International removals: moving abroad or coming home

Moves between the UK and mainland Europe usually go by road, either in a dedicated lorry or as a part load with other households. Further afield, most household goods travel by sea. A full container is loaded at your home and sealed; smaller consignments are packed into crates or liftvans and shipped with other people's goods in a shared container, which is cheaper but slower because the container sails only when it is full.

Air freight is expensive and normally used for a small amount of what you need quickly, such as clothes, a laptop and children's things, while the rest follows by sea. A realistic plan for a long-haul move covers several weeks between packing and delivery, plus time in customs at the destination.

The UK firm usually packs and exports your goods and hands over to an agent abroad who clears customs and delivers. Ask who that agent is and whether the price includes destination services, such as customs clearance, port charges, delivery and unpacking. Destination charges left out of a quote are a common source of unexpected bills.

If you are moving your normal home to Great Britain from abroad, HMRC's Transfer of Residence relief can let you bring personal and household belongings in without paying import duty and VAT. According to HMRC's guidance you must have lived outside the UK for at least 12 consecutive months, have owned and used the goods for at least 6 months before the move, and import them within 12 months of coming to live here. Goods can arrive in more than one consignment.

You have to apply for approval before the goods are imported, using the ToR1 form online. HMRC asks for a list of what you are bringing (grouped, not item by item), proof of your address abroad and in the UK, your passport, and details of any vehicles and animals. Once approved, your removal company or customs agent uses the reference on the import declaration.

The relief has limits. Alcohol and tobacco are excluded, goods from a second or holiday home do not qualify, and anything brought in under the relief cannot be sold, lent, hired out or used as security for 12 months after you move. Vehicles also need a Notification of Vehicle Arrival. Students and people moving for marriage or a civil partnership follow different rules. Check the current HMRC guidance, because the removal firm cannot make the claim for you without your documents.

Source: gov.uk

When you leave the UK, the customs rules of the destination apply. Many countries offer their own relief for people relocating, often with conditions on residence permits, how long you have owned the goods and when they must arrive. The removal company and its partner abroad should tell you which documents they need and when. Start early: some countries require paperwork that can only be issued once you have a visa or a registered address there.

Every country also has its own list of restricted items. Food, plants, alcohol, medicines and weapons are frequent problems. Do not pack anything the firm has told you to leave out, because a single prohibited item can hold up the whole container.

Removal firms move furniture, not animals. Pets need their own arrangements through a specialist pet transport company or through you. Airlines generally carry pets as cargo, and each airline has its own rules on crates and breeds.

Bringing a dog, cat or ferret into Great Britain requires a microchip fitted before the rabies vaccination, the vaccination itself, a waiting period after it, the correct pet travel document and, for dogs, tapeworm treatment shortly before arrival. Pets that do not meet the rules can be put into quarantine for up to four months at the owner's cost. Taking a pet out of the UK means meeting the destination country's rules, which can be stricter. Start with your vet months ahead.

Source: gov.uk

Compare quotes line by line. One firm may include destination delivery and customs clearance, another may stop at the port. Insurance for international moves is usually marine or transit cover based on a valued inventory you complete; underinsuring to save on the premium can leave you badly out of pocket after damage at sea.

• the shipping method: dedicated container, shared container, road or air
• export packing, crating of fragile items and the inventory
• export and import customs clearance, and who prepares which documents
• destination port or terminal charges, delivery and unpacking
• transit insurance, the basis of valuation and the excess
• an estimated transit time and how you are kept informed
• storage at either end and its daily or weekly rate
• the name of the partner agent at the destination

Many international removal companies belong to FIDI, a global alliance of international moving companies whose FAIM quality certification is independently audited. Membership is not a legal requirement and some good firms are not members, but it gives you a way to check a firm and its overseas agent.

Offrano only checks that the business buying your request is registered. It does not look at its shipping record or its insurance. We tell you the company's name, address and phone number before it gets your contact details, so you have time to look it up. If no firm buys the request within 21 days, it is withdrawn, and you are always free to ask other movers.