Relocating to the UK

Whether you’re moving to Britain for the food or the weather, planning how to get your stuff to your new home is likely high on your to-do list. Air and sea might be the most obvious routes, but the UK is also surprisingly well-connected for rail and road transport. With plenty of international transport hubs, so you have many options for organizing your relocation to the UK.

Read on for the best ways to move your household to the UK, including:

Relocating to the UK from abroad

Once you’ve found a place to live in the UK, perhaps in one of London’s vibrant neighborhoods, another charming UK city, or the wild British countryside, it’s time to plan your move. Organizing your relocation is likely high on your moving to the UK checklist: you have to decide how to get your furniture and personal items to your new home.

How you decide to move your furniture and possessions to the UK largely depends on how much stuff you own, your budget, and your timeline. You also have the option of organizing the move yourself or hiring an international moving company to handle all the logistics, including transfers and customs.

Hiring an international moving company

Hiring an international relocation company is probably the most convenient option if you have a large amount to move. These companies usually handle all of the packing and shipping. This means that the logistics should be in safe hands and that you will receive sound advice on customs forms and inventory lists.

If you choose to go with an international relocation service, get in touch a few different companies first to learn exactly what they offer. Speaking to them directly can give you a clearer idea of timing and costs. Some trusted relocation companies working in the UK include:

• 1st Move International
• Crown Relocations
• Santa Fe Relocation

How to choose an international relocation company

With so many international relocation companies to choose from, you might have trouble deciding. One of the most important things to consider is that your company is a member of major industry organizations. These include the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Association or the International Air Transport Association.

If you’re not sure which removals company is right for you, there are plenty of comparison platforms where you can assess your options:

• ReloAdvisor
• The Relocator
• Sirelo

When choosing a shipping company, it’s worth making sure they’re experienced, knowledgeable, and transparent. If you know someone who’s already moved to the UK, find out if they have any recommendations. Otherwise, read online reviews on Reddit, Google, or Facebook.

Finally, make sure you communicate clearly with your relocation company to know what your options are, what paperwork you’ll need, and your options if something goes wrong along the way.

Organizing the move yourself vs. using a relocation company

You might be able to save some money by organizing the move yourself, without hiring help. You could also hire more flexible help through services such as TaskRabbit. This option makes most sense if your relocation to the UK only involves a few items and a short distance.

However, if you organize your own move to the UK, you will have to handle all transport and transfers, administration, packing, and unpacking. In addition, since Brexit, there are more customs issues to consider.

Checklist of things to consider during an international move

Have you decided to arrange your move to the UK yourself? Here is a quick checklist of what you will need to do:

• Make a detailed inventory of your possessions
• Research methods of transport and decide which is the best fit for your move (see the next section)
• Calculate costs
• Estimate delivery times
• Calculate the volume of your move (e.g., how many boxes, how much space in the shipping container)
• Order packing supplies
• Figure out how to keep your items safe from theft and damage
• Obtain insurance
• Fill out customs forms

What is the best shipping method for your relocation to the UK?

With all the shipping methods available for relocating to the UK, it’s necessary to consider what’s most important to you: speed, convenience, eco-friendliness, cost, or something else?

Quick comparison of relocation methods

Method of transport	Pros	Cons
Air freight	Very fast Convenient	Very expensive Not eco-friendly
Sea freight	Cheaper More eco-friendly	Very slow Strict packing rules
Train freight	Fast Most eco-friendly	Fewer options More expensive
Road freight	Very convenient Flexible packing rules	Less sustainable Slow

Air freight to the UK

If you ship your belongings by air to the UK, there are plenty of airports to choose from. Heathrow airport handles by far the largest amount of cargo in the UK and is the busiest airport in Europe.

Other international airports in the UK include:

• Belfast International Airport
• Birmingham Airport
• Cardiff Airport
• Edinburgh Airport
• London Gatwick
• Manchester Airport

Who should use air freight?

Since it’s the fastest method of transport when moving to the UK, air freight is suitable for essential items. However, prices can get quite steep, as they are charged according to their weight. That means that it’s best saved for lighter, urgent items.

Air freight is also very carbon-intensive compared to other methods such as sea freight. So if living sustainably in the UK is important to you, you might want to consider another option.

How air freight works

Before approaching delivery or removal companies, you should assess how much stuff you need to move and what you will send by air. First, make sure you know how much they weigh. Then, you can begin sourcing quotes from different services. However, to provide the most accurate estimate, companies might visit you to assess your shipment or inspect it virtually.

Your selected service should tell you which paperwork you need and which customs to prepare for. Then, either they will pack up your belongings and transport them for you, or you can arrange your own transport to the airport.

Air freight: transit times

As we’ve already mentioned, air freight is pretty fast. Usually, shipments reach their destination within a week or two, depending on where you’re relocating from. This is great if you have urgent items or only a few lightweight things to move.

If you don’t have any large items, you could also pay for extra baggage and pick your belongings up at baggage reclaim. However, remember that you will need to go through customs and that restrictions apply to certain items when flying.

Air freight costs

Although it’s quick, air freight costs quite a lot more than other shipping methods. For example, you might have to pay a minimum of US$150 to ship by air, and your items will then be charged according to their weight. This can begin at around US$1.50 and reach US$8 per kilo during times of high demand.

Packing options

When packing for air freight, it’s important to use lightweight materials to keep your costs down. You can also save money with reusable containers such as suitcases. In addition, your shipping company might have some eco-friendly options such as biodegradable packing peanuts, so if the environment is your thing, get in touch with them.

Relocating to the UK with sea freight

Another relocation option when you’re moving to the UK is to ship your belongings by sea. If you’re on a tight budget and have time on your side, this can save you a lot of money. The UK ports industry handles 95% of UK imports and exports, and there are 120 commercial ports in the country. The Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk handles most containers in the UK.

Other popular UK shipping ports include:

• Port of Immingham
• Port of Liverpool
• Port of London
• Port of Southampton

Who should use sea freight?

What it lacks in speed, sea freight makes up for in cost savings. So it’s a good option for your relocation to the UK if you’re keen to keep costs down when shipping heavy items over a long distance.

Another bonus of sea freight is that it’s far more environmentally friendly than sending your belongings by air. Shipping emits only a fraction of the CO₂ that air freight does for the same weight of items over the same distance.

Container ships: how the process works

Once you know how much you need to ship, you will need to decide which type of container to use. Sea freight charges by volume, rather than weight, and you have three main options:

• Full container load (FCL), 20-foot – this has enough room for the contents of a two- to three-bedroom house
• FCL, 40 foot – for larger homes with four or five bedrooms
• Less than a container load (LCL) – for smaller houses or if you decide not to ship your entire household

Shipping LCL is slightly cheaper than FCL but can make your move take longer. This is because you need to wait for other shipments to fill the container.

Freight shipping transit times

But how long does shipping take? Depending on your distance to the UK, the time to receive your belongings can vary greatly. Here are some estimates of shipping times to the UK from different countries:

• Australia: 36–59 days
• India: 20–35 days
• Poland: 3–7 days
• South Africa: 15–24 days
• United States: 17–62 days

Remember that these shipping times only account for the time spent traveling port to port. Once your items arrive on land, you will need to arrange transport to your new home.

Maritime freight costs

You can save a lot of money by shipping by sea rather than air. It also often works out cheaper for heavy furniture, as the price is worked out according to volume or container size.

The cost of transporting your goods by sea depends on the route they take and levels of demand. As a result, the price might vary month to month, so stay in touch with your shipping company and be aware of any changes. As an example, costs for ocean freight can range from $25–140 per cubic meter, which is only to get your things from port to port not door to door.

Packing options

When shipping by sea to the UK, you must pack your items securely. This is because ocean freight can undergo bad weather and damp conditions. In addition, if your move involves a lot of transfers, your belongings will need to be safely packed to deal with a lot of handling.

When shipping LCL, your goods travel on pallets. There are some options for making your relocation to the UK eco-friendly, but you should check with your removals or delivery company to find what is sustainable and suitable for the journey. In addition, international removals companies often only insure items they’ve packed themselves.

Other relocation options

Moving items to the UK by rail

Since there’s only one rail connection between the UK and mainland Europe, shipping by train can be quite expensive and difficult to procure compared to relocating to other countries.

In fact, there are only two UK operators currently licensed to carry freight through the Eurotunnel, so you’d have to go through one of these. You can contact them directly or hire an international shipping company that will also handle transfers and customs.

Moving items to the UK by road

Even though the UK is an island, you have many road freight options for your move and there are plenty of trucking companies that travel to and from mainland Europe everyday.

Having your items shipped by truck is very convenient compared to other methods since it goes door-to-door and you don’t have to worry about transferring.

If you’re up to the task, it’s always an option to rent a truck and drive yourself and your belongings to the UK, taking either a ferry or LeShuttle from Western Europe. Just make sure the truck rental company allows you to drop off a truck in a different country than you picked it up.

Small personal moves to the UK

If you don’t plan to move furniture or anything oversized, you may be able to bring your items with you as baggage when you travel to the UK. The benefits of this method is that your possessions arrive at your new home in the UK the same day as you do. It will also be much cheaper than hiring a freight shipment or moving company.

If you’re traveling by rail from mainland Europe, the Eurostar allows you to bring a generous amount of luggage, even with a standard ticket. Of course airlines charge for baggage by the weight and number of bags so it’s important to look these up in advance when planning your move.

Relocating pets and vehicles

Of course moving to another country is a bit more complicated if you need to bring pets or vehicles. Read on to find out what to consider when bringing animals and cars into the UK.

Moving to the UK with pets

If you bring a cat, dog, or ferret into Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland), it have a microchip, a pet passport (or health certificate), and a recent rabies vaccination. In some cases, dogs might need tapeworm treatment. Lengthy quarantines can apply if you don’t follow these rules. Finally, your pet must travel by one of the approved routes into Great Britain by air, sea, or rail.

Northern Ireland, on the other hand, follows the EU Pet Travel Regulation. So if you move from an EU country to Northern Ireland, your pet needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination, an EU pet passport, and tapeworm treatment (for dogs). From elsewhere, you might need a health certificate from your vet, proof of other vaccinations, and blood tests.

Bringing a vehicle into the UK

If you want to drive in the UK, you can buy a new car or import your own. The process for importing a vehicle varies slightly depending on whether you are moving to Great Britain or Northern Ireland and whether or not you are moving from the EU:

• Non-EU country to Great Britain or Northern Ireland: you must send a C384 form to UK Customs (HM Revenue and Customs, HMRC) within 14 days of your car’s arrival.
• EU country to Northern Ireland: you must alert HMRC with the Notification of Vehicle Arrivals (NOVA) service.

HMRC will then inform you whether or not you need to pay VAT. If you move permanently to the UK with your vehicle, you will likely be exempt from VAT and duties.

Once you have confirmation from HMRC, you must register your car with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). You can read the full conditions for importing a vehicle to the UK on the British Government website. Remember that you must have car insurance to drive in the UK.

Customs and importing goods into the UK

There are several things that you must declare to customs when you arrive in the UK. This includes amounts of cash over €10,000, goods that you plan to sell, and restricted items. You can declare goods for personal use online before entering the country.

If you are transferring your residence to the UK, you can apply for relief from customs charges on your personal belongings. This is called Transfer of Residence (ToR) relief. You can apply for ToR relief on the UK Government website. Bear in mind that you will require several documents such as an inventory, ID, and proof of your non-UK address.

EU residents moving to Northern Ireland do not need to apply for ToR relief, as their goods are exempt from customs charges thanks to freedom of movement.

To be eligible for ToR relief, you must have been resident outside the UK for at least a year and import your items within a year of arriving. In addition, you must have owned these goods for six months or longer, and you cannot sell them for at least a year after moving to the UK.

Useful resources

• UK customs (HMRC) – information about all tax concerns including importing your goods to the UK
• DVLA – details on everything to do with vehicles and driving in the UK
• Transfering residence – learn how to properly import your personal items when moving to the UK