What to ship to Spain and what to rebuy there

Key rules

• Ship test: Ship an item only if moving it costs clearly less than replacing it, or it is sentimental or hard to replace.
• Bulky and cheap: Cheap furniture, mattresses and white goods are usually sold and rebought in Spain.
• Voltage: Appliances that only work on 110V are usually left behind.
• Access: Check lift, door and stairwell sizes before shipping large furniture.

The rule: ship only what costs more to replace than to move

Ship an item only if moving it costs clearly less than replacing it in Spain. The exceptions are things you love and things that will not fit a Spanish home. Sell, store or rebuy everything else.

Freight is priced by volume and weight. Bulky, cheap things are the worst value to ship. Small, valuable or irreplaceable things are the best.

What is usually worth shipping

• Sentimental items, photos, books and papers.
• Art and good-quality or antique furniture.
• Kitchenware and tools.
• Clothes and bedding you like. They are light and cheap to move.
• Musical instruments, bikes and sports gear.
• Electronics that work on both voltages.

What is usually better sold or rebought

• Large, cheap or flat-pack furniture. Buying new or second-hand in Spain is often cheaper than freight.
• Mattresses. Spanish beds are often 135, 150 or 160 cm wide and 190 or 200 cm long, so your bedding and bed frame may not match.
• Fridges, washers and cookers. They are cheap to buy in Spain and may have voltage or size problems.
• Small appliances such as kettles and toasters.
• Anything that only runs on 110V. Leave it behind.
• Old items in poor condition. They often do not survive the trip.

Check that it will fit your flat

Many Spanish flats are in older buildings with no lift or a very small one. Lifts often hold only 2 to 4 people and are roughly 80 to 100 cm wide and 100 to 120 cm deep. Doors and stairwells are narrow, and four- or five-floor walk-ups are common in city centres.

Sofas, wardrobes and large mattresses may not get in. Movers sometimes use an external furniture lift through a balcony or window, which usually needs a local permit and extra cost. Flats and rooms are also smaller than in the US or Australia. Large sectionals, king-size beds, American fridges and big wardrobes are often impractical. Modular or flat-pack furniture is easier to bring in. Measure the actual property before you decide. Newer houses and villas are less limited.

Work out the numbers

1. List your big items and group the small ones into boxes.
2. Get at least two freight quotes. A smaller or shared load can cost much less than a full container.
3. Price the Spanish replacement for each group, new and second-hand.
4. Add storage costs, and the cost of furnishing your home when you arrive.
5. Ship where freight is clearly lower than replacement, or where the item is sentimental.

The calculator below helps compare ship, store, sell and rebuy costs. The decision below helps you sort each group. Prices change, so rely on current quotes.

Do not sell too early

Keep your sales until your route to Spain and your ship-or-rebuy choices are final. The warning below explains why.

Ship, store, sell or carry: sorting your belongings

Should each group of belongings be shipped, stored, sold or carried by hand?

• Ship it: The item is costly or impossible to replace, will work in Spain, and gives good value for the space it takes. Quality furniture, art, books, musical instruments and good kitchenware often fit.

• Store it: You may want it later and storage costs less than replacing it. Put what you are unsure about here rather than selling it.

• Sell it and rebuy in Spain: The item is bulky, cheap to replace, old, or will not fit Spain, for example flat-pack furniture, mattresses and old appliances. Cheap shops and second-hand sites in Spain make this easy.

• Carry it by hand: It is documents, valuables, medication, electronics or the essentials for your first weeks.

• Keep options open for now: You do not yet know if a car or pet is coming. Do not sell the car or rehome the pet until the Spain-side facts are known.

Go room by room and place every item in one group, then keep an inventory with photos. Put these costs beside each group: the shipping quote (by volume), storage fees for the months you would store, the cost of replacing it in Spain, and any duties on shipped goods. Ship only when moving is clearly cheaper than replacing, unless the item is sentimental. Check the total volume against your quote before you finalise. Your first rental changes the answer. With a furnished first let, ship or carry only personal items such as clothes, documents, books, valued kitchenware and electronics, and sell bulky furniture. With an unfurnished long-term flat you will need beds, sofas, tables and lamps, so a small or later shipment can pay off, but only if the volume and budget allow. Limited cash favours a furnished let for 1–3 months, selling bulky items at home, shipping little by luggage or a parcel or shared load, and delaying a container until your long-term address and residence are settled. Keep cash for deposit, first rent and rebuying before you pay for shipping. While you do not know if a car or pet will come, store unsure belongings instead of selling them, ask for shipping quotes with a flexible date or cancellation option, and set a decision date tied to your visa approval and your home sale. For a car, ask a gestor (an admin agent) for an import quote, and start pet paperwork early.

Sell only after your route and ship-or-rebuy choice are final

• Selling before your route and ship-or-rebuy choice are final: If you sell and your residence is refused or delayed, you have to rebuy everything and pay for housing meanwhile. The route needs an approval, or at least a confirmed outcome with a clear date, and you need a final ship-or-rebuy decision for each item. Do not sell until the visa is granted or the approval date is confirmed and every item has a final ship, store, sell or carry decision. Before handing over the car, check the title transfer, any outstanding finance, that the buyer's payment has cleared, and the insurance and registration cancellations at home.

• Selling the wrong things first: Selling the bed, the car or your work devices too early leaves you without basics before you leave. Sell first the bulky, duplicated or low-value items: furniture you will replace, appliances with incompatible plugs, seasonal items, exercise equipment and surplus decor. Sell in the middle what you need until the final weeks. Keep until shortly before you leave the car, a bed and basic furniture, kitchen basics, your laptop, phone and work devices, and your documents, medical records and valuables.

• Selling early on a thin cash runway: The smaller your cash runway, the riskier early selling is. If the route is delayed or refused, you may be unable to afford rebuying, temporary housing or double rent. Aim to hold at least 3–6 months of Spanish living costs, plus a separate buffer for rebuying key items and a deposit and first rent. With a thin runway, sell only clearly surplus items now and keep the car and main furniture until the route is approved.

• The route is refused or delayed after you sold: A refusal or delay after a sale leaves you without your things and with a deadline to act. Read the decision and its deadlines first. A refusal can usually be challenged with an administrative appeal (recurso de reposición, typically within one month) or a court appeal, or you can reapply with corrected documents or choose another route. If it is delayed, ask the consulate for the status. Meanwhile rent a furnished home short-term, use storage for what you kept, buy second-hand, rebuy only essentials, and postpone or cancel any shipment (check the mover's cancellation terms). Talk to an immigration lawyer (abogado de extranjería), because time limits apply.

Ship, store, sell or rebuy cost calculator

Work it out

What you enter

• Months you will stay in a furnished first rental (0 if you go straight to an unfurnished flat) (months): Your plan for the first rental, or the listing you are considering.
• Extra monthly rent for a furnished place compared with an unfurnished one (EUR): Compare two similar listings, one furnished and one unfurnished.
• Months of living costs your savings cover (liquid runway) (months): Your bank balance divided by your monthly spending.
• Monthly living costs in Spain (EUR): Your budget for rent, bills, food and transport.
• Days from today to your target move date (days): Count the days on a calendar from today to your planned date.
• Months you would keep stored items in storage (months): Your plan for when you would collect them, and the storage quote.
• Bulky furniture: shipping quote, including any duties (EUR): Written quotes from movers for this group of items.
• Bulky furniture: storage cost per month (EUR): A quote from a local storage company.
• Bulky furniture: cost to buy the same in Spain (EUR): Prices in Spanish furniture shops and second-hand sites.
• Bulky furniture: what you would get selling it at home (EUR): Similar items on local selling sites.
• Kitchen and household items: storage cost per month (EUR): A quote from a local storage company.
• Kitchen and household items: cost to buy the same in Spain (EUR): Prices in Spanish shops and second-hand sites.
• Kitchen and household items: what you would get selling them at home (EUR): Similar items on local selling sites.
• Books, art and sentimental items: shipping quote, including any duties (EUR): Written quotes from movers for this group of items.
• Books, art and sentimental items: storage cost per month (EUR): A quote from a local storage company.
• Books, art and sentimental items: cost to replace them in Spain (EUR): Your own estimate of replacing what can be replaced.
• Books, art and sentimental items: what you would get selling them at home (EUR): Similar items on local selling sites.

Figures used

• Days in a week: 7 days

Worked example (with Months you will stay in a furnished first rental (0 if you go straight to an unfurnished flat) 2 months, Extra monthly rent for a furnished place compared with an unfurnished one 150 EUR, Months of living costs your savings cover (liquid runway) 6 months, Monthly living costs in Spain 2,000 EUR, Days from today to your target move date 90 days, Months you would keep stored items in storage 12 months, Bulky furniture: shipping quote, including any duties 2,400 EUR, Bulky furniture: storage cost per month 220 EUR, Bulky furniture: cost to buy the same in Spain 3,000 EUR, Bulky furniture: what you would get selling it at home 900 EUR, Kitchen and household items: shipping quote, including any duties 600 EUR, Kitchen and household items: storage cost per month 60 EUR, Kitchen and household items: cost to buy the same in Spain 1,500 EUR, Kitchen and household items: what you would get selling them at home 300 EUR, Books, art and sentimental items: shipping quote, including any duties 800 EUR, Books, art and sentimental items: storage cost per month 70 EUR, Books, art and sentimental items: cost to replace them in Spain 2,500 EUR, Books, art and sentimental items: what you would get selling them at home 100 EUR)

When the sum misleads

• The cheapest option for each group is the lowest of its ship, store and sell-and-rebuy figures. Storage only fits things you will not need in Spain yet, and its figure leaves out the later cost of getting them to Spain.
• If the months of living costs left come out below 3, sell less, ship less or pick a cheaper option before you commit.
• Keep a cash buffer for the deposit and first rent, and keep it out of the runway you enter here.
• If your move is less than 2 months away, sea freight from overseas will probably not arrive in time, so compare air freight, luggage or selling.
• Shipping quotes depend on volume, so redo the sum when the total volume changes.

The sums use your own quotes and estimates, so replace the example figures with current written quotes and local prices.

Quick answers on unusual shipping situations

How much does a move within Spain cost?

A move within Spain costs a few hundred euros for a small flat inside one city, and around 1,000 to 3,000 euros or more for a 2–3 bedroom home across the country. Get at least three written quotes and book 3 to 6 weeks ahead, longer for the end of the month, summer and September. Ask for cover for the declared value of your goods, because the default legal liability is low.

Can I ship wine to Spain?

Yes, but wine from outside the EU is charged excise and VAT, and the relief for personal effects does not cover wine in commercial quantity. Most movers advise shipping it only in a temperature-controlled container, or buying it in Spain. Duty-paid wine from inside the EU can move for personal use.

Do musical instruments need a permit to enter Spain?

Yes, if an instrument from outside the EU contains ivory, rosewood or other protected materials, it needs a CITES permit (a wildlife-trade permit). This can apply to antique ivory-keyed pianos and some bows and guitars. Keep papers showing the age and materials of each instrument, and ship it in a hard case with humidity control.

How long does sea freight from Latin America to Spain take?

Sea freight from Atlantic coast ports such as Buenos Aires, Santos, Montevideo or Cartagena takes roughly 3–6 weeks. It takes longer from Pacific ports such as Valparaíso or Callao, and a change of ship on the way can add more. Goods usually arrive at Valencia, Barcelona, Algeciras or Bilbao, and an inventory in Spanish helps clearance.

Can I take art or antiques out of my home country?

Not always, because items over 50 years old above a value threshold may need an export licence from the country you leave. Some countries also restrict the export of cultural goods. Ask the mover's agent in your home country early, as these permits can be slow.