Importing your goods to Spain without removal company

[Wilson25]

Has anyone made the move themselves without using removal company? I've contacted our local Spanish Consulate and Spanish Embassy without reply. Is it feasible to make the move yourself or just too much hassle? Does anyone know the procedure and paperwork required? We were thinking of packing up a van and moving ourselves but perhaps we're mad!

[pwwm]

We loaded the trailor and a van and just drove down, It was the English customs that stopped us until they saw the dog growling, then waved us through no other problems.
pwwm

[hillybilly]

If you're bringing your own personal effects from the UK there are no special procedures or paperwork required although it may be prudent (if you have a lot of stuff) to prepare in inventory just in case...

[Lion]

We did the move ourself, Portsmouth to Bilbao ferry in an old Ford Transit we bought (was a disaster purchase though) shame you can't hire a van in the UK and return it to a depot in Spain when done really.

[spanish_lad]

yes you can.

1. advertise a UK plated tranny (emphasise "ideal to move back to the uk, taxed, mot´d, insured etc) on here, friday ads and the towncrier websites.

2.buy a high top tranny, fill it up with all ur stuff, make sure its taxed, mot´d, insured, make sure you are covered in europe, service the engine, fill it with diesel and start driving.

3. sell all your furniture and only bring what you cant live without or is VERY high quality (computer, tv video dvd etc, sell it, buy new over here.)

4. get over here, unload said high top tranny.

5. sell it, re-coup your money, et voilais, you´ve moved for the cost of the diesel.

[Wilson25]

Great, that's us sorted then.
From what I had read it seemed like you had to have inventory in spanish and paperwork stamped by Spanish consulate but there you go, I'll ignore that advcie.
Spanish Lad - you were quite scary in your reply re NIE but have redeemed yourself here.
Thanks, all help's appreciated.

[safeashouses]

Spanish Lad - you were quite scary in your reply re NIE but have redeemed yourself here.

He's a lovely lad and his parents must be proud of him I would be if he was mine.

Wilson25 - Good luck with the move, let us know how it goes. We hope to be doing it too this year.

[spanish_lad]

Spanish Lad - you were quite scary in your reply re NIE but have redeemed yourself here.

He's a lovely lad and his parents must be proud of him I would be if he was mine.

wow.. thanks i dont know what to say heheee!!

[spanish hopes]

He's also a bl00dy creep.

[stellastaff]

We did exactly what Spanish lad suggested-went smooth as you like. I did however note EVERYTHING that went on and what box it was in as we took the whole contents of our house (with 4 kids you can imagine...!). This was mostly for our piece of mind but also I had read on a large removal companies site that this was required. You can also bring your house plants-but not garden ones-just incase you were interested!!

We bought a 7 1/2 ton lorry in uk as my husband could drive this with just his car licence, and sold it here for a profit. Bonus!!

[Lion]

I just wish my experience with a tranny worked out like Spanish Lad's theory

Paid £800 for a Ford Transit High Roof Long Wheel Base (H reg) two weeks before the move, within a week of buying it the prop shaft snapped and whilst at the garage several other problems were discovered, cost me a total of £700 to get it repaired to be deemed roadworthy.

Drove it to Spain without any problems, but then part exchanged it against current Spanish vehicle but only got 600 Euros for it and paid over the odds for current vehicile in the process as I just wanted rid of the big van that I could never park easily in my village.

So lost £1100 on it in a very short time, in hindsight it would have worked out cheaper for us to pay a removal company when you add £300 for the european breakdown cover/insurance costs and all the ferry crossing costs/tolls and diesel, so by us doing it on the cheap it backfired.

[Fletch]

I can sympathise with Lion, I drove a Transit down to Malaga in early December, it is quite an expensive business!
It cost 200euro in Diesel, 80 for the Eurotunnel, 150 in tolls, 70 for 2 nights in hotels. Add to that the cost of buying/hiring the van, insurance etc and it works out quite expensive and a lot of hassle.
You can do it cheaper by ferry/non toll roads, but more aggro

[Bongtrees]

yes you can.
3. sell all your furniture and only bring what you cant live without or is VERY high quality (computer, tv video dvd etc, sell it, buy new over here.)

Unless the furniture etc is poor quality (early MFI) I think its well worth bringing it.

I meet people who regret selling nearly everything and having to buy new here because they get next to nothing for it in UK or end up having to give it away and reasonable quality new furniture is not cheap in Spain any more.

Mike

[Bongtrees]

Has anyone made the move themselves without using removal company? I've contacted our local Spanish Consulate and Spanish Embassy without reply. Is it feasible to make the move yourself or just too much hassle? Does anyone know the procedure and paperwork required? We were thinking of packing up a van and moving ourselves but perhaps we're mad!

There can be many pitfalls in DIY removals in an old van. If you have enough goods have you thought of sending it in a 20 foot container?

Call Danzas or a similar company and ask for a quote.

Mike

[hillybilly]

We hired a nice new, speedy & reliable van in Spain and drove it up through Spain & France (22hrs), ferry Cherbourg to Poole, picked up belongings Bristol and environs and drove straight back again. 1 week's hire, slept in the van (uncomfortable & cold but cheap), bingo.

[Bongtrees]

can you remember roughly what the total cost was?

Mike

[anewlife]

We came down in Ford tranny - Plymouth to Santander. I followed in my Fiat Punto. Dog in car (Jack Russell - nasty b***h so no problems at customs!). Brought minimal furniture, computer etc. and house plants. Took 12 hours to drive from Santander to Galera with stops for drinks, dog etc. No problem at all and my other half now does removals using his van here as well. Insurance sorted through Spanish company in Valencia for van and car. Didn't cost too much for fuel in Spain as both vehicles diesel, the biggest outlay was the ferry which was about £700, but well worth it as it cut out France and overnight stops.

[Fletch]

700 Quid for the ferry???? Strewth, it only cost me 53 and that was on the eurotunnel. 35mins crossing, 1 day`s driving 58euro`s diesel and an overnight in one of those 30euro motels

[Moving Soon]

If we achieve our aim of making the move to Spain permanently this year (subject to being able to sell the house in England) then we too are considering going the route of buying a van and driving our stuff down ourselves. We will not be taking much, just two hi fi systems, two collectors' dolls houses and contents, one or two small bits of furniture and pictures and our clothes.

I had read about needing to have an inventory, can anyone please give guidance as to how detailed this would need to be. For example, if I have a box of miniature furniture do I have to list everything in it, or would it be sufficient to say 'x boxes of minitiature furniture' - translated into Spaniish, of course. If every single item has to be listed I will need to put the move off for a few years to give me chance to finish the list!

Unfortunately I don't have a fierce dog to deter Customs from checking and it would be just my luck to get stopped.

[spanish hopes]

Even with an overnight stay in one of the Etap style hotels only adds about £30 to the total including eating.