Moving from Great Britain to Ireland – whether that’s the Republic or Northern Ireland – involves more steps than a domestic house move. Customs declarations, ferry logistics, and coordinating storage across two jurisdictions add layers that a simple packing list won’t cover. This checklist runs through every stage: what to do eight weeks out, what to prepare the week before, and what to check on move day. CrissCross Removals has run these routes from our Lisburn depot since 2016, and this is the process we walk every customer through before we quote.
A move from England, Scotland, or Wales to Ireland crosses an international border. Even a move from mainland GB to Northern Ireland involves shipping across the Irish Sea. The practical differences stack up fast.
For moves to the Republic of Ireland, goods moving from Great Britain are entering the EU customs zone. That means customs declarations, commodity codes for high-value items, and potential duty on goods that were purchased outside the UK. Furniture and personal effects moved as part of a house move are generally exempt under Transfer of Residence Relief, but the paperwork still needs to be correct before the vehicle crosses.
For moves from GB to Northern Ireland, the Windsor Framework applies. Most personal household goods move without customs formalities, but commercial goods and certain categories of items have specific rules. A removals company that runs this route regularly will know which categories require extra documentation.
Planning ahead by eight weeks gives you enough time to get the paperwork right, book a survey, and avoid the compressed timelines that cause last-minute stress.
Use this as your master list. Work backwards from your target move date.
| Stage | When | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Book a survey | 8 weeks before | Contact your removals company for a free virtual or in-person survey. Volume and access affect price. |
| Confirm Transfer of Residence Relief | 8 weeks before | For ROI moves – check GOV.IE for the relief form. Personal effects qualify; new goods may not. |
| Notify HMRC and Revenue | 6-8 weeks before | Deregister for UK-only services if moving permanently. Notify HMRC of address change. |
| Sort vehicle shipping separately | 6 weeks before | Cars are usually shipped on a separate RoRo ferry booking – not in the removal vehicle. |
| Declutter and sell | 6 weeks before | Less volume means a lower fixed-price quote. Storage in Belfast is available if you’re keeping items back. |
| Gather documents | 4 weeks before | Inventory list for customs, proof of residency, ferry booking confirmation, insurance certificate. |
| Book your removals date | 4 weeks before | Lock in your move date after the survey. Summer and end-of-month slots fill early. |
| Arrange packing service if needed | 3 weeks before | Full or partial packing available. Book at survey stage if possible. |
| Confirm storage requirements | 3 weeks before | If completion dates don’t align, short or long-term storage in Belfast bridges the gap. |
| Pack non-essentials | 2 weeks before | Books, out-of-season clothing, decorative items. Label by room and contents. |
| Complete customs inventory | 1 week before | For ROI moves, a room-by-room inventory with rough values is required. Your removals company can advise on format. |
| Confirm ferry logistics | 1 week before | Verify departure port, crossing time, and that the removal vehicle is booked on the correct sailing. |
| Pack essentials box | Day before | Documents, phone chargers, medication, kettle, change of clothes. This box travels in the cab. |
| Final walkthrough | Move day morning | Loft, garage, shed, under-stairs cupboard, meter readings, keys to hand over. |
| Sign off delivery | Arrival day | Walk every room as items are placed. Note any damage before the crew leaves. |
Missing paperwork is the single most common cause of delays at the port or on arrival. Prepare these before packing starts.
Keep physical copies of everything in your essentials box. Digital copies on your phone are a useful backup but port officials ask for paper.
Ferry crossings add movement that a road-only move doesn’t. Items packed loosely in boxes that would survive a short domestic run can shift significantly over a two-hour Irish Sea crossing.
A few practical rules:
If you’d rather hand this over, our packing service covers full or partial packing with quality materials. We pack room by room, labelled and loaded in sequence.
Completion dates on a sale and purchase don’t always align, and cross-channel moves add a transit day that can leave you without access to your belongings for 24-48 hours at minimum. Short-term storage solves this.
CrissCross runs self-contained storage units in Belfast. They’re available short or long term, and they can be built into your overall move booking rather than arranged separately. If you’re moving from GB to the Republic and need a staging point in Northern Ireland, our Belfast facility works well as an intermediate hold before final delivery.
Every move we quote starts with a free survey – virtual or in-person, whichever works for you. The survey gives us an accurate volume, confirms access at both ends, and lets us flag any items that need specialist handling.
After the survey, we issue a fixed-price quote. The price you’re given is the price you pay – no day-of-move adjustments for extra boxes or a longer carry to the vehicle. This is particularly important on cross-channel moves where last-minute cost changes create real problems if you’ve already committed to ferry bookings and accommodation.
For moves to the Republic, we include customs assistance in our cross-border service. We’ve run these routes since our early years and know what documentation each port requires.
Get a fixed-price quote for your UK-to-Ireland move
For most personal household goods moving from GB to Northern Ireland, full customs declarations are not required under current rules. However, it’s good practice to carry a detailed inventory, and any commercial goods mixed in with personal effects may need commodity codes. We advise every customer on their specific situation during the free survey.
A typical move from central England to Belfast runs two to three days: a loading day, a ferry crossing (usually Liverpool to Belfast or Holyhead to Dublin), and a delivery day. Longer distances or larger volumes add time. We build the schedule around your specific addresses and chosen crossing during the survey stage.
No. Vehicles are shipped separately on a Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) ferry booking, not loaded into a removal vehicle. We can advise on RoRo operators we’ve worked alongside, but the car booking is made directly with the ferry company.
We recommend contacting us at least six to eight weeks before your target date. Cross-channel moves require ferry slot bookings for the removal vehicle, and popular sailings fill up, particularly in summer and around bank holidays. Earlier contact gives you more flexibility on dates and crossings.
Chris Magee founded CrissCross in 2016 with one van and a straightforward approach. The team now runs four trucks and handles cross-channel and cross-border moves regularly from our Lisburn depot at Knockmore Industrial Estate, BT28 2EJ. Fixed-price quotes, free surveys, and customs assistance for ROI moves are all included.
Get a free quote for your UK-to-Ireland removal or call us to talk through the details.