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Cross-Border Movers Between Canada and the USA
Household and Business Moves From Metro Vancouver to the US, and Back Again
Crossing the border adds two customs agencies, a different form for each direction and a set of ownership rules that decide if you pay duty on your own sofa. We pack, inventory and move homes between BC and the United States, and the paperwork is prepared before the truck is loaded rather than at the booth.
Pickups across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, usually crossing at the Pacific Highway truck crossing in Surrey, with deliveries to Washington, Oregon and further south. The same route runs in reverse for people moving home to Canada.
Tell us where you are leaving from, where you are going and roughly how much is coming. You will get a price, a delivery window and a list of the forms your move needs.
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Which Way Are You Crossing?
A three-hour run to Seattle and a week-long haul to Arizona are different jobs, and a move north carries different paperwork from a move south. Start with the route.
Vancouver to Seattle
The shortest crossing we run, and short enough that the border, not the drive, sets the timetable.
Portland and the Pacific Northwest
Oregon, Idaho and the rest of Washington State, on a dedicated truck or a shared load heading the same way.
California and the Southwest
Longer hauls priced on volume and distance, with a delivery window agreed before you book.
Further Across the US
Texas, the Midwest or the East Coast. Thousands of kilometres after the border, checked against the same numbered list at the far end.
US to Canada
Settling in Canada for the first time. Everything goes on form BSF186, with no value cap on what you owned and used abroad.
Returning Canadians
Coming home after a year or more away. A six-month ownership rule and a $10,000 per-article cap both apply, and both can be planned around.
Office and Business Moves
Furniture, files and equipment for a company opening or closing a location on the other side of the line. Learn more →
Packing and Inventory
Packed room by room with every carton numbered, because customs officers work from your list, not your boxes. Learn more →
Storage in BC
Held here until the lease at the far end starts, or while a closing date settles. Learn more →
What Every Cross-Border Move Includes
Customs runs on paper. Before anything is loaded we build a numbered list of what is travelling, with makes, models and serial numbers for anything valuable, and that list becomes the backbone of your declaration on whichever side you enter. Our guide to labelling boxes for a move shows the room-and-number system behind it.
You get a delivery window rather than a single morning. A truck selected for inspection can lose several hours at the border, and nobody can book around that. We give you the window before you book and keep you posted while the load is on the road.
- Numbered inventory — every item and carton logged at pickup and checked at delivery.
- Customs forms prepared ahead — CBP Form 3299 going south, BSF186 going north, drafted with you before moving day.
- Goods-to-follow list — anything arriving in Canada after you, declared up front so it keeps its exemption.
- Padded for the long haul — furniture blanket-wrapped for days on the road, not an hour across town.
- Storage at the BC end — held here if the keys at the far end are late.
- A price before you commit — based on volume and distance, confirmed after a survey.
Why the Paperwork Matters More Than the Truck
Your Category Sets the Rules
Canada sorts incoming household goods by who you are. A first-time settler has no value cap. A former resident coming home after at least a year abroad is capped at $10,000 per article, and a seasonal resident falls under a third tariff item. We confirm which one applies on the first call, because every later decision follows from it.
The Six-Month Trap
Returning residents must have owned, possessed and used their goods abroad for at least six months, and time in transit or storage does not count. Buy a sofa in month four, ship it in month five, arrive in month seven, and it fails. The rule is waived if you lived abroad for five years or more. We set the pickup date around it.
One Year of Use Going South
US Customs lets household furnishings in free of duty when they were actually used abroad for at least a year, and that test applies to Canadians emigrating and Americans returning alike. Clothing and other personal effects have no time requirement. Recent purchases are where the questions come from, so they get flagged on the inventory.
Goods to Follow, Declared Up Front
Moving north in stages is common: part of the house now, the rest when a sale closes. Only items listed as goods to follow on your original BSF186 come in duty- and tax-free later. Leave something off and it is assessed as an ordinary import. We write that second list with you before the first load crosses.
Coverage That Matches the Distance
On the US leg, federal household-goods rules make full value protection the default; the 60-cents-per-pound release rate applies only if you waive full value in writing. The regulatory cargo minimum for a household-goods carrier is $5,000 per vehicle, which is a floor and not a benchmark. We go through the protection options with you before you sign.
Straight Answers Before You Book
Cannabis, firearms, cash over $10,000, a car you want to bring: these are the questions that stall a crossing. Some have simple answers and some need a call to the regulator. Where a rule is unclear we say so, instead of guessing and leaving you to find out at the booth.
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Cross-Border Pickups Across Metro Vancouver
How a Cross-Border Move Works
1. Category and route. First we pin down which way you are crossing and which customs category you fall into, before any price.
2. Survey and price. On site or by video, room by room, so the number reflects volume rather than a guess on the phone.
3. Paperwork. The inventory, the customs form for your direction and any goods-to-follow list, drafted with you and checked before moving day.
4. Pack, load and cross. Wrapped, numbered and signed for at your door, then driven through the crossing with the documents on board.
5. Delivery. Each item ticked off the pickup list as it comes in, beds and tables put back together, and the cardboard hauled away.
Moving to the US From Canada
The declaration is CBP Form 3299, Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles. Household furnishings used abroad for at least a year enter free of duty, and clothing and personal effects only need to have been yours before you left.
Think of Vancouver to Seattle as a short haul with a long checklist. Cash over US$10,000 is reported on FinCEN Form 105, and a car needs EPA Form 3520-1 and NHTSA Form HS-7 of its own.
Moving to Canada From the US
Northbound shipments are listed on BSF186, the Personal Effects Accounting Document once called the B4, with anything arriving later on BSF186A. Settlers have no value cap, while former residents are capped at $10,000 per article.
Cash of CAN$10,000 or more is declared on form E677. A vehicle must be clear of recalls and pass a Registrar of Imported Vehicles inspection within 45 days. Cannabis, CBD oil included, cannot cross in either direction.
Cross-Border Moving FAQs
How much does it cost to move from Vancouver to the US?
Volume, distance and the choice between a dedicated truck and a shared load set the price. A one-bedroom going to Seattle and a four-bedroom going to Phoenix are priced on the same factors but land a long way apart. We quote after a survey, by video or in person, and tell you up front what the paperwork involves. The moving cost calculator gives you a starting figure before you call.
Which customs form do I need?
Going south, CBP Form 3299. Going north, BSF186, with BSF186A for anything following later. There is no separate CBP “supplemental declaration” form, whatever a mover’s own inventory sheet happens to be called.
Will I pay duty on my household goods?
Usually not, if you meet the tests. Furnishings entering the US need one year of use abroad. Settlers entering Canada have no value cap; returning residents are capped at $10,000 per article and need six months of ownership, possession and use abroad unless they lived away for five years or more.
Should I ship my things ahead of me?
Be careful here if you are a returning Canadian. Goods shipped to Canada while you still live abroad are excluded from the exemption, and time in transit or storage does not count toward the six-month test. That is why we schedule the pickup around your own crossing date.
How far ahead should I book a move to Seattle?
The drive takes a few hours; the lead time goes on paperwork and scheduling. Book four to six weeks ahead for a summer move and less outside peak season. Hauls to California or further east add several days on the road.
What can't I bring across the border?
Cannabis in any form, including CBD oil, cannot cross in either direction. Canada bars prohibited firearms and weapons outright, and its definition of a prohibited weapon is broader than most Americans expect. Firewood, used mattresses and soil-covered garden gear are restricted going north, and potted plants in ordinary soil usually fail going south. We ask about all of it at the survey.
Can I bring my car?
Yes, with separate paperwork. Into Canada, the vehicle must be clear of recalls and pass a Registrar of Imported Vehicles inspection within 45 days. Into the US, you file EPA Form 3520-1 and NHTSA Form HS-7. Vehicle transport is booked separately from the household move, and we can point you at the carriers we work with.
Do you move offices across the border?
Yes. A commercial crossing follows the same inventory discipline, with a commercial customs entry in place of the personal-effects forms, which usually means a customs broker on the receiving side. Our commercial moving service covers how we plan the office end of the job.
Services That Go With a Border Crossing
Moving to or From the US?
Send us the two addresses, roughly what is coming and your target date. We will come back with a price, a delivery window and the forms your direction of travel needs.
Tell us where you are leaving from, where you are going and roughly how much is coming. You will get a price, a delivery window and a list of the forms your move needs.