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How did you ship your stuff to the Azores?

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Hi,

is there anyone who moved to the Azores and had to ship his furniture and things from the mainland? If yes, how did you do it? Can you suggest any good shipping company?

thanks!

Go to Nadia B's profile

  • Robert Hahn

    posted by  in Azores forum 

    Hello Amy, I'm living now in Terceira. I found this place because I was in the US military which has a presents on the Portuguese Air Base 4. My wife and her family were and some are still living on Terceira. We have family in Pico and Faial as well. I would explore the other islands because each has something special to offer. Talk to you soon.

  • Amy Neuman

    posted by  in Azores forum 

    Thanks for the info Robert, I will look into it.
    Are you still in Terceira? How do you find the place? We are visiting Pico, Horta and the main island in May, should we visit Terceira as well?

  • Robert Hahn

    posted by  in Azores forum 

    I forgot to mention that if you look on their webpage under the PARTNERS tab you'll find Tilar in the UK. Good luck.

  • Robert Hahn

    posted by  in Azores forum 

    I went into this process blind too. When my container arrived in Lisbon Sr. Coelho handled my shipping. He was very helpful. Also their webpage is in English too. Here's his information.
    José Miguel Coelho
    Alcotrans Agentes Transitarios Lda
    Bairro Campo da Bola – Albarraque
    2635 – 022 Rio de Mouro
    Telefone 21 9150911 Ext 1011
    Skype name: josemiguelalcotrans
    WWW.ALCOTRANS.PT

    N 38º 46`07.3”
    W 9º 20`47,7”

  • Dawn Wesolek

    posted by  in Azores forum 

    Hi Amy,
    I am finding the exact same issue and am trying to determine if it would be better to do a self drive to Lisboa or Porto and ship from there. Most of the Azorean's I know ship stuff over regularly from Lisbon and the price is pretty good.
    I had a quote from a company in brighton for 4-5K and they don't accept less than a container load I don't need 20m3. I am leaving bits here as going for a year initially.
    Maybe we can buddy up as we learn? Feel free to friend me!

    Dawn

  • Amy Neuman

    posted by  in Azores forum 

    Hi,
    Has anyone had any luck moving their household from the UK? I am struggling to find companies that even know where Azores is, let alone give me a quote. Could anyone help? Thanks in advance.

  • Robert Hahn

    posted by  in Azores forum 

    Mary,
    The whole process from when I contacted my shipper to when my goods arrived, took around 30 days. We had to provide a list to the Portuguese Consulate of the goods we were shipping in order to avoid import taxes. ( This takes awhile). Word of advise, if one of you is Portuguese, put that name on your shipment. The detailed list can be sent to the Consulate before the movers and packers arrive. A copy of this translated and certified document must accompany the shipment. Here's a list of what you're going to need.
    Documents Required
    Original Passport, stating place of residence abroad (and 1 certified copy)
    "Certificado de Bagagem" issued by the Portuguese Consulate at origin
    Detailed inventory in Portuguese ( A fee charged here by the Consulate)
    Copy of Visa
    Declaration as per EU regulations
    Original Bill of Lading (OBL) / Air Waybill (AWB)
    Residence Certificate (Atestado de Residencia)
    Photocopy of air ticket or declaration (must include details, date of arrival, etc.)
    Photocopy of work contract (if applicable)
    Proof of application for Residence Permit (My wife's a resident)
    Copy of Identity Card (Diplomats) N/A
    * Specific Information
    The Certificado de Bagagem must state that all the items are used and have been in the
    client`s possession for more than 6 months (do not show values).
    Residence Certificate (Atestado de Residencia) can be obtained by the transferee and issued
    by the Junta de Freguesia in which transferee’s residence in Portugal is situated; it must state
    that he/she has been residing there for less than 1 year and include the exact date of arrival
    in Portugal, if possible. (Cost me 2 Euro)
    If shipper is not a citizen of the origin country, proof of residency for a period of at least 12
    months is required (photocopy of Identity Card, certificate issued by the Portuguese
    Consulate or Employment Contract from the origin country, etc.).
    Portuguese nationals are not required to provide proof of application for a Residence Permit.
    Transferees must be present for Customs clearance and must provide an exact date of arrival
    in Portugal.
    Although normal goods are duty free, Custom´s broker fees are generally required and are
    based ad valorem.
    Port handling charges and warehouse fees may be included in Custom’s broker fees but can
    be expensive; estimates should be requested from agent prior to import.

    PS. We still had to pay the shipping company in the Azores for storing our 40ft container for 2 days and pay a fee for customs to process our paperwork. And yes we did all the required paperwork.
    Contact me and I can send you a copy of the Consulate document in Word format.
    Hope this helps.

  • Go to Mary T's profile

    posted by  in Azores forum 

    Robert,

    Thanks for the information. How long did this whole process take? We are planning to move from NY to Pico in the next few months.

    Mary

  • Go to Nadia B's profile

    posted by  in Azores forum 

    Hi Robert!

    That's great! thank you so much for the detailed and valuable reply! The information you posted are very very useful and they will definitely help me!

    thanks again!

  • Robert Hahn

    posted by  in Azores forum 

    Hello,
    I shipped my household goods from Missouri, USA to the Azores. I contacted an International Van Lines which is a shipping company in Florida to handle my shipment. A local company was hired to pack and load the 40ft. container. My goods were transported by semi-truck to a Kansas City and loaded on a freight train and set to Norfolk, VA. It was then loaded on a container ship and ended up in Lisbon. Here's a great web site to track most any ship. http://www.vesselfinder.com/ Once in Lisbon the container was to be inspected by customs and then it was sent to Terceira.

    Portuguese in the US returning to the Azores have special entitlements when moving back to live in the Azores. I found that the US consulate and the Portuguese government were not in agreement with these entitlements. One mistake I made was to put the shipment in my name.
    http://www.embassyportugal-us.org/Embassy_of_Portugal/Genera
    l_Info_4_Prospective_Residents.html

    A few things I learned along the way: shipping a container is very expensive but worth it because most items on a island are expensive. Ask your shipper about ALL cost that are not included in your contract. Example, I had to pay customs for Lisbon and Terceira which were not on my shipping contract.
    Make sure you have a detailed packing list of the items in the container. Equipment and electronics must have Model & serial numbers. Obtain insurance because ships have lost containers due to rough seas.
    Once my container arrived in Terceira it had to be unloaded and trucked to my house because the container could not navigate the narrow local streets. Be aware that the local receiving company may change you a storage fee (demurrages) if the container sits on the property while you arrange for shipping and unloading.
    Be aware of items that are not permitted to be shipped. For example fire arms, plants, flammables.

    Company that handled my shipment in the USA http://internationalvanlines.com/
    This is the company that handled my shipment in Lisbon http://www.alcotrans.pt/
    Our local agent in the Azores was Soltrans, Mr Henrique Cardoso

    I hope this helps you and others that read this post.

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