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In short: Container moves to Ireland use full-load (sole-use) or shared-load space, matched to one FIDI-certified partner mover, free. Most UK to Ireland loads travel by ferry rather than deep-sea container.
Part-load suits one or two rooms; a sole-use load suits a full house. Customs is on Form C&E 1076.
Container shipping to Ireland suits large household moves, moves from outside the UK ferry network, or situations where an enclosed sea container is specifically required. For most UK-based household moves, a removal van and the roll-on roll-off ferry is faster and simpler. Containers come into their own for volume, origin or cargo-type reasons.
There are two container options. FCL (Full Container Load) means the container is yours alone. It is packed at your UK address or a depot, sealed, and delivered to the Irish port. LCL (Less than Container Load) means your goods share a container with other shipments. You pay for the cubic metres you use. LCL costs less but involves more port handling as the container is unstuffed and restuffed.
Most container shipments to Ireland arrive at Dublin Port, which handles both ro-ro and container freight. Dublin Port suits most of the country. Rosslare Europort in County Wexford is primarily a ro-ro port and handles less container freight, but suits the south-east.
International Removals Companies connects your enquiry with one FIDI-certified partner mover. We are not a removal company. The service is free and there is no obligation to book.
Container costs depend on the size, whether FCL or LCL, the UK origin port, the Irish delivery area and the customs handling. These are rough planning guides; the firm price is confirmed after a volume survey.
Your goods share a container; price per CBM
From about £80 to £150 per CBM
Good for volumes under 15 CBM. More handling than FCL.
Full container, approx 25 to 28 CBM
From about £2,500 to £5,000
Suits a 3-bed house. Container is yours alone.
Full container, approx 55 to 60 CBM
From about £4,000 to £8,000
Suits a 4 to 5-bed house. Most efficient rate per CBM.
Classic cars, antiques, art, pianos
Priced after survey
Specialist crating, condition reports and insurance valuation needed before pricing.
Port handling, customs clearance, unstuffing and the Irish delivery leg are included in a door-to-door quote. Port-to-port quotes exclude these; always confirm what is included.
A few practical points about container moves to Ireland. First, door-to-door is almost always the right choice. It means the container is packed at your UK address, sealed, shipped to Dublin Port and delivered to your Irish door. You only handle your goods twice — at packing and at delivery. Second, always get an accurate cubic metre count before booking. An overfull container can damage goods. An underfull one wastes money. Your mover measures the load before confirming the container size. Third, the Irish delivery address Eircode is essential. Rural townland addresses have no street number. The Eircode is how the driver finds your door, especially after a long run from Dublin Port.
The Republic of Ireland uses the euro (EUR). If you are moving from the UK, you are moving from sterling into a euro economy. That affects deposits, any charges you pay at the Irish end, and your day-to-day spending after you arrive.
International Removals Companies works with currency exchange partners. We do not provide currency exchange ourselves, but if you need to convert sterling to euro for your move, we can connect you with a partner who can help. This is entirely separate from the removals service and carries no obligation.
Northern Ireland uses the pound, not the euro. If you are moving to Northern Ireland rather than the Republic, currency exchange is not relevant to your move.
The main ferry from the UK to Ireland is Holyhead to Dublin Port, run by Irish Ferries and Stena Line. The crossing takes about 3 hours 15 minutes. For customs, Transfer of Residence relief on Form C&E 1076 removes import duty and the 23% Irish VAT on used belongings if you qualify. The Common Travel Area covers people, not goods. Your belongings still go through the customs process even though you can travel freely between the UK and Ireland.
After arriving in Ireland, you will need a PPS number. PPS stands for Personal Public Service number. You use it for Revenue, banking, employment and most official matters. Apply at your local Intreo centre when you arrive.
Have the Eircode for your Irish address ready too. An Eircode is the Irish postcode. It is a seven-character code, unique to each address. Rural townland addresses have no street number. The Eircode is how the mover finds your door. Georgian flats in central Dublin have narrow stairs and no lifts. Medieval town-centre streets in Galway and Kilkenny can be too tight for a large van. Give access notes when you enquire.
We do not send your enquiry to a list of firms. We connect you with one suitable FIDI-certified partner mover for your specific route. They check your move and confirm the price. You are not committed to anything.
FIDI FAIM is the main quality standard for international removal companies. Partner movers are audited by Ernst and Young every three years. The audit covers more than 200 quality checks. For a move with customs paperwork, that standard matters.
FCL stands for Full Container Load — the container is yours alone from packing to delivery. LCL stands for Less than Container Load — your goods share a container with other shipments and you pay for the cubic metres you use. FCL gives more control over timing and handling but costs more. LCL is cheaper for smaller volumes but involves more handling as the container is unstuffed and restuffed at the destination port.
A 20ft container holds roughly the contents of a three-bed house, about 25 to 30 cubic metres of furniture and boxes. A 40ft container holds roughly a four to five bed house, about 55 to 60 cubic metres. Your mover measures your inventory and recommends the right size. An overfull container damages goods; an underfull container wastes money.
Most container shipments from the UK arrive at Dublin Port, which handles both ro-ro and container traffic. Rosslare Europort in County Wexford is primarily a ro-ro port and handles less container freight. The choice of port affects the onward delivery leg. Dublin Port suits most of the country. Rosslare is better for Wexford, Waterford and the south-east.
For a UK to Ireland container move, the transit from container packing to Irish delivery typically takes two to four weeks. The packing and stuffing process, the ferry crossing, customs clearance at the Irish port, unstuffing and the delivery leg all add time. A dedicated van move is faster; a container suits larger volumes where speed is less critical.
A removal van is a faster, more flexible option for most household moves to Ireland. The van loads at your UK address, crosses by ferry and delivers to your Irish door. A container involves a port-to-port leg with more handling. Containers are used when the volume is too large for a van, when the origin is outside the UK ferry network, or when sea freight is specifically required.
Yes. A container crossing from Great Britain into the Republic of Ireland is an EU import. Transfer of Residence relief on Form C&E 1076 removes import duty and the 23% Irish VAT on used personal belongings if you qualify. The mover or freight forwarder handles the commercial customs documents. Your eligibility for the relief is yours to confirm with Revenue at revenue.ie.
Yes. A car can be loaded into a container alongside household goods. It must be professionally secured and drained of excess fuel. VRT still applies on first Irish registration regardless of how the car arrives. Containers are sometimes used for high-value or classic cars that need enclosed protection rather than ro-ro transit.
The container is cleared through Revenue customs at Dublin Port. With an approved Transfer of Residence declaration, clearance is usually straightforward. After clearance, the container is unstuffed at a bonded warehouse or taken to your delivery address for door delivery. The mover arranges all of this as part of the service.
International Removals Companies is not a removal company. We are a free matching service operated by DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD (company 07425576). You give us your volume, addresses and requirements and we connect you with one FIDI-certified partner mover for the UK to Ireland container route. The mover contacts you with the FCL or LCL price and customs plan. Free, no obligation.
This guide is written and maintained by Darren Benjamin, founder of International Removals Companies (DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, Companies House 07425576). Darren has worked in international removals and logistics for over 20 years and has been a director of a UK removals company since 2013.
Partner movers hold FIDI FAIM Certified, BAR Overseas, IAM, EUROMOVERS and FEDEMAC accreditations. Only FIDI FAIM is an audited certification, checked by Ernst and Young.
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Send your volume estimate, the UK collection address, the Irish delivery address with Eircode, whether you need FCL or LCL, any vehicles or specialist cargo, and your preferred date. One FIDI-certified partner mover confirms the container price.
Get a Free Container QuoteFree. One FIDI-certified partner mover. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, operating since 2010.
International Removals Companies connects removals to Ireland enquiries with one suitable vetted partner mover. Partner movers hold FIDI FAIM, BAR Overseas, IAM, EUROMOVERS and FEDEMAC accreditations where confirmed. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
Prices, transit times, insurance cover and customs paperwork must be confirmed by the partner mover before booking.