Are you ready to make an international move? There are many advantages and disadvantages of moving abroad like applying for a VISA and checking the customs rules and regulations. But in this guide, we will only talk about how to move your possessions or household items to a new country.
An expat's life is filled with new experiences and adventures. You will get the chance to embrace a new culture and perhaps learn a new language. Moving from the United States to another country is a difficult task, even if you aren’t moving permanently. You need to make proper plans and prepare for things to go efficiently.
You should simplify your move as much as possible. For example, if you expect your move to be shorter than a year, perhaps you get through it by doing minimum packing only. The difficulty of shipping boxes to another country for a short time wouldn’t be worth your time and money. You should limit your possessions to only those that can be accommodated in your luggage or big items which you can replace easily.
Here are a few tips that you can consider while moving to another country with less stress.
How do you move your belongings to another country?
- After you have decided to move you should start separating those items that would be necessary for you in the new country. You need to choose items that would go to your new house and those which you might want to put into storage. Separating these belongings might take up a lot of space, so you should choose an area like a garage, big closet, or bedroom to complete your task of organizing.
- You should schedule a garage sale at least one month before the moving day. This will help you get rid of any unwanted items, earn some extra money, and make some space to organize the remaining items.
Tip: You can invite friends and neighbors for a barbecue or a farewell party and check if they need any of your possessions that you would like to discard.
- Arrange for strong moving boxes, bubble wraps of various sizes, and packing tapes, once you have piled up the items that you want to take abroad with you. It would be a good idea to begin organizing your belongings early, prepare a list of items and pack your belongings carefully to ensure a smooth move.
- You may also hire professional movers to pack your belongings into the moving boxes and label each of them. Yet you must know exactly where you have kept each item in case the customs officials want to open those boxes. You can ask a friend to prepare a detailed list of items you are putting into the moving boxes. This will be your best friend throughout the moving journey.
- We recommend you use additional bubble wraps and packing tapes, clothing, or moving blankets than required. This will keep your possessions during the entire move.
- You should find out about the duties or restrictions imposed on bringing items into the new country. Every state is different and may require you to pay taxes for bringing specific items to the country in which you are moving. For instance, if you are moving to Argentina, you won’t be allowed to take electronic items like television with you and pay a tax of 80% based on their actual value.
- Consider choosing an appropriate moving company for your international move. You need to do your research well on the different moving companies. Many shipping companies would charge you based on the weight of each moving container you are using or the portion of the container you are using, whichever is less. If you choose to go by the water route, definitely it would be cheaper, but it would take a lot of time.
- Your final bill would be more costly if you hired professional movers to pack, load, transport your belongings to the new destination, clear customs and make the final delivery. We recommend you take the final moving estimate from the moving company you choose, read testimonials from past customers, and find out whether the company will give you the tracking or even insurance option or not.
- You must ensure that the company you have chosen has proper knowledge regarding the shipping times and when your belongings will begin their journey. Also, you need to ask them if they are a member of FIDI (an organization that maintains the high business ethics of international moving companies). The moving company you choose should be ISO 9002 certified as well as Overseas Movers Network International and Registered International Mover Certification
- Each airline company will have different methods and policies to move abroad with your pets, which you must check in advance. We recommend you keep an official health, vaccination, and history report of your pet with you along with a suitable moving box for your furry friend.
Moving items to a new country- Methods
Here we are going to explore two different methods via which you can move your belongings overseas:
Sea Freight Method
Though there are various methods for shipping your possessions overseas, the most cost-effective and trustworthy option would be the sea freight method. We suggest you hire a professional overseas shipping company to complete your move efficiently.
- Mostly, an overseas moving company will send the moving containers to your location. You need to load your belongings into it and wait for the trucker to collect and ship them to the port.
- An international moving company will give you two options: door to port and door to door service.
- The agent you hire will make sure that your boxes are sent to the right carrier and all customs clearance paperwork is submitted.
Based on the number of items you would be moving overseas; you need to choose the appropriate sea freight method: LCL (less than container load) and FCL (full container load).
- If you have large and heavy items to move, consider choosing the FCL method.
- In case you have less weight and small items to move, you can choose the LCL method.
- LCL is relatively cheaper than FCL and if you choose the former you will have to share the container with other customers.
Air Freight Method
Moving internationally via the air freight method isn’t a common practice. Here are a few points which you must know about the air freight method:
- You will have weight restrictions when it comes to shipping your belongings through the air freight method. This means that an airplane will accommodate only a specific weight of cargo.
- The air freight method is quicker and more convenient than the air freight method. We recommend you choose this method if you are in a hurry to ship your belongings to the new country.
List of items you can ship overseas
- Furniture
- Household items
- Toys
- Clothes
- Motorbikes
- Cars
- Appliances
In a nutshell, you can send any common items you want, provided they're not inflammable or cause any kind of danger.
List of items you can’t ship abroad
- Live animals
- Plants
- Drinks
- Perfumes
- Fruits, vegetables, or any other food items.
- Tobacco
- Medicines
- Weapons
- Drugs
- Flammable items
- Cleaning items
Tip: It would be a great idea not to ship artificial plants, toy guns, or any other items that could be mistaken as a real plant or a real gun.
How to move your car overseas?
Do you own a car? Are you wondering how to drive your car overseas? Perhaps you have to read the customs rules and regulations of the new country. You need to check if the country you are moving into will permit you to ship your vehicle. Also, you must find out the essential documents you need to have for driving your vehicle to the new country.
Every country has different licensing requirements and protocols to drive vehicles. Generally, a car can be shipped either through air freight or sea freight method. You can contact an overseas auto transport company that specializes in vehicle shipment to execute the whole process efficiently.
Is it a good idea to move furniture abroad?
We recommend you determine the cost of moving abroad and transporting your furniture versus purchasing the furniture you need after moving there. You can get quotes from the different international moving companies and compare them with the overall cost if you need to buy furniture for your new house instead.
Conclusion
Overall, you should start doing your packing as early as possible, researching the different moving companies and the rules and regulations of the country to which you would be moving. If you follow these steps, you can escape any headache throughout the moving journey.
In short, you will get the chance to do what is important when moving abroad. For example, you can stay in the moment while saying goodbye to your near and dear ones. You can experience exciting things during the transition and learn the style and language of your new culture.