Australian Moving to Europe

1. How Can I Ship My Vehicle From Australia To Europe?
2. What Delivery Services Are Available For Shipping Household Items From Australia To Europe?
3. What Is The General Timeline For Sea And Air Freight Shipping From Australia To Europe?
4. Can I Insure My Household Items For Air And Sea Freight Shipping?
5. What Do I Need To Know About European Customs?

Do you wish to live in a continent where you can take a weekend trip to a completely different culture, enjoy years of rich history, and eat some of the world's best food?

Moving to Europe provides you with ample opportunities to accomplish all of the above goals.

When people visualize the idea of a move, they usually think about moving household items and their vehicle(s), so these are the two topics we'll primarily be focusing on.

Subtopics we'll be covering related to moving household items and cars include:

• Shipping methods
• Delivery methods
• Timetables for receiving your possessions
• Insurance
• European Customs
• The best times to move to Europe

Let's dive in:

How Can I Ship My Vehicle From Australia to Europe?

Since the Indian Ocean separates Europe, the two shipping methods you'll be able to choose from include airfreight and sea freight delivery. Airfreight delivery is more expensive than sea freight delivery due to the accelerated rate in which your items will arrive. Most people choose sea freight shipping for a more affordable rate. If you book ahead, you can plan your arrival in Europe with your household goods' arrival to counter the longer shipping times.

Choosing a shipping method is half of the process of shipping a car to Europe from Australia. The other half of the process is choosing how you would like your items to be delivered from your house to your new home in Europe.

What Delivery Services Are Available for Shipping Household Items From Australia to Europe?

Port-to-port and door-to-door delivery are the two services available to initiate and finalize the process of sea freight or airfreight shipping. We recommend choosing door-to-door shipping if your budget can accommodate it. Door-to-door delivery will consist of a moving company picking up your household items from your home in Australia, transporting the items to the port they'll be departing from, then delivering the items to your new home in Europe upon arrival. Port-to-port shipping is less expensive than door-to-door shipping, but less convenient as well.

Port-to-port shipping will involve delivering your household items to their departing port, picking them up from the European port they arrive in, and moving the items to your new home in Europe.

It's common for prospective international movers to wonder how long sea freight or air freight shipping will take.

What Is the General Timeline for Sea and Air Freight Shipping From Australia to Europe?

The reason people pay so much for air freight shipping is that cargo planes can deliver household items thousands of miles over a handful of days or a week. General timelines for sea freight shipping are between 20-45 days for long-distance moves.

Sea freight shipping services generally offer customers the following shipping container sizes for their household items:

• 20ft
• 40ft
• 40ft high cube

Once you select the size of your sea freight shipping container, you'll have to decide whether a Full Container Load (FCL) or Less Than Container Load (LCL) meets your moving needs. Full Container Loads are shipping containers reserved for a single party, while Less Than Container Loads are shared by multiple moving parties. Selecting a Less Than Container Load will lengthen the time it takes for your household items to be delivered via sea freight shipping due to the increased logistics of a shipping company managing multiple parties.

Your household items hold both financial and sentimental value. Here's what you need to know about insurance.

Can I Insure My Household Items For Air and Sea Freight Shipping?

International moving companies offer insurance as a part of your overall moving package. Movers insurance protects damaged, stolen, or lost items. If you're shipping a vehicle from Australia to Europe, you'll additionally be able to utilize mover's insurance for your car during air freight or sea freight shipping. Like moving household items, we recommend selecting sea freight shipping for transporting your car from Australia to Europe as air freight shipping for vehicles is generally reserved for modern exotic or rare vintage cars.

You'll have to clear European Customs to successfully import your household items and vehicle into Europe.

What Do I Need to Know About European Customs?

Household effects are an example of personal property that's exempt from taxes and duties upon crossing the European border. You could avoid paying duty taxes when importing a vehicle into Europe if you owned your vehicle for over six months outside of Europe, enter Europe at the same time as your vehicle, and use the car for at least twelve months after your arrival. You'll need a number of documents to support your vehicle's European importation.

Appropriate documents to avoid paying European duty taxes for your vehicle include:

• Vehicle registration
• Passport
• Vehicle title
• Previous address
• Duration of your Australian residence
• Your new European address
• Power of Attorney form

Once you arrive in Europe, you’ll need to register your vehicle, have it inspected, and get an emissions test.

Planning ahead is the name of the game when it comes to a long-distance move. We hope our tips point you in the right direction to living your dream life in Europe.