Planning removals to Spain from the UK? We'd love to help. Gentlevan Removals has been running house moves since 2011, and the UK-Spain route has grown into one of our busiest corridors, and we know it inside out. Our bi-weekly runs cover every mainland Spanish destination from villas on the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca to apartments in Barcelona and Madrid, retirement homes in Alicante and Valencia, and rural fincas deep in Andalusia. Prices start from £1,200 for part-load consignments. Whatever size move you need, we prepare the customs paperwork and deliver door to door, and we can pack for you too if you want us to.
We offer three ways to move, depending on your budget and how flexible your dates are. A shared-load means your belongings travel alongside other customers heading to Spain the same week, the most affordable option. Part-load suits smaller moves of 1-2 rooms. A dedicated vehicle is your own van, your chosen dates, no other stops. Whichever you pick, we prepare the post-Brexit customs paperwork: the itemised inventory and your Transfer of Residence (ToR) relief application where you qualify, with our customs agent lodging the DUA (Documento Único Administrativo) declaration. Moving the other way? See our Spain to UK removals page. Spain sits alongside our wider European removals network.
There's no single price for a move to Spain, but here's a realistic guide. A full household move to the mainland usually lands between £2,500 and £7,000 door-to-door, and smaller part-loads start from around £1,200. What pushes the figure up or down is mainly how much you're shipping (we measure this in cubic feet when we survey), where in Spain you're going, and whether you want a shared load, a part-load, or the van to yourself. The table below gives you a range to plan around.
| Move Size | Service Type | Price Range (GBP) |
|---|---|---|
| Part-load (1-2 rooms) | Part-load | £1,200-£3,000 |
| 1-2 bed household | Part-load or shared-load | £2,500-£4,500 |
| 3-bed family home | Shared-load or dedicated | £4,000-£7,000 |
| 4+ bed home | Dedicated vehicle | £6,500-£10,000+ |
Those figures cover loading, transport, the customs paperwork, Transfer of Residence (ToR) support where you qualify, and carrying everything into your new place, not just dropping it at the kerb. For a price based on your actual inventory, get a quote online in under 60 seconds.
Moving British families to Spain since 2011: door-to-door service, secure UK storage, and full customs paperwork handled.
Get your free removals quote →Typical transit from collection in the UK to delivery anywhere in mainland Spain:
The figure depends on which route the load takes. Some runs use the Portsmouth to Santander ferry, which skips the long drive through France, so even the south of Spain can be quick when the sailing suits. Others go Dover to Calais and down by road. A dedicated vehicle is the fastest option when timing matters.
Gentlevan covers mainland Spain in full, from the Basque Country in the north to Andalusia in the south, and every Costa region in between. We operate bi-weekly removals (every second week) to the most popular expat destinations and can quote for anywhere in mainland Spain on request.
We have dedicated service pages for our most-requested destinations:
We also regularly move to Seville, Bilbao, Zaragoza, Granada, Santander, Murcia, and Almería.
Our most popular Spanish routes run to the Costa coastlines, where most UK expats settle. See our guide to moving to Marbella for a deep dive into Costa del Sol life.
Not every move goes to the coast. We deliver throughout Spain, to villages and rural properties in inland Andalusia, La Rioja, Extremadura, Castilla y León and the Basque Country. If you've bought a finca, a village house, or anywhere off the motorway network, we'll plan access and any shuttle-vehicle requirements before your moving day. Our guide to removal van parking permits covers the city rules for Madrid and the other Spanish cities we deliver to. See our guide to the best cities to live in Spain for a full breakdown.
Whether it's a single sofa, a few treasured pieces after a downsize, or a full house of furniture, our furniture removals to Spain cover every size of move. We price on the volume your items take up, not their weight, so you're never penalised for solid oak, a heavy dresser or a marble-topped table. Smaller loads travel on our part-load service, where you share the van and only pay for the space you use; larger ones go by shared or dedicated vehicle.
We regularly move furniture of every kind to Spain, including:
Dismantling and reassembly of beds, wardrobes and flat-pack is included. Furniture is blanket-wrapped for the journey, and export wrapping is available for fragile or valuable pieces. We carry no weight limit, and our on-board transhipment van reaches narrow streets, village houses and rural fincas that bigger vehicles can't get near. Everything is delivered, carried in and placed in the room you want it. Get a free furniture removals quote in under a minute.
We’ve refined our removal process over the years to make moving as simple as possible:
You can also get optional storage & unpacking services. Whatever you need, just ask! We handle piano transport, professional dismantling and reassembly as well.
As a family-run business, we keep things personal. From your first quote through to delivery in Spain, you'll have the same dedicated point of contact: we answer the phone and the emails ourselves.
Need to store your belongings for a short time while you finalise accommodation or travel? We offer clean and secure UK-based storage, with 2 months FREE included on every international move.
We've been running the UK-Spain route since 2011, and it's now one of our busiest. Being a family firm, the person who quotes your move is usually the person you'll speak to on the day it happens. Here's what that looks like in practice:
We move retirees settling on the coast, remote workers heading out on a Digital Nomad Visa, and families relocating for good. Whatever the reason, we can point you in the right direction on the paperwork, from the DUA declaration to registering once you arrive.
A lot of our Spain work comes from people passing our name on, whether that's a one-bedroom flat's worth of furniture or a full six-bedroom house. Either way, our own crews pack it and drive it.
After more than a decade of moving British families to Spain, the same few mistakes come up again and again. The biggest one is leaving the visa too late. The Non-Lucrative Visa alone can take a few months to pull together, so start it well before you plan to travel rather than treating it as a formality near the end.
The second is buying property too quickly. A week's holiday somewhere is not the same as living there in February, and the coast you love in August can feel very different off-season. Most of the people we move who are happiest a year later rented first, in the actual town they were considering, before committing to a purchase. It also gives you time to open a Spanish bank account and get a feel for the real cost of living.
The third is underestimating how much a bit of Spanish helps. You don't need to be fluent, but enough to deal with the town hall, the utilities and your neighbours makes the first few months far less stressful. The paperwork side of the move itself, the customs clearance, the inventory, the ToR relief, is the part we take off your hands, so that's one less thing on the list.
Spain is still one of the most popular places for British people to relocate to, but Brexit changed the rules underneath it. UK nationals aren't EU citizens any more, so the automatic right to live, work and retire in Spain has gone. In its place is a visa system, and the move now carries more paperwork on both the immigration and the customs side than it did before 2021. None of it is a dealbreaker, but it does need doing in the right order, which is one reason it pays to get your mover involved early rather than at the last minute.
UK citizens now apply for a visa or residence permit under Spain's normal immigration rules rather than simply turning up. In practice that usually means showing you can support yourself, holding a private health policy, and getting an NIE (your Spanish foreigner's number). Anyone who was already living in Spain before the end of 2020 sits under the Withdrawal Agreement instead and holds a TIE card.
Everyday life picked up a bit more admin too. Working in Spain needs the right visa, healthcare usually means private cover or qualifying for the public system, and jobs like registering at the town hall or swapping your driving licence take a little more form-filling than they used to. It's manageable, it's just worth knowing about before you land.
For all the extra admin, the reason people move hasn't changed. Once the paperwork is behind you, you get the weather, a lower cost of everyday living in most areas, and established British communities on the Costas and in the cities if you want that network nearby. A bit of Spanish and getting to know your local area go a long way in the first few months.
One thing worth planning for before you go rather than after: if you spend more than 183 days a year in Spain you become tax-resident, which affects how your pension and other income are taxed. It's worth a conversation with a Spanish accountant early on. The move itself is very doable, Brexit or not, plenty of the families we move do it every month.
Since Brexit, a UK-to-Spain move is treated as an import from outside the EU, so it comes with customs rules that didn't apply when Britain was a member. The good news for most people is Transfer of Residence (ToR) relief: a genuine change of residence lets your household goods come in without duty or VAT. It's the paperwork around it that catches people out, and that's the part we take on.
We run the whole customs process end to end: the inventory, the declaration, and the ToR application where you qualify. You concentrate on the move; we keep the forms moving.
Every move needs a detailed inventory listing what's in the load, with an estimated value and rough purchase date for each lot. We put this together for you. Alongside it, Spanish customs will want:
For the VAT (IVA) exemption specifically, they may also ask for your TIE residency card, a recent padrón certificate, and your P85 from HMRC, which is the form that tells HMRC you're leaving the UK.
A few things are restricted or off-limits. Alcohol, tobacco, fresh food, plants, prescription medicines (bring the prescription) and antiques can all need extra handling or permits. The usual prohibited list applies too: no drugs, firearms, hazardous materials or counterfeit goods.
This is where Transfer of Residence relief does the heavy lifting. When your things move as part of a genuine change of residence rather than a commercial shipment, your household goods come in free of import duty and VAT, with no upper value limit, as long as you've owned them for at least six months and they're declared properly. The main exceptions are alcohol and tobacco, which carry excise duty whatever the reason for the move.
One point worth clearing up: the €430 figure you'll see quoted online is a separate thing entirely. It's the allowance for goods you carry in your luggage as a traveller, not for a household removal under ToR, so it doesn't cap what you can bring in the van.
We don't carry cars, but if you are driving yours down, it needs to be at least six months old and travel with its paperwork, the V5 or title document, purchase invoice, registration and its motor policy documents. Re-registering it onto Spanish plates is a separate job once you're resident, and one we can point you in the right direction on.
We walk you through all of it as part of the move, so nothing gets declared the wrong way and you don't end up paying tax you didn't owe.
For comprehensive information on visa requirements, visit the official website of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs or contact the nearest Spanish embassy or consulate in the UK . They will provide the most accurate and up-to-date information on visa types, application processes, and any additional requirements. By being well-informed about the customs requirements and visa regulations, you can ensure a smooth transition and make the necessary arrangements to comply with the legal obligations when moving from the UK to Spain.
You might also need to register with the local town hall (empadronamiento), apply for a NIE number, or arrange healthcare and schooling for your children.
Removals to Spain from the UK typically cost between £2,500 and £7,000 for a door-to-door household move, with part-load services from around £1,200 for smaller consignments. Price varies by the volume of your belongings, your Spanish destination, and whether you choose part-load, shared-load or dedicated service. A shared load typically costs 40-60% less than a dedicated vehicle. See the price table above, or request a free no-obligation online quote for an exact figure.
A dedicated vehicle typically takes 3-5 working days to anywhere in mainland Spain, and a shared load or part load 7-21 working days. The exact time depends on which route the load takes: some runs use the Portsmouth to Santander ferry, which skips the drive through France, and others go Dover to Calais and down by road.
Yes. Every UK to Spain move (and every Spain to UK one) comes with 2 months of free storage at our Oxfordshire warehouse. It covers the gaps that come up on nearly every move: a Non-Lucrative Visa still going through, a Spanish completion date that slips, or a UK sale that finishes before you're ready to fly out. Your things stay with us until you want them.
Yes. We put together the itemised inventory Spanish customs want to see on every move, and prepare your Transfer of Residence (ToR) relief application where you're eligible. Our customs agent then lodges the DUA (Documento Único Administrativo) declaration. ToR relief is the one worth knowing about: if you're moving to Spain permanently and have owned your household items for at least six months, it lets them clear without Spanish import duty or VAT. Second homes do not qualify, so belongings for a holiday home are treated differently. We'll tell you upfront which applies to you.
For most retirees the route is the Non-Lucrative Visa, Spain's "non-working" residence permit. For 2026 you need to show passive income or savings of at least €28,800 a year for the main applicant (that's 400% of Spain's IPREM, which hasn't changed since 2023), plus €7,200 a year for each dependent coming with you. You'll also need a private Spanish health policy with full cover and no co-payments. The visa runs for one year to begin with, then renews in two-year blocks. We're movers, not immigration advisers, so check the fine detail with the consulate or a Spanish immigration lawyer, but plenty of our customers have made the move exactly this way.
A dedicated vehicle is reserved exclusively for your belongings: you choose collection and delivery dates and there are no other stops. A shared-load service combines your belongings with those of other customers travelling the same week, typically costing 40-60% less compared to dedicated. A part-load is for smaller moves that don't fill a household, typically 1-2 rooms of furniture, starting from £1,200. See our dedicated part-load removals to Spain page.
Yes. Post-Brexit, UK nationals need a visa to stay in Spain for more than 90 days in any 180-day period. The most common routes are the Non-Lucrative Visa (for retirees and those with passive income), the Digital Nomad Visa (for remote workers earning at least 200% of the Spanish minimum wage), the Work Visa (with a Spanish employer), and family reunification visas. Most applicants start the process 4-6 months before their planned move date. You'll also need an NIE number as part of the residency process.
Yes. Return moves have their own page with prices, transit times and the UK customs side: see Spain to UK removals.
The top three mistakes are underestimating the complexity of the Non-Lucrative Visa application (allow 4-6 months), failing to start Spanish language learning before the move, and buying property before renting in the area first. Get your visa paperwork started early, use the time to learn basic Spanish, and rent for 6-12 months before committing to a property purchase.
You'll need your residency visa (or proof of your visa application), a passport copy, your Spanish address (rental contract or property deed), a detailed inventory of belongings (we supply the template), and proof of UK address such as a recent utility bill. If you're claiming Transfer of Residence (ToR) relief for tax-free import, you'll also need proof you've owned the goods for at least 6 months. We'll guide you through every document, and our customs agent lodges the DUA declaration with the Agencia Tributaria.
Both. Whether it's a single sofa, a handful of pieces, or a full home's worth of furniture, we'll move it, and you pay for the space your items take up on the van, not a fixed household rate. Smaller furniture loads travel on our part-load service; larger ones on a shared or dedicated vehicle. Dismantling and reassembly of beds, wardrobes and flat-pack is included, furniture is blanket-wrapped for the journey, and export wrapping is available for fragile or valuable pieces.
Look for removal companies to Spain that run the route themselves rather than passing your load on, give you a written quote from a proper survey, and prepare the customs inventory and Transfer of Residence paperwork as part of the job. Accreditation is worth checking too: we are Move Assured and AIM accredited, with five-star reviews. A video survey is the quickest way to get an accurate price from us.
Yes. Where the main vehicle can't get close, our transhipment van shuttles your belongings to the door, so old town streets, hillside villages and finca tracks are all fine. Some Spanish towns need a parking suspension for the loading bay, which you arrange with the town hall; our removal van parking permit guide explains what to ask for.
Ready to move to Spain or return to the UK?
Call us on +44 7861 930529
Let Gentlevan Removals handle the logistics while you focus on your new life.
Since 2011 we have moved customers from the UK to towns and cities right across mainland Spain, including:
Still choosing where to live? Our guides to the best cities to live in Spain, moving to Marbella and moving to Madrid are a good place to start.
Whether you're heading to the Costa del Sol, a Madrid apartment or a village in Andalucía, we manage the whole journey, from packing and customs paperwork to door-to-door delivery, so your belongings arrive in the same condition they left.
Coming home from Spain is a different move with its own UK customs paperwork, so it has its own page. See Spain to UK removals for collection areas, prices and transit times, or read our guide to moving back to the UK from Spain.
Much of our Spain work comes from word of mouth and repeat customers: families on the Costa Blanca, retirees near Málaga, and second-home owners moving a part-load each season. The feedback we hear most is about clear communication, careful packing, and belongings arriving in Spain, or back in the UK, in the same condition they left.
Read verified reviews on our reviews page.
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