Removals to Mexico from the UK
Shipping to Mexico
Fast Secure Road & Sea
Full and part load
How do removals to Mexico from the UK work?
Removals to Mexico from the UK go by sea, in a full container or a part load sharing space with other households. We survey, pack and wrap everything, and before anything sails we help you obtain the consulate certificate Mexican customs requires, because that document has to be issued in the UK rather than on arrival.
Mexico is the one Latin American route where a step happens at this end that cannot be fixed later. Get the certificate right and the clearance is straightforward; skip it and your container has a problem nobody at the Mexican end can solve.
One coordinator runs the move from survey to delivery, and the inventory built at the survey becomes the certified list.
How long do removals to Mexico take?
Your transit time is confirmed in writing on your quote, because it depends on the sailing schedule, whether you book a full container or a part load, and which Mexican port your shipment routes through. A part load always takes longer, because it waits for the container to fill before it sails.
There is a second clock that matters more than the sailing. Mexican rules tie your shipment to your own entry date, with a window either side of it, and the guidance is explicit that there are no extensions. We plan the sailing backwards from your arrival for that reason.
Do I pay duty on my belongings going into Mexico?
It depends on your residency status, and the distinction is sharp. Duty-free permanent import of household goods, the menaje de casa franquicia, is for holders of residente permanente status. Residente temporal holders can bring goods in temporarily instead, on the basis that they leave Mexico when you do.
Visitors do not qualify at all, because a stay under 180 days is not treated as establishing a home.
The timing conditions are strict and published without flexibility: your goods should travel with you, or arrive within roughly three months either side of your entry, or at the outside within about six months of it. Mexican customs will not release household goods without your original immigration card, and where the card has not been issued yet, guidance commonly gives you around thirty days from arrival to produce it.
Each Mexican consulate sets its own procedure, appointment system and fee, so your coordinator confirms the current requirements with the consulate that covers your address before anything is booked. Note also that a motor vehicle cannot come in duty free as part of household goods.
What documents do I need for removals to Mexico?
The central one is the Certificado a Lista de Menaje de Casa, issued by the Mexican consulate in the UK before your goods sail. You will also need your passport, your Mexican residency visa or card, the Mexican address where the goods will live, and an itemised list of used goods.
That list is more demanding than a normal inventory. Consulates commonly ask for the original plus four copies, and electronics must be listed with brand, model and serial number rather than described generally. A television listed as a television is the sort of entry that causes a problem.
Commercial or industrial equipment cannot go on the list at all, so anything connected with a business travels separately and is declared on its own terms.
Which Mexican port will my shipment arrive at?
Most household shipments from the UK arrive at Veracruz or Altamira on the Gulf coast, which serve Mexico City and the centre of the country. For the Riviera Maya and Yucatan, routing can differ, and the inland leg is often the longer part of the journey.
Mexico is large, and the drive inland from the Gulf to Mexico City, Guadalajara or further west is substantial. The port is chosen around your delivery address rather than defaulting to the busiest option.
Tell your coordinator the destination city and the access at the other end, including whether a full-size lorry can reach the property and whether the development has delivery restrictions, and the routing is planned from that.
Can I send a part load to Mexico?
Yes. A part load means you pay for the space your belongings actually take inside a shared container rather than hiring a whole one, which suits anything smaller than a full house and is how many people move to Mexico from the UK.
The care is identical. The difference is the schedule, because a shared container sails once it is full, so the date moves with the other households in it. On a route with a fixed arrival window that is worth thinking about, and your coordinator will say plainly which option fits your dates.
There is more on how shared containers work on our part load removals page.
Which parts of Mexico do you deliver to?
We deliver across Mexico, including Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, Queretaro, Merida, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Vallarta and San Miguel de Allende, as well as towns reached by road from those cities. The inland leg is a real part of the journey here.
Gated communities and condominium developments are common at the coastal destinations, and they usually have their own access rules, vehicle size limits and delivery windows. A crew turned away at the gate costs a day.
Where a full-size lorry cannot reach the property, the final leg transfers to a smaller vehicle, which is planned into the quote rather than appearing as an extra.
What sets the price of removals to Mexico?
How much you are sending, whether you book a full container or a part load, which Mexican port and city you are delivering to, and how much packing you want us to do. The consulate certificate process adds a step at this end that a simpler destination does not have.
Sea freight is priced on the space your belongings occupy rather than their weight, which is why the survey matters more than a guess over the phone and why decluttering saves real money on a route this long.
We quote in writing with the inclusions listed, and anything excluded says so.
Moving elsewhere in the Americas? We also run removals to Brazil, the USA and Canada, and every route is listed on our Americas destinations page. Sending less than a full household? Part load removals explains shared containers.
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
From contact to collection everything has been really smooth. All emails were answered promptly. The three guys that came and collected our things were super friendly, helpful and extremely careful with our belongings.
Vanessa, May 2026 – verified Trustpilot review
Removals to Mexico: frequently asked questions
What is the menaje de casa certificate?
It is the household goods list certified by the Mexican consulate in the UK before your shipment sails. It is the document the whole duty-free import rests on, and because it is issued at this end it cannot be obtained retrospectively once your container has left.
I have residente temporal, not permanente. Does that matter?
Yes, and it changes the basis of the import. Permanent residents can import household goods duty free; temporary residents bring them in on a temporary basis, meaning the goods are expected to leave Mexico when your status ends. Tell your coordinator which you hold.
Can I move my things if I am on a visitor permit?
Not duty free. A stay of under 180 days is not treated as establishing a home in Mexico, so household goods relief does not apply. You can still ship, but plan for duty rather than an exemption.
Why do my electronics need serial numbers?
Because the certified list requires brand, model and serial number for electronic items rather than a general description. It is one of the most common reasons a list is rejected or a clearance delayed, so we capture it at the survey.
Can I bring my car with the household goods?
No, not under the same relief. A motor vehicle cannot be imported duty free as part of a menaje de casa and is handled entirely separately. See our vehicle shipping page and speak to your coordinator first.
What if my immigration card has not arrived yet?
Customs will not release household goods without the original card, and guidance commonly allows around thirty days from your arrival to produce it. If yours is likely to be delayed, say so early, because holding the goods in the UK is usually cheaper than storage in Mexico.
Is my shipment insured?
Cover is arranged against the value you declare, and the level of cover depends on that declaration and the terms in our agreement. Our guide to removals insurance explains it in full.