International Removals from the UK
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Bespoke Overseas Removals from a UK Leader
Let Us Handle the Logistics, So You Can Focus on What Matters
While you focus on preparing your family for the move, you shouldn’t have to worry about how your belongings will get there. Packing valuable and sentimental items can be time-consuming and stressful, especially when moving overseas.
With our professional packing services and expert international relocation team, your possessions are in safe hands. Our trained removal guys professionally pack everything at your home. The team carefully loads and prepares everything for transport using advanced materials and techniques to protect it during transit. It’s a smart, time-saving solution, with advanced planning built into the support. As a result, it lets you focus on the bigger picture of your international move.
Our Accreditations
Proud Members of the British Association of Removers
Abels is a long-standing member of the British Association of Removers (BAR), membership number A001, and abides by BAR’s strict Code of Practice, backed by Trading Standards. We’re also covered by the BAR Advance Payment Guarantee, giving you consumer protection on your deposit from the moment you book.
For international moves specifically, BAR operates a separate specialist accreditation for movers who meet its overseas standards, often what people mean when they ask whether a company is part of the BAR Overseas Group. Abels has gone further, holding BAR’s “Overseas Remover” accreditation, met by fewer than 100 companies in the whole of the UK. Alongside this we hold FIDI membership with FAIM certification, ISO 9001, 14001, 27001 and 45001 certification, and are an authorised member of the Movers Trading Club (MTC). We’re also connected through the International Association of Movers (IAM), a network of over 2,000 moving companies across 170+ countries, so wherever your move is headed, there’s usually a trusted partner already in place.
What’s Included in Your International Move
Our international removal quote usually includes a range of services to make sure that you have everything you need when emigrating. When you choose Abels, your international moving service includes:
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Professional export packing and wrapping
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Secure international shipping by sea, air, or road
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Full customs clearance, with customs paperwork handled on your behalf
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Detailed inventories for tracking and customs documentation, plus MoveProtect Liability Cover and shipment protection for your personal effects, our modern alternative to traditional transit insurance
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Short and long-term storage in the UK and overseas
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Expert advice on visas, paperwork, and international regulations
For overseas moves, your completed paperwork is sent to our trusted destination agent for checking, who then liaises with you directly. For moves within Europe, our own team handles customs clearance in-house, working with trusted customs brokers in each country. Customs authorities can occasionally require an inspection on arrival, and our agents and brokers manage this as a normal part of the clearance process. Trust Abels to support clients throughout every stage of a global move with precision and care.
International Services Designed Around You
An overseas move brings a long list of things to sort out: packing, shipping, storage, currency, and protecting what matters to you. You shouldn’t have to chase separate providers for each one. As a leading international removals company in the UK, Abels brings it all together under one roof and tailors each relocation to your specific needs, so nothing gets missed. That includes:
Export Packing
Trained in-house, our professional packers will ensure your cherished items, including larger furniture and fragile pieces, are export wrapped and protected for international transport.
Learn more about Export Packing Learn about Export Packing
International Shipping
Whether you need to ship internationally by road using a dedicated truck, by sea freight using secure shipping containers for international household moves, or by air freight, our expert International relocation team can advise on the best possible logistics, including inland haulage to the departure port or airport, for your personal belongings and furniture items, whatever it takes to ship furniture overseas safely.
Learn more about International Shipping More of International Shipping
Overseas Storage
Our secure storage rooms, vaults and pods are available in the UK and also abroad at any time during your move, helping bridge any gap between moving dates or homes, including if you need temporary accommodation while your move completes. If a sale falls through, we can also support revised plans with interim storage.
Learn more about Overseas Storage Learn about Overseas Storage
Car Storage
Abels’ specialist teams, known for consistent excellence, carefully handle your vintage, classic, high-performance, and cherished vehicles, providing safe transport across the UK and internationally through our overseas moving services.
Learn more about Car Storage Learn more about Car Storage
FX Transfers
FX Transfers – Preferred partners for safe, cost-efficient currency exchange.
Learn more about FX Transfers Learn more about FX Transfers
Private Collections
Abels Moving Services offers a comprehensive service for relocating collections and valuable items, such as fine art, antiques, wine, paintings, and other possessions, both across the UK and with our trusted moving companies for overseas relocations to destinations including France and elsewhere in Europe.
Learn more about Private Collections Learn about our Art servicesWhat Makes Abels One of the Best International Removal Companies in the UK
Handing your life’s belongings to a removal company for a move across the world is a big ask, so you’re right to want more than a sales pitch before you commit. Abels has been moving families and businesses since 1958, over 65 years of experience and a proven track record with international and domestic relocations alike. That heritage, combined with the King’s Royal Warrant, BAR membership (including our Overseas Remover accreditation), and FIDI/FAIM status, is why we’re consistently rated among the best international removal companies operating from the UK, and why clients trust us as a reliable international removal company for the whole journey abroad.
We also operate from local branches across East Anglia and the Home Counties, including our head office in Brandon, plus branches in Ely, Potters Bar and Huntingdon, so your move is coordinated by a team who knows the area you’re leaving as well as the destination you’re heading to.
That’s the standard we hold ourselves to on every job: BAR membership, MoveProtect cover for your belongings, and crews who treat fragile items and everyday essentials with the same care as their own.
Get your free quote and put it to the test.
Excellent service
Very nice drivers travelling in sweltering conditions provided excellent service delivering from London to Paris. All boxes and furniture arrived in perfect condition and were brought upstairs carefully so as not to damage anything. Good communication before arrival also helped me to schedule my day around the delivery. Thanks to Jayne, Rodney and Dan.
Highly Recommend
Abels recently packed our 6+ bedroom home in Central London for our upcoming International move and I couldn’t recommend the team more highly. Incredibly considerate, careful, thorough and professional. If you are moving I would put these guys on the top of your list to use! We have moved many times and Abels have been the best. Highly recommend Russel, Phil and the team.
We have used Abels for more than 20yrs
We have used Abels for more than 20yrs now, they have moved us around London, abroad and back. They are a fantastic team from organising the move with the people in the office to the removal team, highly professional, kind, items cared for, they make moving fun, I wouldn’t use anyone else. Highly recommend.
Why Choose Abels for Your Overseas Removals?
An international move touches every part of your life, so it needs to be handled reliably and professionally from start to finish, not just delivered from A to B. That’s what Abels provides.
With over six decades of expertise, proudly holding the King’s Royal Warrant, and membership in BAR and FIDI, our reputation for excellence is well established.
Whether you’re moving to the UAE, the US, Japan or South Africa, our tailored solutions ensure your international relocation is smooth, secure, and stress-free.
A Global Move Manager at Your Side
International moves are complex, but you won’t manage it alone.
You’ll have a single point of contact to oversee logistics, timelines, customs, and support. Your dedicated project manager handles all the details, confirms the collection date, gives a clear response to questions or changes, keeps you updated, and ensures your move stays on track, wherever you’re headed. It starts with a free pre-move survey, either a home visit or a video survey, so your quote reflects exactly what you’re moving.
A Worldwide Network You Can Rely On
We partner with trusted, vetted professionals at every destination, all trained to meet Abels’ high standards. This global network supports a smooth, end-to-end operation for overseas relocations, from expert packing in the UK through to safe delivery at your new home abroad.
Learn more about A Worldwide Network You Can Rely On
Packing That Protects What Matters Most
Our expert team uses the latest packing materials and techniques to ensure your belongings are protected throughout international transit. We create a detailed inventory, including item conditions, which is carefully checked before items sit in storage or continue to delivery.
Every item is treated with care, and we take responsibility for protecting your belongings as if they were our own. By professionally packing your possessions, we not only save you time to focus on your loved ones but also reduce costs. Our efficient methods minimise the number of boxes required and significantly lower the risk of damage during your move.
European Moves and Worldwide Groupage Shipping
Not every move needs a dedicated container (a Full Container Load, or FCL). For smaller shipments, Abels runs a regular groupage (part-load, or Less than Container Load, LCL) service, a shared container or truck that keeps costs down when you don’t have enough to fill one alone. Our European moves cover regular routes to France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Scandinavia and Luxembourg, and our groupage network also reaches further afield to destinations including Australia, Canada, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Israel, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, the UAE and the USA. Because groupage works by consolidating several customers’ shipments together, collection and delivery dates are confirmed once your consignment is being planned rather than fixed in advance. If your move is time-critical, ask us about a priority or dedicated option instead.
Whether you need a dedicated container for a full household or space in a shared container for a smaller shipment, our team can talk you through the shipping options and shipment volume that make sense for your move.
Abels Luggage Delivery Service
For smaller international shipments, our dedicated luggage service offers a quick, affordable solution, perfect for students, frequent flyers, and light movers.
Moving Abroad?
Explore Abels Overseas Destinations Worldwide
From Portugal to Pakistan, Oman to Mexico, Abels has helped families relocate across the globe. As a trusted moving company for overseas moves, we support relocations to destinations worldwide, with departure planning and removals support from London where relevant, to keep the process simple, safe, and stress-free.
How an International Move With Abels Works
You don’t need to figure this out alone. Every international move follows the same clear path, with a dedicated Move Manager as your single point of contact throughout:
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Enquiry and survey Tell us your route, dates and property size, and we assess volume and access with a home or video survey.
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Fixed-price quotation One proposal covering labour, vehicles, packing and MoveProtect, so there are no surprises later.
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Packing, shipping and customs Our crews pack and protect everything against a full inventory, then handle transit documentation and permissions for your destination.
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Delivery and aftercare We unpack room by room, reassemble furniture, and follow up to make sure everything arrived safely.
Timings depend on your circumstances (moves tied to a house sale commonly run six to seven months, renting is quicker), but your Move Manager will map out your specific schedule at quotation stage. Request your free quote to get started.
International Removals FAQs
Start Your International Move Today: Get a Quote
Get in touch with our removal experts today for a helpful estimate before hiring, and see how our overseas moving services can make your move simple from first contact.