When we moved from The Netherlands to the United Kingdom back in 2011, a lot of things were different. We were younger, and we had a lot less stuff. Rather than using a removal company, we rented a van and, with the help of parents, moved all of our stuff across the North Sea ourselves.
Getting rid of some bulky items always helps, and our worldly possessions easily fitted into the van. We booked a ferry crossing from Europoort to Hull and off we went. We drove our motorbikes, and our parents drove the van. They were picked out for a further inspection at border control, but that was all. With a passport in hand, nothing was getting in our way between us and our life abroad.
Crossing a real border
Fast forward a bit more than 11 years and things have changed. Living in a bigger house has turned into also having a lot more stuff. We couldn’t get all of our stuff into a van anymore if we tried, let alone keep it under any sort of weight limits. But then we’re better off these days as well. Our last house move, staying within the UK, we used a removal company and it was definitely worth it.
But the real change between 2011 and now is Brexit. Suddenly, we have to cross a much more comprehensive border. Even though the UK had never signed up for being part of the Schengen area, the free movement of people and goods had made things a breeze back then. Now you have to go through proper customs checks when going back into the EU.
One redeeming factor is that we are still, thankfully, EU citizens. So since we’ve had our possessions for some time, we can at least take them with us back into the EU without also having to pay customs fees.
Admin, admin, admin
To get our items through customs we will have to keep track of them though. Boxes are having to be labeled with their contents, as well as having a full list of all the items being shipped. From our list of items, the removal company will handle the official customs forms, something they obviously have a lot more experience with than we do.
With it being a lot of extra, and essential, paperwork, we are glad that we don’t have to do it all ourselves. It does slow down the process though. And of course, it all comes at a cost. Aside from the two homes we’ve owned, the removal of our items from the UK to Portugal will become one of the biggest purchases of our lives.
Thankfully, we are being organised about it. We’ve already packed some boxes and immediately set up our spreadsheets to keep track of it all. More moving boxes have now been delivered, so we can look forward to doing much more of this admin. And packing boxes of course.
Header image by: Alicia Christin Gerald on Unsplash