Maybe you've bought a painting at a London gallery. Maybe you won a lot at auction, or you're sending a family piece to a relative who's just moved abroad. Either way, the actual shipping part tends to feel harder than it should be.

Peregrine Shop & Ship is based in London and handles fine art and antiques for clients shipping internationally. We collect the piece, pack it properly, sort out the paperwork, and get it to wherever it's going, fully covered the whole way.



Why the UK Is a Trusted Hub for Fine Art Shipping

London is one of the biggest art markets in the world. Auction houses, galleries, private collectors — pieces change hands here constantly, and a lot of the time the buyer isn't in the UK at all. The country also has decades of experience exporting art, which means the customs side tends to run more smoothly than people expect, and there's no shortage of couriers who actually know how to handle something fragile or valuable.

Buying in the UK is rarely the last step, though. Someone still has to get the piece home in one piece. That's the bit a specialist shipper takes care of.

A Global Art Market

Buyers come from everywhere, which keeps demand high for shipping that's actually reliable, not just fast.



Established Export Process

Exporting art out of the UK is well-trodden ground. The paperwork is known, and that keeps things moving at the border.



Specialist Handling Culture

London has packers and handlers who deal with fragile, awkward, or high-value pieces every week, not once a year.



What We Ship — Paintings, Sculptures, Antiques and More

We handle pretty much anything that falls under fine art or antiques. A few examples of what comes through regularly:

•      Oil paintings and watercolours — framed or not, any size, wrapped in acid free tissue with the corners protected

•      Sculptures — bronze, stone, ceramic, mixed media, crated based on how heavy or fragile the piece is

•      Antiques and antique furniture — wrapped and crated for the journey, with photos taken beforehand to record condition

•      Framed prints and photography — kept dry and protected over long distances

•      Mixed collections — say you're shipping several pieces from an estate or an auction haul, we'll often combine them into one shipment.



How Peregrine Ships Your Artwork Internationally

The process stays roughly the same whether it's one painting or a whole collection.

1.     Collection — We pick up the artwork from your address, a gallery, or an auction house, anywhere in the UK.

2.     Specialist packing — Acid free tissue, corner protection, and a custom wooden crate if the piece calls for one, built to its exact size.

3.     Customs paperwork — We put together the commercial invoice, proof of ownership, and any export licence needed before it leaves the country.

4.     Insured shipping — Your piece travels with a specialist courier under full cover, tracked in real time from pickup onward.

5.     Delivery — It arrives at its destination intact, with tracking updates along the way so you're not left wondering where it is.



Customs, Documentation and Packing Standards

Shipping art internationally comes down to having the right paperwork. Depending on what you're sending, that might mean a commercial invoice, proof of ownership, or an export licence if the piece is older or above a certain value. Some antiques need extra certification too, if they contain protected materials. We sort all of this out for you, so it doesn't hold things up at the border.



Packing Standards We Follow

Each piece gets wrapped in acid free tissue with the corners and edges protected first. Anything fragile, valuable, or oversized goes into a custom wooden crate built to fit it exactly, with bracing inside so it can't shift during transit. We also photograph the piece before it leaves, so there's a clear record of its condition beforehand.



Where We Ship — UAE, USA, Australia and Worldwide

We ship out of the UK to most parts of the world. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are common destinations for collectors and galleries in the UAE. In the US, we've delivered to New York, Los Angeles, and pretty much everywhere in between. We also ship regularly to Australia, across Europe, and into Asia, including Hong Kong and Singapore. If you've got a destination in mind, chances are we've shipped there before.



Shipping Destinations & Transit Times

• Europe
• Typical Transit Time: 3–5 business days
• Shipping Method: Specialist insured courier
• UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi)
• Typical Transit Time: 4–6 business days
• Shipping Method: Specialist insured courier
• Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore)
• Typical Transit Time: 5–7 business days
• Shipping Method: Specialist insured courier
• USA (all states)
• Typical Transit Time: 5–8 business days
• Shipping Method: Specialist insured courier
• Australia
• Typical Transit Time: 6–9 business days
• Shipping Method: Specialist insured courier
• 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Peregrine ship artwork anywhere in the world?

Pretty much. We ship paintings, sculptures, antiques and prints from the UK to destinations worldwide, including the UAE, USA, Australia, Europe and Asia, with specialist packing and a fully insured courier handling the journey.



What is the safest way to ship a painting internationally from the UK?

Use acid free packing materials, a custom crate if the piece needs one, and a dedicated insured courier rather than a regular postal service. That's the approach we take on every shipment.



Does Peregrine handle customs clearance for international art shipments?

Yes. We put together the commercial invoice, proof of ownership, and any export licence or certificate needed, so the piece clears customs without issues on either end.



Ready to Ship Your Artwork?

Let us know what you're sending and where it needs to go. We'll handle the packing, the paperwork, and getting it there safely.

Request a shipping quote: peregrineshopandship.com/request-an-item.