Moving to USA

International moving to USA

Because of the longer transit and more involved customs process, moves to the US benefit from earlier planning than a typical intra-European relocation.

The US is large enough that "moving to the US" covers quite different practical situations depending on which coast, and which city, you are heading to — a shipment to New York generally uses different East Coast port routes than one to Los Angeles or Chicago, which affects both transit time and realistic scheduling.

How the moving process works

Every international move we plan follows the same core stages, adapted to your route and volume. See our full explanation of how it works for detail on each stage — assessment, planning, packing, collection, international transport, and delivery.

Moving options

Depending on your volume, your goods can travel in a shared container with other households or in a dedicated container reserved solely for your shipment. We help you decide based on volume and timeline. Corporate relocations with a fixed start date generally favour a dedicated container for the same reason they do on other overseas routes — predictability of delivery timing.

Read more about the difference between groupage / shared load and dedicated transport.

Packing services

Sea freight packing needs to hold up over a longer transit than road transport, so we use export-grade materials and additional protection for furniture and fragile items. We also prepare the itemised inventory that supports your CBP entry documentation as part of the packing process, rather than as a separate step afterward.

See our full packing service for what is included.

Storage

If your US address is not ready when your shipment arrives at port, we can arrange storage rather than delay the shipment itself. This is common for corporate relocations where a start date is fixed before housing is finalised at the destination.

Read more about our storage service.

Transit considerations

Transit time depends heavily on the departure and arrival ports involved; we discuss realistic timelines for your specific route before you commit to a moving date. Onward domestic delivery once goods clear a US port can also add time, particularly for destinations further inland from the arrival port.

Customs & documentation

US Customs and Border Protection requires an inventory and supporting documentation for household goods entering the country, and generally expects the shipment to belong to the person relocating rather than being a commercial import. Certain items — including some foods, plants, and wood products — face additional restrictions. We help prepare the paperwork your shipment needs, and flag any items in your inventory that may need extra attention before the shipment departs rather than at the port.

Cost factors

Container type, volume, port pair, and customs handling are the main cost factors for a move to the US — see our costs page for more detail. Onward domestic delivery for inland destinations such as Chicago can add cost compared with a direct port-city delivery like New York or Los Angeles, which we account for once we know your exact destination.

See our full guide to international moving costs.