15
Years in international removals
850k+
Verified customer enquiries
3
FIDI-accredited partners
Trusted International Moving Network
Accredited Relocation Specialists
If you have eaten in a Chinese restaurant in Milan, Paris or Madrid, there is a strong chance the family running it came from here. Wenzhou is the origin city for most Chinese communities in southern Europe, which makes it the one Chinese destination where the European route is the ordinary one rather than the exception.
We match you with one vetted mover from our network covering Zhejiang. Wenzhou is unusual in that the local trade genuinely understands European destinations, because family shipments have been running to Italy, France and Spain for decades.
Wenzhou's own port handles coastal and regional traffic. Deep sea containers normally clear at Ningbo, about three hundred kilometres north, or at Shanghai, and travel down the coastal expressway.
Wenzhou is a difficult place to reach by land and always has been. Mountains rise immediately behind the city and there is no easy inland route in any direction, which is precisely why its people took to the sea and to emigration in the first place.
For household goods, that geography means the deep sea container almost always clears elsewhere. Ningbo, three hundred kilometres north and the busiest port in the world by tonnage, is the usual choice. Shanghai is the alternative. The coastal expressway covers the distance in around three hours from Ningbo, longer from Shanghai.
Wenzhou has its own port on the Oujiang and it handles coastal and regional traffic properly. It rarely takes a household container from Europe, though it occasionally appears on a booking where a feeder service suits.
The European connection is what makes this city different from every other on this list. Family shipments between Wenzhou and Italy, France, Spain and the Netherlands have run continuously for decades. Movers here quote those destinations as routine work, which is unusual in China, where most firms are set up around North American and Australian routes with Europe as an afterthought.
If you are moving in either direction on one of those routes, say so at enquiry. It is the kind of route where local experience is worth something real.
Wenzhou is denser than its size suggests, because the mountains leave it nowhere to spread.
Lucheng, the central district, is the historic core and the commercial centre. It is compact, busy and built up, with a mix of older mid rise blocks and newer towers. Lifts are common in the newer stock. Streets in the older quarters are tight and parking near an entrance usually needs arranging with the local office.
Ouhai, west and south of the centre, is where much of the newer residential development has gone, on the flatter ground available. Access is easier and the compounds are modern.
Longwan, in the east towards the airport and the port, is the industrial and development district. Wide roads, newer housing, straightforward delivery.
Rui'an and Yueqing, the satellite cities north and south, are manufacturing centres in their own right. Yueqing in particular is a major low voltage electrical manufacturing base. Housing there is a mix of factory area stock and newer compounds.
Two things shape a delivery here more than the district does. The first is the ground: the city climbs where it meets the hills, and some residential areas sit on genuine slopes. The second is the weather, and it is worth being blunt about it. Wenzhou takes typhoons directly. The city is on an open stretch of coast with no estuary to shelter it, and the season from June to September regularly disrupts sailings, road transport and delivery scheduling all at once.
Wenzhou prices above the delta cities because the road leg from Ningbo is long. Against that, the volume of European family shipping through here means competitive rates on those particular routes.
Plan for around £300 to £1,200
Family shipments to and from Europe, which are very common here.
Plan for around £1,350 to £3,500
Apartment moves into Ouhai or Longwan.
Plan for around £3,700 to £8,600
Full household moves, often families returning after years abroad.
Tell us the destination country as well as the district. On this route the European end matters as much as the Chinese one.
We match you with your vetted mover, which means one team handles everything. It is free, with no obligation. Get a relocation quote today and hold your dates.
Send your move detailsCall 07551 855 064 or +447551855064. Message us on WhatsApp.
Clearance happens at Ningbo or Shanghai rather than in Wenzhou. You need a valid residence permit, a full valued inventory and your passport details. Because so much family shipping passes through, the requirements are handled routinely at both ports.
The national rules are the same across mainland China, so the detail on permits, restricted goods and the cultural relics rule is set out in full on the China removals and shipping page. Read that before you start packing, particularly the section on items made before 1949.
This is the direction most Wenzhou traffic actually runs. Families returning to Europe after a period in China, or sending household goods to relatives already settled there, are the ordinary case rather than the unusual one.
Each destination has its own import rules. Italy, France, Spain and the Netherlands all operate relief schemes for transfers of residence, and each requires the application before the goods land. For Britain that is Transfer of Residence relief with HMRC. Start early, because none of them are instant.
Anything made before 1949 needs a Chinese export certificate regardless of where it is going.
A move usually means moving money too, whether that is a deposit on a Wenzhou flat or funds coming back the other way. We have helped customers with currency exchange in any currency through trusted partners for many years, and our partners can help with the money side of your move. Mention it on the form and it gets included.
Experts in currency exchange
No hidden fees
5 star consumer ratings
Competitive exchange rate
Zhejiang's southern coast clears through Ningbo or Shanghai. Wenzhou is unusual in how much of its traffic runs to Europe rather than to North America.
For the full picture on routes, sea freight, rail freight, costs and Chinese customs, start at the China shipping and moving page.
Because it is the origin city for most Chinese communities in southern Europe. Emigration from here to Italy, France, Spain and the Netherlands has run for generations, and family shipments have followed the same routes for decades. Local movers quote those destinations as routine work.
Usually Ningbo, about three hundred kilometres north and the busiest port in the world by tonnage, or Shanghai. The coastal expressway covers the distance from Ningbo in around three hours. Wenzhou's own port handles coastal and regional traffic rather than deep sea containers from Europe.
More than almost anywhere else in China. Wenzhou sits on an open stretch of coast with no estuary shelter and takes typhoons directly. The June to September season regularly disrupts sailings, road transport and delivery scheduling at the same time, so build contingency into your dates.
Mountains rise immediately behind the city and there is no easy inland route in any direction. That isolation is why Wenzhou people took to the sea and to emigration in the first place. Today it means the deep sea container clears elsewhere and drives down the coast.
Ouhai to the west and south, or Longwan in the east towards the airport. Both sit on flatter ground with newer compounds and easier roads. Lucheng, the compact historic centre, is denser with tighter streets and older blocks.
Yes, and these are among the most established routes out of the city. Each destination has its own relief scheme for a transfer of residence and each requires the application before the goods land. Give the destination country at enquiry and coverage is confirmed before pricing.
Six to nine weeks door to door by sea, depending on the port and the season. Roughly thirty five days sailing, clearance at Ningbo or Shanghai, and then the three hour road leg south. Weather delay is the main reason the range is wider here than elsewhere.
In places. The city climbs where it meets the hills and some residential areas sit on genuine slopes, which slows a crew and occasionally stops a vehicle reaching the entrance. Mention the specific address at the survey rather than assuming flat ground.
A valid residence permit, a complete inventory with values and your passport details. Clearance takes place at the arrival port rather than in Wenzhou. Anything made before 1949 needs an export certificate on the way out, whichever country it is going to.
Send your collection address, your Wenzhou district, a rough idea of the volume and your date. A vetted mover from our network checks the route, the access and the paperwork, then comes back to you with the price.
Send your move detailsWe match international moving enquiries with vetted moving companies in the AGM Group network, each holding FIDI FAIM certification and BAR Overseas membership.
We are not a removal firm ourselves. We find you the one that suits your route, and you deal with them directly from there.