Premier International Movers handles household goods moves into Portugal from anywhere in the world, with its own offices and crews in the country. Premier is the European hub of the One Moving Group, which also operates One Moving & Logistics in Brazil and Decapack in Chile, and it is a member of FIDI and IAM. For inbound moves this means the company that clears your shipment through Portuguese customs and delivers it to your new home is the same organisation that coordinates the move from the start, not a local subcontractor appointed at the last minute.
Shipments arrive at Lisbon, Leixões or Setúbal by sea, or at Lisbon and Porto airports by air, with inland delivery to Lisbon, Porto, Cascais, the Algarve, Madeira or the Azores. Transit times depend on origin: 25 to 40 days from North America, 15 to 25 days from within Europe, 45 to 65 days from South America and 50 to 70 days from Asia or Oceania. Air freight runs 15 to 30 days from most origins and exists for small volumes or unmovable deadlines.
The single factor that decides what your move to Portugal actually costs is not the freight rate: it is whether your shipment qualifies for the EU transfer of residence relief. Portugal applies the European framework, which grants duty and VAT exemption on used household goods when you move your normal residence into the EU. That relief carries two conditions that catch people out — twelve months of prior residence outside the EU, and six months of ownership and use of the goods. Premier verifies both before your shipment leaves origin, and handles the customs application with the Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira on your behalf.
We cover mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores. Contact us for an exact transit time from your city to your Portuguese address.
| Origin | Destination | By sea | By air | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom / Ireland | Portugal | 15 to 25 days | 15 to 30 days | Door to door. Road groupage across Europe is often the better option on this route: 10 to 20 days, with no port handling. |
| Germany / France / Netherlands | Portugal | 15 to 25 days | 15 to 30 days | Intra-EU moves involve no customs clearance and no duty. Road transport is the standard mode. |
| United States / Canada | Portugal | 25 to 40 days | 15 to 30 days | East Coast departures are at the short end of the range; West Coast sailings add transhipment time. |
| Brazil | Portugal | 45 to 65 days | 15 to 30 days | Handled end to end within the One Moving Group: One Moving & Logistics at origin, Premier on arrival. |
| United Arab Emirates / Asia | Portugal | 50 to 70 days | 15 to 30 days | Range includes transhipment, typically at a northern European or Mediterranean hub. |
| Australia / New Zealand | Portugal | 50 to 70 days | 15 to 30 days | Longest sea route in the portfolio. Sailing windows are less frequent, which makes early booking worthwhile. |
The EU transfer of residence relief requires a continuous period of at least twelve months of residence outside the European Union. Someone who spent only eight months abroad before moving to Portugal does not qualify, however genuine the move. When the twelve months cannot be documented, the shipment is treated as a normal importation, with duty and VAT at 23%. We assess this at quotation stage, because the outcome changes the budget entirely.
The relief covers used personal property. Furniture, appliances or electronics bought shortly before the move, and especially items still boxed, are excluded and taxed at full rate. It is a common and avoidable cost: people furnish the new home in advance and ship the purchases with the household goods. We review the inventory against this rule before departure.
Cars and motorcycles are not part of household goods relief. Portugal applies the Imposto sobre Veículos (ISV), calculated on engine capacity and CO2 emissions, and it is high by European standards. Relief from ISV on a transfer of residence exists but is conditional and time limited, and a vehicle brought in outside those conditions can attract a tax bill comparable to the value of the car itself. This must be settled before the vehicle is loaded, not after.
Goods must be entered for free circulation within twelve months of the date you establish residence in Portugal. Sea freight from Asia or Oceania takes 50 to 70 days, so the window is generous in practice — but it is not open ended, and it is lost when a shipment sits in storage at origin while the new home is being arranged. We plan the shipping date against your arrival date, not the other way round.
Items released under the relief may not be sold, lent, hired out or otherwise disposed of for twelve months after clearance without notifying customs and paying the duties due. This is easy to breach unintentionally with furniture or appliances that do not suit the new home, which is why we set the rule out at delivery.
Tobacco products and alcoholic beverages are expressly excluded from transfer of residence relief and are subject to excise duty. Food of animal origin, plants, seeds and untreated wood are controlled under EU phytosanitary and veterinary rules. A wine collection is the most frequent issue on moves to Portugal, and it needs to be declared and handled separately rather than tucked into a carton.
Dogs and cats cannot travel with household goods. Entry into Portugal requires an ISO compliant microchip, a valid rabies vaccination, an EU health certificate issued by an official veterinarian and, from some countries, a rabies antibody titration test with a waiting period. The One Moving Group runs a dedicated pet transport service, with more than a thousand animals moved, and coordinates both processes in parallel.
By sea, 15 to 25 days from within Europe, 25 to 40 days from North America, 45 to 65 days from South America and 50 to 70 days from Asia or Oceania. By air, 15 to 30 days from most origins. These are door-to-door times: they include collection and packing at your current home, transport to the port, consolidation, the sailing window, the voyage with any transhipment, customs clearance at both ends and final delivery in Portugal with furniture reassembly. They are not comparable to the port-to-port transit times published by shipping lines, which cover the voyage alone.
Not if you qualify for the EU transfer of residence relief. It exempts used household goods from customs duty and VAT when you move your normal residence into the European Union, provided you lived outside the EU for a continuous period of at least twelve months and have owned and used the goods for at least six months. Without those conditions the shipment is a normal importation, with duty and VAT at 23%. If you are moving from another EU country there is no customs procedure at all.
Four, in practice. Twelve months of continuous residence outside the EU before the move. Ownership and use of the goods for at least six months. Entry of the goods for free circulation within twelve months of establishing residence in Portugal. And no sale, loan or disposal of the goods for twelve months after clearance. Tobacco, alcohol and vehicles are excluded from the relief. We verify each condition before your shipment leaves origin.
Not under household goods relief. Vehicles follow a separate regime and Portugal applies the Imposto sobre Veículos, based on engine capacity and CO2 emissions, which is high by European standards. There is a transfer of residence exemption from ISV, but it is conditional and time limited. Because a vehicle brought in outside those conditions can attract tax comparable to the value of the car, this needs to be resolved before loading. We assess it at quotation stage.
At origin: a valued inventory of your household goods, your passport, evidence of your prior residence outside the EU such as a residence permit or tax residency certificate, and a bill of lading issued in your name. In Portugal: a Portuguese tax number (NIF), proof of your address such as a lease or deed, and the customs application for the relief. Clearance is completed through a licensed customs representative, which Premier appoints and coordinates for you.
Yes. Customs clearance in Portugal requires a Portuguese tax number, and obtaining one takes time. It is one of the most common causes of storage charges at the port: the shipment arrives before the paperwork exists. We flag it at the start of the process precisely so that it is dealt with in parallel with the shipping, not after arrival.
It depends on volume and urgency. A dedicated 20ft or 40ft container makes sense from roughly 25 cubic metres, gives the shortest and most predictable transit and avoids handling of your goods during consolidation. Shared groupage cuts cost on smaller volumes but adds the wait for the container to fill and deconsolidation at destination, which can mean several extra weeks. On European routes road groupage is often better than either. We compare the options in the quotation, using the volume actually measured at your home.
Yes. The door-to-door service covers the survey to measure volume, professional packing with our own materials at your current home, dismantling of furniture where required, transport, customs handling at both ends, delivery to your new address in Portugal, reassembly of furniture and removal of packing materials. In Portugal the work is carried out by Premier crews.
Insurance is arranged against the values declared in the inventory, which is why valuation matters: an understated inventory limits what can be recovered. Cover extends to the risks of international transport, including handling at the ports. Across more than fifteen thousand moves the One Moving Group records a claims rate of 2.8%, with 98% of deliveries made within the agreed window.
Because Premier operates in Portugal directly, with its own offices and crews, as the European hub of the One Moving Group. The group runs its own operations in Portugal, Brazil and Chile and works with 1,200 vetted agents worldwide. Premier holds independently audited FIDI-FAIM certification, ISO 9001 certification and an EcoVadis rating, and is a member of FIDI and IAM.
To request a quote for your move to Portugal, email [email protected] or use the quotation form at premier-portugal.com. The survey and the quotation are free of charge. A consultant will assess the volume, compare sea, air and road options and confirm whether your move qualifies for the EU transfer of residence relief before anything is shipped.