Removals UK to Portugal

Portugal is unlike any other country in this series. It is three things at once:

• an EU member state, sharing the standard Transfer of Residence customs rules with France, Germany, Italy and others
• Europe's top destination for British people retiring or moving for a better lifestyle
• one of the fastest-growing places in the world for digital nomads and remote workers

So a very large number of removals go from the UK to Portugal, and they vary a lot. Some are full-load retirement moves to Algarve villas, carrying three decades of household contents. Some are part loads for young remote workers moving a laptop, a sofa and a kitchen to a Lisbon flat. Others are groupage moves for Silver Coast buyers who already have a furnished home and only need to ship a few personal items.

Portugal also has a document for UK nationals that no other EU country has in the same form: the Certificado de Bagagem (Baggage Certificate). The Portuguese Consulate in London issues it. It plays a bigger part in Portuguese customs clearance than similar consular documents in France, Germany or Italy.

So your main paperwork task is to understand what it is, when you need it, and how it fits with Portuguese customs at the AT (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira). For our full international removals information, see our international removals page.

Post-Brexit Customs Clearance for Removals to Portugal: Certificado de Bagagem, NIF and Portuguese IVA at 23%

Since Brexit, every removal from the UK to Portugal needs formal customs clearance with the Portuguese AT (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira). Portuguese IVA (Imposto sobre o Valor Acrescentado, the same as VAT) is 23% on mainland Portugal. That is higher than France (20%), Germany (19%), the Netherlands (21%), Luxembourg (17%) and Austria (20%), and the same as Italy. The Certificado de Bagagem, issued by the Portuguese Consulate in London, is the document Portugal requires for Transfer of Residence.

The Certificado de Bagagem is Portugal's own way of handling Transfer of Residence. Other EU countries use a declaration you file yourself: France's Cerfa 10070*01, Germany's Form 0350 or Italy's Dichiarazione di Libero Ingresso. Portugal is different. You must get a certificate from the Portuguese Consulate in the UK. It confirms that you are a Portuguese resident moving your baggage (your household goods) from the UK to Portugal. It shows the AT that your goods qualify for import free of duty and IVA.

You apply at the Portuguese Consulate General in London. You send proof of Portuguese residence (NIF registration, a lease or a property deed), a completed application form and a passport copy. It usually takes 5–15 working days. You must have the Certificado before your shipment leaves the UK.

The NIF (Número de Identificação Fiscal) is your Portuguese personal tax number. You need it to apply for the Certificado de Bagagem. You also need it for almost every other step of moving to Portugal:

• opening a Portuguese bank account
• signing a rental or purchase contract
• registering with the Portuguese health service (SNS)
• applying for a D7 or D8 visa
• Portuguese customs clearance

You can get a NIF from the Portuguese Consulate in London, from a Portuguese Finanças office after you arrive, or through a fiscal representative if you are not yet resident in Portugal. RMV's move managers check whether you have one at the pre-move survey, because it affects how long the Certificado de Bagagem takes.

The Atestado de Residência is Portugal's local residency certificate. Your local Junta de Freguesia (parish council) issues it, and it confirms you live at the Portuguese address. The AT may ask for it with the Certificado de Bagagem as extra proof that you live in Portugal.

Mainland IVA is 23%. So if a Transfer of Residence claim fails on a household declared at £60,000, you owe £13,800 in IVA.

The IVA rate is not the same everywhere. Madeira charges a lower rate of 22%, and the Azores 16%. For moves to Madeira, which also need sea freight (see below), the lower rate can save you real money.

Portuguese Customs Checklist

Portuguese customs and Transfer of Residence relief need the documents below. Every UK-to-Portugal booking includes the forms, help filling them in and a check before departure.

• Passport copy, to show your identity and nationality to the Portuguese AT
• Certificado de Bagagem, Portugal's own Transfer of Residence certificate, issued by the Portuguese Consulate General in London. You must have it before the shipment leaves the UK (allow 5–15 working days for the consulate)
• NIF (Número de Identificação Fiscal), your Portuguese personal tax number, needed for the Certificado de Bagagem and for AT customs clearance
• An itemised inventory, ideally in Portuguese or with a Portuguese translation, listing each item, how many and its estimated second-hand value
• Proof of Portuguese residency: a rental contract, property deed or Atestado de Residência from the local Junta de Freguesia
• A signed statement that you have owned and used the goods in the UK for at least six months, and will not sell or transfer them within 12 months
• Your signed permission for RMV to deal with the AT as your direct representative
• UK Certificate of Residence, bank statements or council tax bills covering the year before you leave
• CMR consignment note, issued by the driver at UK collection

Order boxes for your move to Portugal from our Packing Shop. Our AIM accreditation is explained on the About Us page.

Where British Expats Move in Portugal: Algarve, Lisbon, Porto, Cascais, the Silver Coast and Madeira

Compared with its population, Portugal has the largest British expat community of any non-English-speaking EU country. Here is where people go:

• The Algarve takes the largest share of retirement and lifestyle moves.
• Greater Lisbon (including Cascais and Estoril) is the main choice for professionals and digital nomads.
• Porto draws younger professionals and students.
• The Silver Coast attracts buyers who want quiet country living for less than Algarve prices.
• Madeira is growing with remote workers and retirees, drawn by the climate and the Madeira Startup Visa programme.

The Algarve, Retirement, Lifestyle and the Largest British Regional Community

The Algarve is Portugal's most southern region and the biggest destination for British movers. About 30,000 or more British people live there permanently. Most live in the western Algarve, around Lagos, Portimão, Luz, Carvoeiro and Ferragudo, or in the central Algarve, around Albufeira, Vilamoura and Loulé.

The eastern Algarve, around Tavira, Cacela and Castro Marim, has a smaller but growing community. It suits buyers who want a quieter, less built-up coast.

Most Algarve moves are retirement or second-home moves. They are usually full loads from three- to five-bedroom houses, often the whole contents of a UK family home going to a villa with a pool.

Many Algarve homes are on narrow or unmade private roads, on hillside plots with tight turning space, or in village centres where vehicles are restricted. Our pre-move survey finds these access limits for every Algarve address before the van is loaded in the UK.

Our removals service handles full-load Algarve villa moves. Our handyman service assembles and places furniture at your Algarve home. Our storage service covers the gap when your UK sale and Portuguese purchase do not complete on the same day, which is common.

Lisbon and Greater Lisbon, Tech, Finance, Digital Nomads and the D7 Visa

Lisbon is Portugal's capital and the main destination for British professionals, digital nomads and remote workers. Its growing tech and startup scene draws British tech and media professionals. That scene centres on Startup Lisboa, Second Home Lisboa and the city's role as host of the annual Web Summit.

Two visas are very popular with British nationals: the D7 Passive Income Visa (usually called the D7 Visa) and the D8 Digital Nomad Visa. Both let you move to Portugal on income from the UK or elsewhere.

Lisbon's historic areas, such as Alfama, Mouraria, Intendente and Bélém, have narrow cobbled streets (calçada portuguesa) and older apartment buildings. As in Italy, their narrow staircases make access harder, though not as hard.

Many buildings on the Alfama and Mouraria hillsides have no lift, and their staircases are only 60–80 centimetres wide. For every Lisbon address, we plan for staircase widths, street access limits and parking permits.

Cascais, Estoril and the Portuguese Riviera

Cascais and Estoril are on the Atlantic coast, 30 km west of Lisbon on the Linha de Cascais railway. Together they are Portugal's wealthiest coastal suburb. They are the traditional home of Lisbon's diplomats, the Portuguese aristocracy and a long-established British community.

Cascais has the International School of Cascais, Atlantic beaches and a quick commute to Lisbon. That makes it the main choice for British families with school-age children who need to reach Lisbon. Moves to Cascais and Estoril are usually higher in value: bigger villas, better furniture, and more antiques and high-end items that need specialist packing.

Our man and van service handles smaller Cascais loads that do not need a full van. Our handyman service assembles and places furniture.

Porto and the Douro Valley

Porto is Portugal's second-largest city. In recent years, it has attracted the fastest-growing group of younger British movers. Several things draw them:

• a lower cost of living than Lisbon
• a growing startup scene (Porto Tech Hub)
• its universities (University of Porto, Universidade Católica Portuguesa)
• a more and more international culture: Porto was named European Best Destination eight times between 2012 and 2022

It is now a favourite with British professionals under 40 in technology, design, academia and the creative industries.

Porto's Baixa (lower city) and Ribeira districts have the same narrow streets and staircases as Lisbon's historic areas. Inland from Porto, the Douro Valley draws British buyers of quintas: estate houses in the port wine valley, used as main homes or holiday homes.

The Silver Coast and Central Portugal

The Silver Coast (Costa de Prata) is the Atlantic coast from Peniche north to Óbidos, Caldas da Rainha, Figueira da Foz and Aveiro. It is a growing alternative to the Algarve for British buyers who want to live by the sea without Algarve prices. British communities in Peniche, Óbidos and Caldas da Rainha in particular are growing.

Around Coimbra and inland in the Beiras, British buyers purchase country quintas and farmhouses to renovate. These moves are often part loads of tools, workshop equipment and some furniture, rather than a whole household.

Rural Central Portugal needs the same careful route planning as rural Tuscany or the Dordogne. Expect unmade tracks, farm bridges with weight limits and tight approach roads.

Madeira, Sea Freight, Reduced IVA and the Remote Work Programme

Madeira is a group of Atlantic islands about 980 km south-west of Lisbon. It is a self-governing region of Portugal with its own lower IVA rate of 22% (against 23% on the mainland).

It has become one of the most heavily promoted remote work destinations in the world. That followed the launch of the Madeira Startup Village in Ponta do Sol and the digital nomad village idea, which drew wide international media coverage from 2021 onwards.

Moving to Madeira needs sea freight. Ships sail from mainland Portugal (Lisbon or Porto to Funchal, Madeira's capital) or from the Spanish port of Cádiz. The Funchal–Lisbon crossing takes about 36 hours, and goods usually gather in Lisbon before the ship leaves. A road removal from the UK cannot reach Madeira directly. The sea crossing is essential.

RMV arranges UK collection, transport through mainland Portugal and the Madeira sea freight booking. Our storage service holds your goods in the UK until the Madeira sailing is confirmed.

Service Options: Full Load, Part Load, Groupage and Man and Van for Portugal

From London, Portugal is one of the longest road removal routes in Western Europe: about 1,900 km to Lisbon and 2,400 km to the central Algarve, similar to Italy. So transit times are among the longer ones in this series.

Full Load, Dedicated Van

Your goods fill the whole van from UK collection to Portuguese delivery. Typical times from London:

• Lisbon: 3–4 days
• Porto: 3–4 days
• Algarve (Faro area): 4–6 days
• Cascais/Estoril: 3–4 days

Full load is the usual choice for Algarve villa retirement moves, Lisbon company moves and any move that needs a fixed delivery date.

Part Load and Groupage

Your belongings share the van with other loads going to Portugal or the rest of Iberia. You pay for the cubic metres you use. Transit times:

• Lisbon: 5–8 days
• Porto and the Silver Coast: 6–10 days
• the Algarve: 7–12 days

Part load is the most common choice for digital nomad and D7 visa moves to Lisbon, studio moves to Porto and part-household moves to the Silver Coast.

Delivery Times to Portugal

Typical times from London to Portuguese addresses, including post-Brexit AT clearance.

• Lisbon (Lisboa), full load 3–4 days; part load 5–8 days
• Cascais / Estoril (Greater Lisbon), full load 3–4 days; part load 5–8 days
• Setúbal / Palmela, full load 3–4 days; part load 5–8 days
• Porto (Norte region), full load 3–4 days; part load 5–8 days
• Silver Coast (Peniche / Óbidos / Figueira da Foz), full load 3–5 days; part load 6–10 days
• Coimbra (Centro), full load 3–5 days; part load 6–10 days
• Algarve, Lagos / Portimão / Faro, full load 4–6 days; part load 7–12 days
• Tavira / Eastern Algarve, full load 5–6 days; part load 8–13 days
• Madeira (Funchal), road to Lisbon plus sea freight; 7–12 days in total, depending on the sailing schedule

For guides to Portugal, Certificado de Bagagem application steps, D7 visa advice and 2026 moving checklists, visit our blog.

Your Complete UK-to-Portugal Moving Solution

RMV Storage & Removals handles your whole move from the UK to Portugal. That covers the pre-move survey and packing, help with the Certificado de Bagagem and NIF, AT customs clearance, access planning for rural Algarve homes and Lisbon staircases, Madeira sea freight, and door-to-door delivery to any Portuguese address on the mainland or the islands.

• Our removals service handles the whole physical move.
• Our storage service covers the gap between UK and Portuguese completion dates, and holds goods for Madeira until a sailing is confirmed.
• Our man and van service handles smaller loads to Lisbon, Porto and the Silver Coast.
• Our handyman service assembles and places furniture at your Portuguese home.

You can order boxes and wrapping from our Packing Shop.