When moving goods and pets to Spain, it is important to know what Spain accepts and what cannot come. I have a list for this! When preparing our move, I contacted our chosen moving company, Road Runner, and asked for the regulations to move goods to Spain; they sent me very useful lists with customs requirements to move goods to Spain that I reproduce below with my own comments in italic:
Table of Contents
1) For all nationalities, including Spanish people returning to live in Spain
– Passport copy
– Registration certificate at the Town Hall in Spain (upon arrival)
This document is the Padrón. You don’t need to have it before travelling, but you are supposed to present it at the Town Hall (Ayuntamiento) within 90 days of finding a permanet place to live in Spain.
– Valued Inventory List in Spanish, valued and signed by the customer
It is not as hard as it appears. It is a broad list of the goods you are moving, where you assign a price for your own goods. You will have to pay an insurance and the insurance price and premium are based on this inventory list. The moving company can provide you a general model of this list in your language, you just complete it and fill the prices; I guess they translate it to Spanish, as I just filled one in English.
– Set of forms duly signed
The moving company will provide these forms.
– Bill of Lading or Air waybill
The moving company will handle these.
2) Only for Spanish citizens returning to live in Spain
– Certificate of change of residence, issued by the Spanish Consulate at origin stating that the shipper has been living/ in the country for more than one year
If the residence abroad period is shorter than one year, import taxes will be collected.
– Fiscal Identification number (N.I.F.)
Observation: Spanish citizens must import their household goods within 12 months following the date of issuance of the Change of Residence Certificate.
3) For Foreign citizens
3.1) Members of EU (European Union)
– Consulate residence certificate or company certificate stating that the shipper has been living/working at origin at least during the last 12 months
If the residence abroad period is shorter than one year, or this certificate is not presented, import taxes will be collected.
– Certificado de Registro de Ciudadanos de la Union (European certificate) or NIE Number
Observation: Foreign citizens must import their household goods within 12 months from the date of issuance of their first Spanish Residence permit.
3.2) Non-Members of EU
– Consulate residence certificate or company certificate stating that the shipper has been living/working at origin at least during the last 12 months.
If the residence abroad period is shorter than one year, or this certificate is not presented, import taxes will be collected.
– NIE number: must be registered as an active Tax Payer regardless if the shipper is an European or Non- European citizen.
Observation: Foreign citizens must import their household goods within 12 months from the date of issuance of their first Spanish Residence permit.
Despite what it says above, the list for members of EU accepts European certificate or NIE number; therefore we put our move on Hubby’s name and presented his European certificate. We moved into Spain without a NIE number, that we did only after arriving in Spain. If you need to get a NIE while abroad, you should check with the Consulate or Embassy of Spain that covers your area the requirements. On their webpage, the NIE will be under Servicios consulares / passaportes y otros documentos / Numero de identidad de extranjero (NIE).
Pets
Now, if you are bringing pets to Spain, you will be required to provide their vaccination certificate and certificate of health. On top of that, be aware that in some Spanish cities, dogs are subject to an annual payment of a tax or license. Check the townhall (ayuntamento) page of the city you are planning to move to; if a license is required, this information is probably there.
Additionally, check the page of the Ministry of Agriculture of Spain about the traveling with pets. And this interesting video from that page:
Plants
Plants can only be brought if they are coming from an EU country and fit the category of household plants; even my dried seasonings (such as dried basil and oregano) where barred (sob).
Forbidden itens
Food is strictly forbidden in any way. Cleaning products that may contain inflammable ingredients were also barred by the moving company, even though they are not listed as forbidden. I guess maybe this was a requirement of the moving company rather than a customs requirement.
I believe the information above can be a very good reference, a starting point when you are preparing your move. It shouldn’t be your sole reference, though. Make sure you ask a similar list from your own moving company, because, as we always say around here, rules change and official information is the king of information. 😉 Keep that in mind and get ready to do your luggage before you pack your move!!
Next: How to luggage
