Malta - British Expat Forum

Can anyone help how long container take to clear customs and released to removal company just finalising dates in july thanks

Unless they suspect you of drug running, or are unlucky to be picked for a random search, it should be a matter of hours as you are intra-EU.

Thanks again Mark

you can pay 25 euros and have your goods express cleared, but there isn't an absolute time for a container to 'clear customs' as it were. It can be 20 minutes after unloading, if customs feel so inclined and your container is over another container with an important consignment, such as manchester united replica football kit (bleughhh) or penthouse magazine (double bleughhh) ... but by the same token, it could take a couple of days. I only know this because the poor fella in charge of my own container explained it to me after I phoned him for the 93rd time... lol

Oh, anddd... if your container is over manifesto weight, they will probably open it, so it's better to over-estimate the weight than under-estimate. They automatically assume you are sneaking a motorcycle or car in.
How anyone can estimate the weight of their home contents is beyond me, I just phoned the bloke shipping mine and said.. guess for me.

So if its a penthouse model wearing a man u scarf, astride a motorbike, and reading the Tory manifesto ( ) - does that mean it will take minutes or days......

If she's wearing a Man U scarf, why bother letting her in at all

I don't care how long our container takes to clear cutoms (within reason) just so long as it turns up at our door!

Hey what's wrong with Man. U. , Our first container was strip searched for a day because my wife had written on the inventory a "paper rack", we were called in as they couldn't fathom out why it was actually made of wood and thought we were up to something.

LOL! Language misunderstandings can be amusing. We had someone asking about the possibility of building dog kennels in Bulgaria. A well-intentioned Bulgarian person replied that it didn't seem like a good business idea because most people would just make their own kennel or get a carpenter to do it for them. 8)

How cute is that ? lol. No need in to ask that question in Malta either, the dogs here are clever and butch enough to build their own kennels.

What's the chances of customs wanting to stop/check my trailer coming off the ferry??
Will just be full of our 'personal use' items, so would they even bother with it??

Depends if theres anything the customs guys needs at home that they can confiscate of you claiming its contraband !

Only have a couple of kids I'll be looking rid of after a week stuck together in the car

The crate of Bushmills whiskey will be so well hidden, even I might not find it

Malta was no problem for me but i did get car searched and passport checked at Dover customs on the way out. The only other hitch was a 1.70 euro charge to a visa credit card was needed to pass one automated gate which i wasn't in possesion of, i did eventually manage to get them to manually accept a visa connect bank card. Have a good trip.

Thanks mate,
It will be a brave customs officer trying to search the trailer.
Everything is packed so tight a flea couldn't fit between the boxes

If you move some personal stuff (bicycles, cupboard, some chairs, computer,..) with a minivan, what do you need to do when you come from let's say virtu ferries in Valletta? Can you just disembark from the boat and drive to your place or do you need to pay something to customs? Do you need to make contact with customs once you arrive?

And are there any restrictions from personal stuff you need to declare to customs. In our case we should come from an other EU country? Or can you just take your belongings and drive it to your new place in Malta?