Reviewed by Michael Dunstan, Managing Director of Palmers Relocations | Originally published 15 November 2019 | Updated 5 November 2026
At a glance
- Eligible Australians can investigate visa routes including Youth Mobility, UK Ancestry and sponsored employment.
- Your first UK home will influence how much furniture you need to take.
- Transfer of Residence relief can reduce customs charges on qualifying belongings. Apply before shipping.
- Compare removal quotes using the same inventory, access details and services.
- Leave room in your plans for the weeks between arriving yourself and receiving your shipment.
- Some arrangements differ across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Moving to the UK can feel familiar before you have even arrived. You might have family there, memories of an earlier stay or a job waiting for you. Working out what to do with the contents of your Australian home can take a little more thought.
Perhaps you are heading over for a couple of years and want to take the things that make a rental feel like yours. Perhaps you are returning permanently, bringing a home you have spent decades putting together.
Those moves need different plans. Before you start filling boxes, it helps to think about where you will live, what you will need there and how long you can comfortably manage without the belongings you ship.
Start with how you will live and work in the UK
Your immigration arrangements give the rest of the move its shape. They influence when you can travel, whether your partner can work and how long you expect to stay.
Australians have several possible routes, depending on their circumstances. If you already hold British citizenship or another existing right to live in the UK, establish which documents you need to demonstrate that. Otherwise, the official UK visa checker is a useful starting point.
An Electronic Travel Authorisation is intended for eligible visits. It does not give you general permission to move to the UK or take a job there. UK Government ETA guidance.
A temporary move through Youth Mobility
For eligible Australians aged 18–35, the Youth Mobility Scheme can provide an opportunity to spend time living and working in the UK.
The initial stay is up to two years, with eligible Australians able to apply separately for another year. Financial and other conditions apply, and dependants cannot accompany you through this route. There are also eligibility restrictions concerning dependent children. Youth Mobility overview, eligibility requirements.
A temporary stay may suit a smaller shipment, particularly if you plan to rent somewhere furnished. You can take the belongings you will enjoy using without committing to moving an entire household twice.
Family connections and UK Ancestry
If you have a qualifying grandparent, the UK Ancestry visa is worth investigating.
Eligible Commonwealth citizens must meet the full requirements and document the family connection. The visa allows a five-year stay and permits work under its conditions. UK Ancestry visa guidance.
Give yourself time to gather the documents. Family knowledge about where someone was born is a helpful beginning, but the application needs the relevant evidence.
Moving for a job
If an employer is sponsoring you, establish what they will arrange and what remains your responsibility.
The Skilled Worker route requires an eligible role with an approved employer, sponsorship and compliance with the applicable salary and other conditions. Skilled Worker visa guidance.
Discuss your partner and children at the same time. Having everyone’s arrangements understood early makes it easier to plan travel, accommodation and the household move together.
Think about your first home before choosing what to take
It is tempting to start with everything you own and gradually remove things from the list. Beginning with the home you are going to can make the decision easier.
If you will stay with family for a few months, you may have little immediate use for beds and lounge furniture. If you have secured an unfurnished house, those same pieces could save you a considerable amount of shopping after arrival.
Ask what the property includes. “Furnished” is worth clarifying with an inventory, and photographs alone may not tell you whether your own furniture will fit.
Measure the pieces you want to keep, especially anything that cannot be dismantled. Think about the journey through the property as well as the room itself. A sofa needs to get around the staircase before you can enjoy it in the living room.
You do not need to make every decision at once. A provisional inventory gives you something concrete to discuss with your moving specialist, and you can refine it as your housing plans become clearer.
Is it worth shipping your furniture to the UK?
For furniture you use every day, compare the cost of taking it with the cost of finding something suitable after arrival. Include its condition, how well it will fit and how long you expect to keep it.
There is also room for attachment in that decision. A dining table that has been part of family life for years may be worth bringing even when a simple replacement-cost calculation suggests otherwise.
For a shorter stay, storage in Australia may suit the pieces you want to keep but will not need overseas. Work out the likely cost over your absence, and consider what happens if a two-year plan becomes longer.
Be selective about what you store. Paying to keep furniture you already intended to replace can become an expensive way of postponing the decision.
What will the move cost?
The useful figure is the cost of moving the belongings you have chosen, with the services you need at both ends.
Two households leaving the same suburb for the same UK town can have quite different requirements. One may be taking selected furniture and boxes. The other may include a garage full of tools, artwork needing special preparation and a delivery address with difficult access.
For a starting point, use our moving to the UK cost calculator. It considers your locations, approximate shipment volume, property access and selected service.
The estimate helps with planning. A final quotation follows a review of the inventory, dates and any additional requirements.
When comparing quotes, put the inclusions beside each other. Look at packing, freight, customs coordination and delivery, along with any exclusions or possible additional charges.
Leave yourself a comfortable arrival budget
Your removal bill is only one part of the move.
Flights, visa costs, any immigration health surcharge, accommodation and rental setup can arrive close together. You may also need money for everyday expenses before your first UK salary.
If your employer is contributing, establish how the arrangement works. An allowance paid after you submit receipts still leaves you funding those costs initially.
A little clarity here can help you avoid making furniture or shipping decisions simply because several other expenses have landed in the same month.
Choosing between a shared shipment and your own container
How much you are taking and when you need it will guide the shipping discussion.
A shared-container service may suit a smaller shipment where timing is flexible. A sole-use container may be appropriate for a larger household. Selected essentials can also be considered for air freight, depending on the move.
Palmers can explain the options available for your shipment and route. International moving services.
Talk about your life at the destination as well as the shipment itself. If you will have furnished accommodation while you settle in, you may be comfortable waiting longer for furniture. If you are moving straight into an empty property, the period before delivery needs more thought.
Plan around delivery, rather than the sailing alone
An international move includes collection, preparation, departure, the freight journey, clearance and final delivery.
Ask what the estimated timeframe covers. Shared shipments may also need time for consolidation.
Keep enough with you to manage before delivery, including suitable clothing, essential documents and the items you rely on daily. For children, that might include a favourite bedtime book or a familiar toy that would be missed long before the furniture.
Tackle Transfer of Residence relief before packing is finished
Customs paperwork is easier to deal with while you still have access to your documents and a clear idea of what you are taking.
Transfer of Residence relief, usually called ToR, can remove customs duty and import VAT on qualifying belongings when you move your normal residence to the UK.
HMRC’s standard conditions include living outside the UK for at least 12 consecutive months, possessing the goods for at least six months and importing them within 12 months of moving. The belongings must continue to serve the same purpose.
There are exclusions and restrictions, including rules about transferring goods after relief is granted. HMRC Transfer of Residence guidance.
When should you apply?
HMRC instructs people shipping belongings to complete the ToR1 application before the goods are shipped.
Prepare the supporting evidence and provide the approval reference to the party arranging the import declaration. Your moving coordinator can explain how this fits into the shipment arrangements, while HMRC determines eligibility. ToR1 application guidance.
Returning British citizens should investigate this too. Holding a British passport does not automatically settle the customs position for a household arriving from Australia.
Full-time students can have different relief arrangements, so mention study when discussing your move.
Give yourself time to find the right place
If you can, leave space in your plans to get to know the area before making a long-term housing commitment.
Look at the commute you would make on an ordinary working day. For families, school arrangements may influence the search just as much as the property.
Compare actual homes and their full running costs. A national average rent will tell you little about what is available in the neighbourhood you need.
Tenancy rules differ across the UK, so use the guidance for your destination nation. Before committing, establish the upfront costs, references required, included furnishings and the date you can collect the keys.
Keep your moving team informed if the delivery address changes or the property will not be ready. That gives everyone time to discuss storage or another delivery arrangement.
Arrange healthcare before you need it
If you have ongoing treatment, preparing a medical summary and discussing prescriptions before departure can make the handover easier.
NHS access depends on your circumstances. Many visa applicants pay an immigration health surcharge, although exemptions apply. In England, eligible people who have paid it, or are exempt, can receive hospital treatment on a similar basis to ordinarily resident patients. Some services still carry charges. NHS guidance on moving to England.
Once you know where you will stay, find a local GP surgery.
In England, you do not need identification, proof of address or proof of immigration status to register. You can also register without a permanent address. Registration itself does not establish entitlement to every NHS service without charge. NHS GP registration guidance.
For Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, follow the relevant health service’s guidance.
Moving with children or pets
These arrangements deserve attention early because they can affect where you live and when you travel.
For school-age children, contact the appropriate admissions authority about year placement, available places and applying from overseas. Keep school reports and learning-support information with your documents.
In England, the local council is a starting point, including for moves during the school year. Other UK nations have their own arrangements. School application guidance.
For dogs and cats travelling to Great Britain, preparation includes the applicable microchip, rabies vaccination, documentation and approved-route requirements. Dogs generally also need correctly timed tapeworm treatment; Australia is not an exempt departure country.
Discuss your pet’s dates alongside your own, particularly if you will travel separately. Northern Ireland has separate entry guidance. Great Britain pet requirements, dog tapeworm treatment.
Give the car its own decision
Taking your car can be worthwhile, but price the full process before deciding.
Alongside freight, consider approval, registration, insurance and any work required for UK use. Customs relief, if granted, does not complete those steps for you.
The import process includes notifying HMRC and meeting the relevant approval and registration requirements. UK vehicle import guidance.
You may decide to sell in Australia and arrange a vehicle after arrival. Either way, make the decision before it becomes an assumption in the household shipping plan.
Planning your UK move with Palmers
You can speak with Palmers while your plans are still taking shape.
Bring a provisional list of belongings, your expected travel date and what you know about your first accommodation. Explain which decisions are settled and where you would like help comparing the options.
Palmers coordinates packing, international transport, customs support and agreed destination services through its moving partners.
To discuss your move, call 1300 363 916 or explore our international removals service.