Removal Company

[adf1]

We are moving to Finland from the UK next month. We have a number of items that we are taking with us and will need to hire a large van. We are considering doing the move ourselves and was wondering if anyone knows of a company that will allow us to collect the van in the UK and then leave it at an agreed pick up point in Finland. Thanks for your help.

[zetorpilot]

It might be better to phone up a couple of the larger rental companies and ask them directly.

Having said that... have you considered using a removal company?
The one I work for does full and part loads to and from the UK several times per month. PM me if you would like contact details, it might not be as expensive as you think to do the move that way.

I'm on the boat heading for Europe now- Belgium/ France/ Denmark/ Sweden on this trip, my first non-UK one for a while!

Regards

"Z"

PS. As I'm on the move, it might be a few days before I can check my messages.

[adf1]

Thanks I have sent you a PM.

I have now found out that it is not possible to hire a van and leave the van in Finland and therefore we will either need to hire a van ourselves and return it to the UK or we need to hire a removal firm. Therefore if anyone knows of any reasonable priced removal firms I would be grateful.

[Talvenloppu]

Hi Adf1

I'm going through a similar process to you I think. I tried Britannia and before that Pickfords. The Britannia Sandersteads seemed nice enough but my requirements may have been too "complicated" and perhaps the quantities weren't large enough for them to engage effectively with me on the move, so now I am hiring vans etc.

I've sorted out an itinerary so now am starting researching border issues (UK-Denmark-Sweden-Finland). Not sure if there are any... but ... if you (or anyone) has found any I'd appreciate a heads up.

Thanks

Robin

[zetorpilot]

Hi Adf1

I'm going through a similar process to you I think. I tried Britannia and before that Pickfords. The Britannia Sandersteads seemed nice enough but my requirements may have been too "complicated" and perhaps the quantities weren't large enough for them to engage effectively with me on the move, so now I am hiring vans etc.

I've sorted out an itinerary so now am starting researching border issues (UK-Denmark-Sweden-Finland). Not sure if there are any... but ... if you (or anyone) has found any I'd appreciate a heads up.

Thanks

Robin

I'm shipping out for the UK again at the weekend. The removal company I work for does full and part loads, even down to a few boxes - but in that case it does rather depend on their being a larger job not too far away, or several smaller ones in the same general area.
There aren't border issues within the EU - thank goodness - I went to Switzerland a few weeks back and the customs procedures were truly Pythonesque.

Usually I take the Travemuende -> Helsinki ferry, but on my most recent trip I had a delivery in Sweden, and came back via the Puttgarden/Rødby, Helsingør/Helsingborg, Kapellskär/Naantali crossings. One thing to really watch is the time that you go through the Hamburg region, there are really bad roadworks there and it only takes a tiny accident at peak traffic times and you could be stationary for many hours.

[zetorpilot]

Thanks I have sent you a PM.

I have now found out that it is not possible to hire a van and leave the van in Finland and therefore we will either need to hire a van ourselves and return it to the UK or we need to hire a removal firm. Therefore if anyone knows of any reasonable priced removal firms I would be grateful.

No PM received?? Unless you have another username? I'd put the company name on here but I don't really want Google searches to start to come here rather than the company website

[Talvenloppu]

Thanks zetorpilot

The route I'm looking at is:- ferry from Harwich > Denmark, drive up to Stockholm, and then take the ferry across to Helsinki.

I have heard of people having boxes etc unpacked crossing borders ... there is also the enforcement of regulations regarding the Importation of Removals Goods right?

I was thinking of bringing over my car too but that seems to be a receding idea.

p.s. If you don't want to risk enquiries coming here instead of your site then you could paste the address of your site here as a jpeg instead. However if people click through from here to your site then I think your site should be the one promoted, no?

[zetorpilot]

Thanks zetorpilot

The route I'm looking at is:- ferry from Harwich > Denmark, drive up to Stockholm, and then take the ferry across to Helsinki.

That's the way I came the first time I drove to Finland, um, 17 years ago

I have heard of people having boxes etc unpacked crossing borders ... there is also the enforcement of regulations regarding the Importation of Removals Goods right?

You need to read this:
http://www.tulli.fi/en/finnish_customs/ ... 011_en.pdf
It covers importing removal goods from both within and without the EU (not just motor cars).

The only times I've had to prepare customs declarations has been for customers from outside the EU (typically Switzerland and Norway).
I'm sure it's possible that the Finnish authorities could open your boxes, for example if they suspected you of comitting a crime. In any case they regularly x-ray freight vehicles, including removal cargo, and use sniffer dogs. I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to open it up if there was anything at all questionable, but, well, that's quite right too, surely?!

I was thinking of bringing over my car too but that seems to be a receding idea.

p.s. If you don't want to risk enquiries coming here instead of your site then you could paste the address of your site here as a jpeg instead. However if people click through from here to your site then I think your site should be the one promoted, no?

It's just that I'm an ordinary worker, I basically post if I personally think there is a chance the firm I work for could maybe help - but I'd be uncomfortable doing anything that could even remotely be construed as advertising. Other removals firms are available, and all that . I have however listed my occupation under my user profile, as there is a space there specifically for that information, and I don't feel there is anything morally wrong in replying to, say, a PM from someone curious to know at which firm I worked. If you see what I mean...

[Talvenloppu]

Hi Zeterpilot thanks for your reply and sorry to take a while replying. I didn't receive a notification that anything new had been posted here

So, why did you change route from the one you took all that time ago?

Yes I agree it is right they open up things of suspicion I was more concerned (paranoid?) about having a new laptop + desktop etc (and I maybe a couple of iPhones for my kids!) and about VAT as I don't want to unwittingly become a smuggler! Tulli seem to concerned with import duty rather than VAT though.

The "Importation of Personal and Household Effects etc" that I have is a few years old now, so thanks for the link to the new one.

I must find out what's needed to show the van is not going to be imported. I'll ask the hire company (Europcar probably) but ... any hints?

Understood about your company. makes sense in every way

Thanks again

[zetorpilot]

Hi Talvenloppu

Regarding routes - for my first trip, nearly 20 years ago, pre-internet, I first went to a couple of local travel agents. They told me it was "impossible to get to Finland by car". Useless! Once I got home, I phoned a shipping company at random to ask if they knew a line that sailed to Helsinki. They suggested I contact Silja line, so I called directory enquiries etc etc and within about half an hour I was all booked up.

Nowadays, doing the trip professionally by truck, the economics are different; if I go via Sweden it's an extra two days pay for me, an extra two days running at about 8mpg, and an extra two days that the truck is tied up on the job. There isn't enough difference in the cost of the ferries to make up for that.

Regarding your laptop etc. I think you are worrying far too much. Finland is in the EU, you are only making an internal move, with goods that have had VAT paid on them already.

And regarding your rental van, again it looks like you are worrying unneccesarily. No-one is going to think you are trying to import it, unless you try to register it here

[Rosamunda]

My first trip here was also just over 20 years ago and we came on the Silja Finnjet from Travemunde (West Germany!). It was by far the quickest and cheapest route (from Paris). IIRC the Finnjet was the fastest passenger ferry in the world at the time. It also had the worst food and the worst entertainment programme but it was quick so it didn't matter. Such a shame that boat ended up beached and gutted somewhere in India.

The ferry from Harwich is total boredom unless you are into trilingual bingo in a big way. Fun to do it once but you won't do it again. Take a book or three...

[Talvenloppu]

I organised my trip to South America (30 years ago) a bit like yours to Finland Zeterpilot, but maybe what was an adventure into the unknown back then is now something quite different But yeah, I worry too much

Remembering the phone, it's been great having you on here Zeterpilot (and all of you!), but even all of our conversation, contained here, would maybe have taken about two mins on the phone, rather than extending two weeks over the internet

I've hit a potential glitch with van hire. The Europcar website shows the "similar" vans they can provide include those with 2.4m high roofs. The agents promise I won't be provided with one so I'm going to risk taking their word mostly as a 2.4m berth would be an extra £300. Fingers crossed!

Thanks for the advice about the Harwich crossing Penelope. I seem to remember the Finnjet, and that it sounded an amazing craft. I've booked the Travemunde route now, mostly for that two day saving on the round trip, and via Dover-Calais, but I'll take a book for the Baltic bit

[Mark_rs]

Hi can someone pm me about moving my motorcycle from Helsinki to the UK??

Email me: mark.ruddock@hotmail.co.uk

Thanks so much