, but we collect from across the UK when a load justifies the run. Once the vehicle is on the M25 the rest of the journey is identical wherever it began.
Full load or part load?
A full house usually wants a dedicated vehicle. A flat, a part-furnished property or a second home is often better as a part load sharing the route — less cost, less flexibility on dates. We price both so the trade-off is visible.
How long does a European move take?
It depends on the route, on dedicated-vehicle versus shared-load scheduling, and on how clearance runs at the far end. Your written quote sets out an expected window for your move rather than a figure chosen because it sounds reassuring.
Do I deal with customs myself?
We prepare and lodge the declaration. You supply the personal documents — proof of address at the destination, evidence you are moving your residence, identification, and whichever tax reference that country files against.
What cannot travel?
Anything flammable or pressurised, most plants, perishable food, and whatever the destination restricts. Fuel has to be drained from garden machinery. Alcohol in quantity attracts duty.
What if the property abroad is not ready?
Common, and fixable. Storage here bridges the gap and the load travels when your date is genuinely firm — far better than a vehicle arriving somewhere nobody can open.
Moving abroad from Northamptonshire?
Send both addresses and a rough inventory. We will come back about a survey and set out what the paperwork needs.