Removals to Spain from the UK
David Dale has handled removals to Spain from the UK since 1976. We run full house moves, part loads, and furniture-only shipments on a weekly UK to Spain to UK service that operates roughly 50 weeks of the year. As a BAR member (number D040) with our own depot in Almoradi, southern Spain, we work on both sides of the route rather than brokering the job to a third party.
One coordinator handles your move from the first survey through to Spanish delivery, covering export-grade packing, customs paperwork, transport, and storage at either end.
This page covers removals from the UK to Spain, including full loads, part loads, customs, packing, and storage. If you are moving the other way, see our removals from Spain to the UK page.
Get a Fixed-Price Quote
What We Handle on a UK to Spain Move
- Full house moves: from two-bedroom flats to large family homes and rural properties
- Part loads: where your belongings share lorry space on our scheduled weekly run, and you pay for the cubic metres your goods occupy
- Furniture-only shipments: from a single inherited piece to a full room of antiques
- Export-grade packing: using double-walled boxes, laminated bubble wrap, and bespoke timber crating for fragile and high-value items
- Transfer of Residence (ToR) relief: documentation and customs inventory prepared by our coordinators
- Climate-controlled storage: at our Knaresborough depot (25-300 sq ft units) or at our Almoradi facility if your Spanish completion date is not yet confirmed
Part loads and the weekly service
Most moves from one to three-bedroom UK properties run as part loads on our weekly consolidated service. Your goods are packed and loaded alongside other shipments heading south on the same scheduled run, and you pay for the space your belongings occupy rather than the full vehicle cost.
The service runs roughly 50 weeks of the year, so you join a regular schedule rather than waiting for a vehicle to become available. At survey stage we confirm volume, collection date, and delivery window, then provide a written fixed-price quote.
There is no fixed industry definition of a part load, but in practice the dividing lines are:
| Volume | Typical property size | Service type |
|---|---|---|
| Under 15 cubic metres | Single room or studio | Consolidated part load |
| 15 to 30 cubic metres | One-bedroom flat | Consolidated part load |
| 30 to 50 cubic metres | Two-bedroom flat or small house | Consolidated part load |
| Over 50 cubic metres | Three-bedroom house or larger | Dedicated vehicle, quoted separately |
A dedicated full load suits larger homes where you want the vehicle to yourself and a delivery date set around your Spanish move-in date.
Post-Brexit customs and Transfer of Residence
Since the UK became a third country to the EU, household goods crossing into Spain are treated as a third-country import. To bring your possessions in without paying the standard 21% VAT and import duty, most people moving permanently to Spain apply for Transfer of Residence (ToR) relief.
| Condition | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Residency outside the EU before the move | At least 12 months |
| Goods owned and in use for | At least 6 months |
| Numbered inventory | Yes, prepared by our coordinators |
| Supporting documents | UK proof of address, evidence of Spanish residency |
Our coordinators prepare the customs inventory and flag the documents you need before the lorry loads. Formal immigration rulings and TIE applications sit with the Spanish authorities and a local gestor. We handle the removals and customs paperwork side.
ToR relief does not cover new or recently purchased goods under six months old, commercial stock or business equipment, or vehicles imported as a separate category.
Office removals to Spain
For commercial moves, we handle the extra requirements that come with business assets crossing into Spain after Brexit, including EORI number documentation, commercial invoices for customs, and sequential packing so your team can get operational quickly on arrival.
- IT infrastructure: safe decommission, export-wrapping, and re-commission of server racks and workstations
- Sequential packing: files and equipment packed and labelled so they arrive in the order needed for setup
- Commercial customs: EORI numbers and commercial invoices prepared to avoid VAT complications at the Spanish border
Packing for Spain
The journey from the UK to Spain involves thousands of miles of road transit and changes in climate. Export-grade packing is the standard we apply to every shipment on this route, not an optional extra.
- Laminated bubble wrap, a high-spec furniture wrap that gives impact protection and a moisture barrier against humidity changes in transit
- Double-walled boxes for books, kitchenware, and everyday items
- Bespoke timber crating built in-house for artwork, pianos, antiques, and high-value pieces
- A detailed numbered inventory, required for customs and essential for insurance, prepared by our team
Full packing is available for the whole property, or as a fragile-only option if you prefer to pack everyday items yourself. Both are quoted as part of the survey.
See our packing servicesStorage at both ends
Relocation timelines rarely line up perfectly. If you need to leave your UK property before your Spanish completion date is confirmed, or you want to take delivery in stages, we have facilities at both ends.
| Storage option | Location | Units available |
|---|---|---|
| UK climate-controlled warehouse | Knaresborough depot, Dale House, Forest Moor Road, HG5 8LT | 25 to 300 sq ft units |
| Spanish storage | Almoradi depot, southern Spain | Available for part-load and full-load customers |
Goods in storage stay in the same secure containers from our depot to your Spanish address, which reduces repeated handling.
See our storage options
Areas and routes we cover
Collections run from across the UK, from North Yorkshire and wider Yorkshire to nationwide pickups. Goods travel to our Knaresborough depot before loading onto the outbound weekly vehicle. Delivery covers:
- Mainland Spain, all regions
- Balearic Islands
- Costa Blanca and Alicante province, served directly from our Almoradi depot
- Costa del Sol, Malaga, and Andalucia
- Catalonia and Barcelona
- Madrid and inland Spain
For Alicante removals in particular, the Almoradi depot sits within the province, which gives us a local base for delivery and storage that most UK operators do not have.
Related pages: Removals from Spain to the UK · European removals · Storage · Packing services
Why David Dale for UK to Spain removals
David Dale has handled removals to Spain from the UK since 1976. The weekly UK to Spain to UK service has run for close to 50 years with trained, permanent staff and around 10 vehicles. BAR membership (number D040) and the BAR Alternative Dispute Resolution Scheme give you independent recourse if anything goes wrong.
The Almoradi depot means we have a fixed base in southern Spain, our own facility with our own team rather than a local agent arranged per job. That matters when your delivery needs coordinating, your storage needs managing, or your timelines shift after the lorry has left the UK.
