HOW TO HIRE · REMOVALS & STORAGE

How to hire an international removal firm in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register covers international removals. Check the licence for European work, the insurance, the customs paperwork and the cancellation terms.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an international removal firm in five steps

  1. Get a surveyVolume decides shared load, groupage or a full container.
  2. Ask about customsWho prepares the inventory and declarations for the destination.
  3. Check the European licenceHire-and-reward work in Europe with vans over 2,500 kg needs a standard international licence.
  4. Ask about marine and transit insuranceLimits, exclusions and how to claim abroad.
  5. Read the cancellation termsA dated move has no legal cooling-off.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No law licenses international removal firms in any UK nation. What protects your belongings is goods-in-transit cover, a signed inventory and written terms — and, if they choose to join one, a trade association's code. The British Association of Removers is a voluntary trade body; members follow a Code of Practice approved under the Chartered Trading Standards Institute scheme, with payment protection for home moves and an ombudsman for disputes.

Get the contract, the insurance limits and the deadline for damage claims in writing. If the international removal firm claims membership, check the name with the association's Check a mover tool. bar.co.uk →

Standard international licence

Gov.uk says a firm moving customers' belongings into Europe for payment needs a standard international licence if it uses vehicles above the operator-licence weights or vans with a maximum authorised mass above 2,500 kg.

Ask the international removal firm for its licence details for the journey. gov.uk →

Reasonable care and skill

Every service contract includes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015; careless handling by the international removal firm that damages your belongings breaks it.

Note any damage on the inventory at unloading, with photographs, before signing. legislation.gov.uk →

Cancellation terms

A move booked for a set date is transport of goods, which regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 takes out of the cancellation right. What you lose by cancelling with the international removal firm depends on the written terms.

Get the cancellation and postponement charges in writing before paying a deposit. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Moving goods between the UK and a place outside it is zero-rated (0%), so an international removal firm charges no VAT on that transport even when registered. Any part of the job that stays within the UK, such as a separate local move, is standard-rated at 20%. Zero-rated moves still count as taxable turnover, so registration becomes compulsory once an international removal firm passes £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; a registered firm then shows the zero rate and any VAT as separate lines.

Ask the international removal firm for the VAT number and for the zero-rated transport and any standard-rated UK work shown on separate lines. gov.uk →

“Will you survey before quoting the international removal?”

A good answer: Yes; volume sets the shipping method and price.

“Who handles customs paperwork?”

A good answer: The firm or its overseas agent, named, with what you must supply.

“What insurance covers the international move?”

A good answer: Transit or marine cover with limits and exclusions.

“What licence covers your European journeys?”

A good answer: A standard international licence for hire-and-reward work.

“Who delivers at the other end?”

A good answer: A named agent, with contact details.

“What are the cancellation terms?”

A good answer: Written; there is no legal cooling-off for a dated move.

“What is not allowed in the shipment?”

A good answer: A list for the destination country.

Getting the quote right

  • Volume, method (shared, groupage, container) and route
  • Who actually attends the packing and loading here and the delivery abroad: the firm's employed crew, a subcontracted crew, or the overseas agent
  • Packing and export wrapping
  • Customs services at both ends
  • Insurance and its limits
  • Cancellation and storage charges
  • The VAT number, with the international transport shown as zero-rated and any UK-only work with its VAT on a separate line

Walk away if

  • No survey
  • No overseas agent named
  • No written insurance terms
  • Cash deposit with no contract
LOW
£1,500
TYPICAL
£4,500
HIGH
£12,000

What an international removal firm costs: £1,500–£12,000 per move

International removals are priced per move after a survey; volume, destination, shipping method, packing and customs work set the price. International Removals price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

International removal firms near you, with the badges that matter shown

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Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. SurveyVolume and destination rules assessed.
  2. Pack and listExport packing and a detailed inventory.
  3. CustomsPaperwork prepared for export and import.
  4. ShipLoad by road, sea or air, tracked.
  5. DeliverAgent delivers, unpacks if agreed, inventory signed.

Groupage
A shared container with other customers' goods.
Standard international licence
Licence for hire-and-reward haulage into Europe.
Inventory
Item list needed for customs and claims.
Destination agent
The firm that delivers at the other end.
Marine insurance
Cover for goods shipped by sea.
Export wrapping
Heavier packing for long journeys.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the inventory and shipping documentsNeeded for customs and any claim.
Check on deliveryNote damage before signing.
Claim in timeWithin the policy deadline.
Your reviewOnly booked jobs get reviews on Locufy. Raise anything unfinished with the international removal firm through the make-it-right step, then review.

STEP 1Raise it with themKeep it in writing: what was agreed for the move, what was done, and what you now want from the international removal firm. Work done without reasonable care and skill breaks the contract under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
STEP 2Make it right through LocufyGive fewer than four stars and you are asked whether the international removal firm should get the chance to fix it first; we follow it through before the review goes up.
STEP 3A trade body, or Trading StandardsIf the international removal firm belongs to a trade association, use its dispute or ombudsman service. Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133, England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) and Consumerline in Northern Ireland (0300 123 6262) advise and can refer a trader to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Claim the money backFor an international removal firm who ignores a fair request, the small-claims limits are £10,000 (England and Wales), £5,000 (Scotland, simple procedure) and £5,000 (Northern Ireland).

Hiring an international removal firm: questions people ask

No removals licence applies, but carrying goods for hire into Europe with vans over 2,500 kg or larger vehicles needs a standard international licence.

No, for a move on a set date — transport of goods with a specific date is excluded by regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. Read the international removal firm's cancellation terms before paying.

£1,500–£12,000 a move is the usual range and £4,500 the typical figure. The international removals price guide has the factors behind it.

Usually you; the quote should say what the firm's customs service covers.

From days in Europe to weeks by sea further away.

Only with the cover you arrange; check limits and exclusions.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in removals & storage

How to hire: Home RemovalsHow to hire: Packing & Unpacking ServiceHow to hire: Furniture StorageHow to hire: Container StorageHow to hire: Self StorageHow to hire: Office RemovalsHow to hire: Piano RemovalsHow to hire: Man with a VanAll 701 hiring guides →

International removal firms near you

International removal firms in LondonInternational removal firms in ManchesterInternational removal firms in BirminghamInternational removal firms in GlasgowInternational removal firms in BelfastAll international removal firms on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. British Association of Removers
  2. gov.uk — being a goods vehicle operator
  3. nidirect — goods vehicle operator licensing: licence applications
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts excluded from the cancellation right
  6. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track (England and Wales)
  7. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money (simple procedure)
  8. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  9. Freight transport and associated services (VAT Notice 744B) — 5.3 VAT liability of import, export and non-UK freight transport
  10. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  11. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register