International Removals to Plzen from the UK

Why the geography is worth mentioning

Every removal from Britain to the Czech Republic travels overland. There is no port and no container. Your belongings cross the Channel by ferry or through the tunnel and then drive through France or Belgium and across Germany.

Plzen is the first major Czech city that road reaches. Everywhere else in the country sits further along it. On its own that is a modest difference, and on a shared load it will rarely change your delivery window.

Where it becomes useful is when your move is not simply one address to one address.

Moves that touch two countries

People relocating into central European manufacturing often have belongings in more than one place, or move in stages: a first shipment now, the rest once the family follows. A vehicle running from Britain to Plzen is already crossing Germany.

If any part of your move involves a German address, say so on the first enquiry rather than arranging two separate jobs. It may not change anything. It may save a whole second collection. Either way the mover cannot factor in what you have not told them.

The same applies in reverse if you are leaving Plzen for Britain with a stop to make on the way.

The two stage move, and how to avoid paying twice

The pattern here is consistent. Temporary accommodation arranged by or near the employer, a few weeks or months to learn the city and the commute, then a permanent flat or house. Your belongings need somewhere to be during that gap.

Store them at the Czech end. If your things are still in a British warehouse when you sign the permanent lease, the second leg is another international removal with another customs entry. Stored locally, it is a short delivery by a local crew.

Get three numbers from the mover before you commit: the storage rate per week, the minimum period, and the charge for the onward delivery. Compared side by side against the cost of a second shipment, the answer is usually obvious.

And check what the company is actually paying for

Relocation budgets commonly cover transport and basic packing. They commonly do not cover storage beyond a set number of weeks, a second delivery, or insurance above a standard level. Give your removal company the policy wording rather than a summary of it.

Duty relief

National, not local. Relief from import duty on personal property comes from Council Regulation (EC) No 1186/2009: normal home outside the EU for at least 12 continuous months, goods owned and used for at least six months before you left, entered for free circulation within 12 months of establishing residence. Alcohol and tobacco are excluded. You will need an EORI number and proof of your Plzen address.

The full conditions and sources are on our Czech Republic removals page.

Access on delivery day

Easier than Prague, comparable to Brno. The older streets around the centre need a check and the apartment buildings of that era have the stairwells you would expect, but much of the city has usable lifts and room for a vehicle.

Measure three things before the survey: the narrowest turn in the stairwell, the internal dimensions of the lift car, and your largest item. Turns stop furniture more often than straight runs do. This page also covers Klatovy to the south.

Plzen movers handling industrial work see the two stage pattern constantly, so a moving company that asks about your contract before your furniture is asking the right question. Removal companies quoting international moving without raising storage have missed the point of a relocation, and the removal service you end up paying for will cost more.

What professional movers quote separately

These pages cover the parts of the job that moving companies price on their own rather than folding into a single figure.

• Spain
• France
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Belgium

Questions people ask before booking a Plzen move

Is Plzen quicker to reach from the UK than Prague?

Slightly, because it sits west of the capital and closer to the German border. The saving is modest on a journey of over a thousand kilometres, and it will not usually change the delivery window on a shared load. Where it does matter is if your move is being combined with a German collection or delivery.

Can my move combine a German address with a Plzen one?

Sometimes, and it is worth asking. Plzen sits on the main road in from Bavaria, so a vehicle already crossing Germany passes close by. If you are moving from Britain in stages, or have belongings in both countries, put that on the enquiry rather than treating them as two separate jobs.

My employer is relocating me to a manufacturing site. What should I check?

Whether the relocation budget covers a second delivery. Industrial relocations often start with temporary accommodation near the plant and move to permanent housing later. Storing at the Czech end rather than the British end turns that second move into a local job instead of another international one.

How is access for deliveries in Plzen?

Better than Prague and comparable to Brno. The centre has older streets that need a check, but much of the housing has usable lifts and somewhere for a vehicle to stop. Measure your largest item and the narrowest turn in the stairwell before the survey, which is worth doing anywhere in the country.

Do I pay import duty on my belongings when moving to Plzen?

Usually not, if you qualify for transfer of residence relief. Council Regulation (EC) No 1186/2009 allows personal property to enter free of import duty when you move your normal home from outside the EU. You must have lived outside the EU for at least 12 continuous months and owned and used the goods for at least six months before you left.

Will I need a motorway vignette for my own car?

If you drive your own vehicle on Czech motorways you need a valid vignette, which is now electronic. That is separate from your household removal and separate again from importing a vehicle permanently, which has its own paperwork. Do not assume the mover handles a car unless you have agreed it.

Does International Removals Companies carry out the move?

No. We are not a removal company and we do not own lorries. We are a free enquiry service. Your details go to one vetted mover that covers the journey, and that firm contacts you directly. We do not run a price comparison and we do not pass your details to a list of companies.