Shipping Company from UAE to Italy +971557643821: Furniture, Equipment and Commercial Goods to Milan, Rome and Every City

Looking for a shipping company from UAE to Italy that collects your commercial goods, household furniture or equipment from your warehouse or flat and delivers it to Milan, Rome, Turin, Naples or any Italian city? Al Basmah International Shipping collects from all seven emirates and Al Ain, ships by sea in a full or shared container to Genoa, La Spezia and Gioia Tauro, or by air to Milan Malpensa and Rome Fiumicino for urgent cargo. Sea is the only realistic route for volume: there is no practical road route from the UAE to Italy, and air is for parcels, samples and light items.

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Two things make Italy different. First, it is inside the European Union, so commercial cargo needs an EU customs registration number (EORI) and pays Italian import VAT, while used furniture is usually relieved only when its owner is genuinely moving their residence. Second, Italy’s old cities have their own logic: narrow streets, restricted traffic zones in historic centres, and buildings where the truck comes in through a courtyard gate, or cannot come in at all. This guide covers both routes, the paperwork, what decides the price and how to prepare the shipment so it clears without surprises.

What we ship from the UAE to Italy

We ship anything that can leave a home, office or warehouse in the UAE and be imported legally into Italy. Most requests on this lane come from three groups: traders sending goods or equipment to a partner or branch in northern Italy, families or individuals moving a full household because they are relocating there, and people sending boxes and personal effects to a son or daughter studying in Milan, Bologna or Rome.

• Commercial goods: textiles, building and finishing materials, spare parts, appliances, packaged products, palletised or boxed cargo.
• Equipment and machinery: commercial kitchen equipment, workshop machines, restaurant and café equipment, office equipment, with heavy pieces secured inside the container.
• Household furniture: bedrooms, sofas, dining tables, wardrobes, dismantled kitchens, rugs, paintings and mirrors.
• Personal effects: clothes, books, kitchenware, small appliances, student boxes.
• Cars: once eligibility for import and registration in Italy is confirmed, by container or RoRo vessel.

Collection from every emirate

We collect from any emirate and from Al Ain and set the time on WhatsApp. Commercial cargo is usually collected from a warehouse or free zone and furniture straight from the home. Either way, send us the location and photos of the items and we arrange the right truck or container.

The sea route to Italy: full or shared container

Shipping to Italy is mostly by sea. The container leaves Jebel Ali, Khalifa Port, Sharjah/Khor Fakkan or Fujairah, arrives at the Italian port nearest your city, is cleared through customs and trucked to the address. There is no road route from the UAE to Italy you can rely on for cargo or furniture, so anything beyond a box or two goes by sea.

The choice of port changes a lot. Industrial northern Italy, Milan, Turin, Brescia and Bergamo, is normally served through Genoa or La Spezia, both a short drive from Lombardy and Piedmont. Gioia Tauro in the south is a large transshipment hub where big ships call and containers are moved onto other services; it suits Calabria and sometimes Sicily. Naples and Salerno serve the south, while Rome itself is often reached through Civitavecchia, Naples or Livorno and then by truck. Trieste and Venice suit the north-east. We pick the port once we know the delivery city and the type of cargo.

• Full container (FCL): a 20 ft, 40 ft or 40 ft high-cube container loaded at your door, sealed and opened only for customs inspection. Right for a whole home or cargo that fills, or nearly fills, the box.
• Shared container (LCL): priced per cubic metre and consolidated with other shipments, then unloaded at a consolidation warehouse in Italy. Good for medium volumes but it takes longer.
• 40 ft high-cube: best for light, bulky furniture; the extra height takes sofas and tall wardrobes.

Approximate transit table

These times are approximate and depend on the shipping line, whether the voyage is direct or transshipped, and port congestion. Add, as a rule, 3 to 7 days for customs clearance, then the inland leg to your city.

Air freight from the UAE to Italy

Air is the answer when time matters more than cost: product samples a buyer in Milan is waiting for, a spare part for a stopped machine, original documents, or a box for a student who arrived before the furniture. Cargo leaves Dubai International, Al Maktoum, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah and usually lands at Milan Malpensa, Italy’s largest cargo airport, or Rome Fiumicino, sometimes Bologna or Venice depending on the flight. Door to door usually takes 3 to 7 days including clearance.

• Priced on actual or volumetric weight, whichever is higher; volumetric weight = length × width × height in cm ÷ 6000.
• A 60 × 50 × 50 cm box counts as 25 kg even if it weighs 9 kg, so we keep empty space in the packing to a minimum.
• Lithium batteries, liquids, perfumes and aerosols are restricted on air cargo and we check them before booking.
• Furniture and large items do not suit air; the cost climbs far above sea.
• Commercial cargo by air needs the same papers as by sea: invoice, packing list and the importer’s EORI.

Packing for the voyage and the Italian climate

The container crosses hot seas and then arrives in a country with cold, damp winters in the north and hot summers in the south. That swing causes condensation inside the box, which leaves marks on wood and a smell on fabrics if packing is weak. We use several layers: fabric blankets for wood, bubble wrap for glass and glossy surfaces, corrugated board on corners, moisture absorbers in the container, and we never wrap solid wood straight in plastic, which traps damp.

• Furniture: beds, tables and wardrobes dismantled, parts and screws bagged and labelled by piece.
• Commercial goods: loaded on heat-treated pallets stamped to ISPM 15, the standard required for wood entering the EU, stretch-wrapped with corner guards.
• Equipment: machines strapped and braced with timber inside the container, oils and fuel drained.
• Valuables: custom wooden crates for marble, antiques and large mirrors.

Documents for shipping to Italy

The papers depend on the type of shipment. What follows is what usually applies; our team reviews each case before shipping, because Italian customs has the final say on relief and classification.

Furniture and effects of people moving residence to Italy

Relief from duty and VAT on used belongings is tied to transferring your normal residence, not simply owning a property or spending holidays there. The usual conditions: at least 12 consecutive months living outside the EU, the goods owned and used by you for at least 6 months before the move, arrival and clearance within 12 months of registering your residence in Italy, and no sale or rental of the goods for 12 months after entry.

• Passport copy and visa page.
• Italian residence permit (Permesso di soggiorno) or its application receipt, and your residence registration with the comune.
• Italian tax code (Codice fiscale).
• Proof of 12 months’ residence in the UAE, such as a tenancy contract, employment letter or utility bills.
• A detailed, numbered inventory, preferably in Italian or translated, with a declaration of ownership and use.
• A power of attorney for the customs broker in Italy if requested.

If the conditions are not met, for example furniture for a holiday home without a change of residence, duty and Italian VAT are usually payable on the value. We estimate that before shipping so you can decide.

Commercial goods and equipment

Detail matters more here. The importer in Italy needs an EORI number, the EU customs registration issued to every business or person importing into the EU; for Italian companies it is usually linked to their VAT number (Partita IVA). Italian import VAT is 22% on most goods, with reduced rates for some categories, calculated on the value of the goods plus freight and duty. Duty itself follows the EU common customs tariff according to the commodity code.

• A clear commercial invoice with value, currency and an exact description.
• A packing list with number of packages, weights and dimensions.
• The HS tariff code for each item.
• A certificate of origin where required or useful for a particular duty rate.
• The importer’s EORI and VAT numbers in Italy.
• EU conformity certificates for certain products, such as electrical appliances, toys and food-contact materials.

Cars

Importing a car into Italy goes through customs and then registration and technical compliance; some cars built to GCC specifications may need modifications or EU conformity papers before they can be registered. People moving residence may benefit from relief if the car has been registered in their name and used for at least 6 months before the move; otherwise duty and VAT apply. That is why we book a car only after the team confirms it is eligible. It travels by RoRo, driven aboard, or inside a fully secured container.

Prohibited and restricted items for Italy

• Meat and dairy products from outside the EU are banned in personal shipments.
• Plants, seeds and soil need phytosanitary certificates; better not to ship them.
• Weapons, ammunition, fireworks, flammables and gas cylinders.
• Counterfeit goods carrying fake brands, which are normally seized.
• Alcohol and tobacco, which are outside personal-effects relief.
• Products of protected species such as ivory, some leathers and coral.
• Medicines beyond personal-use quantities.

Prices for shipping from the UAE to Italy

We do not publish a fixed price because every Italy shipment differs in volume, arrival port and delivery conditions. Send the details on WhatsApp and you will receive the price: type of shipment, approximate volume or item list, collection point in the UAE, the Italian city, and whether you need packing, clearance or delivery to the door. You can also fill in the quote request form.

What decides the price

How to ship from the UAE to Italy, step by step

1. Send on WhatsApp the type of shipment, photos or a list of items, the emirate and the Italian city.
2. The team picks the best method, full container, shared or air, and the port or airport, and sends the price.
3. We go through the papers with you: the relief file if you are moving residence, the invoice and EORI for traders, or the car’s eligibility.
4. The packing crew arrives on time, dismantles, wraps and labels, then the container is loaded at the door or the goods go to the consolidation warehouse.
5. The shipment is exported from the port or airport, and the team sends you updates on WhatsApp at every stage.
6. On arrival, customs clearance at the Italian port, then trucking to the address, unloading and reassembly if requested.

Delivery in Italy: old cities, courtyards and restricted zones

Many surprises on Italy moves happen in the last kilometre. The centres of Rome, Florence, Milan and Bologna have limited traffic zones (ZTL) that trucks cannot enter without a permit, and cameras record violations automatically. Older buildings are often reached through a large wooden gate onto an inner courtyard (cortile), and the gate’s height and width decide which truck fits. Many of these buildings have no lift, or one too small for a sofa.

• Send us a photo of the building entrance, the gate and the stairs, and the lift size if there is one.
• If the truck will stand in the street, some municipalities require a temporary public-space permit, requested days in advance.
• Upper floors with narrow stairs may need an external furniture lift through a window or balcony.
• The building manager (amministratore di condominio) may set moving hours, so ask in advance.
• In historic Venice delivery is by transport boat on the canals, a special arrangement priced separately.

If your cargo will be split across several European countries, see the guide to shipping from the UAE to Europe, or the guides for France, Switzerland and Germany if part of it is going there.

Tips before you ship to Italy

• Traders: get the Italian importer’s EORI and VAT number before loading, not after the container lands.
• Describe the goods precisely on the invoice; “assorted goods” delays clearance and can trigger an inspection.
• If you are moving residence, start registering with the comune early, because the relief is tied to that date.
• Do not put commercial goods inside a personal furniture shipment; it can cost the whole shipment its relief.
• Ask the team about optional insurance if the shipment is valuable.
• Keep original documents, jewellery and daily medicines with you, not in the container.

Frequently asked questions about shipping from the UAE to Italy

How long does a container take from the UAE to Italy?

Port to port usually about 14 to 24 days depending on the line and port, then 3 to 7 days for clearance and a day or more inland. Shared containers take longer because of consolidation and unloading.

Do I need an EORI number to import goods into Italy?

Yes. Every importer into the EU needs an EORI number for the customs declaration; Italian companies normally receive it with their VAT number. We check it before loading so the container does not stop at the port.

Do I pay tax on used furniture?

If you are moving your residence to Italy and meet the conditions on prior residence outside the EU and ownership of the goods, relief usually applies. Furniture for a holiday home or office is usually subject to duty and VAT. The team reviews your case before shipping.

Which port will my Milan shipment arrive at?

Usually Genoa or La Spezia, then by truck to Milan. Sometimes another port suits the line better, and we confirm it at booking.

Can furniture go to Italy by air?

Technically yes, but it rarely makes sense; volumetric pricing makes it very expensive. Air suits parcels, samples, documents and small urgent items.

Do you collect from Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Al Ain?

Yes, we collect from every emirate and Al Ain and move the container to the best port for the line.

Can I ship my car to Italy?

Yes, after the team confirms the car is eligible for import and registration in Italy. It goes by RoRo or in a container; GCC-spec cars may need EU conformity.

How will I know where my shipment is?

The team sends you updates on WhatsApp at every stage: loading, sailing, arrival, clearance and the delivery appointment.

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