Sea freight — Nhava Sheva to Southampton
Transit, port to port22 days
Typically suitsA full household, or the part of it that follows your flight.
International Moving from India to the UK
Moving your household from India to the UK? The paperwork comes before the sailing. Duty-free entry needs HMRC's relief, and you apply for it on one form before anything ships.
22 days · Sea to Southampton, port to port
What has to happen before a UK move ships?
One form, filed with HMRC. To bring your household goods in duty-free under Transfer of Residence relief, you apply with a ToR1 form, completed before your goods are shipped.
The form returns a unique reference number. The UK import declaration quotes it when your goods arrive.
Leaving India, a shipping bill goes to Indian customs before the container is loaded. The sailing from Nhava Sheva to Southampton then takes 22 days port to port.
So start the form before you fix a shipping date.
Transit times
How long is the sailing to Southampton?
This is the sea leg alone, quay to quay. Packing, export clearance in India, UK clearance and the drive to your new address all come on top of it.
The sea figure is a researched port-to-port estimate from Ocean Network Express's published schedule for its Indian Ocean Express (IOX) service, dated September 2026. It is not a door-to-door time. This table shows the sea leg only.
What decides your quote
What decides a quote for a move to the UK?
Five things decide it, and one of them is HMRC's relief. No price is published.
- 01
How much is going
The survey inventory lists every item going. Its size shapes the quote. - 02
Sole-use or shared container
A sole-use container sails when your goods are ready. A shared load waits until the container fills. - 03
Whether the relief applies
The relief needs, among other conditions, at least 12 consecutive months lived outside the UK before moving. It also excludes alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, commercial means of transport and non-portable trade instruments. - 04
Access at both ends
Lift bookings in India and street access at a UK address both shape the day. Ask each building early. - 05
Where in the UK it ends
Southampton is the port this page quotes. A home further from the south coast adds a longer road leg after clearance.
Customs
What paperwork does each end of the move need?
Two authorities, two lists. Indian customs governs what leaves India. HMRC governs what enters the UK, and whether the relief applies.
Leaving India — export
- Shipping bill — the export declaration CBIC requires before loading
- A packing list and the itemised inventory of every carton
- Passport and visa copies in the name the shipment travels under
Administered by Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) ↗
Arriving in the UK — import
- a ToR1 form, completed before your goods are shipped
- a list of items, passport photo page, proof of UK address and proof of non-UK address
- The bill of lading and the import declaration, quoting your ToR1 reference number
Administered by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) ↗
One code on the declaration
Once the relief is approved, the UK import declaration must carry customs procedure code 40 00 C01. Your unique reference number goes with it.
With the ToR1, HMRC also asks for vehicle details or animal health certificates where they apply.
Start the items list early. It goes to HMRC before anything ships.
How it works
What are the stages of a move to the UK?
Five stages, and the HMRC form comes before the sailing.
Survey and inventory
The survey lists every item going. HMRC's ToR1 asks for a list of items too, so the two are worth writing side by side.
The ToR1, before shipping
HMRC asks for a ToR1 form, completed before your goods are shipped. It returns the unique reference number the import declaration needs.
Packing and the shipping bill
Every carton is listed on the inventory. The shipping bill CBIC requires is lodged before the container is loaded at Nhava Sheva.
The sailing to Southampton
On ONE's Indian Ocean Express, the sea leg from Nhava Sheva to Southampton takes 22 days port to port.
Clearance and the road leg
The import declaration carries code 40 00 C01 and your reference number. Once the goods are released, they go by road from Southampton to your new address.
Where this move starts
Where in India does a UK move start?
The sailing this page quotes leaves from Nhava Sheva, on the west coast. Your city decides the road leg to it.
Mumbai and Nhava ShevaNhava Sheva, across the harbour from Mumbai, is the load port for the sailing this page quotes. A Mumbai home has the shortest road leg to the quay.
Delhi and the National Capital RegionDelhi is far inland. A Delhi home's goods travel overland to the west coast before the sea leg starts.
Bangalore and the southBangalore is inland too. A southern home is a long road leg from Nhava Sheva, the load port this page quotes.
What customers say
How did other IMove customers find their move?
We shifted from Bangalore to Auckland and our complete move was handled by Venissa from IMove Global Mobility LLP.There was a vessel delay due to port congestion in Hong Kong, but the team communicated well and managed everything smoothly. Still very happy with the service. Highly recommend their service for international relocation. Thank you Vanessia and I Move
Kumail Abbas Jung Mir · Household move · Bangalore → Auckland
Special mention of appreciation to Venissa for handling our shipment door to door from Bangalore to Chicago. Her crew had packed all the items very well and marked each item for identifying as it was a shared container. All the items were intact and without damage or scratch especially the Marble dinning tables, chairs, Diwan and the console. Venissa was tracking the shipment from port to port an updating us every step of the way. Her counterpart team in New Jersey also did a very good job of unloading, opening crates and assembling the furniture. Also they removed all the debris from our site. Overall we were very impressed with the service the Venissa - IMove had provided and will definitely recommend them to our friends and also to people who wish transport items from India. Well done IMove. Once again special thanks to Venissa.
Harish Manjunath · Household move · Bangalore → Chicago
I recently moved from Australia to India and IMOVE handled Indian customs and the experience was seamless. They delivered my shipment within the promised timeframe, and the process was straightforward from start to finish. Riju kept us informed every step of the way, providing regular updates, assisting with the paperwork, and ensuring everything went smoothly. Their professionalism and excellent communication made the move incredibly easy and stress-free. I highly recommend their services to anyone looking for reliable relocation services.
Anushree Chacko · Household move · Australia → India
Questions
What do people ask about moving to the UK?
Do I pay duty on household goods I bring to the UK?
Not if Transfer of Residence relief applies, because HMRC lets you ship household goods in duty-free under that relief when you apply with a ToR1 form, completed before your goods are shipped, and one condition is that you lived outside the UK for at least 12 consecutive months before moving.
Some goods stay outside the relief whoever you are. It excludes alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, commercial means of transport and non-portable trade instruments.
What can't I bring into the UK?
Goods the UK bans outright will be seized by customs, and GOV.UK names controlled drugs, offensive weapons, self-defence sprays, endangered species, rough diamonds, indecent material, most non-EU meat and dairy among them, while the relief also leaves licence rules in place for restricted goods such as firearms.
Keep anything on that list out of the container.
When do I fill in the ToR1 form?
Before anything ships, because HMRC asks you to apply for Transfer of Residence relief with a ToR1 form, completed before your goods are shipped, and the form gives you the unique reference number that the UK import declaration needs when your goods arrive.
The form asks for a list of items. So begin it once the survey inventory exists.
What does HMRC ask for with the ToR1?
HMRC asks for a list of items, passport photo page, proof of UK address and proof of non-UK address, plus vehicle details or animal health certificates if you are bringing a vehicle or an animal, so gather your passport and proof of both addresses before you start the application.
Write the items list first. HMRC asks for it before you begin the form.
What customs code goes on the UK import declaration?
Code 40 00 C01, because once HMRC approves Transfer of Residence relief for your move, the UK import declaration for your household goods must carry that customs procedure code, together with the unique reference number that your ToR1 application produced before the goods were shipped.
Whoever files the declaration needs both to hand.
Is the sailing time the same as the time to my door?
No, because on Ocean Network Express's published Indian Ocean Express schedule the sea leg from Nhava Sheva to Southampton takes 22 days port to port, which counts the vessel alone and leaves out packing, export clearance in India, UK clearance and the road leg to your door.
This page quotes no door-to-door time.
Other routes
Moving from India to somewhere else?
These lanes start in India too. Each has its own sea leg and its own rules at the far end.
Get a quote planned around your ToR1.
Tell us what is moving and roughly when. We reply to every enquiry within 2 hours.
If your ToR1 is not in yet, say so. HMRC wants it before the goods ship, so it sets the earliest sailing.
Your shipment travels with all-risk marine cover at declared replacement value, included as standard.