European removals
European removals from Gillingham — France, Spain, Italy and Portugal
Moving from the UK to Europe is a road job from here. Load in ME7 or ME8, out on the M2, down the M20, across the Channel, and drive to the door — with the customs paperwork prepared before you travel.
Medway is well placed for this. The M2 picks up at junction 3 or 4 depending on which side of Gillingham you are on, joins the M20, and puts you at Folkestone or Dover without touching the M25. For a UK to France removal that is genuinely handy; for a UK to Spain removal it means the long part of the drive starts earlier in the day.
We run four routes regularly — 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 one suits you depends on how much is going and how much flexibility you have on dates.
Gillingham to France
The short crossing and the long drive south
Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Normandy are close enough to be a straightforward run. Brittany, the Dordogne, Occitanie and Provence are longer days on the autoroute. Second homes, retirements and job relocations in roughly equal measure.
Removals from Gillingham to France →Gillingham to Spain
Costas, cities and the villages inland
Down through France and across at Irun or Le Perthus. Alicante and the Costa Blanca, the Costa del Sol, Valencia, and the inland pueblos people move to when the coast gets busy.
Removals from Gillingham to Spain →Gillingham to Italy
Over the Alps and down the spine
Through France to the Mont Blanc or Fréjus tunnel, or round the coast into Liguria. Milan and Turin for work, Tuscany, Umbria and Le Marche for the renovation everyone says they will finish.
Removals from Gillingham to Italy →Gillingham to Portugal
Across northern Spain to the Atlantic
The long haul — France, then across Spain and in at the border. The Algarve, Lisbon, the Silver Coast and the north around Porto. Retirement moves dominate, but not as much as they used to.
Removals from Gillingham to Portugal →How the move runs
From the survey to the delivery address
- One
Survey and inventory
A full list of what is going, room by room. It does two jobs: it sizes the load, and it becomes the inventory customs will want to see. Vague inventories are the single commonest reason a household load gets held up at the border.
- Two
Paperwork before you travel
Since Brexit a household move to the EU is a customs movement. That means a declaration, evidence of your transfer of residence, and proof you have owned the goods. We compile it and tell you exactly what you need to supply.
- Three
Load in Gillingham
Packed and loaded at your address in ME7 or ME8. Furniture blanketed, everything numbered against the inventory, the load secured for a long run rather than a short one.
- Four
M2, M20, Channel
Out of Medway on the M2 at junction 3 or 4, across to the M20, then Eurotunnel at Folkestone or the ferry from Dover. Whichever suits the load, the vehicle and the sailing.
- Five
The drive, then delivery
Motorway all the way where the destination allows it. At the other end we deliver to the address, place the furniture and take the packaging away — the same standard as a move across Gillingham.
Collecting from outside Medway
Most of our European loads start in Gillingham, Rainham or somewhere else in Kent. Plenty do not. We collect from across the UK when the load justifies the run, and the route out is the same once the vehicle is on the M20.
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 changes after Brexit
Moving household goods to 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 for long enough to qualify for relief.
None of it is difficult, but all of it has to be right before the vehicle travels. We put the documentation together and tell you what to supply. What we will not do is promise a clearance time — that sits with the authorities at the other end, and any firm quoting you a fixed number of days is guessing.
Each country page sets out the specifics: France, Spain, Italy and Portugal.
European removals — the questions worth asking
If yours is not here, the country pages go into more detail on 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 four are what we run regularly and what we know the paperwork for. 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 Gillingham?
No. Medway and Kent are where most loads start, but we collect from across the country — London most weeks, and Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Bristol when a load justifies the run. The route out is the same once we are on the M20.
Is it cheaper to share a load?
Usually, yes — a part load consolidated with other moves on the same route costs less than a dedicated vehicle. The trade-off is timing flexibility, because the van leaves when the route is full. We explain both options at quote stage.
How long does a European move take?
It depends on the route, whether you are on a dedicated vehicle or a shared load, and how the customs clearance runs at the other end. Your written quote sets out an expected window for your specific move rather than a number that sounds good on a website.
What about the customs paperwork — do I have to do it?
We prepare it. You will need to supply proof of address at the destination, evidence you are moving your residence, and identification. We tell you what form that takes for your country and chase anything missing before the load leaves.
Can you move a car or a motorbike too?
A motorbike can travel with the load if it is prepared properly. Cars are a separate transport arrangement and we will point you to someone who does that properly rather than strapping it to the back of a Luton.
What cannot travel?
Anything flammable or pressurised, most plants, perishable food, and anything the destination country restricts. Alcohol and tobacco in quantity attract duty. We go through the exclusions at survey.
Moving abroad from Medway?
Send the two addresses and a rough inventory. We will come back about a survey and set out what the paperwork needs.