Customs
What Brexit changed, and what it means for your furniture
Your belongings are an import when they enter Italy. That is a process rather than a problem — but it is a process that has to be right before the vehicle travels, not after.
Before 2021 a household move to Italy was an internal EU movement and the paperwork was negligible. It is not any more. Your possessions are now goods entering the customs territory of the European Union, and they need a declaration, an inventory and a reason not to attract duty.
That reason is Transfer of Residence relief. It exists precisely so that people moving their lives are not taxed on their own used belongings — and it is granted on the strength of documentation rather than goodwill.
Yours to obtain
Four documents, and the first sets the pace
- Codice fiscale
- The Italian tax code, and the reference your import is filed against. An Italian consulate will issue one before you travel, which is considerably easier than arranging it after you arrive.
- Proof of Italian residence
- Your residency application, the deeds, or a registered rental contract for the property. What is acceptable varies slightly by comune, and we will tell you what yours expects.
- Identification
- Passport, plus any residence documentation you already hold.
- Evidence of the move itself
- That you are transferring your residence rather than importing goods to sell. Employment documentation, a residency application or the property paperwork all contribute.
Ours to do
Three things, and we start them early
- The inventory
- Written at survey, describing contents rather than counting cartons, numbered so it matches the load exactly. It is the document customs actually reads.
- The declaration
- Compiled from the inventory and your documents, and lodged before the vehicle travels rather than after it arrives.
- Chasing what is missing
- We will keep asking until everything is in. It is not nagging; it is the difference between a load that moves through and a load that waits.
What we will not promise
A clearance time. That decision sits with the Italian authorities, and any firm giving you a fixed number of days for it is guessing at somebody else's process in order to sound reassuring. What we will do is lodge everything correctly and early, which is the only part either of us controls.
Things that are not household goods
Vehicles have their own import and registration process and are not part of a household consignment. Alcohol and tobacco in quantity attract duty. Firearms, certain plants and plant products, and some foods are restricted or prohibited outright. We go through the exclusions at survey so nothing is a surprise at a border.
Where this fits
The customs work runs alongside the journey described on the route page, and it is prepared during the stages set out on moving to Italy. The destination pages cover what happens at the far end once everything has cleared.
Customs — the questions worth asking
What is Transfer of Residence relief?
It is the mechanism that lets you bring your own used household belongings into Italy without paying duty and VAT on them, on the basis that you are moving your life rather than importing goods. It is not automatic — it depends on the documentation being right, complete and consistent with what is on the vehicle.
What does not qualify for relief?
Broadly, things you have not owned and used, and things that are not household goods. Items bought very recently, goods clearly intended for sale, vehicles and certain restricted categories all sit outside it. We go through this at survey rather than leaving you to discover it.
Why does the inventory matter so much?
Because it is the document the authorities read, and a vague one invites questions. "Carton 14 — kitchen" is the sort of line that gets a load inspected. "Carton 14 — saucepans, crockery, cutlery, utensils" is not. Ours is written at survey so the paperwork and the vehicle always agree.
How long does clearance take?
We do not quote a figure, and you should be wary of firms that do. Clearance is a decision made by the authorities at the far end, not by your removal company. Your written quote sets out an expected window for the move as a whole.
What if I am moving to a second home rather than relocating?
Then it is not a transfer of residence and the customs position is different. Say so at the start — it changes the paperwork and it is far better handled honestly at survey than discovered at a border.
Do you charge separately for the customs work?
It is part of the scope on your written quote rather than a line item that appears later. Any duty, tax or inspection fee assessed by the Italian authorities on your consignment is payable by you — that is outside our control and we would not pretend otherwise.
What about antiques and artworks?
Italy takes cultural goods seriously at both ends of the journey. Most family antiques are simply household goods, but genuinely old or notable pieces can need documentation beyond an ordinary inventory. Raise it at survey while the vehicle is still empty.
The paperwork rewards a head start
Get in touch as soon as the Italian property is agreed. The consular documents move at their own speed and everything else waits on them.