Sending Boxes and Luggage Abroad from the UK: Costs & Customs (2026)

The short answer

If you are moving abroad with a few boxes and suitcases rather than a houseful of furniture, a courier is almost always cheaper than a removal. When we checked on 4 October 2026, Eurosender quoted €22.32 to send up to 5 kg from the UK to Spain, €34.44 for 10 kg and €98.29 for 30 kg, collected from your door and delivered in 1 to 6 business days.

The catch is customs. Every parcel from the UK to the EU now crosses a customs border, needs a customs declaration, and can attract duties that are not included in the courier's price. Handled properly, your own used belongings usually travel duty-free - but only if you describe them correctly and the destination accepts your relief claim.

When a courier beats a removal

A courier makes sense when what you are sending would fit in the boot of a car:

• Students and graduates moving abroad for a course or a first job, with clothes, books and a laptop.
• Furnished lets - if your new flat comes furnished, you may only need a few boxes of personal things.
• Sending luggage ahead of a flight, so you are not paying airline excess baggage on the heavy bags.
• Topping up a move - a couple of boxes that missed the removal van, or arrive after it.

It stops making sense once you are sending furniture, or more than a handful of heavy boxes. Courier prices are per parcel and per kilogram; removal prices for Europe are per cubic metre on a shared load. Price both: our European moving cost calculator gives the removal side in a couple of minutes.

What it costs: UK to Spain as an example

Eurosender's published prices for the UK to Spain on 4 October 2026:

Two things stand out. First, 2 kg and 5 kg cost the same, so a light parcel should be filled up to 5 kg. Second, the price per kilogram barely falls above 10 kg - there is no real bulk discount, which is why a courier stops being the cheap option as the load grows.

Prices are quoted in euros; your card will convert them. Eurosender lists two speeds: Priority Express, 1 to 4 business days, and Priority, 2 to 6 business days, with parcels up to 70 kg. Other destinations are priced differently, so check your own route before you pack.

Customs: the part that catches people out

Since the UK left the EU, a parcel from the UK to Spain, France or any other EU country is an export from the UK and an import into the EU. That means:

1. A customs declaration for every shipment. Eurosender says it provides the forms you need to fill in when paperwork is required. Describe the contents honestly and specifically - "used clothing and books, personal belongings" - and give realistic values.
2. Duties and import VAT are separate from the courier price. If the destination's customs authority charges anything, it is calculated and charged during clearance, not when you book.
3. Relief for people moving house. EU rules let you bring in personal belongings free of duty when you transfer your normal residence into the EU. In general you must have lived outside the EU for at least 12 months and have owned and used the items for at least 6 months. The relief is claimed through the destination country's customs, often with proof of your new residence, so read the paperwork section of our country guide - for example moving from the UK to Spain or moving from the UK to France - before you send anything.

New items are a different matter. Something bought for the move and shipped in its box is unlikely to qualify as used personal belongings.

Insurance

Eurosender's standard service includes basic insurance for items worth up to €200, with extra cover available to buy for higher values. That is enough for clothes and books; it is not enough for a laptop, a camera or anything irreplaceable. Carry valuables in your hand luggage, or buy the extra cover and keep receipts and photos of what you packed.

Packing for a courier, not a removal van

Removal crews carry boxes by hand. Parcels go through sorting depots, conveyor belts and several vehicles, so pack accordingly:

• Use double-walled boxes and fill every gap - a half-empty box collapses when stacked.
• Weigh and measure each box before you book. Couriers set size and weight limits per parcel, and a box that turns out heavier than declared can be charged extra or returned.
• Label inside and outside with the delivery address and a phone number, in case the outer label is torn.
• Check the restricted items list before packing. Lithium batteries, aerosols, liquids and food are commonly restricted on international parcels.
• Do not seal valuables or documents you might need at the border - passport, residence papers and contracts travel with you.

Courier, shared load or removal?

For anything beyond a few boxes, get a removal price as well before you decide. Read what affects international moving costs and, if you are heading to a city we cover, the London route guides such as London to Madrid.