However, it will depend on your exact location, your budget, the sort of palletised goods you want to ship and where in Portugal your customer happens to be as what will be the most effective method. Usually, obtaining expert advice from a professional freight forwarding firm is a good move since they should be able to offer you the best option given your particular circumstances.


In the meantime, what do you need to know about sending a pallet to Portugal?


Express Delivery Services


One of the best ways to get an urgent shipment on a pallet to Portugal from the UK isn't with air cargo as you might have imagined. All shipments from the UK to Portuguese airports still need to be passed by UK officials as well as EU customs officers. In addition, ground handling crews can sometimes be slow to unload palletised goods even if they arrive on time. Onward transit also needs to be arranged from Portugal's major air hubs in Lisbon, Porto, and Faro which can add to the expected lead time.

Instead, booking a door-to-door pallet delivery service from the UK to Portugal often makes more sense. Vans that can carry one or two pallets and be driven by a team of two, not one, drivers can make their way just as quickly – or near to it – than air freight with added security. What's more, express courier services for pallets to Portugal cost much less than air freight services. Typically, vans are despatched from Folkestone or Dover and make their way via France and Spain to the Portuguese border via Valladolid and the fast-moving E-80 trunk route.


Groupage Shipments


If you would like to send a pallet to Portugal as cost-effectively as possible, then a groupage shipment is ideal. Typically, your pallet(s) will be readied with others going to similar destinations in Portugal and loaded onto a lorry. Although it is possible to use a cross-channel service for groupage shipments, drivers tend to depart from Portsmouth or Plymouth for a more direct crossing via the Bay of Biscay to northern Spain. The onward journey is then shorter, uses less fuel, and allows the lone driver to take a break from the wheel, something that is mandatory for long-distance deliveries.


Combined Customs Clearances

The same paperwork preparation is needed nowadays whether you opt for air freight, groupage or an express courier service. That's why, according to Barrington Freight, an established British-based logistical operator, it is best to combine freight forwarding with customs clearance expertise. This way, your express pallet delivery won't be held up at the border either in the UK or as it enters the EU's customs union. Many British exporters don't have the technical skills required to complete international freight declarations right the first time. If your firm doesn't, then why leave it to chance? Retain the services of a customs clearance agent instead.