Removals to Romania from the UK
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A move to Romania now crosses an EU customs border, but used household goods still go in duty free if you meet two conditions. Here is how the relief works, what returning Romanians need to do, and how the move is routed — in both directions.
Last updated: October 2026 · 5 min read
Written and fact-checked by the Removly editorial team · How we research prices
Do you pay duty moving household goods to Romania after Brexit?
Usually not. The UK is outside the EU now, so your belongings are imported into Romania — but the EU relief for people transferring their home covers ordinary household goods. Two conditions decide it: you have lived outside the EU for at least 12 months in a row, and you owned and used the goods for at least six months before you moved.
The relief doesn’t force everything onto one lorry. Goods can be released in several consignments, as long as all of them arrive within 12 months of you settling. Alcohol, tobacco, commercial vehicles and tools of a trade are outside it.
Source: EUR-Lex — Council Regulation (EC) No 1186/2009, articles 3–11
What does Romanian customs want to see?
An inventory first. List every numbered box and loose item with a short description and an estimated value, then sign and date it — two copies. Electrical goods are easier to clear with serial numbers noted, and valuables such as paintings, rugs, crystal or silver should be described one by one rather than as “ornaments”.
Then the evidence behind the two conditions: a UK tenancy, council tax bills or an employment contract for the 12 months away, and receipts for when you bought the bigger items. A car needs its registration document showing at least six months of ownership.
Once relief is granted, keep the goods for a year. Selling, lending, pledging or hiring them out within 12 months without telling customs makes the duty due.
Moving home to Romania after years in the UK
Many moves on this route are Romanians going home. Your passport doesn’t change the customs position — the relief depends on where you lived and how long you had the goods — but it does add one deadline at the other end.
Romanian law expects you to register your new domicile within 15 days of moving in. If your identity card still shows a UK address, the application to move your domicile from abroad is made at the local office that issues identity cards, with proof you can live at the property — a tenancy, deeds or the owner’s written declaration.
Non-EU family members coming with you deal with residence separately, through the General Inspectorate for Immigration at igi.mai.gov.ro. We cover the move itself; immigration questions belong there.
How does a removal lorry get from the UK to Romania?
By road, which makes this one of the longer European drives. After the Channel crossing, by ferry or the Channel Tunnel, the usual line runs across Germany and Austria and through Hungary into western Romania, then on to Bucharest, Cluj, Iași or wherever you are heading.
The distance makes a part load worth a look for a flat or a few rooms: you share the lorry and the cost, in exchange for a delivery window rather than a fixed day. A whole house, or a tight handover, suits a dedicated vehicle on your own dates.
Empty the fridge before the crew arrives. Meat and dairy from Great Britain — bacon, cheese, milk — can’t enter the EU in personal belongings, and that applies at Romania’s border too.
We don’t publish a price for Romania: no source we could check gives a reliable one. A survey of what you are moving gets you a fixed figure, and our European removals guide covers the rest of the continent.
Moving from Romania to the UK
Coming the other way, the UK has its own Transfer of Residence relief, and the timing catches people out: apply on form ToR01 before you move, not after the lorry lands. You need 12 consecutive months living outside the UK, goods you have owned for at least six months, and to bring them in within 12 months of arriving.
Alcohol, tobacco and commercial vehicles are excluded here too. If the UK flat or house isn’t ready when the goods arrive, storage can bridge the gap.
Removals to Romania: FAQs
Is there duty on household goods moved from the UK to Romania?
Not if you qualify for the EU’s transfer-of-residence relief. You need 12 months in a row living outside the EU, and goods you have owned and used for at least six months. They can arrive in one load or several within 12 months of settling.
I am Romanian and coming home from the UK. What do I need to register?
Your new domicile. Romanian law gives 15 days from the move to apply, at the local office that issues identity cards. Bring proof you can live at the address, such as a tenancy or the owner’s written declaration.
What should the inventory for Romanian customs look like?
A list of every box and item with a short description and an estimated value, signed and dated, in two copies. Note serial numbers on electrical goods and describe valuables such as paintings, carpets or silver individually.
Can I take British sausages, cheese or bacon to Romania?
No. Since January 2021 meat and dairy from Great Britain cannot enter the EU in personal belongings. Use them up or give them away before the lorry is loaded.
What if I want to sell furniture soon after it arrives?
Wait a year. For 12 months after relief is granted, goods cannot be sold, lent, pledged or hired out without telling customs first, or the duty becomes payable.
How does a move from Romania to the UK work?
Apply for Transfer of Residence relief on form ToR01 before you travel. You need 12 consecutive months living outside the UK and goods owned for at least six months, brought in within 12 months of arriving.