Ship it or sell it
#Start with what is worth bringing. The customs relief for people moving their residence to Portugal has several conditions, listed in the baggage certificate section below. One is that you have owned and used your goods at your current home for at least six months, so your furniture, linen and everyday things are the natural core of a shipment. Something bought new just before the move doesn't meet that condition.
Households who have made this move split both ways. Some sell nearly everything and furnish a new home in Portugal; others ship the whole household and are glad they did. The question is usually asked just like this:
"Is it cheaper to sell everything here in the U.S. and start over in Portugal or ship selective items to Portugal?"
There is no single answer. Weigh what each piece is worth to you, what it would cost to replace in Portugal, and how much space it takes up, since space is what you pay for. If you are not yet sure Portugal is for good, a smaller first move keeps your options open: a few boxes by air, and the rest in storage at home until you decide.
We move anything from a single box by air to a full container. By sea, a shared container starts at about 100 cubic feet; that is a typical figure, not a minimum. We can store your goods at origin, at destination or both, charged separately.
Next step: make a rough list of what you would bring. It sets the size of your move, and the size sets the options.
What a move to Portugal costs, and what sets the price
#Your quote is based on the volume of your goods: the space they take up, measured in cubic feet. Volume decides how your goods travel:
- Air freight: from one box, for what you need quickly.
- Shared container (consolidated cargo): your goods travel in a container with other shipments, so you pay for the space you use.
- Full container: a container for your goods alone, usually for a whole home.
If the measured volume differs from the estimate, we tell you: for a shared container, with a revised invoice before your shipment goes on, so you can take items out; for a full container, during loading. For a small load that is hard to measure, a list of your items with rough sizes is enough for us to estimate it.
Carrier surcharges (fuel, war risk, congestion) can be added after booking; we tell you as early as we can.
Door to door means we collect at your home and deliver to your new home, and it includes delivery under normal access. Destination terminal handling, port charges, customs inspections, duties and taxes, storage, difficult access and a shuttle (a smaller truck where a large one can't reach the home) are listed in your proposal's exclusions and billed on the final invoice if they apply. Where a shuttle or difficult access is common, we check with our destination agent before you book and tell you the likely costs.
Other things that change the total: storage while your papers are pending, a car shipped with your goods, the extra sea leg to the Azores or Madeira, and Portuguese import duty and VAT if your goods don't qualify for the relief described below.
Next step: send us your rough list and where in Portugal you are moving, and we'll show you which way of shipping fits.
The baggage certificate: bringing your goods in without import duty
#When you move your residence to Portugal from outside the EU, your household goods can enter free of import duty under the EU's relief for a transfer of residence. These are the conditions:
- You have lived outside the EU for at least 12 consecutive months before the move.
- You have owned and used your goods at your former home for at least six months before you leave, and you will use them the same way in your new home.
- You declare them within 12 months of settling in Portugal. They can also be declared before you settle: see the next section.
What it covers, and what it doesn't. It covers the contents of your home and personal property such as bicycles, motorcycles, private cars and trailers, caravans and pleasure boats. The goods must not, by their nature or quantity, suggest a commercial purpose. It excludes alcohol, tobacco, commercial vehicles and professional equipment other than portable instruments of the applied or liberal arts.
The certificate. In Portugal you may need a baggage certificate (certificado de bagagem), issued by a Portuguese consulate. Portugal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it can be issued to anyone, whatever their nationality, provided you meet the conditions above, and asks for:
- proof of the dates your residence abroad began and ended;
- proof that you used the goods for at least six months before your residence abroad ended;
- a list of the goods.
Consulates differ: check yours. As of November 2026, for example, the consulate in San Francisco asks non-EU citizens for a Portuguese residence visa and accepts requests within one year of the move, while the consulate in Newark writes its page for Portuguese citizens already registered there. Read your own consulate's page before you plan your dates.
You request the certificate from your consulate. Our destination agent in Portugal reviews it, together with the other papers your clearance needs, such as your NIF (Portugal's tax number), before your shipment leaves and again after departure.
Without the relief. If your goods don't qualify or, except in special cases, aren't declared within 12 months of settling, they pay import duty, and import VAT may be due as well. That worry is a common one:
"we want to ship firniture and art by container but confused anout whether my things will face high import tax"
Rules from Regulation (EC) 1186/2009 as published by Portugal's tax authority (AT), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' certificate page, checked 6 November 2026. Rules change and consulates differ; we confirm what applies to your shipment. This guide is a summary, not legal advice.
Moving from the UK
The UK counts as outside the EU, so a household moving from the UK generally meets the same relief and the same conditions. The UK government's guidance puts it this way: "To import personal belongings to Portugal, including household goods, you may need a baggage certificate. Request a baggage certificate from the Portuguese Consulate General in London." We arrange moves from the UK, to mainland Europe and to other countries.
Next step: check the three conditions against your dates, keep proof of when you bought your main items, and find your consulate's certificate page.
When to ship: before or after your papers
#This is the question that decides your dates, so here is the rule first, then our advice.
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The rule. Your goods don't have to wait until you have settled. They can be declared before you settle in Portugal, against a commitment to settle there within six months, backed by a guarantee whose form and amount customs set.
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Our advice. We generally recommend shipping once you have your visa or residence permit. Goods that arrive before you settle can mean a guarantee or storage until you do. You don't need a permanent address in Portugal before you ship.
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The practical options. If your dates don't line up, store your goods at origin until the papers are in hand, or at destination if your move date forces it. Storage at either end is charged separately. Shipping lines usually allow some free days at the port, but that is not warehouse storage, and the days vary by line and port. Some households choose the other way: they skip the relief, pay the duty and VAT, and get their things sooner. That is a real choice; weigh what the duty would be against months of storage.
If your shipment would enter the EU through another country's port, ask us where it will be cleared before you book.
When we quote, we give you an estimated transit window for your route. It's an estimate, not a guaranteed date: it depends on the sailing, routing, customs and the destination. Missed sailings are rare; if one causes unforeseen storage or charges, those are generally yours, and we tell you as early as possible.
Next step: check where your visa or residence permit stands, then pick a shipping date that fits it.
Who handles your move at the Portuguese end
#International movers work with partners abroad, and a move to Portugal is no different. What matters is that you know who does each part of your international move, and that someone answers for all of it.
With Ruby International, our destination agent in Portugal clears your shipment through customs and delivers it to your new home, and we stay your one contact from pickup to delivery. If anything comes up at the Portuguese end, you ask us.
Whichever mover you choose, get these in writing and compare quotes on the same points:
- Who clears your goods through customs in Portugal, and who delivers them to the door.
- Who your contact is from pickup to delivery, including after you have paid.
- The volume the quote is based on, and what happens if the measured volume differs.
- What the quote includes and excludes, including destination charges billed only if they apply.
- An estimated transit window, stated as an estimate.
- Your insurance options, the declared value and the deductible.
- When payment is due, and whether any of it is due on delivery.
A household that moved from Dallas to Lisbon described what that looks like when it goes right:
"We read all contracts and discussed all our doubts, made adjustments, etc. so we never felt there were many surprises or that anyone was dishonest with us."
We start with a free, no-obligation moving survey.
Next step: ask every mover you are considering who handles your goods in Portugal, and get the answer in writing.
Moving to Portugal from another EU country
#Household goods moving between EU countries generally don't need a customs relief or a baggage certificate, because they are already inside the EU. The question is how to move them: a rented van suits a few rooms if you can load and drive it yourself; a mover packs, loads and delivers, with insurance for the journey.
Through our network of moving agents, we can arrange smaller shared loads by road between European countries, for example from Germany or the Netherlands to Portugal.
Next step: tell us where in Europe you are moving from, and roughly what you want to bring.
Bringing your car to Portugal
#A private car can come under the same customs relief as your household goods. Portugal also has a vehicle tax (ISV), and you can apply to be exempt from it when you come to live in Portugal if:
- you are 18 or older and have lived abroad for at least six months;
- you have owned the car for at least six months in the country you are leaving when you move, and bought it, with its taxes paid, there or in one you lived in before;
- it is one vehicle per person;
- you apply online within 12 months of your move. The application is free.
The vehicle-tax exemption can be used once every ten years, and time abroad for studies, an internship or fixed-term work of up to two years does not count as living abroad. After the car is registered in Portugal, you may not sell, give away, hire out or lend it for 12 months.
The application asks for a residence certificate from the country you are leaving, a certificate of conformity (Modelo 9) and an inspection certificate (Modelo 112). Rules as published on gov.pt (page updated 27 March 2026; checked 6 November 2026) and the customs authority's vehicle-tax FAQ (checked 6 November 2026); a summary, not legal advice.
We ship cars and motorcycles in your household container, in their own container, or by roll-on/roll-off, depending on the route and Portugal's import rules. For a car on its own, a dedicated container is often the practical choice. Electric and hybrid vehicles need extra paperwork, permits and handling, so expect extra charges and a longer booking. Our destination agents help with the vehicle's import papers and customs. The vehicle can be insured as part of your shipment's cover, depending on the policy and the vehicle.
Next step: tell us the make, model and year when you send your move details, and we'll include the car in your options.
Moving to the Azores or Madeira
#We move households to the Azores and Madeira too. Your shipment continues by sea from the mainland or goes direct, depending on the sailing; ask us which applies to your island and your load.
Damage, insurance and claims
#It's worth knowing before you book what happens if something arrives damaged.
Insurance. All-Risk transit insurance is optional, at 3.5% of the value you declare (your declared value, which the insurance is calculated on), with a $500 deductible: the first $500 of a claim. You may arrange your own insurance instead. Our transit insurance generally covers door to door, so damage during the final delivery by our destination agent goes through the same claim, subject to the policy.
If you pack some boxes yourself. If we pack your home and you pack some boxes yourself, leave them open so our crew can check them before sealing; they can then be considered for All-Risk cover, subject to the insurer's terms. If you pack and load everything yourself, All-Risk isn't available; Total Loss cover is, which pays only if the whole shipment is lost.
Set it up so a claim can work. Don't undervalue your goods when you declare them: the declared value is what the insurance is calculated on. Keep a list of your items with their values and take photos before packing. Have fragile things packed by the mover, piece by piece. One household's review of a move from Texas to Portugal shows why:
"Randomly stacks of plates had not been packed individually and of course they were broken."
If something arrives damaged. Note visible damage on the delivery papers before you sign, and report any damage within 30 days of delivery to start a claim. We help you through the claim and answer your questions. The insurance company assesses the claim, decides what is covered and settles it, and you deal with it directly.
Next step: decide on cover and your declared value before your goods are packed.
Sources and review date
#Everything this page says about the rules comes from these official pages. Last checked: .
- Regulamento (CE) n.º 1186/2009 do Conselho, relativo ao estabelecimento do regime comunitário das franquias aduaneirasAutoridade Tributária e Aduaneira (AT)The EU relief for personal property on a transfer of residence from outside the EU: the 12 months outside the EU, six months’ ownership and use, the same use, declaration within 12 months of settling, goods declared before settling against a guarantee, and what is excluded.Accessed .
- Certificado de BagagemMinistério dos Negócios Estrangeiros (Portal das Comunidades)The baggage certificate: issued to anyone whatever their nationality, its conditions, what counts as personal property, and the three proofs it asks for.Accessed .
- Certificado de BagagemConsulado-Geral de Portugal em São FranciscoOne consulate’s procedure, as an example: a Portuguese residence visa for non-EU citizens and requests within one year of the move.Accessed .
- Certificado de BagagemConsulado-Geral de Portugal em NewarkAnother consulate’s page, as an example: written for Portuguese citizens already registered there.Accessed .
- Isenções de IVAAutoridade Tributária e Aduaneira (AT)The import VAT exemption for the personal goods of people transferring their habitual residence; goods outside the relief pay import duty and import VAT.Accessed .
- Pedir a isenção do imposto sobre veículos quando se vem morar para Portugalgov.pt (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira)The vehicle-tax (ISV) exemption on a transfer of residence: its conditions, the online application within 12 months, free, and the documents. Updated 27 March 2026.Accessed .
- Isenção do ISV por ocasião da transferência de residência (FAQ)Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira (AT)Once every ten years, what does not count as living abroad, and no sale, gift, hire or loan for 12 months from the Portuguese registration.Accessed .
- Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (consolidated version, 2012), article 30Publications Office of the European UnionNo customs duties between EU Member States, so goods moving within the EU do not use the relief.Accessed .
- Living in PortugalGOV.UK (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office)Importing personal belongings: you may need a baggage certificate, requested from the Portuguese Consulate General in London. Last updated 10 July 2026.Accessed .
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.
Plan your move to Portugal
#Send us your move details: where from, where to, and roughly what you want to bring. We'll come back with your options.
On delivery day, full-service door to door generally includes reassembling your furniture and taking away the packing materials. Unpacking your boxes is an optional extra.