Removals from East Ham
to Portugal.
The furthest of the four. Two hours of water, then France, then the width of Spain — and a country that has broadened well beyond the Algarve in the last decade.
Who is going, and where
Portugal used to mean retirement to the Algarve. It still partly does, but the people leaving London for Lisbon and Porto now are noticeably younger — remote workers, families, people priced out of one capital and into another. That has changed what we move: more apartments and fewer four-bedroom houses full of a lifetime.
Getting there
Out of east London to the Channel, then south through France past Bordeaux, over the Pyrenees at Irún, and into Spain. From there it splits: across Galicia for Porto and the north; through Salamanca and Vilar Formoso for Lisbon and the centre; or down through Seville and across the Guadiana for the Algarve.
Three different Spanish routes for one small country, which is why we ask where in Portugal before saying anything about scheduling.
The destinations
Lisbon
The growth destination, and the hardest to deliver into. Alfama, Bairro Alto and the older central districts have streets too narrow for a lorry, severe hills, and buildings where a hoist through a window is the only way furniture is going in. All normal; all needing planning.
The Algarve
Still the largest by volume. Faro, Tavira, Lagos, Albufeira, Loulé and the villages behind the coast. The best-served part of the country and the most predictable, with the usual exception of hillside villas on steep private drives.
Porto and the north
A working city with an old centre as constrained as Lisbon's, and a hinterland in the Douro that is not constrained at all.
The Silver Coast and the interior
Nazaré, Óbidos, Caldas da Rainha, and inland towards Tomar and Coimbra. Cheaper property, more land, more renovation, and rural tracks that decide the final vehicle.
The paperwork
A NIF first. Then the UK export declaration and the Portuguese baggagem entry, supported by a certificate of residence and an inventory that matches the vehicle. Portugal is reasonable but procedural: the documents have to agree with each other and with what is in the boxes.
Before asking for a price
Destination region, property type, access at the far end, rough volume and date flexibility. The hub page explains groupage scheduling, which matters more on this route than any other because of the distance. If you are deciding between here and Spain, the transport is similar and the paperwork is not.
East Ham to Portugal — questions
What is a NIF?
The Portuguese tax number, and the first thing to sort. The import entry needs it, and so does renting, buying and most of daily life in Portugal. Without one the paperwork cannot be completed and the load waits.
What does "baggagem" mean on our documents?
The Portuguese term for a personal-effects import accompanying a change of residence. It carries relief where the conditions are met, and it needs a certificate of residence plus an inventory that genuinely matches the load.
Does everything go through Spain?
Yes, overland every time. There is no realistic direct route from the Channel, so a Portuguese move is a French run, a Spanish transit, and then a final leg. That is why it is the longest of the four and why the transit window is wider.
Is Lisbon as steep as people say?
Yes, and it affects the work. Alfama and Bairro Alto have narrow streets, severe gradients and buildings where the stairwell will not take furniture. Hoists are common. Tell us the district and the floor and we will plan accordingly rather than discovering it on the day.
The house has been empty for months. Does that matter?
It can. Portuguese houses shut up for a long period get damp, and unloading soft furnishings and wooden furniture into one invites trouble. Air it before delivery day, or let us hold the load briefly while you do.
Moving to Portugal?
Two addresses, the floor at each end, and roughly what is going. That is enough for us to price it properly.