Moving Your Stuff to Malta

          

If You Want to Take Your Home with You

 

  This is a container (But don’t bring your car to Malta. It isn’t worth it because of the taxes on bringing a car)

Tip: Most Maltese apartments come completely furnished.  That’s the norm.  Some furniture is actually quite nice. Other furniture is just cheap and horrible. This is definitely something to consider when thinking about moving your furniture or not.

Tip: If you’re moving from the US, as I did, you will be ripped off most likely.  This is why:  US companies charge by weight.  European companies charge by the container.

I used American Allied or something like that. Don’t use them, but it will be just about the same no matter what company you use.  I moved an average amount of stuff which fit one container. They told me I would pay $8000 for a certain number of pounds plus the charge for the container.  When my stuff was already on the ship, they added $2000 more, saying they made a big mistake in the weight estimation.

I had no choice but to pay it.  I’ve heard this story over and over. So if you plan on moving your stuff and you get a quote from an American company, plan on paying another couple of thousand dollars.  That’s just the way it is.

The only good thing about this is that the company—because of international laws regarding what it can and cannot ship—comes and packs everything up for you itself.  You don’t have to do a single thing—they will send over guys and do it for you because they must make a complete inventory of what they’re shipping.

Tip: Take the complete insurance option.  You’re paying enough already; another couple of hundred dollars isn’t going to kill you at this point.

Tip: If you’re coming from a Non-EU country, such as the US, or from any other Non-EU country with your stuff (even if you hold an EU passport), you will have to pay an importation fee of 1200 Euros to the Inland Revenue of Malta (the tax department). If you follow the regulations, you have a good chance of getting this back after a year of residence in Malta.

For more information on the importation fee, please read the following article:

 

Moving to Malta - the Importation Fee

Published February 10, 2010 by:

Ilene Springer

Why Do Non-EU's Have to Pay 1200 Euros?

As if you haven't already spent a fortune on moving from the US to Malta, you suddenly learn you have to fork out an additional 1200 Euros, which comes to about $1700, depending on the rate of exchange. This is formally called The Deposit for Importation of Personal Effects. Here's why you have to pay it—and how to get it back

 

Comments

[Sennuwy (an ancient Egyptian name)]

Hi Dee, yes I had a 20-foot container. I would use a European company if at all possible. The US company will cheat you. That's for sure--Ilene

[Dee Owen]

Hi Ilene, Interesting that someone followed up on the moving. M & I were talking about just that subject at the weekend. We had a 20 foot container from USA to Panama, jammed packed!! cost a little over $10,000. That was all our worldly belongings, personal, furniture and electrical, but no big appliances. When...if...we do the move to Malta, as you, we'll have to dump all the electronics and probably the furniture. But what size container did you finally have? was it a 20 foot? I think we used Atlas and had to store everything for about 4 months, price included packing and insurance, door to door. Maybe we'll be able to use a European company.

[Sennuwy (an ancient Egyptian name)]

Hi Joe--Yes, I was ripped off--even after researching everything. In the US, they charge you by weight. In Europe, they charge you by the size and number of containers. So there's a lot more room for them to cheat you in the US. I think I used Global Van Lines--a local affiliate in Dover, NH. But they're all the same, I bet---Ilene

[Joe Arevalo]

Moving Thieves! they are. Thanks for your remarks. Between the lines lays the answer I was looking for.

[Sennuwy (an ancient Egyptian name)]

Hi Xkupa--Thanks for reminding me that I have to finish this section. I finally took all the things I really love--such as my pottery collection ( a lot of pottery), photos, framed paintings, clothes, of course, my dishes and some Moroccan trunks. I took no appliances because they would all have to be changed to fit the European type. In the end, it cost me over $8000, a lot more than they "promised" it would be. The American movers cheat you terribly. They underestimate the cost and then give you a different price once they have all your stuff on the ship---Ilene

[Joe Arevalo]

Hi Ilene, what did you finally decide to take and would you do the same again?