Removals to the Czech Republic (Czechia) from the UK
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Prague, Brno or a village in Bohemia — a move to Czechia now clears customs, but used household goods still enter duty free. Here is how the relief works, how to ship ahead of yourself, the three-day registration rule, and the road route, both ways.
Last updated: October 2026 · 4 min read
Written and fact-checked by the Removly editorial team · How we research prices
Do you pay customs duty moving to the Czech Republic?
Not on personal property that qualifies. The Czech Customs Administration — Celní správa — applies the EU relief for people moving their usual residence from outside the EU. You must have lived outside the EU for 12 uninterrupted months, and anything that isn’t a consumable must have been used at your old home for at least six months before you left.
The declaration has to be made within 12 months of settling in Czechia. Alcohol, tobacco, commercial vehicles and work equipment are excluded, though portable tools of your trade are allowed. For a year after clearance, lending, pledging, leasing or selling the goods without telling customs makes the duty payable at the rate of the day.
Source: Czech Customs Administration — Moving of natural persons
Can you ship household goods to Czechia before you move?
Yes, which suits anyone starting a Prague job while the UK house is still on the market. Customs will release the goods early if you declare that you will take up residence in Czechia within six months. You also pay a surety — customs decides the amount — which comes back once the move is complete.
Applying for the relief is a recognised public service, listed on the government portal as Žádost o osvobození od cla. Have an itemised inventory ready either way; your remover’s packing list is the obvious base for it.
Do you have to register with the police in Czechia?
If you are British, yes. Since Brexit UK citizens are third-country nationals, and they report their residence to the Foreign Police within three working days of arriving. The exception is accommodation that registers you itself, such as a hotel. Take your passport and proof of health insurance.
Longer stays need a residence permit. We cover the move itself; for permits and registration, the Ministry of the Interior’s information portal for foreigners is the place to start.
Source: portal.gov.cz — Registration of residence after arrival in the Czech Republic
How do removals to the Czech Republic travel?
By road all the way: across the Channel, then through Belgium or the Netherlands and across Germany to the Czech border. Prague sits on the main route, Brno and Moravia further east. A part load shares the lorry and costs less with a delivery window; a dedicated vehicle keeps to your dates.
Prague’s old districts — Malá Strana, Vinohrady, Žižkov — are tall apartment blocks on narrow, steep or cobbled streets. Tell the surveyor the floor, whether there is a lift, and how close a lorry can stop, because it decides the crew and whether a smaller vehicle shuttles the last stretch.
Leave the meat and dairy behind; they can’t enter the EU from Great Britain in personal belongings. We don’t publish a price for Czechia, since no source we could verify gives one. Our European removals guide covers the wider continent.
Moving from the Czech Republic to the UK
For the return trip, claim HMRC’s Transfer of Residence relief on form ToR01 before you leave — it can’t be claimed once the goods are here. You need 12 consecutive months living outside the UK, goods you have owned for six, and everything imported within 12 months of arriving.
If the UK home isn’t ready on delivery day, storage holds the load until it is.
Removals to the Czech Republic: FAQs
Is there customs duty on a house move to the Czech Republic?
Not on qualifying personal property. You need 12 uninterrupted months living outside the EU, goods used at your old home for at least six months, and a customs declaration made within 12 months of settling in Czechia.
Is it Czechia or the Czech Republic?
Both are official. Czechia is the short name and the Czech Republic the formal one; customs, the post office and removal firms use either.
Can I send my things before I move?
Yes. Czech customs will clear them early if you declare that you will take up residence within six months, and you pay a surety that customs sets until you do.
Do I have to register with the police when I arrive?
As a UK citizen, yes — you are now a third-country national. Report your residence to the Foreign Police within three working days of arriving, unless your hotel or landlord’s accommodation registers you.
Can I take British food with me?
Not meat or dairy. Products of animal origin from Great Britain have been barred from EU personal belongings since January 2021, and Czech customs applies the rule.
What about moving from the Czech Republic to the UK?
Claim Transfer of Residence relief on form ToR01 before the move. You need 12 consecutive months outside the UK and goods owned for at least six months.