Transport to England from Poland runs in five steps: quote and booking, documents with export clearance in the EU, loading (groupage from just 1 pallet or a full vehicle), the Channel crossing with import clearance in the United Kingdom, and delivery to the given address. The whole process usually takes a few working days, depending on the chosen service.
Step 1: quote and booking
You provide the route (collection place in Poland and delivery in England), the number of pallets, dimensions and weights, and the expected date. Based on that we propose a service: LTL groupage, a dedicated van or FTL: and book space on the vehicle. Read more about regular departures in groupage LTL to the UK: regular departures.
Step 2: documents and export clearance
After Brexit every shipment to England is an export. You need a commercial invoice and a packing list, plus EORI numbers: an EU one on the sender side and a British one on the importer side. We arrange EU export clearance as part of the order: the goods receive the export confirmation before the border. The full set of formalities is described in the customs clearance hub.
Step 3: loading and consolidation
Full vehicles are loaded directly at the sender. Groupage from 1 pallet is consolidated at our bases in Kielce and Legnica: the pallet waits there for the next scheduled departure to the UK together with other consignments. A small shipment therefore travels at the price of part of a vehicle, not the whole one.
Step 4: the crossing and GB import clearance
As standard we use the Dunkirk-Dover ferry crossing. Before boarding, the consignment needs an ENS safety declaration and a GMR number in the GVMS system, which the driver presents at the terminal. On the British side the import clearance is completed: we describe how it works in GB import clearance.
Step 5: delivery in England
After clearance the goods go straight to the delivery address, or via our Milton Keynes warehouse when the consignee requires booking-in, a timed delivery window or distribution to several addresses. Our team keeps you updated on the shipment status throughout.
How long transport to England takes
- A dedicated van or express: the fastest option, driving without transhipment.
- LTL groupage: per the consolidation departure schedule, usually a few working days from loading to delivery.
- FTL: a whole vehicle on one route, with dates set per order.
Customs and the situation at the crossing also affect the time, so we give the exact plan at booking and prepare the documents before departure, not at the border. The full description of the destination is on the transport to the United Kingdom page.
Groupage or a full load: where the line runs
The threshold looks like this: once the load starts taking up roughly a third of a trailer, that is around twelve pallets, it is worth pricing both options. Below that level groupage almost always comes out cheaper, because you pay for space rather than for a vehicle. Above it something other than price starts to matter: a full vehicle runs without transhipment and without waiting for a set to be completed, so the date is predictable to the day. In groupage the pallet waits at the hub for the next scheduled line departure, and on delivery in the UK there is usually a cross-dock at Milton Keynes: two transhipments in total. That is not a flaw, it is a feature of the model worth knowing when you plan fragile or very urgent goods.
Can you handle the clearance yourself
Formally you can: nothing stops a consignor or an importer from lodging declarations in their own name. In practice almost nobody does it, because you need access to the systems on both sides, you need to know how the fields are filled in, and you need to be reachable the moment the authority asks a question while the truck stands at the terminal. That is why we organise and manage the clearance on both sides within the order, together with the customs agencies we work with permanently. You supply the data and the commercial documents, we take the rest.
Want to ship goods to England: from a single pallet to a full vehicle? Write to us: send the route, dimensions and date, and we will reply with a quote and a transport plan.
