What should you ship, sell, store or donate when leaving Spain?

Key rules

• Ship or sell: Sell an item if replacing it costs less than roughly what it costs to ship.
• Quotes: Freight rates vary by destination and season, so get written quotes before you decide.
• Storage: Storage is usually month to month with short notice, but insurance is generally required.
• Donations: Charities take only clean items in good condition, and collection depends on your area.

The rule of thumb

Compare two numbers for each item: what it costs to ship, and what it costs to replace at your destination. Ship it if replacement clearly costs more than shipping, or if it matters to you personally. If replacing it costs less than roughly its shipping cost, sell it. This is a rule of thumb, not an official rule.

An item's shipping cost is its share of the cubic metres, multiplied by the freight rate per cubic metre, plus packing and insurance. Rates change with destination and season, so get written quotes before you decide. The step-by-step process below covers how to compare removal firms.

What usually goes in each pile

Ship:

• Clothing, books and documents.
• Small, high-quality items.
• Art and family heirlooms.
• Specialist equipment.

Sell:

• Bulky, low-value furniture, such as flat-pack pieces.
• Mattresses.
• Appliances with the wrong voltage or plugs for your destination.

Store: things you will want again within a few years, but not now.

Donate: anything usable that you cannot sell.

Storing things in Spain

A storage unit (trastero) is the fallback when you are not ready to ship or sell. Price depends on the city, the unit size and the contract length.

• Units of about 1 to 3 m2 are cheapest. Units of about 5 to 10 m2 cost noticeably more, and units of 15 m2 or more cost most.
• Madrid, Barcelona, Palma and Málaga are the dearest. Smaller cities and outskirts cost less.
• Providers charge by the m2, so the price per m2 falls as units get larger. First-month discounts are common.

Most big providers rent month to month, often with a one-month minimum. Notice to leave is usually short, commonly 7 to 30 days, and some providers want it in writing or online. A deposit (fianza) of about one month's rent, or a refundable key or padlock charge, is common. Insurance is generally required, either the provider's cover or your own policy. You declare the insured value yourself.

You cannot store hazardous, perishable or illegal goods. If you stop paying for a long time, the provider can sell the contents. Contracts differ, so read each one before you sign. The checklist below lists what to ask.

Donating

Charities such as Cáritas, Cruz Roja and Emaús take usable furniture and household goods in good, clean condition. Humana mainly takes clothing. Emaús and some regional social-enterprise firms collect from your home, often free or for a small fee, in set areas. Cruz Roja and Cáritas may take only smaller goods. Your local recycling centre (punto limpio) also takes items. Whether anyone collects depends on your area, so ask your local branch. Expect to send photos or a list first.

Choosing between options

For each item, should you ship it, sell it, store it or donate it?

• Ship it: The cost of replacing it at your destination is clearly higher than shipping it, or it has high sentimental value. This usually means clothing, books, documents, art, heirlooms, small high-quality items and specialist equipment.

• Sell it: It would cost about the same or less to replace than to ship. This usually means bulky, low-value furniture such as flat-pack pieces, mattresses, and appliances with the wrong voltage or plugs.

• Store it in Spain: You will need it again within a few years and do not want to ship it now. Storage is usually rented month to month.

• Donate it: It is usable but nobody will buy it. Charities usually want items in good, clean condition.

Work out each item's shipping cost: its share of cubic metres times the freight rate per m3, plus packing and insurance.

Sorting your belongings and car before you leave: step by step

Sorting your belongings and car before you leave

• Sort belongings into sell, ship, donate and bin: sell bulky, cheap-to-replace furniture, ship items that are costly or hard to replace, donate what is left: at the start, before you ask for removal quotes

• Ask at least three removal firms for written quotes on the same list of items, and compare the price, what is included, the liability limit and the extra insurance offered: several weeks before you leave

• Decide on extra transit insurance: it covers loss or damage while packing, loading, transport and unloading, usually costs roughly 1% to 3% of the declared value, and usually excludes goods you packed yourself, wear and tear, delay and cash or jewellery you did not declare: before you sign the removal contract

• Gather the papers: the permiso de circulación (vehicle registration), ficha técnica (ITV card), your ID and proof the IVTM road tax is paid for any car; for a non-EU export also proof of ownership or invoice. The DGT (traffic authority), your council and a customs agent issue or check these, and the destination country may ask for more, so ask its customs office or your mover: before any car sale, baja or export

• Ask the right office: the DGT handles sale notices, transfers and bajas, the regional tax office handles the ITP car transfer tax, an authorised scrapping centre (CAT) handles scrapping, and a customs agent files non-EU exports with Spanish customs: when you choose your car route

• Check for blockers: ask the DGT for a vehicle report showing charges or embargoes, check fines online through the DGT, and ask your town hall tax office about local debts: before you start a sale, baja or export

• If you own a car, choose: sell it, scrap it, move it to another EU country, or export it outside the EU. If you do not know whether a car is still in your name, request the DGT vehicle report first and then follow the branch that fits. If you own none, skip the car steps: at the decision point

• Sell the car: sign a sale contract, hand over the papers, and let the buyer pay the ITP tax (a regional tax, often around 4%, filed on form 620 within 30 working days) and change the owner at the DGT. Notify the DGT of the sale yourself, online or through a gestor, so you are released from fines and tax: if you sell, notify the DGT right away after the handover

• Scrap the car: take it to a CAT, sign the delivery, and keep the certificate of destruction. The CAT requests the baja definitiva (permanent deregistration) from the DGT. It is normally free, so ask about towing charges first: if the car is not worth selling

• Request the baja for moving to another EU country at a DGT provincial office with an appointment or online with a digital certificate, paying a tasa of about 8 euros, then register the car in the new country: if you take the car to an EU country

• Have a customs agent file the export declaration with Spanish customs at the departure port, with the DGT baja for export, and keep the exit proof, which also supports VAT-free export on a sale to a non-EU buyer: if you export to a non-EU country

• Confirm nothing remains in your name: request the DGT vehicle report with a digital certificate or Cl@ve, check the buyer's name or the deregistered status, then cancel the insurance and ask your town hall to close the IVTM record. Keep the confirmation: after the sale, baja or export

Checklist

• Get prices from at least two storage providers in your city for the unit size you need, and ask about first-month discounts.

• Compare the price per m2 across unit sizes, because larger units cost less per m2.

• Ask each provider for the minimum term, the notice period and whether notice must be in writing.

• Ask what deposit or key charge applies and how it is refunded when you leave.

• Arrange insurance, either the provider's cover or your own policy, and declare the value of your items.

• Check that nothing you plan to store is hazardous or perishable.

• Contact the local branch of a charity such as Cáritas, Cruz Roja or Emaús, and ask whether it collects and what it accepts.

• Send photos or a list of the items you want to donate before the collection.

• Take anything usable that no charity wants to your municipal recycling centre (punto limpio).

Frequently asked questions

Can I put my things in a trastero for a few months only?

Yes, most Spanish storage providers rent month to month, often with a minimum of just one month. Notice to leave is usually 7 to 30 days, sometimes in writing or online. This suits items you will need again within a few years.

Do storage units in Spain ask for a deposit or insurance?

Yes, a deposit (fianza) of about one month's rent or a refundable key or padlock charge is common, and insurance is generally required. You either buy the provider's cover or show your own policy, and you declare the insured value yourself.

What can I not keep in a storage unit?

You cannot store hazardous, perishable or illegal goods, because contracts forbid them.

Will a charity collect my old furniture from home?

Sometimes, because Emaús and some regional social-enterprise firms collect furniture from homes in set areas, often free or for a small fee. Cruz Roja and Cáritas usually accept only good-condition items, often smaller goods.