Before you start
Work backwards from a usable delivery address and your destination’s import requirements. Keep travel essentials separate from the main shipment.
Separate the decisions that depend on each other
Start with your destination, reason for moving and likely arrival date. Housing, employment or study arrangements can affect residency paperwork; that paperwork can affect importing household goods. Keep a list of decisions that are confirmed and those still awaiting approval.
Read the destination’s official guidance rather than treating a visitor entry arrangement as permission to settle. The UK government’s moving abroad guidance covers areas to check, including residence, healthcare and notifying authorities. Arrange the move around your own confirmed position.
Create three belongings lists
Separate items into travel with me, ship to the destination and leave in the UK. The first list should include identity documents, keys, suitable medicines, valuables and enough clothing for the period before delivery. The shipping list should match the accommodation you expect to use, not the size of the home you are leaving.
For goods staying behind, choose between disposal and UK storage. If you are keeping things for a return move, set a review date so storage does not become an indefinite default. Discuss unusually heavy, fragile or high-value goods at the survey stage.
Compare transport around your priorities
Ask the mover which transport arrangements are available for the particular route and load. A European move may use road transport with crossings; an intercontinental move may involve sea freight, with a smaller urgent consignment considered separately. Availability should be confirmed for your booking.
A quotation should distinguish packing, collection, main transport, destination handling and final delivery. Ask whether the load travels on its own or alongside other consignments, what flexibility is needed and what happens if the expected sailing or delivery date changes. Do not use a general transit estimate as a guaranteed arrival date.
Prepare documents before the shipment is sealed
Your destination agent should confirm the documents and inventory format for your status and route. These may include identity and residence evidence, a declaration, the delivery address and a list of used personal belongings. Buying new items shortly before moving may affect how they must be declared.
Keep restricted or uncertain goods out of the shipment until they are checked. Food, plants, outdoor equipment, batteries, alcohol and medicines require particular attention on many routes. Ask about export packing and the access the packing crew needs to complete an accurate inventory.
Build a first-month plan
Book temporary accommodation with the possibility of a longer stay in mind. Check whether it can receive boxes or furniture; many short stays cannot. Make a list of what you will buy, borrow or rent while waiting for the main load.
Budget for deposits, furniture gaps, local transport and delivery access as well as removal charges. Ask how customs inspections, port storage and changes of destination address would be managed. Having a modest contingency is more useful than assuming every stage will happen on the earliest possible date.
Confirm delivery access at the new home
Provide the destination floor, lift measurements, loading arrangements and building contact. Tell the team about pedestrian streets, gated developments, narrow roads or long carries. A photograph of the entrance and a measured route to the room can prevent an oversized item reaching a doorway it cannot pass.
Explore international moving arrangements, then use the relevant country page for route-specific questions. Read our guides to the USA, Australia and Spain, plus service pages for Cyprus and Mexico.
Send a useful quote request
Give Move Home Easy your collection postcode, destination city, likely date, approximate load, packing needs and any uncertainty about accommodation. Include storage needs and the goods you will carry separately. A clear brief makes the resulting international removal quotation easier to compare and use.
Build the move around decisions that depend on each other
Some tasks can begin immediately, such as decluttering, measuring furniture and collecting records. Others depend on a decision that is not yet settled: the right residence route, the final address or the date you can leave the current home. Draw those links on a simple timeline. For each booking, identify what must be confirmed first and what remains changeable afterwards.
For example, a family may have a likely work start date but no permanent address. It can still obtain a survey and decide which goods to move, while leaving delivery access and release from storage open for later confirmation. The important step is to label those assumptions and price the likely alternatives. A plan that acknowledges dependencies is easier to adapt than one treating every provisional date as equally certain.
Give each household member an arrival plan
An overseas relocation often involves different priorities for different people. One adult may need to start work immediately, another may handle accommodation, and children may need records or equipment for school. Put these tasks on the household plan rather than leaving them hidden within a general moving checklist. Identify which documents and belongings must travel personally because they are needed before the main shipment.
If people travel on different dates, agree who can make decisions and receive deliveries at each stage. Keep important contacts available to both sides of the journey. Choose accommodation around the actual routine, including access needs and working space, rather than only its distance from the airport. This helps the household function while the remaining residence, property and shipment tasks are completed.
Decide what would trigger a change of plan
Before committing to transport, discuss the events that would require a different arrangement: delayed paperwork, an unavailable property, a larger inventory or a change of destination. Ask the provider how each would be handled under its terms. Decide who will communicate the change and what evidence or written approval is needed. This is particularly useful when an employer or another person pays for part of the move.
Keep a short fallback plan for accommodation, storage and essential equipment. Review it when a major milestone changes, not every time a minor task moves by a day. The purpose is to give you a manageable response when the facts change. Once the final delivery is complete, close the outstanding tasks and retain the records you may need for later enquiries.
Build a document and shipment timeline together
Give the household move its own calendar alongside your personal travel arrangements. Work backwards from the date you can actually receive goods, then mark collection, packing, document submission and the point at which the inventory must be final. An estimated transport period is only one part of that calendar. Your accommodation may be ready before the shipment, or your goods may be ready before the receiving address is available.
Keep a single working folder containing the quotation, inventory, access photographs and the names of people responsible for each stage. Give every unresolved task an owner and a next action. “Documents pending” is too vague to help; “customer to obtain the requested residence evidence before collection is confirmed” gives everyone a useful decision point. Share changes promptly instead of assuming an updated flight or tenancy date automatically reaches the moving team.
Decide what earns its place in the shipment
Compare belongings item by item, rather than deciding that everything in a particular room must travel. Record condition, replacement availability, sentimental value and whether the piece fits the next home. A large inexpensive wardrobe may take substantial transport space and need dismantling; a compact collection of family photographs may be irreplaceable despite having little resale value. Those are different decisions, and the packing plan should reflect them.
Make three clear groups: goods travelling with you, goods in the removal shipment and possessions staying behind. Put doubtful items on a separate review list before the survey. Check appliances against the destination property and manufacturer requirements, and ask about unusual materials or restricted contents before packing. If you sell or add furniture after the survey, request an updated inventory and volume assessment so the quotation continues to describe the actual load.
Read the quotation as a sequence of handovers
A useful written quote explains what happens at collection, during transport and at delivery. Check whether packing materials, dismantling, customs support, unloading and basic reassembly are included. Ask which work belongs to another provider and which charges depend on events that cannot yet be confirmed. Examples include an inspection, additional storage, a longer carry or a vehicle unable to approach the building. Keep the written answers with the quote.
When comparing prices, use the same inventory and the same access information for each provider. A cheaper transport figure may cover fewer stages or assume easier delivery. Ask when payment is due, how a date change is handled and what happens if the receiving address changes. For an employer-funded move, establish the approved allowance and who can authorise extras before packing begins. This avoids a last-minute gap between the customer's instructions and the payer's approval.
Plan the weeks when you will be without your belongings
Treat arrival as a separate household project. List the things needed for sleeping, working, washing and preparing food before the main delivery. Decide which can travel in luggage and which can be borrowed, rented or provided by temporary accommodation. Keep personal documents and essential devices accessible. Consider children's routines, accessibility needs and pets when choosing accommodation; a place that works for a weekend may be awkward for a longer wait.
Build a fallback for delayed delivery without assuming a delay will occur. Find out how extra nights are booked, whether there is space for luggage and who can receive the shipment if you cannot attend. Avoid buying large replacement furniture simply because the first estimate changes by a few days. Confirm the latest position with the coordinator, then make a decision using the likely extra living cost and the usefulness of those purchases after the shipment arrives.
Use delivery day to close the inventory properly
Before the vehicle arrives, confirm the local contact number, unloading position and the route into each room. Provide simple room labels that match the carton labels. Keep children, pets and loose bags away from the working route, and tell the crew about fragile surfaces or recently completed decorating. If the property has a lift or managed loading bay, check the agreed booking rather than relying on a previous conversation with an agent.
At handover, work through the inventory and record missing packages or visible concerns using the agreed procedure. Take clear photographs when something needs documenting and retain the packaging until you have been told what is required. Ask how concealed damage or an item discovered later should be reported, including the relevant timescale in your terms. Finish by collecting the delivery paperwork and identifying any remaining tasks, such as agreed assembly, packing-material collection or release of a separate stored consignment.
Common questions
Can my belongings arrive before I do?
Ask the destination agent before booking. Import procedures can depend on your arrival, residency evidence or ability to sign documents; an early shipment can create holding costs.
Should I buy furniture before moving abroad?
Measure the destination and check import treatment before buying. New purchases, different electrical standards and delivery access can change whether shipping is worthwhile.
How much time should I allow?
Work backwards from the destination and ask for current route-specific stages. Document readiness, collection availability, transport and customs are separate parts of the schedule.
How early should I request a quote for an overseas relocation?
Request an assessment once you have a useful inventory and a likely period for the move. Explain which dates are provisional and which are fixed. Ask when the route and service can be confirmed, and what information is still needed. Allow time to resolve document, packing and access questions before treating collection as booked.
What information does a mover need for a shipment to your new country?
Send the collection and delivery locations, approximate inventory, preferred timing and photographs of difficult access or unusual items. Mention storage, full packing and specialist handling from the outset. If the final address is not available, explain what is known and ask which parts of the quote will need reassessment when it is confirmed.
Can I arrange delivery before my home in your new country is ready?
Discuss the gap before collection. Options may include a later departure or storage with a separate delivery arrangement, depending on the service. Confirm where goods would be held, the charges, release notice and whether you can retrieve individual items. Do not assume a vehicle or warehouse can wait indefinitely without a new plan.
Is the first transport estimate also my delivery date in your new country?
Check exactly what the estimate measures. It might describe transport after departure rather than the full period from collection to delivery. Packing, consolidation, border procedures, inspections and local scheduling can add stages. Ask for the expected delivery window and the way updates will be communicated, then plan accommodation around that window.
Should I pack my household shipment to your new country myself?
Decide after reviewing time, materials, fragile goods and the protection terms. Some items need specialist preparation and some services set conditions for owner-packed cartons. Ask for the packing requirements in writing, describe the contents accurately and keep an inventory. The lowest initial packing cost may not be the most practical choice for a complicated load.
How do I decide whether furniture is worth taking to your new country?
Compare its condition, size, replacement availability and importance to your household with the complete cost of moving it. Check room measurements and delivery access before including large pieces. Transport space is only part of the calculation: dismantling, packing, storage and assembly can matter too. Keep sentimental and specialist items as separate decisions.
What changes can affect a removals quotation for your new country?
Extra inventory, a different address, difficult access, storage and changes to the service or dates can affect the plan. Tell the coordinator about changes before packing where possible. Ask for a written revision showing the scope and any additional charges, so both the customer and the moving team are working from the same version.
Who should receive the belongings in your new country?
Agree who is authorised to attend, check the inventory and give room-placement instructions. Supply a working local contact number and confirm building access or lift bookings. If you cannot attend personally, tell the coordinator early and explain who will act for you. Keep the handover instructions clear so the crew does not have to resolve them at the door.
Which essentials should I carry when relocating to your new country?
Keep identification, essential records, valuables, chargers and the things needed before the main shipment arrives accessible. Plan work equipment and children's essentials around the likely gap. Check any travel restrictions separately for medicines and other controlled items. Do not put every copy of important paperwork or all essential household items into the removal load.
What should I do if a package is missing or damaged on arrival in your new country?
Use the reporting process in your service and protection terms. Record the package number, describe the issue and take clear photographs where helpful. Retain relevant packaging until you know what is required. Ask the delivery team to note visible concerns and contact the coordinator promptly about anything discovered while unpacking, within the applicable reporting period.
Official information for your planning
Use the official sources below to confirm current requirements for your circumstances before booking.
Make a plan for your move
Send your collection postcode, destination, inventory and likely dates so your quotation can reflect the actual move.
Request a moving quote