Removals to the Costa Brava
and the Empordà

What is it like moving to the Costa Brava?

Moving from the UK to the Costa Brava means one of the shorter road routes into Spain, entering through Catalonia. Coastal towns such as Lloret, Tossa, Begur and Cadaqués have tight streets and seasonal traffic limits, so delivery is planned around access, and the customs relief claim is filed before the goods arrive.

The Costa Brava is the rocky-coast counterpart to the Costa del Sol. Unlike the Andalusian coastal strip, Costa Brava is characterised by cove-and-cliff geography — small bays, dramatic rocky headlands, narrow coastal access roads. The British community here is smaller and more lifestyle-driven than retirement-driven; many UK households here started as second-home owners, and a growing number now live on the coast all year.

The destinations divide into the southern Costa Brava (Lloret de Mar, Tossa de Mar, Sant Feliu de Guíxols — more developed, mass-market resort character), the central Costa Brava (Begur, Pals, Calella de Palafrugell — high-end villas and listed medieval centres), and the northern Costa Brava (Roses, Cadaqués, Port de la Selva — up towards Cap de Creus and the Pyrenees, with the Salvador Dalí country in Cadaqués).

Inland from the coast, the Empordà (Alt Empordà and Baix Empordà) hosts a substantial UK community in restored masías (Catalan stone farmhouses), olive groves, and small medieval villages. The destination logistics are those of rural Catalonia: narrow village lanes, sometimes unsealed final stretches, ayuntamiento courtesy calls before move day for the more remote properties.

Girona is the regional centre for Costa Brava paperwork: the Subdelegación del Gobierno in Girona handles NIE and residence applications for the whole coast and the Empordà, booked through cita previa, while the padrón is handled by each town's own ajuntament.

Coastal access is the deciding factor here. Cadaqués is reached by a single winding road over the hills from Roses, which is hard going for a large vehicle, and old cores such as Tossa's Vila Vella, Pals and Begur are pedestrian or close to it. Several coastal towns restrict heavy vehicles in their centres during the summer season, so we check the local ordinance before booking a delivery date. The Costa Brava's one logistical advantage is that it sits close to the La Jonquera crossing from France, which keeps the Spanish leg of the drive short.

This page covers the coastal towns and the Empordà countryside. If you are moving to Girona city, Barcelona or its metropolitan area, Tarragona or Lleida, see our Barcelona and Catalonia removals page, which covers city low-emission rules, superilles and comunitat requirements.

Which Spanish paperwork applies
in the Costa Brava?

• Subdelegación del Gobierno en Girona: for Costa Brava NIE / residencia / TIE.
• Ayuntaments de Lloret / Tossa / Begur / Cadaqués / Roses: each handles its own padrón.
• Hacienda Girona: for tax residency.

Routes to the Costa Brava
from your UK origin

Common questions
about moves to the Costa Brava

• Can you reach a Cadaqués cala property?

  Often only as far as the village outskirts. Cadaqués's narrow whitewashed streets and steep cala access roads require smaller-vehicle transfer for the final stretch.

• What is delivering to an Empordà masía like?
• Do you cover Empordà inland from Costa Brava?

Official sources for a move to the Costa Brava

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)
• Generalitat de Catalunya

Further reading

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

• Customs declarations UK to Spain The UK export declaration and the Spanish transfer-of-residence relief, explained
• Cost of moving UK to Spain What shapes the figure — and what to budget for beyond the move
• Finding a rental property in Spain How the Spanish rental market works — for UK movers