Choosing a company for a local house move is important. Choosing one to transport your belongings across borders requires even more care.
An international move may involve several vehicles, ports, customs authorities, storage facilities and partner companies. A quotation that looks inexpensive at first can become much less attractive if packing, customs handling, destination charges or final delivery are not included.
The best way to compare international removal companies is therefore not to ask only, “How much will it cost?” You need to understand exactly what the company will do, who will handle your belongings and what could lead to additional charges or delays.
Here are 12 questions to ask an international removal company before you book.
Have you handled moves to my destination before?
International moving experience is useful, but experience on your particular route matters more.
Ask how frequently the company transports household belongings to your destination and whether it operates regular European routes or relies on individual bookings. A company that knows the route should be able to explain the likely transport method, border procedures, access considerations and realistic delivery times.
Useful follow-up questions include:
- Will my belongings travel by road, sea or air?
- Do you collect and deliver with your own teams?
- Do you use a local partner at the destination?
- Are there any route-specific restrictions I should know about?
No company can control every border delay or local regulation. Be cautious if someone promises that an international move will be completely free of complications without first asking what you are moving and where it is going.
What exactly is included in the quote?
Do not compare quotations based only on the final number. Compare the services included in that number.
A detailed international removal quote may cover:
- Packing materials
- Professional packing
- Furniture dismantling
- Collection and loading
- Transport
- Customs administration
- Destination handling
- Delivery to the new property
- Unloading and furniture reassembly
- Temporary storage
- Removal of used packing materials
Ask whether the price is fixed or estimated and under what circumstances it could change. There may be additional charges for difficult access, flights of stairs, long carrying distances, parking permits, customs inspections, storage or a second delivery attempt.
“Customs handled” does not necessarily mean that taxes, duties or inspection charges are included. These should be listed separately.
A reputable company should be willing to provide the quotation and its exclusions in writing.
How will you calculate the size of my move?
An accurate quote requires an accurate inventory.
The company may assess your belongings through an in-person survey, a video survey, photographs or a detailed online inventory. Simply telling a company that you have a “two-bedroom house” is not enough. Two properties with the same number of rooms can contain very different volumes of furniture and boxes.
Show the surveyor everything you intend to move, including items stored in:
- Lofts
- Garages
- Sheds
- Cupboards
- Storage units
- Gardens or balconies
Mention unusually heavy or valuable items such as pianos, safes, artwork, antiques and gym equipment.
Ask whether the quote is based on volume, weight or both, and what happens if the final shipment is larger than the original estimate. Adding furniture after accepting the quote may increase the price or require a different vehicle.
Will my belongings travel as a dedicated or shared load?
For a dedicated move, the vehicle or container is allocated primarily to your shipment. This generally provides greater control over collection and delivery dates, but it may cost more.
With a part-load or shared-load service, your belongings travel with other customers’ shipments heading in the same direction. You pay for the space you use, which can make it a practical option for smaller moves. However, collection and delivery windows may be wider because the company must coordinate several customers.
Ask:
- Will the load be dedicated or shared?
- How many times might my belongings be handled?
- Where will the shipment be consolidated?
- Is there a minimum charge?
- How wide is the estimated delivery window?
- Can I pay for a dedicated service if timing is critical?
Neither option is automatically better. The right choice depends on the size of the move, your budget and how much flexibility you have.
Who will handle my belongings during the journey?
The company you book may not physically complete every stage of an international move. It may use shipping lines, freight operators, customs agents or local removal partners.
This is normal, particularly for worldwide moves, but the arrangement should be transparent.
Ask which company will:
- Pack and collect your belongings
- Transport them across the border
- Complete customs formalities
- Store them, if required
- Deliver them to your new home
- Handle a claim if something is lost or damaged
Find out whether you will have one point of contact throughout the move. If a problem occurs, you should not be left trying to determine which of several companies is responsible.
What packing services do you provide?
International shipments usually require stronger protection than a short local move because belongings may be handled several times and travel for days or weeks.
Ask whether the company offers:
- Full packing
- Partial packing
- Fragile-only packing
- Custom crates for valuable or unusually shaped items
- Furniture wrapping
- Dismantling and reassembly
- Export-quality boxes and protective materials
- If you plan to pack anything yourself, ask how this affects protection against loss or damage. Industry guidance from FIDI warns that damage to owner-packed goods may receive limited or no cover, depending on the mover’s terms.
- Confirm whether the packing team will create a numbered inventory and whether you will receive a copy before the shipment leaves.
- 7. Are any of my belongings prohibited or restricted?
- Different countries apply different rules to household goods. An item that can be transported within the UK may be restricted at your destination.
- Common problem categories include:
- Paint, fuel and other flammable products
- Aerosols and gas cylinders
- Certain batteries
- Alcohol and tobacco
- Food
- Plants, seeds and soil
- Medicines
- Weapons
- Animal products
- Antiques or culturally significant objects
- Do not rely on a generic online list. Ask the removal company for destination-specific guidance and confirm important restrictions with the relevant government or customs authority.
- Keep passports, visas, medication, jewellery, financial documents, keys and anything needed during the journey with you rather than placing them in the shipment.
- 8. Who is responsible for customs paperwork?
- A removal company may prepare documents or appoint a customs agent, but you will still need to provide accurate information about your identity, residence and belongings.
- Ask the company to explain:
- Which documents it will prepare
- Which documents you must supply
- Whether you need a detailed or valued inventory
- When the paperwork must be completed
- Whether customs clearance fees are included
- Whether taxes or duties might apply
- What happens if customs requests an inspection
- Who pays charges caused by incomplete or inaccurate documents
- Requirements depend on the origin, destination and nature of the goods. GOV.UK advises travellers to check both UK rules and the requirements of the destination country because they may differ. Use the current GOV.UK customs guidance rather than relying on an old moving checklist.
- A removal company can guide you through the process, but it cannot guarantee that customs will never inspect or delay a shipment.
- 9. What protection applies if something is lost or damaged?
- The phrase “fully insured” is not sufficiently specific. Ask for the actual terms in writing.
- You need to understand:
- Whether the protection is insurance or contractual liability
- The maximum amount payable
- Whether compensation is based on declared value, replacement value or weight
- Whether owner-packed boxes are covered
- Whether fragile, antique or high-value items need to be declared separately
- What exclusions apply
- Whether there is an excess
- How quickly damage must be reported
- What evidence is needed for a claim
- Ask whether you must submit a valued inventory before packing begins. You may also want to check whether your home insurance offers any protection during an international move.
- Do not assume that every item is automatically covered simply because the company carries business insurance.
- 10. What transit time and delivery window should I expect?
- Ask for a realistic timeframe rather than the fastest theoretical one.
- European road removals can operate differently from sea or air shipments, while part-load services generally require more flexibility than dedicated transport. Customs clearance, ferry availability, weather, port congestion and local delivery restrictions may all affect the schedule.
- Clarify:
- The planned collection date
- When the shipment is expected to leave the UK
- The estimated transit time
- Whether the delivery date is fixed or approximate
- How much notice you will receive before delivery
- How delays will be communicated
- If you need your belongings by a particular date, say so before booking. The company can then explain whether your deadline is realistic and whether a dedicated service would be more appropriate.
- 11. What happens if my plans change or the shipment is delayed?
- Property transactions, visas and completion dates do not always proceed according to plan.
- Ask what happens if:
- Your moving date changes
- The destination address is not ready
- Customs delays the shipment
- You are unavailable when the vehicle arrives
- Your belongings require temporary storage
- You need to cancel or postpone the booking
- Request the storage rates, redelivery charges and cancellation conditions in advance. For sea freight, also ask whether port or container storage charges could apply during a delay.
- Knowing the contingency plan before something goes wrong is much easier than negotiating one while your belongings are already in transit.
- 12. What do your contract and complaints process cover?
- Read the company’s terms and conditions before paying a deposit.
- The contract should identify the company you are hiring and explain:
- The agreed service
- The payment schedule
- Cancellation and postponement terms
- Your responsibilities
- Liability limits and exclusions
- The claims procedure
- How complaints are handled
- Whether another dispute-resolution route is available
- You can also ask whether the company belongs to a recognised trade organisation such as the British Association of Removers or FIDI. Membership is not a legal requirement and does not replace reading the contract, but it can provide an additional way to verify standards and resolve disputes. The British Association of Removers maintains a member directory and Code of Practice.
- Check recent independent reviews, but look beyond the average rating. Reviews describing international moves to similar destinations are more useful than comments about small local deliveries.
- Warning signs to look out for
- Consider getting another quote if a company:
- Provides a firm price without requesting an inventory or survey
- Refuses to put the quote in writing
- Cannot explain what its insurance or liability protection covers
- Guarantees that customs will never delay the shipment
- Avoids identifying destination partners
- Has no clear terms, address or complaints process
- Pressures you to pay a large deposit immediately
- Quotes dramatically less than every other company without explaining why
- The lowest quote is not automatically the best value. Missing services and unexpected charges can quickly make a cheap international move expensive.
- Choose an international removal company that answers clearly
- The most important quality to look for is transparency. A reliable company should explain what is included, which parts of the journey it controls and what remains your responsibility.
- Use these questions to ask an international removal company for every quotation you receive. Record the answers and compare companies on the complete service rather than price alone.
- Planning a move from the UK to Europe or further abroad? Changing Keys provides international moving services, including full and part-load options, packing, door-to-door delivery and support with customs documentation. Contact the Changing Keys team with your destination and inventory to request a tailored quote.
