Moving Service from UK (London) to EU
Posted by Fine-Confusion-5827@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 14 comments
Hi all,
after 10 years of living in London, I have decided to move back home to my home country (EU). Me getting older (40+), no kids, no family, loose social network, aging parents, etc. I realised the only thing really keeping me here is money.
Now, I have decided to move back and I'm looking for recommended moving services between UK and EU - I currently rent small 2bedroom flat, and I'm in the process of creating the list of everything I own to decide what I'm taking with me, what I'm donating and what I will throw away.
Depending on the recommendations (and quotes), I might be templated to take some furniture with me as well (to avoid buying everything) but shouldn't be too many items, it will be mainly personal stuff like footwear, clothing, etc.
Any advice above and beyond recommended moving companies will be appreciated. Thanks!
badlydrawngalgo@reddit
Where in the EU, it makes a big difference, there are quite a few companies who only serve one or two countries. Also don't forget to factor in customs and duty fees unless you have some kind of exception, certificate of baggage or similar.
Fine-Confusion-5827@reddit (OP)
Croatia. Added now.
badlydrawngalgo@reddit
Wrong part of the EU for me, but when we moved to Portugal we put lots of stuff that we wanted to move over into storage in the UK. We only had 4 or 5 pieces of furniture but had clothes, bedlinen, some kitchen equipment, rugs and art that we'd bought while travelling and books that couldn't be replaced. While we were waiting for our certificate of baggage (so we didn't need to pay import duty), I nipped over to the UK taking some of the IKEA trolley bags and filled them with stuff we needed and just came back on easyjet with hold luggage.
I brought 3 of the buggers at one point. It's easier if you book the outbound flight separately from the inbound (UK to wherever), that way you can book hold luggage easily for just one way. I just booked 23kg blocks but you can book higher weights too. My husband did a 30kg block (we took a luggage scales with us to check the weight).
I coordinated the trips with a hospital appt in the UK, a wedding and doing a final inventory to apply for our CoB, so between myself and my husband we brought an awful lot over before we needed the final removals van (we paid just short of €2800 for 15 cubic metres to central Portugal in Feb 2024). Our removals were done by a company owned by someone who relocated to Portugal 20 years ago and now does it professionally.
It was 6 months before we got all of our stuff; we initially "moved" with no visa, nowhere to live, on a 90/180 basis and with a 7kg backpack each. It was lovely to get all of our stuff but I gave so much away when it arrived because it didn't fit in my new lifestyle or I'd just fallen out of love with it! Good luck.
Fine-Confusion-5827@reddit (OP)
Thanks for sharing. Respect for managing to use the IKEA bags with easyjet to move some stuff!
badlydrawngalgo@reddit
It's quite a common way to move stuff, even from the USA. I got the idea from the FB USA > Portugal immigration group. I duct taped the outside, some people double bag, but lots of people do it.
Top-Half7224@reddit
If you put the country people could give you more specific advice.
Fine-Confusion-5827@reddit (OP)
Added now, Croatia. Thanks for pointing it out
codechris@reddit
Where in the EU
Fine-Confusion-5827@reddit (OP)
Added now, Croatia
Objective_Ad_1991@reddit
I moved from Ireland to the continent and sent everything with DHL.
No furniture or electronics as the plugs are different anyways.
Fine-Confusion-5827@reddit (OP)
Thanks for sharing.
Did you box everything up or was it on a pallet?
Objective_Ad_1991@reddit
Just boxes. Maybe 6 or 7. It was picked by some company (from my living room) whose name I forgot but delivered by a DHL (just like a regular package, so I had to figure out how to carry it upstairs). If you have a car or friends, I think that when it comes to shipping, it does not make much of difference.
It cost me around 400 or 500 hundred euros.
Fine-Confusion-5827@reddit (OP)
Thanks. Will explore this as well!
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