International Movers from the UK to Australia
Moving to Australia from the UK means three official steps in order: the export declaration in Britain, a visa that lets you live in Australia, and clearance of your household goods when the ship arrives. The sections below point to each official page.
A few short questions. Nothing is sent until you check and confirm.
What does moving house from Britain to Australia involve?
Relocating to Australia from Britain brings three jobs of paperwork: a UK export declaration, an Australian visa for you, and customs and biosecurity clearance when the belongings arrive. Each has an official owner, so this page follows them in turn.
The moving is not ours: we are an introduction service. Your details reach a partner removal company, which confirms it covers the move. Assessing the load and quoting is its job, not ours.
People searching for removals to Australia often use the word removalists, which is also how the Department of Agriculture’s biosecurity pages describe the company that moves and unpacks your goods. Whichever word you use, the steps are the same, and the Australian end has a page of its own on customs and biosecurity. Once you know the route, the UK to Australia customs checklist goes through the home room by room.
How does your household load clear UK export?
Someone leaving Britain for good can declare household goods for export by sending a C21e Customs Clearance Request, according to HMRC’s export notices (opens in a new window) (updated 6 July 2026). The goods must be personal items that are not prohibited, restricted or licensed, and can go before or after the person does.
Before you book, put it to your movers in writing: who submits that declaration? The papers to gather are listed in our paperwork checklist for UK exports.
Which visa lets you live in Australia?
The GOV.UK entry guidance for Australia (opens in a new window) (updated 30 October 2026) states that a visa is required for a visit. It says British citizens can usually get an eVisitor visa or an Electronic Travel Authority, and points to the Department of Home Affairs for every other visa type. Visitor permission is not permission to settle.
To compare the visas that suit a longer stay, use the Department of Home Affairs visa finder (opens in a new window) (page last updated 25 September 2026). Visa categories, fees and processing times are set by that department, so we quote none.
We could not read the Medicare or tax file number pages for new arrivals, so this page does not describe them. Ask Services Australia and the Australian Taxation Office about those.
What happens when the goods reach Australia?
Two agencies handle the goods on arrival. Australian Border Force’s page on unaccompanied personal effects (opens in a new window) (last updated 4 September 2026) describes a concession that lifts customs duty and GST for qualifying household goods, and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry inspects the same goods for pests and disease.
Who qualifies, what the declaration form asks and how to pack for inspection are covered by the Australian customs and biosecurity guide linked above, so this page leaves them there.
How do belongings go by sea, and into which port?
Belongings that go by sea travel in a container, and the container size and sailing time are set by the shipping line your removal company books. We give no container sizes or transit times here, because the port and government pages we read publish none for household moves; your quote will state them. Our sea freight guide explains the general method.
The Port Authority of NSW says that around 1600 ships carrying over 2.5 million containers, counted in twenty-foot equivalents (TEU), pass through Port Botany (opens in a new window) in Sydney each year. The Port of Brisbane’s home page (opens in a new window) gives about 1,620,000 TEU for 2024/25 and says over 20 shipping lines call on regular liner services.
The Port of Melbourne describes itself on its about page (opens in a new window) as Australasia’s largest maritime hub for containerised, automotive and general cargo. Flinders Port Holdings (opens in a new window) says it owns the Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal. Those are throughput and ownership facts, not sailing schedules, and we could not read the Fremantle port pages for Perth. Each of those ports has a city guide: Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
What do councils say about the removal lorry at the Australian end?
The street outside the new home is a council matter, and the answer changes city by city. The City of Sydney lets a removalist’s truck use a household visitor permit, the City of Perth books bays for removalists only at weekends, Brisbane allows heavy lorries one hour near homes with an exemption for delivering goods, and the City of Adelaide names a removalist in its temporary parking control. Each is on the city guide linked above.
Two smaller cities say the same kind of thing: Newcastle lists removalist vans for a temporary permit and Bendigo lists removalist vehicles in its tradesperson scheme. The two territories differ: Canberra grants temporary parking only for events and trade contractors, so its rule for a house move is unproven, and Darwin lets trucks use a loading zone for a short time. Each city page gives the lead time and fee where the council prints one, and says what it could not read. Your removal company applies for or holds most of these, so ask it which council covers the address.
What about a car or a pet?
An animal coming to live with you in Australia is dealt with entirely separately from the household belongings. Pets follow import rules of their own, which the Australian authorities set and your movers do not, and our pet guide for Australia covers them.
A car is also dealt with apart from your household goods: Australian Border Force lists motor vehicles among the items its goods concession excludes. Mention it at your first enquiry.
What will the move cost, and what about furniture?
We hold no official price list for shipping a household to Australia, so no figures appear here. The cost depends on what you ship, which port it enters and what you arrange, and the partner removal company gives it to you in a written quotation. Our cost guide maps where each charge can show up.
Whether furniture is worth the freight is a decision for you and your movers. The customs page covers the one rule that bears on it, the ownership period that ABF sets for furniture and household goods.
Who does which job: you, your movers or the authorities?
- You:
settle your visa, collect receipts or photographs showing how long you have owned each item, and list the contents box by box.
- Your movers:
they decide what they need from you. Ask them who files the HMRC declaration, who deals with Australian customs, and who unpacks at the Australian end.
- The authorities:
HMRC rules on the export, Home Affairs on the visa, Border Force on duty and GST, and the Department of Agriculture on biosecurity.
Wrapping and transit cover are covered in our packing page and insurance page. The Australia removals hub lists every Australia guide.
Questions about moving to Australia from the UK
Can I move to Australia on an eVisitor visa?
GOV.UK describes the eVisitor and the Electronic Travel Authority as visitor permissions for British citizens.
A move is a longer stay, so check the Department of Home Affairs visa finder for the visa that fits.
Do household goods need a UK export declaration?
HMRC lets a person permanently moving out of the UK declare non-controlled household items with a C21e Customs Clearance Request.
Ask who prepares and sends it before you agree a booking.
How long does the sea crossing take?
No official page we read gives a transit time for household moves, so we state none.
Your removal company’s quotation should give the sailing and arrival dates for the route and port it uses.
Which Australian port will my goods enter?
That depends on where you settle and how your removal company routes the container.
Port Botany, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide all handle containers, and your movers will name the port in the quote.
Give us your UK and Australian addresses
Include the UK postcode your belongings leave from, the Australian city or suburb they go to and the month you expect to arrive. A rough inventory helps, and so does saying whether a car or pet is travelling.
About International Removals Companies
International Removals Companies is an enquiry and introduction service run by DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, in partnership with AGM Group. We don't move goods ourselves: the removal company quotes for your move and carries it out, so check its credentials and terms before you book. Our service is free. Discuss the quotation and booking terms directly with the removal company.
- Email[email protected]
- In partnership withAGM Group (agm.group)