Sending palletised freight from Italy to the UK is a key part of many of UK businesses’ supply chains. With Brexit transforming the logistics landscape, it’s more important than ever to partner with an experienced international freight specialist.
In this quick guide, we outline key points for Italy-UK shipping, from customs challenges to freight services, plus introduce our trusted Italian logistics partners.
Article contents
- What to know about Italy-UK imports post-Brexit
- What do the UK and Italy trade?
- Meet our Italian transport partners
- Sending a pallet from Italy to the UK with IFL
What to know about Italy-UK imports post-Brexit
Shipping between the Italy and the UK is now international trade, requiring full customs documentation, including:
- An EORI number – beginning with ‘GB’ for goods coming into England, Scotland or Wales.
- The correct HS (commodity) code for your goods.
- A detailed commercial invoice – used to assess the correct duties and taxes
- Proof of origin – include a statement of origin from the EU exporter proving the goods originate in the EU if you want to claim preferential (zero) tariffs under the UK-EU trade deal.
- import/export declarations – usually submitted electronically via the UK government’s Customs Declaration Service (CDS) or through a customs broker/freight forwarder.
Mistakes here can cause serious delays. Using a logistics partner that holds Customs-accredited Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) and offers 24/7 customs clearance at Dover and Stop24 (Folkestone) – as International Forwarding Ltd (IFL) does – helps ensure smooth border crossings.
The Italy-UK freight journey includes local collection, delivery to our Italian partners’ transport hub, transit through Europe, Channel crossing (usually via Eurotunnel), delivery to our UK hub and onward delivery to local destination. Transit times vary by service type – with deliveries possible in 72-96 hours, and regular groupage services departing every Tuesday and Friday.
Pallet type and condition also matter. Euro pallets (1.2mx0.8m) are common – find out more about these in our UK pallet size guide – and all loads should be shrink-wrapped and stable to withstand long-distance handling. Tail-lift access may be required at either end, especially for non-commercial addresses or sites without forklift access.
What do the UK and Italy trade?
Italy is the UK’s ninth largest trading partner with £53.2 billion in total trade (in the four quarters to the end of Q1 2025), according to latest figures from the Department for Business and Trade. The West Midlands region, where IFL is based, leads UK exports to Italy at 12.3%; and also accounts for 11.4% of total goods imported.
Key exports to Italy
- Cars
- Mechanical power generators
- Aircraft
- General industrial machinery
- Scientific instruments
Key imports from Italy
- Medicinal and pharmaceutical products
- General industrial machinery
- Clothing
- Cars
- Food and tobacco
👉 Specialist sector support
We support UK-Italy trade across multiple sectors, including:
- Automotive logistics
- Aerospace logistics
- Manufacturing and engineering logistics
- Medical and healthcare logistics
Meet our Italian transport partners
Our three trusted transport partners – Nuova Transports, DB Group and Schneider Italia – ensure deep network coverage across Italy, including Milan, Bologna, Florence, Naples, Verona and beyond.
One of our longest-standing partners is Nuova Transports near Milan. At this year’s Messe Munich Transport Logistic trade fair, we celebrated our 30+ year partnership and the strength of our shared UK-Italy logistics network. Here we are (from L-R): Nigel Parson, IFL Director; Massimo Rosa, Branch and Operational Manager, Nuova Transports; Andy Grubb, IFL Sales Director; Laurence Corbin, Partners Network Manager, Nuova Transports.
Together with all our Italian transport affiliates, we ensure secure, reliable collection/delivery of groupage and palletised freight across all regions.
👉 Learn more about out Italian freight services
Send a pallet from Italy to the UK with IFL
From fast collections across Italy to customs compliance to reliable cross-border transport, IFL is your ideal partner for Italian freight.
Our services include:
- Express and economy services at competitive rates.
- Full and part loads.
- Regular groupage services to/from all parts of Italy.
- Pallet delivery to Italy using our own fleet and transport affiliates.
- 24-7 customs clearance services for import freight under our control.
- Driver-accompanied trailers for added security.
- Redistribution of goods and other 3PL services via UK and European hubs.
Our friendly, experienced team is ready to offer a quick quote or help build a cost-effective freight solution tailored to your needs. Let’s talk!
👉 Get a quote
- Call: +44 (0)1675 434690
- Email: enquiries@internationalforwarding.co.uk
