Removals to the Basque Country
Bilbao and San Sebastián

What is it like moving to the Basque Country?

A UK to Basque Country removal can go by road through western France and Irún, or by ferry to Bilbao or Santander. Either way the goods are declared to Spanish customs under the change-of-residence relief, and deliveries in Bilbao, San Sebastián and Vitoria are planned around hilly streets and older buildings.

The Basque Country is the destination where direct UK→Spain ferries really matter. Portsmouth → Bilbao is a regular Brittany Ferries crossing that lands directly in the Basque Country, eliminating the long France overland leg. For Basque Country full-house moves, the Portsmouth-Bilbao ferry is almost always our route of choice.

Bilbao itself is a substantially-modernised industrial-and-cultural city — the Guggenheim Museum (1997) catalysed regeneration. UK households move to Bilbao for corporate roles in Spanish banking, industrial-services, and the established Bilbao tech scene. The city centre (Casco Viejo / Old Quarter) is listed and pedestrian-restricted; the Abando and Indautxu modern districts have standard access; the riverside Abandoibarra (around the Guggenheim) is high-end residential.

San Sebastián / Donostia (Donostia is the Basque name) is the smaller but more famously beautiful Basque city — the Concha Bay setting, the surfing culture, the world-renowned restaurant scene. The British community in San Sebastián tends toward lifestyle and food-and-wine relocations.

The wider Basque Country extends through Vitoria-Gasteiz (the regional capital, smaller than Bilbao), the Basque coast (Getaria, Hondarribia, Zarautz), and the inland Álava region. Basque-language paperwork (euskera) is a consideration — many local documents are bilingual euskera/Castilian or default to euskera; Spanish-government paperwork remains in Castilian.

The Portsmouth sailing docks at Santurtzi, Bilbao's outer port, so the load is in the city soon after it comes off the ship. Getting it to the door takes more thought. Bilbao is built up the sides of a valley, and neighbourhoods such as Begoña and Solokoetxe are linked to the centre by public lifts and long flights of steps, with streets that are steep for a loaded vehicle. The Casco Viejo is closed to traffic by bollards outside its loading hours, and San Sebastián's Parte Vieja is much the same. Both cities have introduced low-emission zones, and we check each zone's rules for foreign-registered vehicles before a delivery is booked.

Which Spanish paperwork applies
in the Basque Country?

• Oficina de Extranjería de Bilbao (Vizcaya): for Bilbao and Vizcaya province.
• Oficina de Extranjería de San Sebastián (Gipuzkoa): for San Sebastián and Gipuzkoa province.
• Subdelegación del Gobierno en Vitoria (Álava): for Vitoria and Álava province.
• Udalak (Basque word for ayuntamiento): for padrón.

Routes to the Basque Country
from your UK origin

Common questions
about moves to the Basque Country

• Do you use the Portsmouth-Bilbao ferry for Basque Country?

  Yes — almost always. Direct UK→Bilbao ferry lands the load in the Basque Country, eliminating the France overland leg.

• Is euskera (Basque language) a paperwork problem?
• Can you handle a Bilbao Casco Viejo apartment load?
• Are San Sebastián and Donostia the same destination?

Official sources for a move to the Basque Country

Rules and appointment systems change. Check these before you rely on anything above; your coordinator works from the same pages.

• GOV.UK: Living in Spain
• Agencia Tributaria: relief on household goods when you move your residence
• Spanish Consulate in London: NIE
• Cita previa for immigration appointments (extranjería)
• Basque Government (Euskadi)

Further reading

The detail behind this route, written for Spain moves specifically.

• Bringing your car from UK to Spain Vehicle import rules — registration, ITV, matriculación
• Best time of year to move to Spain Seasonal considerations for UK→Spain moves
• Healthcare in Spain for UK movers SNS, S1, private cover — the Spanish healthcare system