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International Movers for the Container, the Crate and the Paperwork
Overseas and Cross-Border Relocations Out of Metro Vancouver
Moving abroad is three jobs pretending to be one: getting your things packed to survive a sea crossing, getting them through two customs authorities, and getting them delivered to a door on the other side. We handle all three on one booking.
Departing from Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey and the Fraser Valley through the Port of Vancouver and YVR, to Europe, Asia, Australasia, the Middle East, Latin America and the United States.
Tell us the destination country, roughly how much is going and your target date. We will come back with sea and air options.
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How Much Are You Shipping, and How Fast?
A full container to Sydney and four crates to Berlin are different services at very different prices. The choice usually comes down to volume and how long you can live without your things.
Full Container Shipping
A house or a large flat in a container of your own, sealed at your door.
Shared Container
Part of a container heading your way. Far cheaper, with a wider window.
Air Freight
About a week door to door, for the things you cannot be without.
Cross-Border to the US
Seattle, California and the eastern seaboard, by road with customs handled.
Export Packing & Crating
Timber crates for artwork, stone, instruments and anything irreplaceable. Learn more →
Customs Documentation
Valued inventories and entry forms prepared to match what is in the container.
Corporate Relocation
Staff moving abroad, with the company invoiced rather than the employee. Learn more →
Storage Either End
Held here until the visa lands, or held there until the lease starts. Learn more →
Pets, Cars & Specialist Items
Arranged through carriers who do nothing else, coordinated with your shipment.
What an International Move Covers
Export packing is a different standard from domestic. Cartons are heavier grade, furniture is crated rather than blanketed, and everything is loaded to survive weeks of movement rather than an afternoon.
The customs side is where most self-managed moves come unstuck. Every destination has its own rules on used household goods, food, alcohol, tools and anything electrical, and the paperwork has to match the inventory exactly.
- Export-grade packing — double-walled cartons, timber crates and moisture protection.
- A valued inventory — the document customs works from, prepared properly the first time.
- Sea or air freight — full container, shared container or air, priced side by side.
- Export and import clearance — handled at both ends through our agent network.
- Door-to-door delivery — unloaded and reassembled at the address, not left at a depot.
- Storage at either end — while visas, leases or completion dates catch up.
- Marine transit insurance — cover written for the crossing, not for a drive across town.
Why the Paperwork Matters More Than the Truck
Customs Is Where Moves Go Wrong
A container held at the far end costs money every day it sits there, and the usual cause is an inventory that does not match the paperwork. Getting the documents right before anything is sealed is most of the job.
Export Packing Is a Different Standard
Domestic packing is built for an afternoon of vibration. A sea crossing means weeks of movement, humidity and pressure changes, so furniture is crated, cartons are heavier grade and moisture protection goes in as standard.
Certified Through the IAM
We are a certified member of the International Association of Movers, which is what gives us vetted partner agents at the destination end. Those are the people who clear your shipment and deliver it, so who they are matters.
One Contact, Both Hemispheres
You deal with the same coordinator here from the survey through to confirmation of delivery abroad. Chasing a shipment across time zones through three different companies is a job nobody wants.
Sea and Air Priced Side by Side
We show you both, with real transit times for your route, rather than steering you to whichever suits us. Most people end up sending a small air shipment first and the bulk by sea.
Cover Written for the Crossing
Marine transit insurance is not the same product as the coverage on a local move. It is priced off the declared value of your inventory, which is another reason that document deserves care.
A Certified Member of the International Association of Movers
Licensed & Insured in BC
Fully licensed moving company with full replacement coverage.
WorkSafeBC Registered
Our crews are covered — you carry zero liability on moving day.
IAM Member Since 2025
Certified International Association of Movers network partner.
International Collections Across Metro Vancouver
How an International Move Works
1. Survey. On site or by video, because freight is priced on volume and the estimate has to be right.
2. Options and paperwork. Sea against air, full container against shared, plus the customs forms your destination requires.
3. Export pack and load. Crated, wrapped, inventoried and sealed, then delivered to the port or the airport.
4. Clearance and delivery. Cleared at the far end by our agent and delivered to your door, unpacked and reassembled.
Sea Freight, Shared Container or Air
A full container suits a house and takes roughly four to ten weeks door to door depending on the route. A shared container costs much less for a flat’s worth of goods, with a wider window while the container fills.
Air freight lands in about a week and costs several times more, which is why most people send a small air shipment of essentials and put the rest on the water behind it.
Customs, Restrictions and Timing
Most countries allow used household effects in duty-free if you can show you are relocating and have owned the items for a while. The exceptions catch people out: food, alcohol, plants, seeds, certain woods, firearms and anything motorised all have their own rules.
Start eight to twelve weeks out for a sea shipment. Visas, work permits and lease dates move more than shipping schedules do, and storage at either end is what absorbs the difference.
International Moving FAQs
How much does an international move from Vancouver cost?
Volume, destination and whether you go by sea or air decide it. A shared container for a one-bedroom flat and a dedicated container for a family house are worlds apart. We survey properly, then show you the options side by side rather than quoting a single number blind.
How long will my shipment take?
Air freight is roughly a week door to door. Sea freight runs about four to six weeks to Europe or Australasia and can be longer to inland destinations, plus clearance time. Shared containers add a wait while the container fills.
Will I pay duty on my own furniture?
Usually not. Most countries admit used household effects duty-free when you are relocating and have owned the items for a period they specify. New goods still in their packaging, vehicles, alcohol and tobacco are the common exceptions, and the rules differ by country.
What cannot go in the container?
Anything flammable or pressurised, and generally food, plants, seeds and untreated wood. Several countries restrict certain electronics and anything motorised. We go through the destination list with you before packing rather than after.
How far in advance should I book?
Eight to twelve weeks for a sea shipment is comfortable. It is rarely the shipping that sets the pace — visas, work permits and lease start dates move far more, and storage at either end covers the gap.
Can you deliver to my new address, not just the port?
Yes. Door to door is the standard service: our agent clears the shipment, delivers to the address, unpacks and reassembles furniture, and takes the debris away.
Services That Go With Moving Abroad
Relocating Overseas?
Tell us where you are going, roughly what is coming and when you need it there. We will lay out sea and air options with realistic transit times for that route.
Tell us the destination country, roughly how much is going and your target date. We will come back with sea and air options.