Moving from Italy or Europe to Tenerife

From an EU country your household goods pay no customs duty, but the Canaries are not part of the EU VAT area: on arrival you need a customs declaration and, without relief, IGIC. Here is how to avoid it and how we get your belongings to Tenerife.

Why a move from the EU goes through customs in the Canaries

Moving from Milan to Madrid involves no customs formalities. Moving from Milan to Tenerife does. The Canaries are in the EU customs territory, so your furniture and belongings pay no duty, but they are outside the EU VAT area: everything that arrives is declared and charged IGIC (standard rate 7 %) unless a relief applies.

According to ISTAC, Italians are the largest foreign community in the Canaries, with 55,553 residents in 2025. Many arrive with a household move, a car or both.

Transfer-of-residence relief in brief

If you move your habitual residence to the Canaries, your personal belongings can come in free of IGIC. Coming from another EU country, Canary Islands law requires you to have lived at your previous address for at least 185 days per calendar year. As a general rule, also:

the goods are for personal or household use and were bought with normal taxes paid in the country of origin;
they arrive within 12 months of your change of residence;
they are not commercial quantities;
vehicles have been used for at least 6 months and are not sold, lent or hired out for the following 12 months.

Full details in our guide to transfer-of-residence relief.

Your car with Italian or other EU plates

The process is the same as for a German car: customs declaration, IGIC (or relief), ITV inspection, registration tax and Spanish plates. On a transfer of residence, registration tax can be waived if you have lived outside Spain for at least 12 consecutive months and used the car for at least 6 months; in that case you must apply for registration within 60 days of starting to use it in Spain.

How we organise your move to Tenerife

Online quote: on WhatsApp or by phone, with origin, rough volume and date.
Documents: we prepare the inventory with you and check whether you meet the relief conditions.
Transport: by road to Huelva or Cádiz and ferry to Tenerife, or in a shipping container, depending on volume and origin.
Declaration and IGIC: on arrival we declare your move and claim the relief, or settle the IGIC if it does not apply.
Delivery in Tenerife: once everything is cleared, we coordinate delivery to your new home.

What we need from you

An inventory of your belongings, ideally with rough values.
Passport or ID card, and NIE if you already have one.
Your padrón certificate (empadronamiento) from your municipality in Tenerife.
Proof of your previous residence, such as deregistration from your home municipality (for Italians, AIRE registration).
Vehicle papers, if you are bringing a car.

Questions about moving from Europe

Is there really customs if I move from Italy to Tenerife?

Yes. There is no duty because these are EU goods, but the Canaries have their own tax, IGIC, and everything that arrives needs a declaration. With transfer-of-residence relief your personal belongings can come in without paying it.

I have a second home in Tenerife. Can I furnish it free of IGIC?

Canary Islands law provides a relief for the normal furniture of a second home, if you own it or rent it for at least 12 months. We can check with you whether your case fits.

What if I am moving from Switzerland or Norway?

Then third-country rules apply: a full import declaration, possible duties and, for the relief, at least 12 months of residence outside the EU.

Moving to Tenerife from Italy and the rest of Europe