Letter from Tom Strong,expat in Spain:

International Moving


I had a horrible experience in my move from New York. I unfortunately chose Official Moving System, who eventually gave door-to-port service when I paid for door-to-door service. On the bright side, they subcontracted Bax Global who were great, with a very helpful agent (Sonia) in Madrid. Be careful who you choose; it's obviously very costly and difficult to complain to the movers from another country.

  For me, the Better Business Bureau and other government agencies did not help in reclamation.

Regardless of who you choose, talk to the agent in Spain first (and DON'T choose a company that doesn't have an agent in Spain). Doing the move by sea, you get charged by volume; by air, they charge by weight. A ship leaves from New York to Barcelona once a week and the journey takes a week. If you pack yourself, MAKE A LIST OF THE CONTENTS OF ALL YOUR BOXES. When the stuff gets to Spanish customs, they'll need this list.

Customs: When your belongings arrive in the Spanish port, they will need to pass through customs. While your moving company will be handling most of this, there are some things you should know. There may be a 16% tax (IVA) on the value of all your goods. If one of you is a Spanish citizen, do everything related to the move in that person's name to avoid this tax (and that person should do the "baja de residencia" in the originating country. Otherwise, you can avoid this tax by showing, somehow, that the move is permanent. Also, the value of your goods may be based on how much you insured the goods for. As soon as you arrive in Spain, take some letters with your new address to the "Oficina de Empadronamiento" in order to get your "Alta de Residencia".

If you're an American, importing a car can be a good idea, since buying a car in Spain carries a heavier tax. The cost of importing from the USA is roughly 600,000 pesetas (for an estimate, try Excess Baggage Co. ).

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