Removals to Spain
Removals to Spain are one of our busiest European routes — and the one where we’ve got our own boots on the ground. Britannia Southern, our family-run office in Malaga, delivers across the Costa del Sol and southern Spain directly, with the wider network covering Barcelona, Madrid, the Balearics and beyond. We’ve moved households between the UK and Spain as a family-run firm since 1972 — here’s how removals to Spain actually work, what affects the cost, and the questions worth answering before you book.
What's Included in Our Spain Removals Service
Spain has one of the largest British communities in Europe, and we’ve the presence to match: our own Malaga office plus the wider European removals network. A move goes by road — dedicated, part-load or container — across the Channel and down through France to your Spanish address, handled end to end so the standard at collection in Surrey is the standard at delivery in Estepona. We’re equally at home with return moves, bringing as many people back from Spain as we send out.
- Our own Britannia Southern office in Malaga for local delivery, storage and on-the-ground support across southern Spain
- Dedicated, part-load and container options across the Channel and through France, to suit any household and budget
- Post-Brexit customs handled — we prepare the inventory and advise on the forms your shipment needs on arrival
- Full door-to-door service both ways, plus UK and Spanish-end storage if there's a gap before your new home is ready
How removals to Spain work
Key Information
Customs and paperwork
Spain is in the EU, so since Brexit your household goods clear Spanish customs on arrival. We prepare the detailed inventory and advise on the forms, which you submit as the owner — so we get everything ready well ahead. The road route also transits France, which limits the alcohol and tobacco on board. Spanish customs (the Agencia Tributaria) sets the exact rules.
Access, apartments and the summer heat
Spanish access varies. Old-town streets (the casco antiguo) are narrow and often pedestrianised, apartment lifts are frequently small or absent — so an external furniture lift does the job — and coastal urbanizaciones can be gated. The summer heat counts too: it’s hard on a hot load, so heat-sensitive items are packed with care and peak August is worth avoiding. Tell us the address early.
Storage before shipping
Spanish completion and move-in dates rarely align, and a long road leg leaves little slack. We can hold your belongings in our own containerised storage at Godstone before departure, with no minimum period, and our Malaga office and Spanish partners can store them at the far end until your new home is ready.
What affects the cost of removals to Spain?
Every Spain move is priced on what it involves, not a set rate. What moves the number most:
- Volume — the load size sets the vehicle and crew, and drives most of the cost
- Dedicated, part-load or container — your own vehicle on fixed dates costs more than sharing a scheduled run
- Packing — a full pack, a fragile-only part pack, or materials-only each price differently
- Where in Spain — the Costa del Sol is a shorter run than the north, and the islands add a sea leg
- Access — a narrow old-town street, an apartment with no lift, or an external furniture lift all add time or equipment
- Customs and timing — the post-Brexit clearance, plus peak-summer or fixed-date delivery, add admin and reduce flexibility
- Storage — a gap before your Spanish home is ready adds a handling stage and a storage period
The honest way to get a real figure is a quick, free survey.
Why Britannia Sandersteads for Spain
- Our own family-run office in Malaga (Britannia Southern) — genuine boots on the ground for delivery, storage and support across southern Spain, not a partner we're meeting on your job
- Family-run since 1972 and part of the Britannia Cooperative, the UK's largest network of independent, family-owned removers with 40+ locations — and equally at home with return moves from Spain
- BAR members and National Quality Award winners in 2023 and 2024, with your removals to Spain crewed by our own full-time, trained staff
- The same packing and containerised storage standards as our overseas removals and every house move we run
Don't Take Our Word for It
Request Your Free Quote
Send us the details. We aim get back to you within 2 hours during business hours.
01883 741000
info@sandersteads.co.uk
Mon-Fri 7:30am – 5:30pm
How long do removals to Spain take?
It’s a road route down through France, so timing depends on where in Spain you’re headed — the Costa del Sol is quicker than the north, and the islands add a sea leg — plus the service (dedicated, part-load or container) and our schedule. We confirm realistic dates at survey; on a shared load delivery is a window, not a fixed day.
How does the quote process work?
It starts with a free video or in-home survey so we can see the volume and the access, then you get a written, itemised quote — crew, vehicle, packing, transit, customs and any storage. No sight-unseen phone estimates that drift on the day.
Do you pack for me, or do I pack myself?
Whichever you prefer: a full pack, a part pack for the fragile and high-value items, or materials only. Anything breakable — and anything heat-sensitive, which matters on the run south — is export-wrapped to a recognised standard for the long journey.
What about customs and paperwork for a move to Spain?
Spain is in the EU, so since Brexit household goods clear Spanish customs on arrival. We prepare the inventory and advise on the forms, which you submit as the owner. The road route transits France, which limits alcohol and tobacco on board — leave those out. For the exact rules, Spanish customs (the Agencia Tributaria) is the authority.
Can you move me back from Spain to the UK?
Yes — it’s one of our most common requests. Britannia Southern in Malaga collects from your Spanish address and our UK team delivers to your new home; the customs paperwork simply works in reverse, and we manage it the same way throughout.
Is my move insured in transit?
Cover for the journey is arranged as goods-in-transit insurance, separate from your UK home contents. High-value items — antiques, art, a piano — are best declared and valued separately, and we walk you through the cover at quote stage.
Can you store my belongings before shipping?
Yes. If your dates don’t line up, we hold your belongings in our own containerised storage at our Godstone depot before departure, and storage is available at the Spanish end too through our Malaga office. There’s no fixed minimum period.