Removals UK to Romania

Romania is the second country in this series, after Poland, where many UK removals are people moving back home. Romania has one of the largest communities in the UK. At its peak, about 1.2 million Romanian-born people lived here. That made Romanians the largest single EU national group in Britain.

People return to Romania for several reasons:

• to invest in property
• to be with family
• for career chances in a fast-growing economy
• because Romanian cities now offer a quality of life that rivals Western Europe, at a fraction of the cost

Together, these create a large, steady flow of removals from the UK to Romania.

At the same time, more British professionals with no Romanian background are moving there too. Bucharest has become one of Eastern Europe's leading tech hubs. Cluj-Napoca has a remarkable number of IT companies and startups. And Timișoara, the most western big city in Romania, was European Capital of Culture in 2023.

The road from the UK passes through France, Belgium or the Netherlands, then Germany, Austria and Hungary, before reaching Romania. London to Bucharest is about 1,600 miles.

Since 1 January 2021, the UK has been a third country for Romania. So every household removal now goes through formal customs clearance with ANAF (Agenția Națională de Administrare Fiscală, the National Agency for Fiscal Administration) and the Romanian Customs Authority. Transfer of Residence relief means you pay no Romanian import VAT (21%). To get it, the right documents must be ready before the truck reaches the Romanian border.

RMV takes Romanian customs off your hands. We prepare the Transfer of Residence declaration, the valued inventory and the customs authorisation. Details of our company and AIM accreditation are on About Us.

Romanian Customs Since 2021

ANAF and the Romanian Customs Authority now clear every UK removal. Romanian Transfer of Residence relief is what lets your goods in duty-free. The same rule applies to Romanians returning home and to British people moving for the first time.

ANAF and the Romanian Customs Authority need a formal declaration for household goods from outside the EU. Anyone moving their main home to Romania may qualify for Transfer of Residence relief from Romanian import VAT (21% of declared value). The conditions must be met, and all documents must be ready before the shipment reaches the Romanian border.

Romania uses the standard EU conditions:

• you have lived outside the EU for 12 months before the move
• you have owned and used the goods in the UK for at least six months
• you import them within 12 months of becoming resident in Romania
• you do not sell or transfer them for 12 months

Romania uses the Romanian leu (RON). It has not adopted the euro yet, though it has committed to join the eurozone in future.

To stay in Romania for more than 90 days in any 180, British nationals need a residence permit. Since Brexit, you must register with the local Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrări (General Inspectorate for Immigration). You also need a CIF (cod de identificare fiscală, a tax identification code) to become a legal resident. RMV does not arrange visas or permits, but we plan your shipment around your confirmed Romanian residency documents.

Documents for Romanian Customs

Romanian customs needs the documents below for Transfer of Residence clearance. We include blank forms and a check of your documents before departure.

• A copy of your passport, to confirm your identity and nationality to Romanian customs (ANAF / Autoritatea Vamală Română)
• Proof of your Romanian address: a rental contract, property deed or confirmation of address registration from the local primărie (town hall)
• CIF (cod de identificare fiscală) confirmation if you have it, as Romanian tax registration is more and more often needed for residency documents
• An itemised list of goods, signed and dated, with an estimated used value for each category
• Your completed Transfer of Residence declaration for Romanian customs, for duty and VAT exemption
• A signed statement that you have owned and used the goods in the UK for more than six months, and will keep them for 12 months after import
• Your signed permission for RMV to handle Romanian customs as your direct representative
• Proof of 12 months of UK residence before the move, for example bank statements, council tax bills or a UK Certificate of Residence
• CMR consignment note, issued by our driver at your UK address

The main border crossing for UK-to-Romania removals is usually the Hungarian–Romanian border. We use Nădlac for western Romania and for Bucharest via Timișoara, and Borș for northern Romania and Cluj-Napoca.

We drive to and from Romania regularly and know this route well. So we find any document problems before departure, not at the border. All packing materials for a move to Romania are available from our Packing Shop.

Who We Move to Romania

Return Migration: Romanian Community Members Returning Home

Romania has the largest community in the UK of any EU country. More and more people are moving back, especially those who came to Britain in the ten years after Romania joined the EU in 2007.

Some return with just a few years of UK belongings. Others are families who lived in Britain for fifteen years or more and bring a whole household. RMV has moved many people in this community. We understand that these moves of long-settled homes are both practical and emotional.

The same post-Brexit customs rules apply to Romanians going home as to British people moving to Romania. You must have owned the goods for at least six months, and the move must happen within 12 months of becoming resident in Romania.

Technology Professionals Moving to Cluj-Napoca and Bucharest

For its size, Cluj-Napoca has one of the biggest tech scenes in Europe. Over 600 IT companies and startups are based there. Babeș-Bolyai University and the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca supply much of the talent.

Bosch, Continental, Nokia, Betfair and many fast-growing Romanian tech firms, including unicorns, have large engineering teams in the city. Bucharest also hosts Amazon, Google, HP, Orange and IBM, alongside a growing local startup scene.

British tech professionals moving to these cities usually bring the contents of a one- to three-bedroom flat. Our man and van service handles smaller moves, and our removals service handles full household moves with customs support.

Academics and Students Moving to Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest and Iași

Romania's leading research universities are Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, the University of Bucharest and Alexandru Ioan Cuza University in Iași. They attract international academic staff and postgraduate researchers. Iași, in north-east Romania, is one of the country's largest cities and a big university town with many students. Student and early-career academic moves usually go by part load or groupage.

Lifestyle Movers and Retirees to Transylvania and the Carpathians

A growing group of British movers come for Romania's stunning natural setting. That includes the Carpathian Mountains, the Transylvanian plateau and the Danube Delta. It also includes medieval towns like Brașov, Sighișoara and Sibiu. They offer living history at prices that similar places in Western Europe left behind long ago.

British retirees and lifestyle movers often buy country homes in Transylvania's Saxon villages. These offer stone-built houses, mountains close by and a way of life that has changed slowly. These moves are usually full loads. If your UK home is empty before your Romanian home is ready, our storage service can keep your things until then.

Businesses Establishing Romanian Operations

More and more UK businesses choose Romania as a base. It offers:

• a highly educated workforce, especially strong in engineering and software
• competitive running costs
• EU membership
• a home market of about 19 million people

Business moves to Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca need customs handling under an EORI number and a commercial invoice. Our removals service handles business moves of every size.

Moving to Romania: Three Options

RMV offers three ways to move from the UK to Romania. Romania is a big country, so transit times vary a lot between western cities like Timișoara and eastern ones like Iași and the Moldavian region.

Full Load (Exclusive Vehicle)

With a full load, nothing else shares the van. It collects from your UK home, drives through Germany, Austria and Hungary, clears customs at the border and delivers to your Romanian address. Typical door-to-door times:

• Bucharest: 4–6 days
• Cluj-Napoca: 4–5 days
• Timișoara: 3–5 days
• Iași and north-east Romania: 5–7 days
• Brașov and central Transylvania: 4–6 days

Full load is the usual choice for homes with three or more bedrooms, and for any move that needs a fixed schedule.

Part Load and Groupage (Shared Vehicle)

Your belongings travel with those of other customers moving to Romania. You pay only for the cubic metres your goods take up. Typical door-to-door times:

• Bucharest: 6–12 days
• western Romania (Timișoara, Arad): 5–10 days
• eastern Romania: allow extra time

Part load is the usual choice for studios, one- and two-bedroom flats, student moves and people returning home with smaller loads.

Pre-Departure Storage

If your UK leaving date and Romanian arrival date do not match, our storage service keeps your packed things in secure UK storage. Romanian property deals, especially in the busy Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca markets, can take a different amount of time than British buyers expect. So storage before departure is a useful backup.

Romanian Destinations

We cover every Romanian county. Typical times from London to your door are below.

• Bucharest (București), Romania's capital and the main destination for British professionals, returning Romanians and businesses. Full load 4–6 days; part load 6–12 days.
• Cluj-Napoca, Transylvania's capital and Romania's liveliest tech and startup hub, often called the country's Silicon Valley. Full load 4–5 days; part load 6–11 days.
• Timișoara, the most western big Romanian city, gateway to the Banat region, and European Capital of Culture 2023. Full load 3–5 days; part load 5–10 days.
• Iași, north-east Romania's cultural and university capital, and one of Romania's largest cities. Full load 5–7 days; part load 7–13 days.
• Brașov, the Transylvanian mountain city at the foot of the Carpathians, popular with lifestyle movers and outdoor lovers. Full load 4–6 days; part load 6–12 days.
• Sibiu (Hermannstadt), the Saxon city in the heart of Transylvania, European Capital of Culture in 2007 and popular with buyers of historic homes. Full load 4–6 days; part load 6–12 days.
• Constanța, Romania's Black Sea port and the gateway to the Danube Delta. Full load 5–7 days; part load 7–13 days.
• Craiova, the capital of Oltenia in southern Romania, a growing car-making and manufacturing hub. Full load 4–6 days; part load 6–12 days.

All times include customs clearance. Romania is big, so western cities (Timișoara, Arad) are much quicker to reach than eastern and south-eastern ones (Iași, Constanța). For moving guides and advice about Romania, visit our blog.

Your Complete UK-to-Romania Moving Solution

We handle your whole move to Romania: survey, packing, customs paperwork, road transport through Germany, Austria and Hungary, and delivery to all 41 counties and Bucharest.

• Our removals service looks after the move to Romania.
• Our storage service covers any wait between dates.
• Our man and van service keeps small moves affordable.
• Our handyman service handles practical jobs at your UK home.

Buy packing materials for Romania from our Packing Shop. For guides to living in Romania, see our blog. For AIM details and company background, see About Us. And for all international destinations, see our international removals page.