Devon → Spain
Removals from Devon to Spain.
The longest-established British moving route in Europe and still the busiest. From Devon it is a serious overland run — most of England, most of France, then the Pyrenees — which is exactly why it goes as groupage.
More British households move to Spain than to anywhere else, and the infrastructure around it reflects that: regular consolidated services, well-worn customs procedures, and agents at the far end who have done it ten thousand times. That maturity is the advantage. The distance is the cost.
Paperwork first, because it is the thing that delays people
Spain is stricter than France about who is allowed to import household goods under relief. You will need an NIE — the foreigner identification number — and evidence of residence, typically the padrón registration or your residence card, plus the property documents. The inventory has to be detailed and it has to match.
We prepare the declarations and work with a Spanish customs agent on the import entry. What we cannot do is obtain your NIE for you, and a move held up on the Spanish side is almost always waiting on that rather than on anything to do with the lorry. Start it before you start packing.
The overland route
Out of Devon on the M5, across to the M25 and down to Folkestone or Dover. Through France on the western corridor — the A10 past Bordeaux — to the Pyrenees, then either the coastal crossing at La Jonquera for the Mediterranean side or Irún on the Atlantic side for Galicia and the north.
From La Jonquera the AP-7 runs the length of the Mediterranean coast, which is why Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante and Málaga are all served off the same spine. Inland destinations come off it.
Where people go
- Costa Blanca — Alicante, Torrevieja, Jávea, Dénia, Moraira. The densest British presence anywhere in Spain.
- Costa del Sol — Málaga, Marbella, Estepona, Fuengirola, and increasingly the villages inland behind them.
- Murcia and the Mar Menor — quieter, newer developments, a lot of golf-resort housing.
- Barcelona and Catalonia — city apartment moves with all the access problems that implies.
- The green north — Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria. Cheaper, wetter, and growing.
- The islands — Balearics and Canaries, both with a sea leg and their own scheduling.
Access at the Spanish end
Two recurring problems. Old town centres — the casco antiguo in almost any Andalucian town — have streets that a rigid lorry cannot physically enter, so the last leg is a small van and more carrying. And hillside urbanizaciones have steep private drives with nowhere to turn, which is a different problem with the same solution.
Neither is unusual. Both are much easier when we know in advance, so send photographs of the approach and the door.
What we need to quote it
Destination town, whether you are moving permanently or furnishing a second property, approximate volume, the access at both ends, and how firm your dates are. See the hub for how groupage compares with a dedicated vehicle, and Portugal if you are still deciding between the two.
Devon to Spain — questions
Do we need an NIE before the furniture arrives?
For the import paperwork, yes — the Spanish side wants your foreigner identification number and your padrón or residence documentation to release household goods under the relief. Start it early; it is the single most common reason a Spanish move stalls, and it is nothing to do with the transport.
How do the islands work?
Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and the Canaries all involve a second leg by sea after the mainland run, so they are scheduled rather than continuous. The Canaries are outside the EU customs union too, which changes the paperwork again. Tell us the island at enquiry, not afterwards.
Is Spain mostly retirement moves?
Less than it used to be. Plenty still are, but remote workers and families have shifted the mix, and the inland north — Galicia, Asturias, Aragón — now sees people buying who would once have gone to the coast.
What about white goods and electricals?
They travel fine. Worth knowing that Spanish kitchens are often fitted differently and a British fridge-freezer may not fit the gap in a Spanish apartment. We will move it either way; just measure before you decide it is coming.
Can you deliver to a property with no road access?
Old town centres in Andalucía and parts of the Costa Blanca have streets a lorry simply cannot enter, and some hillside villas have a turning problem. We shuttle with a smaller vehicle. Photos of the final approach save a lot of argument.
Does the load change vehicles on the way?
On a groupage service, usually yes — the domestic collection leg and the international line-haul are different vehicles. Everything is inventoried at each handover. A dedicated service stays on one vehicle throughout.
Moving to Spain from Devon?
Send us the two addresses and roughly what's going. We'll come back with a written quote once we've had a proper look at it.