Our international removals from Putney run on four routes. Each one starts at a SW15 front door and ends at a front door in France, Italy, Spain or Portugal. This page covers where each route goes, who tends to take it, and how the Putney end and the customs side work.
Each country has its own page, with the towns moves usually go to, the paperwork, and what to expect at the far end.
Paris · Provence · Côte d'Azur
Paris, Provence and the Riviera — the moves Putney makes
See the Putney to France route
Milan · the lakes · Florence and Rome
Milan, the lakes, Florence and Rome — considered Italian moves
See the Putney to Italy route
Madrid · Barcelona · the Balearics
Madrid, Barcelona, the Balearics — the moves Putney runs
See the Putney to Spain route
Lisbon · Cascais · Porto
Lisbon, Cascais and Porto — Putney's Portugal moves
See the Putney to Portugal route
Putney is the centre of gravity, but the corridor runs along the river and into the adjacent SW postcodes. SW15 — Putney, East Putney, Roehampton, Putney Heath, West Putney. SW18 — Wandsworth, Earlsfield, Southfields edge. SW13 — Barnes village, Castelnau, the towpath stock. SW6 — the Fulham edge facing Putney across the river. SW19 — the Wimbledon edge running south of Putney.
We know the housing here: Victorian and Edwardian mansion flats, Putney terraces, period houses in Barnes village, riverside flats by the Embankment. Most have stairs rather than lifts, the stairs are narrow, and parking is on-street, so the lorry needs a council suspension. We handle the suspensions and brief the crew on access from the survey. Street-by-street detail is on our Putney removals page.
Some Putney households have belongings in more than one place: a parent's house in Manchester or Birmingham, a storage unit in Leeds or Bristol, a flat in Edinburgh or Glasgow, or a second address elsewhere in London. Tell us at survey, and we will price an extra collection as part of the same move instead of a separate job.
Four patterns. Each with its own rhythm and its own destination shape.
Couples in their thirties — partnered, often with a baby or pre-school-age child — making the lifestyle move before the family geography settles into a school catchment. Provence, the Italian lakes, Cascais, Mallorca-interior. Considered timing, often hand-in-hand with one partner moving to partial-remote work.
The career-driven mid-life move. Paris, Milan, Madrid, Lisbon for the role; central-city destination property typically with the corporate side handling the housing and visa; our side runs the household.
Family with primary or early-secondary children making the move before secondary commitments lock in. The school admissions calendar is the gating constraint. Cascais (international school), Milan and Madrid (international schools), Paris and Lisbon (international or bilingual schools). Considered, paced, well-planned.
Late-career professional household making the move while one or both partners are still working — partially or fully remote, often with the destination property bought over years of holidaying and now becoming the primary address. Florence, Rome, the Italian lakes, the Côte d'Azur, the Portuguese coast, central Madrid.
Whether the move ends in Lisbon or Lyon, it starts on a Putney street. Most of the planning that keeps move day calm happens here.
Most Putney streets are Wandsworth Council permit zones. A lorry parked across residents' bays without a suspension gets a ticket, or gets moved. We apply to the council once your collection date is fixed, and the signs go up ahead of the day. If you live in a block with its own loading bay, we book that as well.
Putney Bridge, the High Street and Upper Richmond Road carry heavy traffic and buses through most of the day. Homes on those roads, or in flats above the shops near Putney station, are loaded from the nearest side street. The survey notes where the lorry will wait and how the carry to it will run.
A Victorian terrace near East Putney or a mansion flat on Putney Hill usually means narrow stairs and tight turns. Some large pieces have to be taken apart in Putney and rebuilt at the other end. We decide which ones at survey, not on the landing.
France, Italy and mainland Spain go by road, through Eurotunnel or on the Dover ferry. Portugal is by road or partly by sea, depending on the address. Mallorca and Menorca need a sea crossing for the last part. The same crew stays with the load on every route. We file the customs paperwork (the UK ToR1 and the import declaration abroad), and you provide the proof of residence.
These four countries are the only places we deliver to. If you are moving to Paris or Provence, Milan or Como, Madrid or Mallorca, Lisbon or Porto, start with the country page above. Then book a survey and we will put the whole plan in writing.
The country briefs link from here. A first conversation can also help if you are uncertain whether your move fits our specialism.