Small Scale Removal Advice Please

Hi

I don't really see a problem.
You will not be a resident and are only delivering.
However be warned that the Spainish may insist you exit Spain / enter Gib via the commercial goods route and may want to see lots of paperwork if the van is well loaded.

Have you tried to get estimates for delivery?

Have a look at:-
http://www.gibyellow.gi/search-results. … rch=search

Also :-   http://www.gibcargo.com/

Thanks for that.  I have requested a quote from a logistics firm, if this is reasonable then I may forget the van idea.

According to the Gib government website, it is ok to have a foreign vehicle in the country if you are a non-resident.  Since the terms of my employment contract are on a secondment basis, I guess I'd be ok to keep the van there for the year.

Hi, I would suggest buying an estate car to take down, at Gib customs they ask you if its all your own stuff, nothing bought in Spain, you answer truthfully and in you go. That's what we did. My UK insurance only covered 6 mths abroad so I had to import it after 6 mths but it wasn't too expensive, I think it was 20 % of the Gib customs' (very low) value estimate. Check your UK insurance, a friend of mine was able to pay an extra amount each month to maintain coverage in Gib of his UK insurance for a year. Gib is very crowded and parking is a nightmare, so if don't take a van, take small estate which you can then use around town.

Well that was the other thing I was thinking, do I want a vehicle in Gib?  I don't like driving where parking is a hassle, so I'm thinking no.  The only reason I wanted something really was to get to Malaga and Seville airports for international flights.

Do you know if public transport to the airports is ok?

you don't really need a car in Gib but you need to go to Spain every now and then to avoid the feeling of claustrophobia. You can fly to / from UK to Gib so why do you need to go to other airports? There's a green public transport bus to Malaga on the Algeciras to Malaga route stopping in La Linea if you want to get to Malaga, or book a taxi or airport transfer - best shared tho to reduce costs. You can walk in and out of La Linea anytime of course... You'll find your work colleagues know all the practical answers...

Thanks again.  I will need to fly out of Malaga to visit my parents (ex-pats in Fuerteventura), and for various international excursions with the Round Table. I also have a few Edinburgh trips planned, which are best taken from Malaga.

I think I have decided now to sell my car, ship my things over and buy a little run around when I arrive for Airport runs and trips to Spain.

This has been really useful, thanks.

a wise decision I'd say! Altho used cars are v expenisve in Gib, be warned!

You're not wrong! I've found a few used car dealers online and the prices are much higher than in the UK.  I'm back to being torn between:

a) Importing a car from UK
b) Keeping a UK car on European Insurance cover
c) Shipping my things and buying something there

I can't believe this is such a difficult decision!  I guess that means there's not much in it and I should just do whatever I want to do.  I could do with stocking up with wine in Bordeaux on the way through, so maybe buying an estate car in UK and driving down will be the way forward.

So this is what I am thinking now... Buy in UK, drive down (via Bordeaux!) on temporary European insurance, decide when I'm there whether to import or continue overseas insurance cover based on cost comparison.

As Grumpy says, if Gib customs see the wine you may have to pay duty, remember Spain is just over the border so you can stock up there easily and cheaply. As to the car dilemma, consider buying a left hand drive car in the UK, see "the left hand drive place" in Basingstoke, there's another in Slough, but both a long way from you! Try Googling... I'd consider officially importing the car only after you've been in Gib a while got established. Another possibility is buying in Spain which is cheaper than Gib, but not sure how the paperwork will work, ie do you have to have a Spanish address for the new log book to be sent to? Grumpy will know... Best of luck!

I've now decided that I am definitely flying and shipping.  I've tried the sites mentioned above for quotes and had no response, so I then used websites that find multiple quotes.  When I did this a while ago, the quotes were coming back around the £300 mark, now there is nothing coming back lower than £650.

Does £650 seem a reasonable cost for shipping 10 medium sized boxes?

If you pack into boxes calculate square metres and also weigh the boxes you will get the best quote.   I bought a van and drove down only because I go to a fro on a regular basis for my gear.   Unfortunately I am no where near Scotland else I would offer you space.   When you add up ferry, fuel and time there is not much of a saving on a shipping company.

Thanks David.  I thought this sounded okay, when compared with the cost of driving my things down myself.  I found an online instant quote that was much higher, as it would have been air freight.  This confirmed to me that the £650 was fine.