Quick answer: Coming back from Denmark you deal with HMRC, not Toldstyrelsen, and you must apply for Transfer of Residence relief BEFORE your goods arrive. One vetted mover matched free. 07551 855 064.
Moving out of Denmark is not the same job in reverse. The route is identical, but the paperwork is entirely different, and the thing that catches people out is timing rather than eligibility.
Around 55,000 internationals left Denmark over a recent twelve month period, against roughly 82,000 arriving. Leaving is not unusual, it is close to two thirds as common as coming.
Tell us what you are moving and where from, and we will match you with one vetted FIDI-certified mover who handles the Denmark to UK route. Free, no obligation.
FIDI FAIM is the international quality standard for removal companies. It is awarded only after an independent Ernst and Young audit covering over 200 operational and quality criteria, repeated triennially.
International Removals Companies connects each enquiry with one FIDI-certified partner mover. The move itself is done by the partner mover, not by us. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company 07425576, has operated the service since November 2010. The enquiry is free.
Free. One FIDI-certified partner mover. No obligation.
Coming into the UK, the authority is HMRC and the scheme is Transfer of Residence, usually called ToR or ToR1. It lets you bring household goods in without paying UK duty and VAT.
Apply before your goods arrive. This is the part people get wrong. You must get approval from HMRC before claiming the relief, and you complete a ToR1 form with details of the goods and evidence to support the claim. Approval is not instant. If your shipment lands before the reference number comes through, you can face storage and demurrage charges at the port while you wait.
The conditions are these:
Alcohol, tobacco and tobacco products are excluded from relief. New or unused items bought for the move are excluded too, and HMRC reads "used" literally, so something still in its packaging will be treated as a new purchase.
If circumstances beyond your control stop you meeting a condition, HMRC will consider waiving the 12 month residence requirement, the 6 month ownership rule or the 12 month import window, but you must include evidence in the ToR1 form. A lack of funds or space in your new home does not count as an exceptional circumstance.
Students are a special case. If you are coming to the UK for a period of full-time study you do not need to complete a ToR1 form at all. Your agent declares the goods to customs procedure code 40 00 C06 and you submit evidence of your period of study.
Check GOV.UK Transfer of Residence before you ship. Last reviewed July 2026.
If you went through Danish customs on the way in, the UK process will feel familiar, because the two schemes are built on the same four conditions.
Twelve months of residence. Denmark wants twelve consecutive months outside the EU. The UK wants twelve consecutive months outside the UK.
Six months of ownership. Toldstyrelsen may ask you to evidence six months of ownership, especially on valuable items. HMRC requires six months of ownership and use as a condition.
A twelve month import window. Both give you twelve months from the move to bring the goods in.
A twelve month disposal restriction. Neither lets you sell, lend or hire out relieved goods for twelve months afterwards.
The meaningful difference is sequencing. Denmark takes a declaration of personal property alongside the carrier's clearance. The UK wants approval in advance and issues a reference number your shipping agent quotes at the border. Start the UK application before you book the move, not after.
Send the collection postcode, the full Danish delivery address, an inventory, the property type and access details, your preferred date and any special items. One FIDI-certified partner mover confirms the quote.
Get a Free QuoteFree. One FIDI-certified partner mover. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, operating since 2010.
The journey is the reverse of the one coming in, with the same three options.
By road. From Jutland, straight down the E45 and through Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium to the Channel. From Copenhagen and the rest of Zealand, add the Great Belt bridge at the start. From Funen, the Little Belt only.
By freight ferry. DFDS runs Esbjerg to Immingham, six sailings a week, around 18 and a half hours. Unaccompanied freight only, so you travel separately. There has been no passenger ferry between the two countries since 2014.
By sea freight. Container from a Danish port, cheaper for larger volumes and slower.
Access at the Danish end is worth flagging early. Getting furniture out of an older Copenhagen or Frederiksberg block usually means the same external hoist you needed getting it in. A protected quarter in Dragor, Koge or Helsingor needs a relay vehicle. Tell the mover what came in and how, because it will be going out the same way.
An outbound move has decisions an inbound one does not.
What not to take. Danish furniture is often bought to fit Danish flats. Measure against the UK property before paying to ship something that will not go up the stairs at the other end. The same applies to appliances plumbed or wired to Danish standards.
Where it goes if you are not ready. If the UK home is not available on the day you leave Denmark, shipping to a storage address and releasing later is an ordinary arrangement rather than a fallback. Ask about it at the quoting stage.
What you leave behind. Selling in Denmark before you go is usually cheaper than shipping and replacing, for anything bulky and unremarkable.
Timing against the ToR1. Do not book a collection date until you understand where your ToR application has got to. The form goes first.
Access at the Danish end is usually the mirror of how things went in. Local detail:
Every Danish city we cover is listed on the Denmark removals guide.
Outbound work suits some moving companies far better than others, and few will say which they are. Accreditation is how you tell who has actually been checked.
Audited independently by Ernst and Young against more than 200 quality and operational criteria, from how a firm handles client money to how it trains its crews. The audit repeats every three years.
Every mover we match you with holds it.
These tell you a company works to agreed standards and that you have somewhere to take a complaint.
Our network partners come from the AGM Group network, whose website is agm.group. Every one of these removal companies has been checked before it joins.
Yes, unless you are coming for full-time study. You must get HMRC approval before claiming relief, by completing a ToR1 form with details of the goods and supporting evidence. Approval is not instant, and if your shipment arrives before the reference number comes through you can face storage and demurrage charges at the port.
You must have lived outside the UK for at least 12 consecutive months, have owned and used the goods for at least 6 months, bring them in within 12 months of moving, and not sell, lend, hire out or pledge them for 12 months after relocating. Alcohol and tobacco are excluded, as are new or unused items bought for the move.
Before you book the move. The ToR1 goes in first, because you need the reference number for your shipping agent to clear the goods. Leaving it until the container is booked is how people end up paying port storage while they wait.
HMRC will consider waiving the 12 month residence requirement, the 6 month ownership rule or the 12 month import window where circumstances beyond your control prevented compliance, but you must include evidence in the ToR1 form. A lack of funds or space in your new home does not count.
Almost. Both schemes use the same four conditions: 12 months residence, 6 months ownership, a 12 month import window and a 12 month disposal restriction. The difference is sequencing. Denmark takes a declaration alongside the carrier's clearance. The UK wants approval in advance.
Yes, and it is simpler. If you are coming to the UK for a period of full-time study you do not need a ToR1 form. Your agent declares the goods to customs procedure code 40 00 C06 and you submit evidence of your period of study with the declaration.
International Removals Companies connects Denmark removal enquiries with one suitable vetted partner mover. Partner movers hold FIDI FAIM Certified, BAR Overseas, IAM, EUROMOVERS and FEDEMAC accreditations where confirmed. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
Prices, access requirements, insurance and any customs paperwork must be confirmed by the partner mover before booking.