# UK to Spain Moving company



## nearly (Jul 28, 2015)

Hi,
Just wondered if anyone had used any companies to move their stuff from the UK to Spain and how much anyone paid. I know the price would be different based on quantity and location but just like to know peoples costs and companies they used and how they found the whole process went.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

nearly said:


> Hi,
> Just wondered if anyone had used any companies to move their stuff from the UK to Spain and how much anyone paid. I know the price would be different based on quantity and location but just like to know peoples costs and companies they used and how they found the whole process went.


It was going to cost us £3,500 but we used a self-drive van and made two trips for £2,500 including fuel, tunnel and hotels.


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## nearly (Jul 28, 2015)

baldilocks said:


> It was going to cost us £3,500 but we used a self-drive van and made two trips for £2,500 including fuel, tunnel and hotels.


Thanks for that, it helps.

So when you did Self Drive trip. How long did you take to do all the driving with your stop offs

Did you hire the van and return to the UK and then go to Spain without transport or did you leave the van in Spain for collection ?

Thanks
Neil


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

nearly said:


> Thanks for that, it helps.
> 
> So when you did Self Drive trip. How long did you take to do all the driving with your stop offs
> 
> ...


It depends on where you go to in Spain and from where you depart in UK. We were travelling from Essex to Jaén province.

Day 1 Load and depart, through the tunnel, pick up some shopping in Carrefour and stay overnight either at the Cottage Hotel Calais or Premiere Classe in Boulogne.
Day 2 Drive via Rouen, then via the bypasses of Le Mans, Poitiers, Bordeaux to stay overnight at the Premiere Classe, Bayonne.
Day 3 Cross the border into Spain then take E5 via the outskirts of Vittoria Gasteiz, Burgos, Madrid (easy just take M50 follow the signs for your exit), then on R4/A4 (E5) to (for us) take A44, A316, N432

A4(E5) will take you all the way to Córdoba (change to A45 for Málaga) and Sevilla.
If you want the Murcia/Valencia area, leave the M50 on R3
Extremadura leave M50 on A5

P.S. we didn't rush, preferring to make the journey part of the new adventure.


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## nearly (Jul 28, 2015)

baldilocks said:


> It depends on where you go to in Spain and from where you depart in UK. We were travelling from Essex to Jaén province.
> 
> Day 1 Load and depart, through the tunnel, pick up some shopping in Carrefour and stay overnight either at the Cottage Hotel Calais or Premiere Classe in Boulogne.
> Day 2 Drive via Rouen, then via the bypasses of Le Mans, Poitiers, Bordeaux to stay overnight at the Premiere Classe, Bayonne.
> ...


Your journey sounds really nice and can understand you taking your time. Your information is really helpful and as with all messages, appreciate your help

Neil


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> It was going to cost us £3,500 but we used a self-drive van and made two trips for £2,500 including fuel, tunnel and hotels.


Not to mention the weeks work & around 7k kilometers ?


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

nearly said:


> Hi,
> Just wondered if anyone had used any companies to move their stuff from the UK to Spain and how much anyone paid. I know the price would be different based on quantity and location but just like to know peoples costs and companies they used and how they found the whole process went.


Have you looked in the Spain Classified at the top of this page ?.


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## PicklesDP (Jul 17, 2015)

I am very interested in this question too, I am hoping to make the final move in 2016. 

Can I add an extra question? I have been told (by a removal man) that you pretty much have to use a removal company. If you drive a van into spain full of household stuff you will be expected to have a mega detailed itemised list of everything in the van in spanish. You will also be interviewed in Spanish to make sure you are not a trader trying to avoid import duty. If you fail the questioning you will have to pay import duty or not be allowed in the country. If anything is mis translated in the inventory then you may have the whole van emptied and searched. The guy also hinted that the customs people can be less than honest/trusting and will always push to get import duty out of you. So it is always a fight to get a full van into the country. He also said that you only get ONE free entry into the country without paying import duty. He also said that the move has to be done within a year of buying the property to avoid import duty. His argument was that you may think you are saving money by driving yourself, but all the savings will be lost on paying import duty.


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## Chimaera (Aug 12, 2015)

PicklesDP said:


> I am very interested in this question too, I am hoping to make the final move in 2016.
> 
> Can I add an extra question? I have been told (by a removal man) that you pretty much have to use a removal company. If you drive a van into spain full of household stuff you will be expected to have a mega detailed itemised list of everything in the van in spanish. You will also be interviewed in Spanish to make sure you are not a trader trying to avoid import duty. If you fail the questioning you will have to pay import duty or not be allowed in the country. If anything is mis translated in the inventory then you may have the whole van emptied and searched. The guy also hinted that the customs people can be less than honest/trusting and will always push to get import duty out of you. So it is always a fight to get a full van into the country. He also said that you only get ONE free entry into the country without paying import duty. He also said that the move has to be done within a year of buying the property to avoid import duty. His argument was that you may think you are saving money by driving yourself, but all the savings will be lost on paying import duty.


Playing devil's advocate you could argue well he would say that wouldn't he as he wants the business!  However, given the apparent Spanish love for bureaucracy together with their evident need to raise money for their coffers, this could conceivably be true. It would be interesting to know if anyone has moved themselves of late and what customs were like, and also if anyone knows what actual removal companies have to provide by way of an inventory (if at all) together with regulations they have to adhere to not have to pay import duty.


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## Helenameva (Aug 15, 2014)

PicklesDP said:


> I am very interested in this question too, I am hoping to make the final move in 2016.
> 
> Can I add an extra question? I have been told (by a removal man) that you pretty much have to use a removal company. If you drive a van into spain full of household stuff you will be expected to have a mega detailed itemised list of everything in the van in spanish. You will also be interviewed in Spanish to make sure you are not a trader trying to avoid import duty. If you fail the questioning you will have to pay import duty or not be allowed in the country. If anything is mis translated in the inventory then you may have the whole van emptied and searched. The guy also hinted that the customs people can be less than honest/trusting and will always push to get import duty out of you. So it is always a fight to get a full van into the country. He also said that you only get ONE free entry into the country without paying import duty. He also said that the move has to be done within a year of buying the property to avoid import duty. His argument was that you may think you are saving money by driving yourself, but all the savings will be lost on paying import duty.


If you drive through France there's no border customs to worry about. Sounds like bullsh*t to me. Having said that, getting somebody to do it for me was a good choice. There was enough stress and things to do, so something so big and important off my plate was money well spent. I used Aspins International Removals based in Liverpool. They charged about £1800 from memory, for a dedicated Luton van (so no double handling), delivered within 48 hours. PS they didn't have an inventory of items when they moved my stuff.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

We used Shires, Yorkshire to the Canaries, cost 4000, no duty, full container.

4000, might seem expensive, I thought so at the time, but it was three wagon journeys, two ships and a van, we also priced the cost of replacing the items to be transported, much to my surprise, the cost exceeded the price of transportation.


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## Guest (Aug 28, 2015)

We used Jimbo the Scot Jimbo the Scot. Fantastic service. Not a single item damaged or lost, he communicated to ensure we knew what was going on and the unloading was efficient and cheerfully carried out. You'd need to contact him for a quote but I know he does have different sized lorries.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

PicklesDP said:


> I am very interested in this question too, I am hoping to make the final move in 2016.
> 
> Can I add an extra question? I have been told (by a removal man) that you pretty much have to use a removal company. If you drive a van into spain full of household stuff you will be expected to have a mega detailed itemised list of everything in the van in spanish. You will also be interviewed in Spanish to make sure you are not a trader trying to avoid import duty. If you fail the questioning you will have to pay import duty or not be allowed in the country. If anything is mis translated in the inventory then you may have the whole van emptied and searched. The guy also hinted that the customs people can be less than honest/trusting and will always push to get import duty out of you. So it is always a fight to get a full van into the country. He also said that you only get ONE free entry into the country without paying import duty. He also said that the move has to be done within a year of buying the property to avoid import duty. His argument was that you may think you are saving money by driving yourself, but all the savings will be lost on paying import duty.


We moved ourselves and did two trips. We were not checked entering Spain, in fact there was absolutely nobody checking anything. We were checked once at Folkestone by French authorities before going into the tunnel, but we were early anyway, so it was no inconvenience and it only amounted to a brief look
and we were carrying plants in pots as well as furniture etc.

It sounds as though you were getting a sales pitch.


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