Moving from Portugal, anywhere.

Where we move households to from Portugal

Other destinations we cover

• Portugal → France
• Portugal → Belgium
• Portugal → Netherlands
• Portugal → Luxembourg
• Portugal → Germany
• Portugal → Austria
• Portugal → Switzerland
• Portugal → Ireland
• Portugal → United Kingdom
• Portugal → Spain
• Portugal → Italy
• Portugal → Greece

Before you leave Portugal

• Update your tax residence — When you leave Portugal, you update your address with the tax authority (Finanças) to your new address abroad, so you are recorded as a non-resident. Depending on where you move and what you keep in Portugal, you may need a tax representative or to sign up for electronic notifications — check before you leave.
• Residence permit and registrations — If you hold a Portuguese residence permit or EU registration certificate, check what to do with it when you leave for good, and keep proof of your departure date: destination customs often ask for evidence of how long you lived abroad.
• Your Portuguese-registered vehicle — A car leaving Portugal for good has its Portuguese registration cancelled for export with the vehicle authority (IMT). Your new country then registers it under its own rules.
• Health, social security and utilities — End or transfer your health cover once insurance abroad is arranged, inform social security if you have worked in Portugal, and cancel electricity, water, internet and phone contracts in good time.
• Islands: Madeira and the Azores — From Madeira or the Azores, your belongings first travel by sea to the mainland or directly to their destination. Allow extra time and tell us your island at quote stage.

Exporting your belongings from Portugal

To another EU country: if Portugal and your destination are both in the EU, your belongings travel freely. There is no export declaration and no customs clearance.

To a country outside the EU: we file the export declaration in Portugal on your behalf. What matters most is the import side: whether your belongings enter your new country free of duty depends on that country's rules. Each destination guide explains them.

Wherever you are going, prepare a detailed inventory of your belongings. It is required at destination for almost every move outside the EU, and it is the basis of your insurance.

Moves from Portugal to the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, the United States, Canada or any other non-EU country require an export declaration, which we file before departure. Overseas containers usually leave from Lisbon, Leixões (Porto) or Sines.

How a move from Portugal works

1. Free quote. Share your origin, your delivery address in Portugal and roughly how much you are moving. A written quote lands in your inbox within 24 hours.
2. Survey and planning. A coordinator confirms your volume and the transport mode, and reviews the customs rules that apply to your move to Portugal.
3. Packing and collection. We bring the packing materials to your home, inventory each piece and load everything on moving day.
4. Transport. Your belongings travel by the mode that fits your route to Portugal: dedicated truck or shared load within Europe, sea container or air freight otherwise.
5. Customs clearance (where required). We prepare the export declaration in Portugal and the import file for your destination (Portuguese export declaration for non-EU destinations).
6. Delivery and set-up. Final-mile delivery to your door; unpacking and reassembly are added when your quote includes them.

A single point of contact handles your move from Portugal from estimate to delivery.

How your belongings travel — mode by mode

Door-to-door transit times are indicative and depend on the season, the exact addresses and, where required, customs clearance.

Door-to-door transit times are indicative and depend on the season, the exact addresses and, where required, customs clearance at destination. Moves from Madeira or the Azores take longer.

How the price of your move from Portugal is calculated

Like every international mover, we build your price from Portugal from a few concrete factors:

• Volume — the single biggest lever on the price, in m³. The online calculator walks you through it one room at a time.
• Distance and route — the actual door-to-door distance to Portugal, not a bird-flight shortcut.
• Transport mode — shared load, dedicated truck, sea container (shared or exclusive) or air freight.
• Services — everything beyond pure transport: packing, dismantling, crating, short-term storage, extra legs by ferry.
• Access — floors without a lift, narrow streets, long carry distances or the need for an external lift.
• Customs — brokerage, declaration and port handling charges on routes to Portugal that cross a customs border.
• Insurance — calculated as a percentage of the declared value of your belongings.

Typical volumes, as a guide:

For road moves inside Europe, the estimator returns a starting price in two minutes. Sea freight, air freight and any move that crosses a customs border go through a written quote, delivered within 24 hours.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do with Finanças before leaving Portugal?

Update your tax address to your new address abroad so you are recorded as a non-resident, and check whether you need a tax representative or electronic notifications.

Is there customs paperwork when moving from Portugal to another EU country?

No. Moves between EU countries involve no export declaration and no customs clearance.

I am moving back to the UK from Portugal. What do I need?

We file the export declaration in Portugal. Before your goods arrive, you apply to HMRC for Transfer of Residence relief (ToR01) so your belongings can enter the UK duty-free.

Can I take my Portuguese car with me?

Yes. Its Portuguese registration is cancelled for export, then it is registered in your new country. Check the destination's import rules and registration costs first.

How long does a move from Portugal take?

To Spain, a dedicated truck delivers within a few days. To France, Germany or the UK, within about a week. To North America, allow six to twelve weeks by sea container.