Build one inventory list for customs, movers and insurers

Key rules

• One list: Use the same signed, dated inventory for customs, movers and your insurer.
• Language: Provide it in Spanish or as a bilingual English-Spanish list.
• Template: No official template is mandatory, so a clear mover or own format is fine.
• Two values: Show current used value for customs and replacement value for your insurer.

One list can do three jobs

Build a single itemised inventory and use it for customs, mover quotes and insurance claims. Customs uses it to confirm your goods are personal and used. Movers use it to price the job. Your insurer uses it to settle a claim. There is no mandatory official template, so any clear format works. The template below gives you a ready layout.

What to put on it

Write your name and the origin and destination addresses at the top. Then list every item or box, with:

• A clear description. Give the type for every item. Add brand and model for appliances, and serial numbers for electronics.
• The quantity.
• The approximate age or year of purchase.
• Whether it is new or used. Mark anything bought in the last few months as new.
• A value (see below).

Number every box and link each number to its contents. "Box 14: kitchen, 6 plates, 4 glasses, 2 pans" is far more useful than "kitchen stuff".

If your mover prepares the list, check that it is detailed enough. Then sign and date it yourself as the owner. The customs office may still ask for more detail, so keep your own copy and any receipts for expensive items.

Language

Customs expects the list in Spanish. If yours is in English, add a Spanish translation, or use a bilingual English-Spanish list, which is common. Some offices accept English lists, so ask the customs office where your goods will enter before you finalise it.

Two values, one list

Customs and insurers want different figures. Keep both on the list, in separate columns, or state clearly which basis each figure uses.

• For customs: a reasonable estimate of what each item is worth now, used. Where relief for moving your home applies, no duty is charged, so the aim is to show the goods are personal and used.
• For your insurer: usually the replacement value (what a new equivalent costs), or an agreed declared value. Policy terms differ, so ask your insurer which basis it uses.

Use it to compare quotes

Send the same list to every mover. Quotes based on the same inventory can be compared like for like. The comparison below shows what to check.

Use the checklist below to review the finished list, and the documents section for what to have ready.

Compare mover quotes like for like

Give every mover the same four facts

Quotes only compare if every mover prices the same job. Send each one:

• Your Spain residence status. Say whether you already hold a visa or residence card, or are still applying. The customs relief for personal belongings is for people moving their normal home to Spain from outside the EU, and proof of Spanish residence is needed when the papers are filed.
• Your decision outcome. Say what you have decided to ship, store or leave behind. Movers price the inventory, so it must be the same list for everyone.
• Your target move date. Give a pickup window and the date you want delivery.
• Your initial rental state. Say whether you have a home in Spain ready on arrival or need a gap before you move in. This decides whether you need storage.

Like-for-like table

Copy this table and fill one column per mover. Leave no row blank: an empty row is a question to send back.

Customs papers: who does what and when

Ask each mover to say in writing which of these they handle and by what date they need yours. Requirements vary by port and customs office, so the mover or their customs agent must confirm the list for your arrival point.

Vehicles need extra documents. Quote them separately.

How to read the answers

• Cheapest is rarely comparable. A low quote that leaves out the customs agent, insurance or storage will cost more once you add them.
• Check the timing against your move date. If your residence papers will not be ready when the goods arrive, ask what the mover does with the shipment and what it costs.
• Insurance. Compare the amount covered, the excess and what is excluded, not only whether insurance is "included".
• Storage. If your home is not ready on arrival, the free days and the price after them matter most.
• Cancellation. Pick the mover whose fee and date-change terms you can live with if your visa or housing slips.

Choose the mover with the most complete column and the terms that fit your dates. Get the final quote, with the customs paper split, in writing before you pay a deposit.

Documents you need

• A signed and dated inventory of your household goods, listing each item or box with description, quantity, age, condition and value. It is prepared by you or your mover; there is no official template.

• A Spanish version of the inventory, either a Spanish translation or a bilingual English-Spanish list, if you wrote the original in another language.

• A separate insurance valuation of the same items at replacement value, or at an agreed declared value, if your insurer asks for it.

Checklist

• Describe each item or box clearly: type, plus brand and model for appliances and serial numbers for electronics.

• Add quantity, approximate age or year of purchase, and whether each item is new or used.

• Number every box and cross-reference the numbers to the contents.

• Enter the current used value for customs and the replacement value for your insurer, in separate columns or with the basis stated.

• Provide the list in Spanish, or as a bilingual English-Spanish list, and ask the customs office of entry whether it accepts English.

Household inventory template for customs and insurance

Fill in one row per item or box. Copy the table as many times as you need. Write in Spanish, or add a Spanish translation next to each English line. A bilingual list is common. Sign and date the list at the end.

Owner and move details

• Owner's full name:
• Passport or ID number:
• Origin address:
• Destination address in Spain:
• Date of list:

Item list

How to fill it in

• Description: Be specific. Write "Samsung 55-inch television", not "electronics". Write "kitchen items" only for small mixed goods in a box, and list the main pieces.
• Box numbers: Use the same numbers as on the boxes, so each line can be matched to its box.
• Serial numbers: Add them for phones, laptops, televisions, cameras and similar items.
• New or used: Mark anything you bought in the last few months as new. Customs looks for personal, used goods, so keep new items to a minimum.
• Two value columns: Customs mainly needs a reasonable estimate of what the item is worth now, used.

Signature

I confirm that this list is complete and correct, and that these are my personal used household goods.

Name:

Signature:

Date:

Before you send it

• No official template is required. Ask the customs office of entry whether it accepts an English list, and whether it needs more detail.
• Insurance terms differ between insurers, so ask yours which value it uses before you finalise the columns.

Frequently asked questions

Does my customs inventory have to be in Spanish?

Customs expects the inventory in Spanish, or with a Spanish translation if you wrote it in another language. A bilingual English-Spanish list is the common solution.

Is there an official template for the inventory?

No, there is no mandatory official template for the inventory. Movers have standard formats that work, and customs accepts a mover-prepared list if it is detailed enough. Make sure you sign and date it as the owner.

Which value should I put on the list, replacement or current value?

Put the current (used) value for customs and the replacement value for your insurer, because they want different figures. Customs mainly needs a reasonable estimate of used value to confirm the goods are personal and used. Keep two value columns, or state clearly which basis you used.