Storage during a move is a paid pause between loading and delivery: your furniture and boxes wait in a mover’s warehouse or a self-storage unit until the new home can take them. On an international move you need it when the dates at the two ends do not line up, when you start in temporary housing, when a company posts you abroad for a fixed term, or when you move in stages.
When do you need storage during an international move?
Storage during an international move earns its place whenever the day your goods leave and the day they can be delivered are not the same day. Crown Relocations lists the usual triggers: a lease or sale that ends before the new home is available, renovation at the destination, temporary accommodation, downsizing, and staged moves where part of the household follows months later.
Around the Netherlands, three cases come up most. The expat who lands in Amsterdam, Eindhoven or Utrecht and takes a furnished short-stay apartment while house hunting. The family whose Dutch rental contract ends on the last day of the month while the house abroad is handed over three weeks later. And the company assignment of one or two years, where part of the furniture stays behind rather than shipping twice. Decide at the planning stage: storage sits on the three-month line of the international moving checklist.
Should you store your goods in the Netherlands or at the destination?
Store where the gap is. SDC International Shipping draws the line as origin storage versus destination storage: origin storage when your Dutch home empties before you can leave or before the goods can ship, destination storage when you have arrived but the new home is not ready. The second long-distance transport is the expensive part, so goods should wait near where they will be delivered.
Inside the EU the choice is plain: the mover’s warehouse in the Netherlands or a partner warehouse near the new address, no customs either way. From outside the EU, timing weighs more: Dutch Customs grants relief from import duty and VAT on used household goods only if you import them within twelve months of taking up residence, after at least twelve consecutive months outside the EU and six months of ownership and use. Check the current rules with Dutch Customs before you leave goods behind for long. The Easy Move’s international moving service covers customs documentation and storage on both sides of the border.
What is the difference between short-term and long-term storage?
Short-term storage bridges weeks; long-term storage bridges months or years. Crown Relocations puts short term at a few days to a few months, SDC International Shipping calls six months or more long term, and De Haan, a Dutch mover, books from one calendar month with a month’s notice to end.
| Situation | Typical length | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Keys handed over late | 1 to 4 weeks | Goods stay in their container, delivered when you call |
| House hunting from a short-stay | 1 to 6 months | Little access, climate control matters for wood and textiles |
| Company assignment abroad | 1 to 3 years | Full inventory, insurance for the whole period |
| Downsizing before emigration | Until sold or donated | Sort first, store only what has a destination |
What does climate-controlled warehouse storage mean?
Climate-controlled storage is a warehouse where temperature and humidity are held inside a stable range, so wood does not warp, upholstery does not mildew and electronics do not corrode. De Haan describes its warehouse between Rotterdam and Gorinchem as dry, climate-controlled and secured against burglary, fire and pests.
Olympia Moving and Consumentenbond describe three differences between warehouse storage with a mover and self storage. The mover packs, loads and stacks your goods in steel containers or wooden vaults and leaves them untouched until delivery. The mover stays responsible for the goods for the whole period, where a self-storage unit puts the responsibility on you from the moment you lock the door. Access works by appointment: De Haan charges a fee to retrieve and open a container, and Consumentenbond notes that mover storage often allows no access in between at all. Self storage suits a few boxes you want to dip into; a full household is safer in the mover’s warehouse.
How are your goods inventoried and insured while in storage?
Every item that goes into storage should appear on a signed inventory, and every item on that inventory should be covered by a policy that names the storage address. Olympia Moving describes the inventory as a numbered list made at loading and checked at delivery. On a move from outside the EU the same list serves as the customs inventory, so keep a copy with your passport.
Insurance is where expats get caught. Consumentenbond and Verhuizerstarieven.nl both state that a storage company is not liable for damage to your goods, so the cover has to be your own. Most Dutch household contents policies extend to external storage, but with a maximum term, a maximum sum and exclusions, and the cover ends if you cancel the policy on the day you deregister from the Netherlands. The Easy Move offers insurance options on international moves; ask for the storage period to be named in the policy.
What does storage during a move cost?
Storage during a move costs 75 to 140 euros per month on the 2026 list of Dutch comparison platform Sirelo, on top of the move. The band moves with your volume in cubic metres, the number of months, access during the period and the handling at each end. Verhuizenkunjezelf.nl’s cost split explains the last point: roughly 40% of a move is transport, 25% loading, 25% unloading and 10% extras, and storage inserts an extra unloading and loading in the middle.
Consumentenbond lists the extras worth asking about: an administration fee, an access fee when a container has to be set out, sometimes a deposit of one month, and no VAT on storage space for private individuals. The wider picture is in the guide to international moving costs from the Netherlands.
How do you prepare furniture and boxes for storage?
Prepare goods for storage as if they will travel twice, because they will. Two Amigos Moving and Storage gives the practical list: clean everything and let it dry completely, since damp fabric grows mould in storage; disassemble beds and wardrobes and tape the bolts in a labelled bag to the largest part; label every box with a number that matches the inventory and the room it goes to at the destination. Crown Relocations advises professional packing before storage, above all for longer periods.
Keep out of storage what you will need and what a warehouse will not take: passports and customs papers, medication, chargers, the pet’s documents, jewellery, and anything perishable or flammable such as food, paint, gas bottles and aerosols. On a door-to-door move you pack the boxes yourself and the crew handles disassembly and loading; the full packing service export-wraps the furniture for long-term storage.
What does The Easy Move do for storage during an international move?
The Easy Move stores household and business goods in a secure, climate-controlled warehouse in the south of the Netherlands, with short-term, long-term, student and business storage and transport to and from the warehouse. For international moves the company also offers storage at selected international locations, custom crating, customs clearance and documentation, and insurance options.
The storage is booked as part of the move: the crew loads at your old address, the goods go to the warehouse, and the second leg to the new home is scheduled once you have keys. Packing, disassembly and disposal of what stays behind run on the same job. The storage service page lists the options; a free Easy Quote with your dates at both ends returns a fixed price after a consultation that covers the move and the storage months together.
Frequently asked questions
How long can I keep my belongings in storage?
As long as you keep paying, in practice. De Haan books from one calendar month with a month’s notice, and Crown Relocations describes staged international moves where goods wait for months. The limit that does bind is customs: goods from outside the EU must be imported within twelve months of taking up residence to keep the duty relief, per Dutch Customs.
Can I combine moving and storage services?
Yes, and it is usually the better deal. Crown Relocations and Olympia Moving both describe it: one crew loads, the same company stores and delivers, with one inventory and one point of liability. Consumentenbond notes the catch: mover storage is only available when that mover also does the move, and its price sits inside the total.
Are professional storage facilities secure?
A professional mover’s warehouse is closed to the public, which is the main difference from self storage. De Haan describes 24-hour camera surveillance, alarms and protection against fire and pests at its warehouse. Ask any mover who can enter, whether your goods sit in a sealed container or vault, and what the insurance covers if something goes wrong.
Is storage commonly used during employee relocation?
Very. KIMWW and EUROMOVERS both list the corporate cases: an employee who moves before the family, a fixed-term assignment with temporary housing that cannot take a full household, and a transfer delayed by a visa or a school start. Ask HR to book storage as a line in the relocation budget, with a review date so that furniture is not forgotten.
How far in advance should I plan storage?
Book storage when you book the move, three months out or more. EUROMOVERS warns that waiting too long to decide is the main risk, because warehouse space, crew dates and the second transport are scheduled together. If you are unsure, ask for the quote with and without storage and decide a month before loading.
