Shipping items to Tenerife from UK. What are the customs requirements?

[galracer]

Hi,

I could do with your help please, We're looking into shipping our items from Scotland to Tenerife but some shipping companies are asking for an NIE number for customs. Did you guys apply for an NIE number prior to shipping your items?

We're being told that its mandatory. Is it?

The only number that we have is an NIF number that we received from Banca March when we opened our accounts.

Do we need to apply for an NIE number before shipping??

Thanks in advance guys..

[AndyG]

I found this and hope it is correct!
"For foreigners in Spain, the NIF (fiscal identity number) and NIE (identity number for foreigners) are interchangeable, because the numbers will be the same, while for Spanish nationals on the other hand the NIF refers to their DNI."

[galracer]

AndyG, Thank you very much for your prompt response. I will get back to them re this.

Thanks again. :-)

[Bairn]

We are currently going through the same process and if you get your NIE before your goods arrive you can call them with nie number which will cancel out the charges x

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[galracer]

Hi Bairn,

Thank you so much for your response. ☺.

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[universal]

The NIE does not cancel out the charges. The NIE is required before you are allowed to import goods into Spain as is registration with Hacienda (the tax office). The document which should enable you to import one consignment of goods free of duty (within 12 months of date of first issue) is the empadronamiento which is obtained from the town hall. However in the past few months customs have been insisting on a de-registration certificate from the town hall in the U.K. to prove that importer is indeed a permanent resident.
This certificate does not exist. Therefore it is next to impossible to avoid paying duty now even on your own used personal effects.

[galracer]

Hi Universal, thank you very much for your response. Like my husband and I have agreed, we don't have a problem in paying any charges but if there is a way that can help reduce the amount that we pay, we will go for it. One shipping company has told us that we need the NIE number or we will be charged an arm and a leg. Another company has told us that we need to be residents first or we will not be able to get our hands on our items until we become residents. Your response re the document that is needed in the tax office is worth pursuing. Thanks again for your valuable info.☺

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[LizzyW]

Can you help with this please. We already live on mainland spain (and we do not have any property in the UK) but intend to move over to Tenerife before the end of the year. We do have NIE numbers but will not have anything other than a holiday let for when we get to TF. We did intend to drive our stuff from Spain and over on the ferry - this will comprise just a couple of suitcases for our personal belongings. We are leaving our furniture and other large stuff in Spain until we have done a good look round and decided on where to live. Do the duties still apply when we arrive with our suitcases and car and what is the process in terms of documentation? I presume I can just book a ferry crossing but imagine I will need to present paperwork at Los Cristianos ferry terminal???

[LizzyW]

further to the earlier message, we have changed plans again and will be flying to Tenerife from mainland Spain as it is too difficult to buy a car in Spain and drive it over to TF (in terms of documentation etc). I am trying to understand how anyone will know that we are permanent residents and not just on a long holiday. Will this be because we will be applying for residency and padron? So let's says we are now residents will we then have to do something about paying duty on the personal belongings we have already brought in?

[Hepa]

further to the earlier message, we have changed plans again and will be flying to Tenerife from mainland Spain as it is too difficult to buy a car in Spain and drive it over to TF (in terms of documentation etc). I am trying to understand how anyone will know that we are permanent residents and not just on a long holiday. Will this be because we will be applying for residency and padron? So let's says we are now residents will we then have to do something about paying duty on the personal belongings we have already brought in?

We have imported our entire household contents, from U.K. to El Hierro via Tenerife, padron and NIE were needed when the container arrived in Tenerife, we did not have to pay one penny import duty.

[PaulCourt]

Our removal company - Britannia, suddenly decided to tell us that they required an NIE number before they could actually send our possessions out here to Tenerife from the UK. Thankfully, we're purchasing a business here and we were able to obtain the numbers very quickly with the assistance of our guestor. But we've been advised that we are still likely to have to pay a customs charge of some kind.

[Hepa]

Our removal company - Britannia, suddenly decided to tell us that they required an NIE number before they could actually send our possessions out here to Tenerife from the UK. Thankfully, we're purchasing a business here and we were able to obtain the numbers very quickly with the assistance of our guestor. But we've been advised that we are still likely to have to pay a customs charge of some kind.

When we shipped our household effects, copies of our residencia papers, patronato and NIE details were required, an administration charge was levied of €8,99. no other import duties were charged.

[galracer]

We used a guy named Rob to drive our stuff in his van from UK to tenerife and we didn't have NIE numbers at the time. No customs charge was paid.
Please pm me if you need more info.
Thanks.

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[Scotsman]

Hi,

I could do with your help please, We're looking into shipping our items from Scotland to Tenerife but some shipping companies are asking for an NIE number for customs. Did you guys apply for an NIE number prior to shipping your items?

We're being told that its mandatory. Is it?

The only number that we have is an NIF number that we received from Banca March when we opened our accounts.

Do we need to apply for an NIE number before shipping??

Thanks in advance guys..

I wish to send a sofa from Edinburgh to Tenerife. Does anybody know a good company to pick it up and drop it off in South Tenerife

[Steve56]

I wish to send a sofa from Edinburgh to Tenerife. Does anybody know a good company to pick it up and drop it off in South Tenerife

Try https://www.pssremovals.com/ they are currently sending furniture out to us. They have agents all over UK and the beat all other quotes.

[Scotsman]

Try https://www.pssremovals.com/ they are currently sending furniture out to us. They have agents all over UK and the beat all other quotes.

Many Thanks, will try them