Kent to France
The shortest export run in Britain, and the one most often underestimated because the crossing is so familiar.
Île-de-France · Normandy · Brittany · the Loire · Nouvelle-Aquitaine · Provence
The route in detailInto Europe
Europe, from the crossing county
Kent is where Britain leaves by road. That takes hours off the front of a European move and does precisely nothing for the customs file — which is the part that decides when a vehicle is allowed to go.
What the geography is worth
The tunnel terminal and the port sit in this county. A load from Maidstone, Ashford or Medway is at the crossing while an inland firm is still working round the M25. That is worth real hours, a shorter first leg, and a departure at a civilised time.
It is worth nothing at all against a clearance queue or a missing document. Anyone implying otherwise is selling you proximity as though it were paperwork.
Where we go
Kent to Spain
The busiest British destination in Europe, where the documents rather than the distance set the timetable.
Madrid · Catalonia · Valencia · Costa Blanca · Andalucía · the Balearics by ferry
The route in detailKent to Italy
Alpine tunnels or the Riviera road, restricted city zones at the far end, and loads that often carry older furniture.
Lombardy · Piedmont · the Lakes · Tuscany · Umbria · Lazio
The route in detailKent to Portugal
The longest road route we run, where the whole discipline is loading once and loading correctly.
Lisbon · Cascais · Porto · the Silver Coast · the Alentejo · the Algarve
The route in detailThe export file
Three parts. An inventory, itemised and valued line by line — a list saying "box of kitchen" is not one. Transit paperwork, raised before the vehicle leaves. And evidence of transfer of residence, which is what allows used household effects to enter without import duty.
We prepare and lodge the export side. The pieces only you can get — the residency application, the address proof at the far end — have the longest lead times, so they are the ones to start first.
Two situations, handled differently
- You are moving. The destination becomes your primary residence, the relief applies, and the file exists to demonstrate it.
- You are furnishing a property. You stay UK-resident, the goods are a conventional import assessed on declared value, and describing that as a relocation is a problem that lands on you.
If you genuinely do not know which you are, say so on the first call. Sorting it later, after the inventory has been valued, is the expensive way round.
Collections elsewhere in the UK
Households leaving the country are rarely in one place. London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Bristol are all ordinary collection points, consolidated with the Kent load before the crossing. Arrange them early — adding one after the vehicle is loaded is a different job.
Dedicated or shared
Dedicated carries your household alone and leaves when you are ready. Shared consolidates with other moves on the same route: cheaper, less flexible, and fine for a part-household with a movable date.
Neither comes with a day count from us. Your quote states the expected window for your route and what would shift it, which is as honest as anyone can be about a journey that includes a border.
Storage on the way out
Very common. The UK sale completes before the destination is habitable, so the household waits in store here and exports when you say — cheaper and simpler than storing it in a country whose systems you are still learning.
Worth knowing
Moving abroad from Kent, questions first
What difference does starting in Kent make?
Hours off the front of the job. The tunnel terminal and the port are both in this county, so the vehicle is at the crossing while an inland firm is still on the M25. It shortens the drive and does nothing for the paperwork, which is the honest position.
What does the customs file contain?
An itemised, valued inventory; transit paperwork raised before departure; and evidence of transfer of residence — the thing that allows used household effects in without duty. We prepare and lodge the export side and tell you what only you can obtain.
What if we are furnishing a second home?
Different category entirely. Transfer-of-residence relief applies where the destination becomes your primary home; furnishing a holiday property is a conventional import assessed on declared value. It has to be settled before the inventory is valued.
Dedicated or shared for Europe?
Dedicated leaves when you are ready and carries nothing else. Shared costs less and fits around other households on the same route. Your quote states the expected window for your job — no general day counts, because they would be fiction.
Can you pick up from more than one address?
Yes, and it is common when a household has been split across a storage unit, a relative and the house. London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Bristol are all ordinary collection points, consolidated with the Kent load before the crossing.
Can the load wait in Kent?
Frequently the sensible answer. The UK house completes before the destination is habitable, so the household sits in store here and exports when the far end is genuinely ready.
Start the file before you start the boxes.
The documents have the longest lead time on any European move. Tell us the country and roughly when, and we will tell you what to begin today.