London to Ireland
A van from London to Ireland
The easiest European destination for a van from London: the lightest paperwork on this site, the same electrical standard at the far end, and a route that suits a small consignment far better than it suits a half-empty lorry.
One fixed sailing, and everything else on the route is straightforward.
Who sends a van this way
- People going home after a stretch in London, with a flat's worth rather than a household.
- Work relocations to Dublin, particularly technology and financial services.
- Anybody sending a few items of furniture to family in Cork, Galway or the west.
The road out
Nowhere near Kent. Holyhead to Dublin, reached up the M40 and across on the M6 and A55, for Dublin and the east. Pembroke or Fishguard to Rosslare, down the M4 through Wales, for the south and the west.
From Dublin the M50 distributes to the M1 north, the M7 and M8 for Limerick and Cork, and the M4 and M6 west for Athlone and Galway. From Rosslare the N25 runs west for Waterford and Cork and the M11 north for Dublin.
Where we deliver
Customs, which does not shrink with the vehicle
Ireland is in the EU and the UK is not, so this is technically an export and an import — but a household move of used personal effects for somebody transferring residence is relieved of duty and VAT, and the process is the lightest on this site.
Who obtains what
| Document | Obtained by | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Detailed inventory (valued) | Us | Prepared before departure. Lighter scrutiny than elsewhere, but still the document the file rests on. |
| Transfer of residence declaration | Us | Prepared with you and lodged with Irish Revenue against the inventory. |
| Proof the UK residence has ended | You | An ending tenancy, completion paperwork or a closing council tax bill. |
| Proof of the Irish address | You | Deeds, a lease, or correspondence establishing where you are going. |
| PPS number, where you have one | You | Not always needed for the move; needed for most things after it. |
| Ferry booking | Us | Booked for the van and the crew — the one fixed point on the route. |
Rows marked You are attached to you as a person and take real time to obtain. Rows marked Us are built here from the inventory. A van load needs the same file as a lorry load — the paperwork does not scale down because the vehicle did.
The sailing does not wait
Everything on an Irish run is planned backwards from a ferry booking. A sailing goes when it goes, a loaded van that misses one waits for the next, and the crossing is booked for a specific vehicle at a specific time.
That makes anything uncertain at the London end riskier than it would be on a domestic job. A collection window that slips by an hour is an inconvenience on a run to Croydon and a missed sailing on a run to Holyhead, so on this route we build in more margin at the start of the day.
The compensation is real. It is the only destination on this site where your plugs still work, which means appliances and lamps are worth bringing rather than replacing — and on a van load, where every item has to justify its space, that changes what is worth taking.
London to Ireland
Questions on this route
- Is there much customs paperwork?
- The least of anywhere on this site — a transfer-of-residence declaration and an inventory. No tax number, no registration certificate, no consular document.
- Which crossing will you use?
- Holyhead to Dublin for the east, Pembroke or Fishguard to Rosslare for the south and west. Our call, made on sailings, and it does not change your figure.
- What if something at the London end runs late?
- We build more margin into the start of the day on this route, because a slipped hour here means a missed sailing rather than a late afternoon.
- Do UK appliances work there?
- Yes — the same plug and voltage. It is the only destination on this site where bringing them is straightforwardly sensible.
- Can you do a very small load?
- Yes, and that is rather the point of a van on this route. A few items of furniture and some boxes is entirely normal.
- Northern Ireland as well?
- Yes, and it is simpler again. Ask and we will set out how the routing and the paperwork differ.
A van from London to Ireland?
Roughly what is going, both addresses, and how much the dates can move. We will quote the van and, where it is cheaper, a shared load instead.