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In short: Moving from Ireland back to the UK is matched to one FIDI-certified partner mover, free. Goods travel by ferry and road, with part-load and full-load options.
A move into Great Britain may need a UK customs declaration; Transfer of Residence relief can apply for returning residents.
Household goods travel from Ireland to Great Britain by ferry. The main crossing is Dublin Port to Holyhead, run by Irish Ferries and Stena Line, at about 3 hours 15 minutes, several sailings a day. Rosslare Europort to Pembroke (Irish Ferries, about 4 hours) and Rosslare to Fishguard (Stena Line, about 3 hours 30 minutes) serve the south-east of Ireland.
The move is straightforward logistically — it is the customs side that needs preparation. You are moving from the EU (the Republic of Ireland) into the UK (Great Britain). That makes your goods an import into Great Britain, which triggers UK customs rules. HMRC's Transfer of Residence relief, applied through the ToR1 form, removes customs duty and the 20% UK import VAT on used personal belongings if you qualify.
Apply for ToR1 before your goods ship. Approval can take two to six weeks. If your goods arrive in Great Britain without an approved ToR1 Unique Reference Number, they may be held at the port and a VAT charge raised. Do not leave the application until after collection.
At the Irish collection end, a Georgian terrace in central Dublin or a medieval town-centre address in Galway or Kilkenny may need access planning. Always provide the Eircode for your Irish address and flag any access issues early.
HMRC Transfer of Residence relief is the UK mechanism that lets people moving their home to Great Britain bring personal belongings in without paying customs duty or the 20% import VAT. Without it, a shipment of household goods worth 30,000 pounds could trigger a 6,000 pound VAT charge on arrival at the UK port.
The relief applies to England, Scotland and Wales (Great Britain). Northern Ireland has different rules under the Windsor Framework. If you are moving to Northern Ireland from the Republic, the ToR1 process does not apply in the same way — confirm the position with your mover.
Three main conditions apply. You must have lived outside the UK for at least 12 consecutive months. You must have owned and used the goods for at least six months. You must bring the goods into the UK within 12 months of your move. Once imported under relief, you must not sell, loan, hire out or give away the goods for 12 months after arrival.
Apply online through HMRC's service. You will need a list of the goods you are bringing, proof of your Irish address, proof of your UK address, and a passport photo page. Approval produces a Unique Reference Number (URN) which your mover quotes on the UK import declaration to release your goods duty-free.
Irish addresses throw up some specific access points worth flagging before collection. Tell the mover about any of these before booking.
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.
Household goods travel by ferry from Ireland to Wales. The main crossing is Dublin Port to Holyhead, run by Irish Ferries and Stena Line, at about 3 hours 15 minutes. Rosslare Europort to Pembroke (Irish Ferries, about 4 hours) and Rosslare to Fishguard (Stena Line, about 3 hours 30 minutes) serve the south-east of Ireland. The removal van loads at your Irish address, crosses to Wales and delivers to your UK address.
HMRC Transfer of Residence relief (ToR1) is the UK equivalent of Ireland's Transfer of Residence process. It removes customs duty and the 20% UK import VAT on personal belongings when you move your home to Great Britain from abroad. Without an approved ToR1, a large shipment arriving in Great Britain can trigger a significant VAT charge. Apply online at gov.uk before your goods ship. Approval can take two to six weeks.
You must have lived outside the UK for at least 12 consecutive months before moving. You must have owned and used the goods for at least six months. You must import the goods within 12 months of your move to Great Britain. You must not sell, loan or transfer the goods within 12 months of arrival. If you are moving to Northern Ireland from the Republic, different rules apply under the Windsor Framework.
No. Moving from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland is a different customs situation under the Windsor Framework. Goods moving from the Republic (EU) into Northern Ireland do not require HMRC ToR1 relief. The standard ToR1 process applies to moves into England, Scotland and Wales (Great Britain) only. Confirm your specific route with the mover.
For most personal household moves from the Republic, Irish Revenue requires a customs export declaration. Your mover handles the commercial export documents for the consignment. Your Transfer of Residence paperwork, showing that the goods are personal belongings accompanying a genuine home move, supports the export clearance.
A dedicated van from Dublin to most of Great Britain can deliver in two to three days after collection, including the ferry crossing. A shared load waits for consolidation and can take one to three weeks. The ferry crossings themselves are only 3 to 4 hours from Dublin or Rosslare to Wales. Your mover confirms the transit time after reviewing your move.
You are moving from a euro economy back to sterling. If you have euro savings, deposits or outstanding Irish bills to settle, you may need to convert currency. International Removals Companies works with currency exchange partners. We can connect you with a partner if you need to move funds from euro to sterling as part of your relocation. We do not provide currency exchange ourselves.
Georgian terraces in central Dublin have narrow hallways and tight stairs. Medieval town centres in Kilkenny, Galway and Waterford can have restricted access for large vehicles. Provide the Eircode for your Irish collection address so the mover can plan the collection vehicle size. Parking suspension permits may be needed in Dublin city.
International Removals Companies is not a removal company. We are a free matching service operated by DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD (company 07425576). You send one enquiry and we connect you with one FIDI-certified partner mover for the Ireland to UK route. The mover contacts you with the price, transit time and the ToR1 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 the Irish collection address with Eircode, the UK delivery address, your room or item list, access notes, photos and your preferred date. One FIDI-certified partner mover confirms the price and HMRC ToR1 customs plan.
Get a Free Quote: Ireland to UKFree. 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.