Your household goods to Malta: no customs, but the sea in between and an inventory that protects you

Yes, your entire household can come along to Malta, and without paperwork at the border: Dutch Customs writes that when you move to another EU country you generally take your belongings without a declaration, in the Netherlands and in the country of destination. What it costs is the transport — and on an island that always means a stretch by sea. The find in the Maltese lease law: every lease must have an inventory signed by all parties, even for an unfurnished home, otherwise the contract is void. The trap is in your wine cellar: the European guide levels are a floor, and above the quantities you can be asked to prove it is for your own use.

Do I have to declare my household goods to customs?

No. Within the EU the free movement of goods applies, and EURES puts it this way for Malta: purchases in another EU country are generally not restricted, as long as they are for your own use. You already paid the VAT in the Netherlands. Rules about an inventory for customs or a guarantee concern moves from outside the EU.

How does it get to Malta?

For yourselves Malta is a flight; for the rest it is a sea voyage. That makes the choice between groupage and a container of your own mainly a question of cost. Ask for quotes well in advance and ask explicitly how the sea transport and the delivery on the island are arranged.

If you move on to Gozo, a ferry is added. EURES gives the Gozo Channel fares: 15.70 euros for a car with driver, and 8.15 euros for a Gozo resident with a car. The crossing takes twenty to thirty minutes.

How much wine and tobacco may I bring?

For alcohol and tobacco the EU makes an exception to free movement. Excise duty should be paid in the country where you consume it, but a private individual bringing products for their own use pays nothing extra. To judge whether something is for own use, customs look at the quantity. Each EU country sets its own guide levels, but they may not be lower than these:

Product	EU guide level, at least
Wine	90 litres, of which at most 60 litres sparkling
Beer	110 litres
Fortified wine (sherry, port)	20 litres
Spirits	10 litres
Cigarettes	800
Cigars	200
Tobacco	1 kilo

If you are above them, customs can ask you to prove it is for your own use, for example with purchase receipts. If you cannot, you pay excise duty in the country of destination or the products can be confiscated. So keep your receipts.

What is already in your rented home?

The inventory with your lease is your proof, and without it the contract is void. The Maltese lease law requires every lease to have an inventory, signed by all parties, recording the condition of the home and of the furniture and appliances the landlord supplies — with photographs and short descriptions. That also applies to an unfurnished home. Go through it with the landlord before you sign; it is the paper with which you show at departure what was already there.

That inventory is also your best tool for deciding what to bring. If a sofa, a bed and a washing machine are already on the list, they need not cross the sea. How renting works further is in living and renting in Malta.

Which papers go in your hand luggage?

EURES gives a checklist for those moving to Malta. The papers you do not want in a removal box:

• your passport or identity card, for everyone coming along;
• your car papers and your driving licence;
• diplomas, certificates and references, with translations where needed;
• the children's school reports and declarations of school attendance;
• proof of your health insurance;
• the pet passports;
• birth and marriage certificates.

Whoever takes medicines brings a referral letter from their family doctor, according to EURES. The car and the pet each have their own procedure: see your car to Malta. How the move fits into your sequence is in the step-by-step plan for Malta.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 3 of 5 of the journey, step 3.1: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Malta or go straight to step 3.1 in the open plan.