Germany calls household goods entering under relief Umzugsgut, removal goods, and it treats the category seriously and administratively. The paperwork is more demanding than most European arrivals and considerably more predictable once you have it.
One vetted mover from our network handles the shipment. International movers working Germany will ask for documents earlier than you expect, because German clearance rewards a complete file and penalises an incomplete one with delay.
Most sailings arrive at Hamburg or Bremerhaven, both of which handle enormous container volumes from China and clear efficiently when the paperwork is right. Movers plan a German relocation around the file, not the vessel.
The relief. Used personal and household goods generally enter free of duty and import turnover tax when you are transferring your normal residence to Germany from outside the European Union. China is outside, so this is the route your shipment takes.
Conditions. You will generally need to have lived outside the EU for a qualifying period, to be establishing residence in Germany, and to have owned and used the goods beforehand. Restrictions usually apply on selling or transferring relieved goods for a period after arrival.
Documentation. This is where Germany differs from most. Expect to provide a detailed inventory in a specified form, evidence of your residence in China, evidence of your new German address or the intention to establish one, passport and visa documentation, and often a signed declaration. Your mover will tell you the exact list.
Completeness matters more than speed. A file with everything in it clears smoothly. A file missing one item stops, and it stops without much dialogue. Build the paperwork before the container sails rather than while it is at sea.
Registration. Registering your address locally is part of settling in Germany and it may be relevant to demonstrating that you are establishing residence. Do it promptly on arrival.
Excluded categories. Alcohol and tobacco, goods for trade or business, and items bought new for the move.
Confirm current requirements. German customs procedures are precise and they are updated. Treat this page as orientation and work from what your mover confirms.
Hamburg and Bremerhaven are among the busiest China trade lanes in Europe, so sailing frequency is excellent and freight is competitive. The domestic leg within Germany is the variable.
£300 to £1,100
Personal effects, arriving northern Germany.
£1,200 to £4,000
The common shipment on this route.
£3,300 to £9,000
Family households, with the domestic leg on top.
Tell us your German city and the building type. Stairwell access decides more of a German delivery than the distance does.
We match you with your vetted mover, which means one team handles the whole relocation. It is free, with no obligation. Get a quote today and hold your dates.
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Hamburg and Bremerhaven handle the bulk of China arrivals. Both are efficient and both clear quickly when the file is complete.
The domestic leg. Germany is large and most destinations are not in the north. A container to Munich, Stuttgart or Frankfurt carries a real road leg after clearance, and it should be quoted as a separate line.
City apartment access. German cities have a great deal of older apartment stock with narrow stairwells, no lift and restricted street parking. An external furniture lift, a hoist mounted on the street, is a normal and often necessary piece of equipment here in a way it is not in Britain. It needs booking and a parking permit, and it costs money that should be in the quote.
Parking permits. Reserving street space for a removal vehicle usually requires a permit applied for in advance through the local authority. Your mover arranges it. It takes lead time.
Registration on arrival. Registering your address locally is a standard part of settling and is worth doing promptly.
Winter. Northern and southern Germany both get proper winters. Nothing on the scale of Harbin, but liquids can still freeze in an unheated container overnight, and delivery on ice is slower.
The EU destinations share a common principle with different national procedures, so the neighbouring pages are worth comparing.
A move usually means moving money too, whether that is a deposit on a Chinese flat or funds coming back the other way. We have helped customers with currency exchange in any currency through trusted partners for many years, and our partners can help with the money side of your move. Mention it on the form and it gets included.
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The German term for removal goods, meaning used household effects entering under relief when you transfer your residence. Goods in this category generally enter free of duty and import turnover tax when you are moving from outside the European Union.
German clearance is documentary and precise. A complete file clears smoothly and an incomplete one stops, often without much dialogue. Assemble everything before the container sails rather than while it is at sea.
Hamburg or Bremerhaven, both of which handle enormous container volumes from China. Sailing frequency on this trade lane is excellent, which makes date planning easier than on some European routes.
An external hoist mounted on the street to move goods through a window or balcony. German cities have a great deal of older apartment stock with narrow stairwells and no lift, so this is normal and often necessary equipment here.
Usually. Reserving street space for a removal vehicle generally requires a permit applied for in advance through the local authority. Your mover arranges it, but it needs lead time, so it is another reason not to book at short notice.
Around seven to nine weeks door to door. The sailing is roughly thirty five days, clearance is quick with a complete file, and the domestic leg depends on whether your destination is in the north or the south.
Yes. Germany is large and most destinations are not near Hamburg or Bremerhaven. A container to Munich, Stuttgart or Frankfurt carries a real road leg after clearance and it should be quoted as a separate line.
Alcohol and tobacco, goods for business or sale, items bought new for the move, and anything owned for less than the qualifying period. Anything you cannot evidence ownership of is also difficult.
Yes. Anything made before 1949 needs a cultural relics export certificate to leave China, whatever the destination. Allow weeks for appraisal at an authorised station before the shipment is booked.
Send your collection address, your Chinese destination, a rough idea of the volume and your date. A vetted mover from our network checks the route, the paperwork and the access, then comes back to you with the price.
Send your move detailsWe match international moving enquiries with vetted moving companies in the AGM Group network, each holding FIDI FAIM certification and BAR Overseas membership.
We are not a removal firm ourselves. We find you the one that suits your route, and you deal with them directly from there.