Relocation to Germany from Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Moving from Dubai to Germany, door to door

Planning a relocation to Germany from Dubai or Abu Dhabi? We survey and pack your home in the UAE, prepare the German customs declaration, ship your goods and have them delivered and unpacked at your new address, with one coordinator from the first visit to the last box.

Seemleius Mobility and Cargo L.L.C is based in Dubai Investment Park. Our crews pack in the UAE, and our destination partner clears customs, delivers and unpacks in Germany.

Moving services to Germany: what's included

Our Germany relocation services come as one fixed, itemised quote. For a full home that means:

• A free in-home or video survey anywhere in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah.
• Export packing by trained crews, crates for fragile items and art, and furniture dismantling and reassembly.
• Form 0350 and the inventory for German customs, prepared in Dubai, plus the export documents.
• Sea freight in a full or shared container, depending on volume, and air freight for the essentials you need first.
• Customs clearance in Germany through our destination partner.
• Delivery, placement room by room and unpacking.
• Transit insurance available (terms confirmed with your quote).
• Storage in Dubai, short or long term, if your dates don't line up.

Customs rules for removals to Germany

For household removals, Germany's customs rules are generous. Your household effects, a private vehicle, household provisions and pets can come in free of customs duty and import VAT as Übersiedlungsgut – goods moved with a change of residence – if these conditions are met:

• Residence abroad: at least 12 months of normal residence outside the EU. A shorter stay can be accepted if you can show you intended to stay 12 months or more, for example with an employment contract.
• Ownership and use: the goods belong to you and have been in use for at least 6 months in the country you are leaving, shown by invoices or purchase contracts, and you keep using them the same way.
• New residence: you take up residence in Germany, even temporarily – otherwise a German customs office cannot clear the goods.
• Cars: you can prove the car was registered in your name in the country you are leaving.
• Quantities: there is no numerical limit, but the goods must not look commercial.

The declaration is made in writing on Form 0350, "Zollanmeldung für Übersiedlungsgut", in principle when the goods are imported. Duty-free clearance is only possible within 12 months of moving your residence to Germany – counted from your move, not from the ship's arrival. Goods can also come in before you move if you undertake to take up residence within 6 months and provide a security.

There is no online procedure, but you don't have to appear in person: supporting documents can go to the customs office as scans by email or De-Mail, and the declaration itself is free. Proof of the move can be, for example, a deregistration certificate from abroad showing how long you lived there, a German registration certificate or rental contract, invoices or an employment contract. For a vehicle you need proof of its registration abroad, and for weapons a Waffenbesitzkarte.

Import VAT (Einfuhrumsatzsteuer) is waived, but excise duties are not. Not covered: alcohol, tobacco, commercial vehicles, and business items other than portable instruments. Weapons and ammunition, protected species and items made from them, medicines under narcotics law (a doctor's certificate is needed), cultural goods, food, counterfeit goods and rough diamonds (Kimberley certificate) are restricted; unapproved fireworks and certain dangerous dog breeds are banned, and listed plants need a phytosanitary certificate.

For 12 months after clearance, the goods cannot be lent, pledged, rented, sold or given away, and if you move house in that time you must tell the supervising customs office in advance – otherwise the duties become payable.

Who does what: we prepare Form 0350 and the inventory in Dubai, and our destination partner handles clearance in Germany. You sign the form and supply the proofs, plus the vehicle papers if a car is coming.

Routes and transit times to Germany

Since 28 February 2026 the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed to commercial shipping, so UAE containers now go by road to a port outside the strait, such as Khor Fakkan or Fujairah on the east coast or Sohar in Oman, and sail from there.

The German arrival port is confirmed at booking; the country's largest sea ports are Hamburg and Bremerhaven, first and second by cargo handled in 2025. Schedules are longer and less predictable than before 2026. As a guide, CMA CGM's September 2026 schedule starts at Duqm in Oman and shows 43 days – just over six weeks – from there to Hamburg, port to port; the road and feeder legs from the UAE, customs clearance and delivery come on top.

We confirm the routing and expected dates at your survey and again at booking, so treat any figure as typical, not a promise. Essentials you need straight away can travel by air.

How your move to Germany runs

Seven steps, with one coordinator throughout:

• Survey: a coordinator walks through your home in Dubai or Abu Dhabi with you and notes what goes, what stays and what needs crating.
• Fixed quote: an itemised quote covering the volume, the shipping option and the services at both ends.
• Paperwork: we draw up Form 0350 and the inventory; you gather the proofs of residence.
• Packing day: trained crews pack, crate fragile pieces and art, dismantle furniture and load.
• Departure: the container goes by road to the departure port and sails, and your coordinator keeps you updated.
• Arrival and clearance: our destination partner clears the goods and agrees the delivery date with you.
• Delivery: furniture is placed and reassembled, and your boxes are unpacked.

Where we deliver in Germany

Delivery covers the whole country, so whether you need a moving company for Munich, Berlin, Hamburg or a small town in between, one coordinator looks after you from the survey in the UAE to unpacking at the new address. Among the cities we deliver to:

• Munich, Augsburg and the rest of Bavaria
• Frankfurt, Wiesbaden and Mainz
• Berlin and Potsdam
• Hamburg and Bremen
• Düsseldorf, Cologne and Bonn
• Stuttgart and the rest of Baden-Württemberg

At the survey, tell us about the new address – floor, lift, stairs and where a lorry can park – so the destination partner can plan the delivery day.

Pets and cars

Pets and vehicles move as separate services. A private car can be part of Übersiedlungsgut if it meets the conditions above – commercial vehicles are excluded – and certain dangerous dog breeds cannot be brought in, so check your dog's breed early. More on pet relocation and vehicle shipping.

Storage in Dubai

If your dates don't line up, we keep your goods in storage in Dubai, short or long term, and ship when the German home is ready. Plan the shipment inside the 12 months after you move your residence, the window for duty-free clearance.

Book your free in-home survey

The survey is 100% free and there is no obligation. A coordinator visits your home in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, sees every room, asks about access at the German address and answers your customs questions; your fixed, itemised quote follows.

Choosing a relocation company for Germany? Ask who prepares Form 0350, who presents it to customs, and which proofs you will need.

Book through the quote form on this page or on our quote page, or call or WhatsApp +971 56 899 2011.