Cost of International Removals to the Czech Republic

Everything else adjusts around cubic metres

Your load is measured in cubic metres at survey, and that figure drives the rest of the quote. It is not a room count and it is not a bedroom count, because two three bedroom houses can differ by half again depending on what is in them.

The volumes below are a planning guide for conversation, not a quotation. Your surveyor will produce a real figure and it may sit outside these.

Loft, garage and shed are where the surprises live. Include them in the walk through or the figure moves after you have accepted it.

Sharing space, or having the lorry to yourself

Sole use means the vehicle carries only your goods and drives direct. It costs more and it delivers on a date you agree. A part load, which American moving companies call a consolidated shipment, shares the space and waits until the vehicle is full.

Below a certain volume the shared option is clearly cheaper. Above it the gap narrows, and there is a point at which sole use costs about the same and arrives sooner. Nobody can tell you where that point sits without your actual cubic metres, which is why both should be priced rather than one assumed.

Ask for both. A removal service that offers only one has made the decision for you.

The British miles before the Channel

Everything after the crossing is broadly the same drive through Germany. What varies between one quote and another is how far the vehicle travels inside Britain first.

Kent adds almost nothing. Glasgow adds roughly 400 miles plus driver hours. Cornwall and west Wales add a comparable amount. Northern Ireland adds a sea crossing before the overland journey even starts.

Handling is where Czech quotes diverge

Two identical loads to two Czech addresses can differ substantially on this line alone, and it is the line most often missing from a cheap quote.

• Floor level and lift. A third floor walk up changes the crew size and the day rate.
• Permit zones. Central Prague restricts vehicle access and the permit takes time to arrange.
• Shuttle van. Where a lorry cannot reach the door, the load transfers to a smaller vehicle for the last stretch.
• Hoisting. Where nothing fits the stairwell, furniture goes through a window.
• Long carries. Distance from where the vehicle can stop to the front door, in metres.

Packing is a choice with a price on both sides

Full packing by the crew costs the most and carries full insurance. Packing yourself costs the least and commonly voids damage cover on those boxes. Part packing splits the difference: you do books, bedding and clothes, the crew does glass, china and electronics.

Most people should be doing the third of those and most quotes offer the first two. Ask for the split explicitly. There is more detail on the packing for a Czech move page.

Six questions that make the difference visible

Ask every mover the same six and write the answers down. Removal companies that quote honestly will not mind. The exercise takes twenty minutes and it is the only reliable way to tell a lean quote from an incomplete one.

1. What volume is this quote based on, and was it surveyed?
2. Is this sole use of a vehicle or shared space, and what delivery window comes with it?
3. Who lodges the customs entry, and is it inside this price?

4. What packing is included, and what is excluded from cover as a result?
5. What happens if the property is not ready when the vehicle arrives, and what does waiting cost?
6. What is not in this price that is likely to come up later?

Question six is the most useful in the list. The answer tells you a great deal about the firm, and a moving company that answers it fully is usually the one to book.

Budget for these separately

None of the following normally sits inside a household goods shipping quote, and all of them turn up on Czech moves. Duty itself is usually relieved if you qualify, and the conditions are on the customs and duty relief page.

• Storage while you find permanent housing. Ask for the weekly rate, the minimum period and the onward delivery charge as three separate numbers. See storage for a Czech move.
• A vehicle. Transporting a car is a separate job with a separate price, and registering one in the country is separate again. See car transport to the Czech Republic.
• Pets. Handled separately from household goods, with their own documents and carrier rules.
• Duty. Usually relieved under Council Regulation (EC) No 1186/2009 if you qualify, so it is rarely a cost. It becomes one if the timing is wrong.
• Replacing what you left. Often the largest hidden cost of shipping less, and worth pricing before you decide to cut the load.

Questions people ask about what a Czech move costs