The initial enquiry and survey
Most enquiries reach us as an email or a quote-form submission. We ask what is moving, from where to where, and what your timing looks like. None of those answers needs to be precise yet — we are working out whether your move suits the corridor and, if so, what shape of survey it warrants.
A pre-move survey is the conversation that lets us quote properly. For a full-house move, the surveyor visits the UK property to walk the inventory in person. For a smaller consignment or a move outside our routine UK travel range, a video survey works. For very clear, well-listed moves, a detailed inventory submission and a follow-up call can be enough. The survey is free and at your convenience.
The written quote
After the survey we write the quote. It sets out what is being moved (a volume estimate in cubic metres), the route plan (overland road consignment, sea groupage via Leixões or Lisbon, or a hybrid), the customs filings included, the access constraints at both ends, and the contingencies we are holding.
The quote is held in writing for a stated period — you do not get a surprise upward revision on the day. If anything material changes between quote and move (much larger consignment, different address, very different timing), we will requote rather than absorb the change. That is the trade for the price holding.
NIF, residency, ToR1 and the customs filing window
Before the consignment can leave the UK, the paperwork has to be in place. You need a NIF (Portuguese tax number, obtained through a Portuguese fiscal representative if you do not already have one). You need evidence you are establishing Portuguese residency — typically a residency visa application, a rental or purchase contract, and the supporting documents AT will look for at clearance.
On the UK side we file the ToR1 (Transfer of Residence) declaration to HMRC. This is the formal request for relief from import VAT and customs duty on your personal effects, provided you have owned them for at least six months and are establishing your principal residence in Portugal. On the Portuguese side we prepare the bilingual inventory and AT submission package.
- NIF — obtained via a Portuguese fiscal representative; we do not provide this service but can refer you.
- Portuguese residency evidence — visa, rental or purchase contract, intended primary-residence proof.
- ToR1 declaration to HMRC — we file this on your behalf.
- AT bilingual inventory — we prepare this from the survey list and you sign it off.
- Insurance documentation — we provide a network-side cover summary as part of the quote pack.
UK-side packing and load-out
On the agreed UK move-out date, the crew packs to professional removals-industry standards: export-grade wrap on furniture, double-walled boxes on books and crockery, custom crates on art or fragile items where the survey called for them. The inventory is finalised at the load-out, double-checked against the AT submission package, and signed off by both sides.
Some customers pack their own books and clothes (own-packed boxes are accepted) — what we will not allow is own-packed fragile items, simply because the insurance position changes materially if a glass-or-china item is packed by someone other than us. The surveyor will set the expected own-pack scope at survey stage.
Transit: road, sea groupage, and the trade-offs
Two main transit modes serve the UK→Portugal corridor: overland road via France and Spain (the consignment stays on the same vehicle from your UK property to the Portuguese border), and sea groupage via Leixões or Lisbon (your consignment shares a container with other UK→Portugal shipments).
Road transit gives you more control: the consignment is not unpacked or re-packed in transit, the timing is in our hands, and a fixed handover date is feasible. Groupage gives you better per-cubic-metre value for partial loads but the timing is bounded by the shipping schedule rather than by you.
The right choice depends on consignment size, handover-date pressure, and budget tolerance. The written quote sets out both options where it is sensible to and recommends one.
Aveiro customs clearance
Whether the consignment arrives by road or by sea, it clears Portuguese customs at the AT facility in the Aveiro region (with limited exceptions for sea cargo through Sines or Lisbon ports). The AT release happens once the paperwork is in order: inventory accepted, transfer-of-residence relief approved, no queries outstanding.
We submit the paperwork in advance to keep the release window tight. Most clearances proceed without query. If AT does raise a question (most commonly about valuation on a single item, or about residency documentation), we respond directly to AT and you do not need to attend.
Portuguese final-leg delivery
After AT release, the vehicle continues to your Portuguese address. For most destinations this is the same vehicle that left the UK; for some (tight urban access in Alfama or Porto Ribeira, single-track lanes in the Serra) a smaller transfer van handles the final-leg shuttle from a wider staging point.
The crew unloads, places furniture per your direction, and removes packing materials unless you have asked us to leave them. The inventory is checked off at delivery and both sides sign the final manifest.
Post-move and the things that come later
A few practical things tend to happen in the weeks after the move: registering with the local council (junta de freguesia), connecting Portuguese utilities, opening or finalising a Portuguese bank account, and — if you brought a vehicle — beginning the matrícula re-registration process within the timeframe Portuguese law requires.
We do not provide those services ourselves, but the surveyor will leave you a written hand-off note listing what needs to happen next and the rough order to tackle them in. Most of our customers find the few-weeks-after part of the move more manageable than they expected.