Shipping to the Philippines
Full & Part Load Containers
Fully Insured International Movers
Packing & Customs Documentation
International Removals and Moving to the Philippines from the UK
Whether you are heading to Manila, returning to Cebu or settling somewhere quieter in the provinces, a UK-to-Philippines move is a sea freight job with a customs process that rewards preparation and punishes leaving things late.
We handle full container loads, part loads and air freight from anywhere in the UK, door to door, with packing, export documentation and customs clearance included. This page sets out how the Philippine duty-free privileges actually work, what paperwork you need and when to start it — because on this route the paperwork, not the shipping, is what usually decides how smoothly it goes.
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Useful Philippines Info
Currency
Philippine Peso (PHP)
Official Languages
Filipino and English
Main Airports
Manila (NAIA), Cebu (Mactan), Clark, Davao
Main Shipping Ports
Manila, Cebu, Davao, Subic
Moving to the Philippines with Removals.co.uk
You have decided where you are going. From that point the job is ours: surveying what you own, quoting it honestly, packing it to survive weeks at sea, and getting the documentation right so your container is not sitting at the Port of Manila while a form is chased.
A dedicated move coordinator handles your relocation from survey to delivery, so you are not repeating your circumstances to a different person each time you call.
We offer different services:
- A dedicated move coordinator for your UK-to-Philippines relocation
- Free home survey and an itemised written quote
- Full or part professional packing using export-grade materials
- Full container loads, part loads and air freight
- Export documentation and Philippine customs clearance support
- An itemised, valued inventory built to serve as your customs list
- Secure UK storage, short or long term
- Door-to-door delivery including the domestic leg
- Optional transit insurance
Where we deliver in the Philippines
We deliver nationwide, across Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, including the main cities and the provinces beyond them.
Manila
Quezon City
Makati
Taguig
Pasig
Cebu City
Mandaue
Lapu-Lapu
Iloilo
Bacolod
Davao City
Cagayan de Oro
General Santos
Zamboanga
Butuan
Baguio
Angeles
Batangas
Naga
Legazpi
Choosing how to ship to the Philippines
Three routes run to the Philippines. Which suits you is a question of volume and of how your arrival date lines up with the 60-day customs window — the sections below set out both.
Why choose us for removals to the Philippines
- Free, no-obligation survey and a written quote that itemises what is included
- Experience with Philippine customs documentation, including the endorsement and affidavit requirements
- Full and part load options, so you are not paying for space you do not use
- Export-grade packing appropriate to a long sea route and a humid climate
- One coordinator from survey to delivery
- Door-to-door service including island and provincial delivery
Who qualifies for duty-free entry
The Philippines treats household shipments differently depending on who is sending them, and the difference is worth a great deal of money. Establish which category you fall into before anything is packed.
Returning Filipino residents who have lived abroad for at least six months can bring personal effects and household goods in free of duty and tax, up to a ceiling set by how long they were away:
- Ten years or more abroad — up to PHP 350,000
- Five to ten years — up to PHP 250,000
- Less than five years — up to PHP 150,000
Each tier carries a condition about not having used the privilege within the preceding period, so a previous move can affect what you are entitled to now.
Returning Overseas Filipino Workers get the same allowance plus home appliances and durables — one of each kind, once per calendar year, within a combined PHP 150,000 ceiling.
Former Filipinos returning on a 13(g) visa, and foreign nationals on a 13(a) visa through marriage to a Filipino citizen, can qualify on broadly similar terms for professional tools, clothing and household effects.
In every case the goods must be in non-commercial quantity and not intended for sale, barter or hire. Luxury items, vehicles and animals sit outside the privilege entirely.
The 60-day rule, and the endorsement most people miss
Two deadlines decide whether your shipment clears smoothly, and both are easy to miss because neither is obvious from the shipping side.
Your goods must accompany you or arrive within 60 days of your arrival in the Philippines. Sea freight from the UK takes several weeks, so this is not a generous window — it is a reason to book collection before you fly, not after you have landed and settled in.
You need written endorsement from the Department of Finance. This can be obtained either before you leave the UK or within 60 days of arriving. Getting it in advance is far easier than chasing it from the Philippines while your container sits at the port accruing storage.
Demurrage and port storage at Manila are real costs, they accrue daily, and they are entirely avoidable with paperwork started early. This is the single most common way a Philippines move becomes more expensive than quoted.
Your inventory and the affidavit of ownership
Philippine customs clearance runs on documentation, and the requirements are more formal than for most destinations.
You will typically need:
- A detailed inventory of everything shipped — itemised and valued, not “household goods, 200 boxes”
- The bill of lading
- Passport copies; for dual citizens, the foreign passport and Oath of Allegiance
- Alien Certificate of Registration and Immigration Certificate of Residence, where you hold a resident visa
- A notarised affidavit of ownership, authenticated by the Philippine Embassy or Consulate
That last one catches people out. It is not simply a signature at a UK solicitor — it needs consular authentication, and that takes time. Start it early, while you are still in the UK and the Embassy is a train ride away rather than an international phone call.
The inventory we produce at survey is built to serve as the customs list, so it is worth being thorough at that stage rather than approximate.
Balikbayan boxes or a household shipment?
These are two different things and they are often confused, sometimes expensively.
A balikbayan box is a consolidated parcel service for Filipinos abroad sending personal and household effects to family. The allowance is up to PHP 150,000 in value, three times per calendar year, and the contents must be personal and household effects rather than goods for sale.
It suits clothing, gifts, small household items and things that can wait. It is not a house move. Furniture, white goods, a full household of possessions and anything needing proper export packing belong in a container or on a part load.
People sometimes try to move a household by sending a long run of balikbayan boxes. It usually costs more than a part load once you count everything, it offers no survey, no insurance basis worth the name and no professional packing, and exceeding the allowance or the frequency turns the whole thing into a dutiable commercial import.
If you are moving a home, ship it as a home.
Vehicles, and what sits outside the privilege
Vehicles are excluded from the duty-free personal effects privilege, and importing a vehicle into the Philippines is tightly restricted in its own right. Used vehicle imports are heavily controlled and, for most people, simply not available.
Do not assume a car can travel with your household goods. If a vehicle genuinely matters to your move, get its position confirmed in writing before you commit to shipping anything — not after a container is loaded.
Also outside the privilege: luxury items, animals, and vessels, aircraft and machinery intended for manufacturing. Anything held for sale, barter or hire falls out of the exemption entirely, however it is packed.
Pets are a separate process with their own permits, vaccination requirements and quarantine rules — not part of a household shipment, and worth starting months ahead.
What you cannot ship, and what needs declaring
Never travels on any shipment, anywhere: aerosols, paint, solvents, thinners, gas bottles, fuel of any kind, matches, lighter fluid and fireworks. Drain and dry petrol tools before packing. An undeclared aerosol found at the port means unpacking a container.
Restricted, and requiring declaration: firearms and ammunition, which are tightly controlled; medicines in quantity; plants, seeds and soil-contaminated items — clean garden tools, pots and bicycles properly; and food, which is restricted and must always be declared.
Declaring something restricted is rarely the problem. Failing to declare it is what triggers inspection, delay and penalty. On a shared container an inspection holds everyone’s goods, not just yours.
Currency has its own declaration thresholds on arrival, both for Philippine pesos and for foreign currency. Check the current limits before you travel.
Ports, islands and the final leg
The Philippines is an archipelago of more than seven thousand islands, and that shapes the last part of your move more than anything else.
Shipments from the UK normally arrive at Manila, with Cebu serving the Visayas and Davao the south. Which port you route through is a real decision, not a formality: a shipment bound for Cebu that lands in Manila picks up a domestic leg by inter-island vessel or road, with extra handling and extra time.
Delivery beyond the main urban areas needs planning. Access is often the constraint rather than distance — narrow barangay roads, weight limits on provincial bridges, and properties a full-size container vehicle cannot reach. Where that applies the load transfers to a smaller vehicle, which is a cost best identified at survey rather than discovered on delivery day.
Typhoon season, roughly June to November, affects schedules for both sea freight and inland movement. If your dates are flexible, say so. If they are fixed, say so louder.
Give us the full delivery address and the province at quote stage, not just the city. Distance from port, island routing and access are what turn an estimate into a real price.
Full container, part load or air freight
All three run to the Philippines. The choice is volume and timing.
A full container — 20ft for roughly a two to three bedroom home, 40ft for larger — is sealed at your door and clears as a single consignment on your paperwork alone.
A part load gives you a share of a container and you pay for the space you use. Below roughly three bedrooms it is usually the sensible choice. The trade-off is timing: the container sails when full, and at the far end it clears as one unit, so your goods wait on every other consignment inside it.
That last point matters more here than on most routes, because of the 60-day rule. If your consolidation is slow, the clock on your duty-free entitlement is still running. Discuss your arrival date with us before choosing.
Air freight suits the small and urgent — documents, a laptop, enough to live on while the sea shipment crosses. Priced by weight and volume; not a route for furniture.
See container shipping costs for what fits in each container size, and what sets the price of an international move.
A realistic timeline
Sea freight from the UK to the Philippines takes several weeks, varying by routing, port and season. Working backwards from when you need your belongings:
- 10–12 weeks out. Book your survey. Start the affidavit of ownership and consular authentication now — it is the long pole, and it is far easier from the UK.
- 8 weeks out. Confirm which duty-free category applies to you and begin the Department of Finance endorsement.
- 6 weeks out. Build the itemised, valued inventory that becomes your customs list. Decide what is genuinely worth shipping — sea freight is priced on volume.
- 4 weeks out. Documentation check: passports, visa papers, ACR and ICR where relevant, bill of lading details. Resolve anything restricted.
- Packing and collection. Professional packing matters on a long sea route — a container is lifted, stacked and works loose for weeks, and humidity at both ends is a real factor.
- On arrival. The 60-day clock starts. Have the endorsement in hand rather than in progress.
The delays that cost most are almost never the shipping. They are an affidavit started too late and an endorsement chased from the wrong country.
Discuss your move to the Philippines
Free survey, itemised written quote, no obligation.
Shipping to the Philippines: frequently asked questions
How long does shipping to the Philippines take?
Sea freight from the UK takes several weeks, varying by routing, port and season. A part load adds consolidation time at the UK end, because the container sails when it is full, and clears as a single unit at the Philippine end. Typhoon season, roughly June to November, can affect schedules. Air freight is available for urgent items and is measured in days rather than weeks.
Do I have to pay duty on my household goods?
Often not. Returning Filipino residents who have been abroad at least six months can bring personal and household effects in duty and tax free, up to a ceiling of PHP 150,000, PHP 250,000 or PHP 350,000 depending on whether they were away under five years, five to ten years, or ten years or more. Former Filipinos on a 13(g) visa and foreign nationals on a 13(a) visa may qualify on similar terms. Goods must be in non-commercial quantity and not for sale, barter or hire.
What is the 60-day rule?
Your goods must accompany you or arrive within 60 days of your arrival in the Philippines, and the written Department of Finance endorsement must be obtained either before you leave the UK or within 60 days of arriving. Since sea freight takes several weeks, this is tighter than it sounds — it is a reason to arrange collection before you fly.
What documents will I need?
An itemised, valued inventory, the bill of lading, passport copies (plus the Oath of Allegiance for dual citizens), your Alien Certificate of Registration and Immigration Certificate of Residence where you hold a resident visa, and a notarised affidavit of ownership authenticated by the Philippine Embassy or Consulate. The affidavit is the one to start early — consular authentication takes time and is far easier arranged from the UK.
Can I ship a car to the Philippines?
Vehicles are excluded from the duty-free personal effects privilege, and used vehicle imports into the Philippines are tightly restricted. For most people it is not available. Never assume a car can travel with your household goods — get the position confirmed in writing before committing to any shipping.
Should I use balikbayan boxes or a container?
Balikbayan boxes are a parcel service for personal and household effects, allowed up to PHP 150,000 in value three times a calendar year. They suit clothing, gifts and small items. They are not a house move: furniture, appliances and a full household need a container or a part load, with a survey, professional packing and a proper insurance basis. Moving a home by sending many boxes usually costs more once everything is counted.
Do you deliver outside Manila?
Yes, nationwide across Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, including island and provincial delivery. Which port your shipment routes through affects both cost and time, so tell us the full delivery address and province at quote stage rather than just the city. Access is often the constraint — narrow roads, bridge weight limits and properties a full-size container vehicle cannot reach may require transfer to a smaller vehicle.
Do you provide packing?
Yes, full or part packing using export-grade materials. On a long sea route it is worth taking seriously: a container is lifted, stacked and works loose over weeks, humidity is a factor at both ends, and insurance terms generally reflect who packed the box.
Can you store my belongings before shipping?
Yes, we have secure UK storage available short or long term, which is useful when your UK completion date and your Philippine arrival date do not line up.