London to Portugal
Moving from London to Lisbon or Porto
A move from London to Lisbon or Porto is usually decided by the street, not the motorway. Many older buildings have no lift, the lanes are steep, and the pavements are polished limestone. We survey for that, pack and dismantle in London, and clear your goods into Portugal once your NIF and residence papers are ready.
Why do Lisbon and Porto addresses need a survey first?
Because the two cities were built on hills long before anyone moved furniture by truck. Lisbon's older quarters, Alfama, Graça, Mouraria and much of Príncipe Real, are a tangle of stepped alleys and narrow streets where a removal vehicle may not fit and often cannot stop. The buildings are typically several storeys of walk-up flats with a single wooden staircase. Underfoot is calçada portuguesa, the hand-laid limestone paving that is beautiful and treacherously slippery when wet, which changes how a crew carries a heavy piece. Porto has the same problem with a steeper gradient: the Ribeira and Miragaia fall towards the Douro in a stack of tall, thin townhouses. In both cities a survey decides what fits up the stairs, what has to come apart, where a smaller vehicle should take over and whether an external lift can be set up at all.
Who has been moving from London to Portugal?
For several years Lisbon was the default answer for Londoners who could work from anywhere, helped along by the non-habitual resident tax regime and by direct flights that made the move feel reversible. That scheme has since closed to most new arrivals, but the pattern it set has stuck. The people we move now are a mix: remote workers on a digital nomad visa, retirees on a passive-income visa, families following a job in Porto's tech sector, and Portuguese Londoners going home. What they have in common is the type of home they move into. It is typically a renovated flat in an old building, smaller than the London place, so the first decision is what not to bring. We help with that at the survey, and anything you are not ready to part with can stay in our London storage.
Things to measure before you pack
- Stair width at the narrowest turn
- Front door and flat door openings
- Window size, if an external lift may be needed
- Whether the street is wide enough for a lift truck
- The nearest road a full-size vehicle can stop on
Which Portuguese documents does the move rely on?
The furniture enters the EU once, when the vehicle arrives in France, and is either cleared there or carried under a transit document to customs in Portugal. Either way, there is no second customs check at the Spanish or Portuguese border. What Portuguese customs wants to see for duty-free and VAT-free entry is proof that Portugal is now your normal home and that the belongings are yours and were used before you left the UK for a qualifying period. These are the documents that prove it:
| Document | Where it comes from | What it is used for |
|---|---|---|
| NIF (número de identificação fiscal) | Finanças, often through a fiscal representative before you arrive | Lease, bank account, utilities and the customs claim |
| Residence visa or permit | Portuguese consulate in London, then AIMA in Portugal | Proving you have moved your normal home |
| Certificate of residence | The junta de freguesia (parish council) for your address | Evidence of address for the customs relief |
| Lease or escritura (deed) | Your landlord, or the notary on completion | Supporting the address and residence claim |
| Itemised inventory | We prepare it as we pack in London | UK export declaration and the EU import entry |
Residence permits are now handled by AIMA, which took over from the old border service. Appointments can be hard to get, so we can keep your belongings in London storage while your paperwork catches up.
FAQ
Moving to Portugal from London: questions we get
Our Lisbon flat is in Alfama with no lift. How do you get furniture up?
By hand, mostly, and with planning. Alfama and Mouraria stairwells are narrow and steep, so boxes and smaller pieces are carried, while large items are dismantled before they leave London. Where a sofa or wardrobe cannot go up the stairs, an external furniture lift through a window is the usual answer, provided the street is wide enough to set it up. Some streets are not, and then we talk honestly about what should be sold in London rather than shipped.
Is the non-habitual resident scheme still a reason to move?
The original NHR regime brought many Londoners to Lisbon and the Algarve, but it has closed to most new applicants and been replaced by a narrower incentive aimed at particular professions and research roles. Whether anything applies to you is a question for a Portuguese tax adviser, not a removal company. What we can say is that the removal itself works the same either way: the customs relief rests on moving your residence, not on any tax status.
Can you deliver to Porto's Ribeira or Miragaia?
Yes, though rarely straight to the door with a large truck. The riverside quarters of Porto are steep, cobbled and narrow, with tight bends where a lorry cannot turn. We usually stage the load at a wider road nearby and finish with a smaller van or by hand. The townhouses there are tall and thin with steep internal stairs, so the survey looks closely at what will fit and what needs taking apart before it leaves London.
Do I need a NIF before you can book the move?
You can book without one, but we cannot clear the goods into Portugal until you have it. The NIF is your Portuguese tax number and it is needed for almost everything, including the customs claim. Many people get it before leaving London through a fiscal representative, which is the simplest route for someone not yet living in Portugal. If yours is still pending, we can collect and keep your things in London storage until it arrives.
Get started
Found the flat in Lisbon or Porto?
Send us the London address, the Portuguese address and a few photos of the street and stairs. We will come back with a written quote and an honest view of what will fit.