Cross-channel
International removals from Dover.
Most removals firms treat international work as a bolt-on. Here it is half the business, for the obvious reason: the port is at the bottom of the hill and the crossing takes less time than the drive to Ashford.
Our main route
Removals from Dover to France
The short crossing and the one we run most. Calais and Dunkirk put a load into northern France the same day it leaves your house.
How the route runs →Removals from Dover to Spain
Down through France to the Pyrenees. The biggest destination for British moves and the most established route at the far end.
How the route runs →Removals from Dover to Italy
Across France and over the Alps. Longer, more paperwork, and restricted access in most historic centres.
How the route runs →Removals from Dover to Portugal
The far corner — through France and the length of Spain. The longest of the four and the one that most needs planning.
How the route runs →The Dover advantage, stated plainly
A cross-channel removal has two legs: getting the load to the water, and everything after. For a firm in the Midlands the first leg is a full day with drivers' hours attached. For us it is a short run down to the Eastern Docks.
That is not marketing. It changes what is possible. A house can be loaded in the morning and be in France the same day, and a survey the week before is a local visit rather than a trip. It also means we see the far end constantly, which is why we are fairly blunt about what French and Spanish access is really like.
Collections beyond Kent
Because loads consolidate at this end anyway, we are not limited to Dover pickups. Vehicles heading for a sailing regularly collect in London and Bristol on the way, and we handle collections from Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh as part of consolidated European runs. Split households — some things at a flat up north, the rest in Kent — are a normal arrangement rather than an awkward one.
Export wrapping is not ordinary packing
A move to Deal gets packed one way. A move to Valencia gets packed another. Goods crossing water are handled more times, sit longer in a vehicle, and meet humidity changes — so soft furnishings get moisture protection, cartons are double-wall, corners are boarded, and anything with a polished surface is wrapped rather than blanketed.
It costs more in materials and time. It also stops you opening a box in Provence and finding a bloom of mould on a headboard.
Customs, honestly
Since the UK left the EU, household goods need a formal export declaration and a proper inventory, and relief on a genuine change of residence has to be applied for rather than assumed. We prepare the declarations and work with agents at the destination.
The thing that actually delays loads is the inventory. "Household effects, various" is not an inventory. We will spend an extra hour with you getting it right, because that hour is cheaper than a week of your furniture sitting somewhere waiting for a query to be answered.
Groupage or a dedicated vehicle
Most household moves travel as groupage. A dedicated vehicle makes sense for larger volumes, for immovable dates, or where the far end needs a specific vehicle size to get near the property. We will tell you which yours is rather than selling you the bigger one. Transit windows depend on the crossing, consolidation and customs, so the estimate comes with your written quote.
Staying in the UK after all? House removals and man and van cover the local side.
Cross-channel questions
- Why does starting in Dover help?
- Because the first leg of a cross-channel move is normally the expensive, tiring part, and here it barely exists. A load leaving a house in Dover is at the port in minutes. Firms based further inland spend a day on the motorway before the crossing even begins, and that day is in their price whether it is itemised or not.
- Do you only collect in Dover?
- No. Because the crossing is here, loads consolidate here — so we collect from across the country on the way to a sailing. London, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh pickups all travel with Kent loads regularly. If your belongings are split between two addresses, say so.
- Ferry or tunnel?
- We use the ferry — Dover to Calais or Dunkirk. The tunnel at Folkestone is the sibling firm's territory and a different operation. For household removals the ferry suits the vehicle sizes involved and the schedules are frequent.
- What is groupage?
- Your goods share a vehicle with other consignments heading the same way. It is how most household moves travel, because almost nobody fills a lorry alone. The trade-off is that the load goes when the vehicle is ready rather than the hour you finish packing.
- What does customs need now?
- A UK export declaration, an import entry at the far end, and a detailed inventory. Moving your home rather than furnishing a second property means claiming transfer-of-residence relief, which has conditions and must be applied for with evidence. We prepare it with you.
- What will not travel?
- Fuel, gas, aerosols, paint, solvents and anything flammable, plus certain foods and plants going into the EU. We send the list before you pack — finding a tin of white spirit during a customs check is nobody's good day.
Moving abroad from Dover?
Tell us where it is going, roughly what is coming and how firm your dates are. We will come back with the route, the method and a written figure.