Packed for the journey, and for the paperwork

Why domestic packing is not enough

On a move across town, a blanket and a bit of tape will get a sofa there. On a move to Norway the same sofa is on a vehicle for days, travelling over motorway, ferry or sailing, loaded and unloaded more times, in temperature and humidity that change substantially along the way.

So the standard rises. Upholstery is wrapped and sealed rather than blanketed. Voids in the load are filled, because a load with space in it is a load that shifts. Anything with a polished, veneered or glazed surface is protected against movement rather than just against knocks.

What gets crated

• Mirrors and glazed doors. Purpose-built crates, not mirror cartons, on a journey this length.
• Framed artwork. A proper case. Art is the thing people most regret under-protecting.
• Marble and stone tops. Crated and carried on edge. Flat is how stone cracks.
• Televisions and monitors. Original packaging where you kept it; a fitted crate where you did not.
• Anything genuinely valuable. Crated, and listed separately on the inventory so the cover matches the item.

The inventory is the point

This is what makes packing for Norway different from packing for anywhere domestic. Because Norway sits outside the EU customs union, your goods need a full import declaration — and that declaration is built from the inventory we produce while packing.

It has to be itemised properly and valued realistically. "Box of kitchen" is not a description anyone can reconcile against a container. A vague inventory is the single most common cause of a hold at the Norwegian end, and it is entirely avoidable by doing this part carefully in a UK living room weeks earlier.

You check and sign it, because it is your declaration. We build it, but we cannot attest to it on your behalf.

How much you do yourself

Full packing is the common choice on this route, and not because we push it — it is because the inventory requirement makes self-packing genuinely awkward. If you pack a box yourself and seal it, nobody can list its contents accurately afterwards without opening it again.

Part-packing works if it is organised: you handle clothes and books to an agreed list and leave boxes open for checking, we take the kitchen, glass, artwork and everything fragile. Materials-only is possible but it puts the inventory burden on you, and we would want to be clear about that before you choose it.

Things that cannot be packed at all

Nothing flammable, explosive or corrosive — gas bottles, paint, solvents, fuel. Nothing perishable. No plants or living creatures. Beyond the universal list, Norway restricts alcohol, tobacco, certain foodstuffs, animal products and firearms, and those sit outside the flyttegods relief with their own rules.

Ask before packing day. Something found in a sealed container at a Norwegian border is a far worse problem than something left in a UK hallway.