Removals to Malta
International Removals & shipping
Full & Part Load
Door to Door
International Removals to Malta with Removals.co.uk
Malta is a short sea route and a surprisingly fiddly delivery. We move whole homes and part loads from anywhere in the UK to Valletta, Sliema, St Julian’s, Mosta and across to Gozo, door to door, with the customs paperwork handled for you.
How do removals to Malta from the UK work?
Removals to Malta from the UK travel by sea. Your belongings are collected, packed and loaded in the UK, then sail to Malta, where our agent clears customs and arranges delivery to your door. Since Brexit your goods need a full customs import declaration, and Transfer of Residence relief is what removes the duty and VAT.
Has Brexit changed removals to Malta?
Yes. Since 1 January 2021 the UK is a third country as far as Malta is concerned. Malta is in the EU, so your belongings now need a full customs import declaration exactly as they would for Canada or Australia. Anyone who moved before Brexit remembers a much simpler process.
Three things about Malta catch people out, and none of them is the shipping.
Since 1 January 2021 the UK is a third country as far as Malta is concerned. Malta is in the EU, so your belongings now need a full customs import declaration exactly as they would for Canada or Australia. People who moved to Malta before Brexit remember a much simpler process and are often surprised.
The streets are the real problem, not the sea. Valletta, Mdina, the Three Cities and much of Sliema were built long before lorries. Many addresses cannot take a full-size vehicle at all, and a shuttle from a holding point is normal rather than exceptional. Tell us the address at survey, not on delivery day, and we plan around it.
Gozo is a separate delivery. Anything going to Victoria or elsewhere on Gozo crosses on the ferry from Cirkewwa, which adds a leg and needs booking. It is routine. It is simply not the same job as a delivery in Birkirkara, and anyone quoting you the same price for both has not thought about it.
What Our Removals to Malta Include
A Malta move with us includes everything between your front door in the UK and your new one:
- A free survey, in person or by video, so the quote is based on what you actually own rather than a guess
- Full export packing in industry-approved materials, or a part-pack if you want to do the boxes yourself
- Loading and collection from anywhere in the UK mainland
- Your customs paperwork prepared, including the detailed packing list Malta requires, numbered and signed page by page
- Sea freight to Malta in a full container or a shared one, depending on volume
- Customs clearance at the Maltese end through our agent
- Delivery, unloading and placement, including a shuttle vehicle where the street will not take a lorry
- Gozo ferry crossing arranged where the delivery address is on Gozo
- Insurance quoted separately so you can see exactly what it covers
A dedicated move coordinator runs the whole thing and is the person you ring. Free phone 0800 772 3539.
Where in Malta Can I Send my Items?
Everywhere. Malta is small, and we deliver across the whole of it: Valletta, Floriana, Sliema, St Julian’s, Gzira, Msida, Birkirkara, Mosta, Naxxar, Mellieha, Marsaskala, Rabat and Mdina, plus the Three Cities.
On Gozo we deliver to Victoria, Xaghra, Marsalforn, Nadur and the villages between, via the Cirkewwa ferry.
If your address is somewhere you think a lorry cannot reach, say so. It usually can be solved, and it is far cheaper to solve it at survey than on the day.
Our Process for Removals to Malta
1. The survey. We look at what is going, in person or over video. This is where access gets discussed, and where the Gozo question gets asked if it applies.
2. The quote. One price, itemised, with the insurance shown separately so nothing is buried.
3. Paperwork, before anything is packed. Malta wants specific documents and one of them takes time to obtain, so we start this early rather than in the last week. See the customs section below.
4. Packing and collection. Our crew packs, wraps and inventories. Every box is listed, because that list becomes the customs packing list.
5. Sea freight. Your consignment sails as a full container or as part of a shared load, depending on volume and how quickly you need it.
6. Clearance in Malta. Our agent presents the declaration and your supporting documents.
7. Delivery and placement. Furniture goes into the rooms you want it in, boxes are unloaded, and we take the packing materials away with us.
What documents do I need for removals to Malta?
Malta asks for four things: the customs declaration form signed by you and a witness, original proof that you lived outside the EU for the 12 months before arriving, a Certificate of Registration from the Office of the Commissioner for Revenue, and a complete packing list with every page numbered and signed.
This is the section worth reading twice, because Malta asks for one document that takes weeks to get and people leave it until last.
The relief you are claiming is Transfer of Residence. It removes duty and VAT on used household belongings when you are genuinely moving your home to Malta, rather than shipping goods there.
To qualify:
- You must have lived outside the EU for a continuous 12 months before importing
- You must undertake to establish your residence in the EU within six months of the goods arriving
- Your belongings can be imported from six months before you establish residence, and up to a year afterwards, in one consignment or several
The four things Malta asks for:
- The customs declaration form for bringing personal belongings into Malta, signed by you and by a witness
- Original proof that you lived abroad for the 12 months before arriving, issued by a competent authority – an embassy, your employer, a lawyer or an accountant. This is the one that takes time. Start it the moment you decide to move
- A Certificate of Registration, the residence certificate, from the Office of the Commissioner for Revenue
- A complete, detailed packing list, with every page numbered and signed
What the relief does not cover: food, alcohol and tobacco get no relief at all. Malta also restricts drugs, firearms, indecent material, meat, poultry and other animal products, plants and plant produce, and live animals.
Vehicles, motorcycles, caravans and pleasure craft can come in under the relief as personal belongings, which surprises people. Vehicles from the UK have their own notice and their own rules, so tell us early if one is coming.
We prepare the declaration and the packing list. The two certificates have to come from you, and the 12-month proof is the one to chase first.
Why Choose Removals.co.uk for Removals to Malta?
Removals.co.uk has completed over 10,000 moves and is rated 4.6 out of 5 from 110 Trustpilot reviews. We are members of Approved Movers in the UK, and we only work with overseas agents who are members of BAR or FIDI. We deliver across Malta and Gozo, door to door.
We do the paperwork, not just the lorry. Malta’s customs relief has a 12-month residence test and a document that comes from an embassy or an accountant. We tell you what to start and when, rather than handing you a form at the docks.
We plan the access before the day. A Valletta or Mdina address that cannot take a lorry is a shuttle job, and we price it that way from the survey instead of discovering it on delivery morning.
Gozo is a normal job for us, not an afterthought. The ferry leg is booked and priced up front.
Part loads as well as full containers. Most Malta moves are not a full 20ft container. Sharing one is usually the sensible answer and we will tell you when it is.
One coordinator, one phone number. The same person from survey to delivery.
Why people trust us with a move
These are not our words. They are our customers, on a review site we do not control.
- 4.6 out of 5 from 110 reviews on Trustpilot, rated Excellent
- Over 10,000 moves completed
- Typically replies within 24 hours, as shown on the Trustpilot profile
- Our own yard and storage at Riverside Industrial Estate, Fazeley, Tamworth
- Members of Approved Movers in the UK, and we only work with overseas agents who are members of BAR or FIDI
- Reviewing since October 2020, and still collecting them every month
This was a first experience requiring an international moving company and I had absolutely no idea what the process was. From the first pledge of dedication to the final concluding email, I was met with extreme patience and kind, encouraging words.
Martha Anderson, May 2026 – verified Trustpilot review
How your belongings travel to Malta
Almost everything going to Malta goes by sea. Your consignment is collected, packed and loaded in the UK, then sails to Malta where our agent clears it and arranges the final delivery.
Sea freight is the normal route and the sensible one for furniture and household contents. You choose between a container of your own or a share of one.
Air freight exists and is occasionally worth it, but only for a small, urgent consignment. For a house full of furniture it is rarely the right answer on a route this short.
What actually decides your timeline is not the crossing. It is your paperwork, and specifically how quickly you obtain the 12-month residence proof.
Should I use a full container or a part load to Malta?
| Option | Best for | What you pay for | The trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full container | A whole house or a large office. A 20ft suits roughly a two to three-bedroom home, a 40ft anything larger | The vehicle or container itself, yours alone | It is sealed at your door and clears customs as one consignment, on your paperwork and nobody else’s |
| Part load | A one-bedroom flat, a studio, or a small office. Below roughly three bedrooms this is usually the sensible choice | Only the space your boxes actually take up | It leaves when the load is full, so your goods wait on everything else travelling with them |
| Air freight | Smaller and urgent shipments. Malta is an island, so there is no road option and the choice is genuinely sea or air. The small and the urgent: documents, a laptop, a few boxes to live out of | Priced on weight, so our team will weigh your items and quote on that | Priced by weight, so it is the expensive option for anything bulky |
Removals to Malta: frequently asked questions
Do you also ship small consignments to Malta?
Our part-load (groupage) ocean freight and air freight services are suitable for smaller shipments. With these services, you can share space in the container or air cargo with other shipments, thereby lowering the cost compared to a full container. Contact us for a quote based on the volume of your items.
How much time will shipments take to reach my new home in Malta?
Sea freight is the normal route to Malta and the crossing is short compared with our long-haul destinations. We will give you the current sailing schedule when we quote, because it changes.
What usually decides your date is not the ship. It is your paperwork. Malta asks for original proof that you lived outside the EU for the 12 months before you arrive, issued by an embassy, your employer, a lawyer or an accountant, and that document can take weeks to obtain.
Start it the moment you decide to move and the shipping slots into place around it. Leave it until the container is packed and it becomes the thing everyone waits for.
Will I pay duty or VAT on my belongings going to Malta?
Usually no duty and no VAT, provided you qualify for Transfer of Residence relief. Malta’s test is about where you have been living, not how long you have owned your sofa.
To qualify you must have lived outside the EU for a continuous 12 months before importing, and you must undertake to establish your residence in the EU within six months of the goods arriving. You can ship from six months before you establish residence until a year afterwards.
Relief does not cover food, alcohol or tobacco. Malta also restricts firearms, drugs, indecent material, meat, poultry and other animal products, plants and plant produce, and live animals.
We prepare the customs declaration and the numbered, signed packing list. The residence certificate and the 12-month proof have to come from you, and we will tell you exactly when to start each one.
Can you ship my vehicle to Malta?
Yes. Malta is an island, so a vehicle goes by sea – there is no road option, whatever you may have been told.
The useful part is that vehicles, motorcycles, caravans and even pleasure craft can come in under the same Transfer of Residence relief as the rest of your belongings, which surprises most people.
Vehicles brought in from the UK have their own customs notice and their own requirements on top of that, so tell us early if one is coming rather than adding it late. We handle the declaration and advise on what, if anything, will be payable.
How will you handle damages (if they happen) during the transits?
We take precautionary measures during the packing and moving process, but we do not cover all unforeseen situations. We provide full insurance for your belongings during your move, so you have a level of comfort and financial protection in case something goes astray or is damaged in transit. During the planning stages of your move, we will refer to the insurance options we have available.
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