At a glance
The four conditions for relocation goods
German customs calls goods moved with a change of residence relocation goods (Übersiedlungsgut). The relief rests on these four conditions, and on your new residence being in Germany, even if only temporarily.
- 12 months
Lived outside the EU
Your normal place of residence was outside the EU for at least twelve months before the move.
The detail - 6 months
Owned and used the goods
You possess the goods and, if they are not consumables, used them for at least six months before the move.
The detail - 12 months
Cleared after the move
The goods are cleared within twelve months of moving your residence to Germany, in one shipment or several.
The detail - 12 months
Kept after clearance
For twelve months the goods may not be lent, pledged, hired out, sold, given away or transferred.
The detail
The goods
What counts as relocation goods
Customs sets no numerical limit on the kind or quantity of goods, but what you declare must not have any commercial character.
Qualifies
- Household effects. Personal effects, household linen, furnishings and equipment for your personal use or your household’s needs.
- Private vehicles of any kind. Bicycles, motorcycles, cars and their trailers, camping caravans, pleasure boats and private aeroplanes.
- Household provisions. In the quantities a family normally keeps, judged by what is normal where you lived before.
- Household pets and saddle animals.
- Portable instruments and equipment. Those you need to pursue your trade or profession.
Does not qualify
- Alcoholic products
- Tobacco and tobacco products
- Commercial means of transport
- Articles for use in a trade or profession, other than the portable instruments above
Goods that need a permit in Germany, or are banned there, keep those restrictions when they come as relocation goods. Customs names weapons and ammunition, and protected species and goods made from them.
The conditions
Who can claim the relief
Twelve months outside the EU
Your normal place of residence must have been outside the EU customs territory for at least twelve months before the move. Customs may make an exception if you can show, for example with your contract of employment, that you at least intended to live outside the EU for twelve months or more.
A new residence in Germany
The relief depends on your new normal place of residence being established in Germany, even if only temporarily.
Six months’ ownership and use, and how it is shown
- Your own goods. The goods must actually be yours and, if they are not consumables, you must have used them for at least six months before moving your residence to the EU.
- Shown by invoices or contracts of sale. Customs names invoices and contracts of sale as the evidence.
- A vehicle or aeroplane registered in your name. You must show that it was registered in your name in the country you are leaving, for example with a certificate from that country’s authority.
- Used as before. At your new residence the goods may only be used for the same purposes as before.
Customs’ German page adds that evidence, such as of the move of your residence, can also be sent to the customs office as a scanned document by e-mail.
When the goods are cleared
- Within twelve months of the move. Duty-free clearance is possible only within twelve months after your normal place of residence moves to Germany.
- Declared at import. The customs declaration is, as a rule, made when the goods are imported.
- In separate consignments if you wish. The goods may come in more than one shipment, as long as all of them clear within the twelve months.
- Before you move, against a security. Goods can be imported in advance if you undertake to establish your residence in the EU within six months. Customs requires a security for this.
The declaration
Customs form 0350
The relief is always claimed in writing, on form 0350. It is the German customs declaration for relocation goods.
- Customs’ English name
- Customs declaration for the release of personal property entered for free circulation with a specified end-use
- German name
- Zollanmeldung für die Überführung von Übersiedlungsgut in den zollrechtlich freien Verkehr zur besonderen Verwendung
- Short name on the forms portal
- 0350 Zollanmeldung für Übersiedlungsgut
Open form 0350 on the federal forms portal
This page does not describe the form’s fields. The forms portal opens the form only after a data-protection notice is acknowledged, and its contents were not read for this page. What customs’ own pages say the claim needs is above: the form, filed in writing at import, with evidence of six months’ ownership and use and, for a vehicle, of its registration in your name.
Import VAT and excise duty
Goods released as relocation goods are also exempt from import VAT (import turnover tax). They are not exempt from any excise duty that applies.
The legal basis
Article 3 and the following articles of Regulation (EC) No 1186/2009, the EU’s customs duty relief regulation.
After clearance
The twelve months after import
Relocation goods are released for a specified end-use. For twelve months from the date customs accepts the declaration, they may not be lent, pledged, hired out, sold, given away or otherwise transferred to anyone, whether for payment or free of charge.
Your shipment
Where Ruby International fits
We move households internationally, door to door, from the United States. The conditions above shape how a shipment to Germany is planned.
- Timing: the goods clear within twelve months of your move, in one shipment or several. Tell us your moving date and what you are shipping, and we will quote the move around it.
- Paperwork: the claim is yours, in writing on form 0350, with invoices or contracts of sale for your goods and a vehicle’s registration in your name.
We do not give legal, tax or customs advice. Whether your goods qualify is decided by German customs.
Frequently asked
Questions
What is German customs form 0350?
The customs declaration for relocation goods, in customs’ English the “Customs declaration for the release of personal property entered for free circulation with a specified end-use”. The duty-free relief for goods moved with a change of residence is always claimed in writing on it.
Do I pay duty on my household goods when I move from the US to Germany?
Not on goods that qualify as relocation goods, if you meet the conditions: twelve months’ residence outside the EU, six months’ ownership and use, and clearance within twelve months of the move. Qualifying goods are exempt from import VAT as well, but not from excise duty.
I lived in the US for less than twelve months. Can I still claim the relief?
Customs may make an exception if you can show, for example with your contract of employment, that you at least intended to live outside the EU for twelve months or more.
Can I bring my car?
Private vehicles of any kind can be relocation goods. You must show that the vehicle was registered in your name, for example with a certificate from the foreign authority, and that you used it for at least six months before the move. Commercial vehicles do not qualify.
Can my goods arrive in more than one shipment?
Yes. Customs’ English page says relocation goods may be imported in separate consignments, as long as the overall twelve-month period is not exceeded.
Can I ship my goods before I move?
Yes, if you undertake to establish your residence in the EU within six months. Customs requires a security for an import in advance.
Is there a limit on how much I can bring?
Customs sets no numerical limit, but the kind and quantity of goods must not suggest any commercial character. Household provisions are limited to the quantities a family normally keeps.
Can I bring wine, spirits or cigarettes as relocation goods?
No. Alcoholic products and tobacco products are not relocation goods.
Can I sell furniture I no longer need after I arrive?
Not within twelve months of customs accepting the declaration. Until then the goods may not be sold, given away, lent, pledged or hired out.
Sources and review date
Everything this page says about the rules comes from these official pages. Last checked: .
- Transferring residenceGerman Customs (Zoll)Customs' own English statement of the relief: which goods qualify, the conditions and evidence, the time limits, separate consignments, early import against security, the 12-month purpose limit, form 0350 and its English name, import VAT and excise. The page carries no date.Read on .
- Übersiedlungsgut: VoraussetzungenGerman Customs (Zoll)The conditions in German, which the English page matches: residence, ownership and use, clearance within 12 months, early import, the purpose limit, the written declaration on form 0350, and evidence that may be sent by e-mail.Read on .
- Übersiedlungsgut: WarenkreisGerman Customs (Zoll)Which goods count as relocation goods and which do not, and that weapons and protected species keep their own restrictions.Read on .
- Form 0350: Zollanmeldung für ÜbersiedlungsgutForms portal of the German federal finance administration (formulare-bfinv.de)Where the form is published. The portal names the form, then asks for a data-protection notice to be acknowledged before it opens; the form's fields were not read, and this page does not describe them.Read on .
Rules and fees change. Before acting, confirm with the official source. This page explains the procedures; it is not legal or customs advice. Customs decides how your goods are treated.
Planning a move to Germany?
Tell us where you are moving from, where in Germany you are going, and when you plan to move. We will reply with a quote for your shipment.