You are moving, either within the country or abroad, so you have to select and prepare everything that you will carry. Chances are that you go rent flat available with furniture and appliances, or that you prefer to buy them once you arrive. But how should you bring everything else? Clothes, books, vinyl collection, storage, bike maybe, etc. Too much to carry as baggage and too little to call a moving company. And thinking about how much a shipment like this will cost at customs office. Well if you are in a similar situation, even if you want to return to your country after living in another one, read on, as we will explain how to do a Personal Effects Shipment.

Sending your personal effects is not the same as moving. While according to the dictionary "move" is the "translation done from a house to another," which is part of what we speak. For practical purposes, there are large differences between the actual moving and the shipping of personal effects. Bear in mind that LA LUNA shipping® is not the same as a moving company.

Moving companies are transport companies with its own law and regulations. In Spain they are regulated by the 15/2009 law of Ground Transport Contract and the LOTT, because of their specific features. They only offer moving services, so they take care of every aspect when you have to move. They make a preliminary study about what they have to move and how. They protect, wrap and pack everything and they will send it to your destination, usually using the same vehicle all way. Moving companies are responsible for everything they touch and pack, that is why their service may be more comfortable and complete but also a lot more expensive.

Now that you know the differences, we will detail what a Personal Effects Shipment is and you will read some tips on how to do one. First: think about what you can and cannot carry when using a shipping service. We do not ship certain items such as furniture and appliances, as the insurace doesn't cover that damage or wouldn't be enough. Furthermore those items require special packaging and protection and when using a transport company like ours, custormer is responsible for properly protecting and packing the items.

We also offer pallet and container services for larger loads, in both cases there remains a fundamental difference from the moving companies: the service is at street level. We transport cargo from one point to another, but we don't do door to door service on cargo sizes.

When preparing a Personal Effects shipment you must take into account a number of legal formalities. Moving outside the EU: while Personal Effects Shipment are exempt from taxes and duties, Customs Office of the destination country is the one to determine what duties and fees will aply to the import. It is based on the personal situation of the receiver in the country of destination, as well as the articles you want to import. In addition to fees, the shipment may be subject to inspection, quarantine, etc. The costs of these actions are also on behalf of the receiver of the shipment.

Otherwise, when returning to your country, first of all you have to request the Consular Letter: Transfer of Address for importation of vehicles/household goods/change of registration plates, etc. You will have to check the laws and requirements at the consulship where you have been registered as resident.

Be aware that the articles you can send in a Personal Effects Shipment must be at least 6 months old to be considered as ones. If customs office asks for proofs it is receiver responsability to prove it.

If you need to ship your personal effects or need any other transport service you can call us to the phone numbers in our contact page or you can send us a mail to info@laluna.coop. We always will offer you the best option for your shipments.