European removals
Removals from Greenwich to France, Spain, Italy and Portugal
Moving from the UK to Europe is a road job from here. Load in SE10, out through the A102 and the M25, down the M20 to the Channel, and drive to the door — with the customs paperwork prepared before you travel.
Greenwich sits well for this. The Blackwall approach and the A2 both feed the M25 quickly, and from there the M20 puts you at Folkestone or Dover without the long cross-London grind that a west London load has to survive first. For a UK to France removal that is genuinely useful; for a UK to Spain removal it means the long part of the drive starts earlier in the day.
We run four routes — France, Spain, Italy and Portugal — as full loads on a dedicated vehicle or as part loads consolidated with other moves going the same way. Which suits you comes down to how much is going and how fixed your dates are.
Greenwich to France
The short crossing, then whatever distance you choose
Hauts-de-France and Normandy are barely past the tunnel. Brittany, the Dordogne, Occitanie and Provence are long days on the autoroute. Second homes, retirements and job relocations, in roughly that order.
Removals from Greenwich to France →Greenwich to Spain
Down through France, in at one of two borders
Irun for Madrid and the west, Le Perthus for Catalonia and the whole eastern coast. Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Valencia, and the inland towns people move to when the coast starts feeling crowded.
Removals from Greenwich to Spain →Greenwich to Italy
A mountain range in the middle of the drive
Fréjus or Mont Blanc into the north, or the Ligurian coast road when the tunnels are shut. Milan and Turin for work; Tuscany, Umbria and Le Marche for the house that needs finishing.
Removals from Greenwich to Italy →Greenwich to Portugal
The longest road we drive
The length of France, across northern Spain, then in at the border. The Algarve, Lisbon, the Silver Coast and the north around Porto. The route that rewards booking early more than any other.
Removals from Greenwich to Portugal →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 sits at a border while somebody asks questions.
- Two
Paperwork before you travel
A household move to the EU is now 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 precisely what to supply.
- Three
Load in Greenwich
Packed and loaded at your SE10, SE3 or SE7 address. Furniture blanketed, pictures and mirrors cased, everything numbered against the inventory and secured for a long run rather than a short one.
- Four
Out through the A102 and the M25
The Blackwall approach or the A2, round the M25, down the M20 to Folkestone or Dover. Tunnel or ferry depending on the load, the vehicle and the sailing.
- Five
The drive, then the delivery
Motorway wherever the destination allows it. At the other end we deliver into the property, position the furniture and take the packaging away — the same standard as a move across Greenwich Park.
Collecting from outside Greenwich
Most of our European loads start in SE10 or somewhere else in south-east London. Plenty do not. We collect from across the UK when the load justifies the run, and once the vehicle is on the M20 the rest of the journey is identical.
If you are moving from one of these cities and your goods are heading to France, Spain, Italy or Portugal, ask — a part load going that way may already be planned.
- 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. We build the declaration from the survey inventory for exactly that reason, and we chase your documents before we load rather than after.
What we will not do is promise a clearance time. That decision belongs to the authorities at the far end, and any firm quoting you a fixed figure for it is guessing at somebody else's process.
The specifics are on each country page: France, Spain, Italy and Portugal.
European removals — the questions worth asking
If yours is not here, the country pages go further into routing, customs and what each destination is actually like to arrive in.
Which countries do you actually move to?
France, Spain, Italy and Portugal. Those are the four 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 Greenwich?
No. South-east London and Kent are where most loads start, but we collect across the country when a load justifies the run — London constantly, and Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Bristol when the route works. Once the vehicle is on the M20 the journey is the same.
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 with other moves — 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 timing, and on how clearance runs at the far end. Your written quote sets out an expected window for your specific move rather than a figure chosen because it sounds reassuring.
Do I have to 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. We tell you what form each takes and chase anything missing before the load leaves.
Can a motorbike or a car travel too?
A motorbike can go with the load if it is properly prepared and listed separately. Cars need dedicated vehicle transport, and we will point you at someone who does that properly rather than improvising.
What cannot travel?
Anything flammable or pressurised, most plants, perishable food, and whatever the destination restricts. Alcohol and tobacco in quantity attract duty. We go through the exclusions at survey so nothing is a surprise at the border.
What if the property abroad is not ready?
Common, and fixable. Storage here bridges the gap and the load goes out when your date is genuinely firm — far better than a vehicle arriving somewhere nobody can open.
Moving abroad from Greenwich?
Send both addresses and a rough inventory. We will come back about a survey and set out what the paperwork needs.