Customs Clearance for International Removals

A container arriving at, say, Fremantle (Australia) or Halifax (Canada) is not simply delivered on demand. The bill of lading is presented to the destination customs authority; the customs officer reviews the declaration and the ToR / B4 / MPI paperwork; if there are queries or the paperwork is incomplete the container is held in bond (typically £150-£300 per day storage) until resolved.

The single biggest cause of hold-up is paperwork submitted at the destination rather than before departure. We submit before the ship / vehicle sails, so the paperwork is already reviewed and cleared by the time the shipment arrives.

Since 1 January 2021, every UK-to-EU household move needs: a T1 transit document for the trailer (opened at the UK port and closed at the destination); a destination customs declaration (called DAU in Spain / Portugal, DAU in France, ZBE in Germany, and various local names elsewhere); and a valued inventory in English and the destination language.

New EU residents qualify for Transfer of Residence relief on used personal effects owned for over 6 months — the paperwork name varies country to country (Übersiedlungsgut in Germany and Austria, Bagagem de Uso in Portugal, Trasferimento di Residenza in Italy, Flyttegods in Denmark, Flyttsakstillstand in Sweden, Bagaje de Uso in Spain) but the substance is the same.

Coming back to the UK after 12+ months abroad? You can claim ToR-1 relief on your household goods — no UK VAT or duty payable. The application (C88 / ToR-1) is submitted to HMRC before the shipment arrives. HMRC issues a Unique Reference Number (URN) that we quote at the UK border.

Most applications clear within 5-15 working days — we recommend applying at least 3 weeks before the shipment sails to avoid any UK port hold-up.