Personal & household
Shipping personal effects and household goods from Dubai
Leaving the UAE, sending things home, or moving a household across continents. We ship personal belongings, furniture and household goods from any UAE address to a door in Europe, Russia and the CIS, Africa, Asia and beyond — from a single carton to a full container.
- From one box to a full container
- Europe, CIS, Africa, Asia
- Packing, customs and door delivery
Ways to send personal belongings
Boxes and part loads by sea
Groupage from 1 CBM. The cheapest way to move a few boxes, a bicycle or a room's worth of things. 3–6 weeks depending on the destination.
Air freight
For what you need soon — clothes, documents, laptops, a child's things. 3–7 days door to door, priced on chargeable weight.
Full container move
A 20' or 40' container for a complete household. Loaded at your address, sealed, and opened again at your new home.
Packing and collection
Professional packing materials, furniture wrapping, disassembly and reassembly, and collection from an apartment or villa anywhere in the UAE.
Car with the household
Your vehicle can travel in the same container as your belongings, which is usually cheaper than shipping both separately. See car shipping.
Customs at both ends
UAE export formalities and the destination's personal effects or returning-resident relief, which in many countries means little or no duty.
Indicative transit for personal shipments from Dubai
| Destination | Sea (groupage) | Air |
|---|---|---|
| Germany, Netherlands, Belgium | 30–45 days | 3–5 days |
| United Kingdom | 30–45 days | 3–5 days |
| Italy, Spain, Greece | 25–40 days | 3–5 days |
| Poland, Czechia, Baltics | 30–45 days | 4–6 days |
| Russia | 35–50 days | 4–7 days |
| Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan | 35–50 days | 4–7 days |
| Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan | 30–45 days | 4–6 days |
| Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia | 20–35 days | 3–6 days |
| Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast | 30–45 days | 4–7 days |
| India, Pakistan, Bangladesh | 15–30 days | 3–5 days |
Sea times include consolidation and deconsolidation, which for personal groupage is where most of the variation comes from. Customs at destination can add days.
What you can and cannot send
Personal effects have their own customs category in most countries, and used household goods belonging to someone who is actually relocating often move at reduced or zero duty. That relief usually depends on the goods being used, belonging to you, and arriving within a window around your own arrival — so the inventory and the wording on the documents matter more than people expect.
Every shipment needs a detailed packing inventory. Not "1 box, household goods" but a list customs can read. We prepare it with you, because a vague inventory is the single most common reason a personal shipment gets opened, delayed or reassessed as a commercial import.
- Fine: furniture, clothing, books, kitchenware, toys, bicycles, sports equipment, tools, electronics for personal use
- Declared separately: laptops, phones, cameras and anything new in its original packaging — these can attract duty
- Restricted or forbidden almost everywhere: aerosols, paints, gas cylinders, fuel, fireworks, batteries loose in boxes
- Country-specific: alcohol, medicines, drones, satellite equipment, plant material, food, ivory and animal products
- Never in a sea container: anything perishable, and anything you would be upset to lose to humidity
How a personal move works
Survey and quote
You send photos or a room-by-room list, or we visit. We estimate the volume in CBM and quote sea and air side by side.
Packing and collection
We pack, wrap and label at your address, or you pack yourself and we collect. Every box is numbered against the inventory.
Export formalities
Inventory, passport and visa copies, and the UAE export declaration. If you are cancelling a UAE visa, the timing of this matters — tell us the dates.
Main carriage
Sea groupage, a dedicated container or air freight, with tracking and a named contact.
Import relief and delivery
Our agent applies the destination's personal effects or returning-resident relief where you qualify, clears the shipment and delivers to the door.
Personal effects FAQ
What is the minimum I can send?
One box. Below roughly 0.5 CBM, air freight or express is usually cheaper than sea groupage once you count the fixed consolidation charges at both ends.
How do I estimate the volume?
A standard moving carton is around 0.1 CBM. A one-bedroom apartment is typically 10–18 CBM, a three-bedroom villa 35–60 CBM. Send photos and we will estimate properly.
Will I pay duty on my own used belongings?
In many countries, no — used personal effects belonging to someone relocating qualify for relief. The rules differ by country and depend on your residence status and timing. We check your specific destination before quoting.
Can you collect from my apartment in Dubai?
Yes, anywhere in the UAE, including building access and lift booking where the community requires it.
Can I include my car?
Yes. Loading a vehicle into the same 40-foot container as the household goods is common and usually cheaper than two separate shipments.
Is my shipment insured?
Not by default. Carrier liability on personal goods is very low. We offer all-risk cover based on the declared value of the inventory — for a household move it is worth taking.
Can you ship goods, not just personal items, to Africa or Europe?
Yes. Commercial goods, trade samples and mixed consignments go on the same services — they just clear under a different customs regime. See sea freight and air freight.
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Moving out of the UAE?
Send photos of what needs to go and the destination address. You get a volume estimate, a sea and air price, and a straight answer on duty at the other end.