Relocating From New York to Abroad

Living in New York City is a unique experience. It can take years to adjust to the pace, rhythm, and nuances of life in the Big Apple. But what happens when you need to leave New York and move abroad? 

Relocating to a different country can mean learning a new language, new customs, and an entire lifestyle change. On top of these challenges, the process of packing and shipping your belongings between one country and another is complex.

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In this article, we’ll look at the logistics and preparation required for moving your household belongings from New York to an overseas location. 

When preparing for an international move, here are the five main things to consider:

• Research Your Moving Services and Shipping Options
• Consider Storage and Transportation at the Destination
• Determine What To Take and What To Leave
• Gather all the Paperwork
• How to Pack

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Research Moving Services and Shipping Options

At least six months before leaving, research your shipping options and select your moving partner. International shipping is complicated. You will be relying on your moving company to help navigate the many regulations, rules, and steps. 

Here are a few helpful terms, phrases, and tips for researching shipping options:

1. Ocean Freight: the most cost-effective and common method of international shipping. Your belongings are loaded onto a container ship and take approximately 4-8 weeks to arrive.

2. Air Freight: significantly quicker than ocean freight. Delivery takes approximately 2-4 weeks but can be up to three times more expensive.

3. Door-to-door/ port-to-door/ door-to-port/ port-to-port: each of these terms represents the extent of responsibility assumed by the moving company for your belongings. Door-to-door service means the company collects your items from your current home and delivers them to your new home abroad. Whereas port-to-port requires your presence at both the departure and arrival ports. This is the most economical option. However, you’ll want to consider the proximity of your shipping ports to your final destination, especially if your port is in another country.

4. FCL/ LCL: depending on the volume of your belongings, your moving company may offer Full Container Load (FCL) or Less than Container Load (LCL.) LCL is an affordable way to ship your items where your and another customer’s belongings are placed in the same container.

5. Exclusions: check your moving company's estimate in detail. Ask if the estimate has exclusions such as port terminal handling charges and other extra charges you don’t want to be surprised by. These exclusions can be standard, so you should at least be aware of any potential ‘additional’ items for your overall budget.

6. Vehicle and gas-powered appliances: most people are surprised at how cost-effective it is to ship your vehicle to your new country. However, check restrictions at your receiving country and consider which side of the road they drive (many countries, such as the UK and Australia, drive on the left). You will also want to confirm with your moving company whether your vehicle should be empty or if you can use it as additional packing space.

7. Delays: with international relocations, it’s normal to expect and prepare for delays. Delays can be caused by several things including customs and border control, weather, port congestion, holidays, and extraordinary events such as pandemics or civil unrest. 

When reviewing moving companies, be very specific with details and ask about any terms you don’t understand; ask for their licensing and check guarantees and disclaimers regarding dates and delivery conditions.

Make sure you’ve agreed on whether you or the moving company will be responsible for customs clearance. If you delegate this responsibility to the company, be sure to review and sign the appropriate release paperwork.

Consider Storage and Transportation at the Destination

Ideally, the time between when you depart your current home and arrive at your new one will perfectly coincide with the time it takes to ship your belongings. However, it’s more likely that there will be a period when you are without your furniture and items. 

This could be at your current home if you ship in advance, or need to move to temporary accommodation before you leave. Or at the other end depending on whether you or your belongings arrive first. 

Regardless, depending on the timing of your move, and the status of your new home, you can expect to need storage and additional transportation. This is where securing a reliable moving company comes in handy as they help you navigate these details.

Determine What to Take and What to Leave (4-6 months before departure)

One of the hardest parts of moving internationally is deciding what to take and what to leave behind. Your moving company should help you find out what rules and restrictions your destination country has on importing belongings.

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Be sure to thoroughly review those guidelines and give yourself ample time to sort, donate, sell, or dispose of items you won’t be bringing. 

Take a look at all of your belongings and think about the age and quality of each item, and whether shipping or selling and replacing, would be more cost and time-effective. For anything electrical, consider if you’ll be able or willing to have them rewired in your destination country.

Additionally, you may want to purchase some items in the U.S. that are harder to find overseas. This could include certain kitchen gadgets, medical equipment, small electronics, and clothing.

Because you are shipping internationally, these items should be purchased six months before your departure, to avoid incurring additional sales taxes and fees.

Finally, certain hazardous materials and items are prohibited in some countries. These can include cleaning supplies, weapons, pesticides, plants, seeds, and meat products. Some countries have restrictions around things like tobacco, ivory, and furs from endangered animals.

Gather all the Paperwork

An international move requires a lot of paperwork. Here is a list of some of the documents you may need to gather:

• Residency visa and work permit for your new country.
• Passports.
• U.S. Residency certificate (if you’re a citizen of your destination country, it helps to have paperwork proving you resided in the United States for more than 2 years, to avoid excess taxes).
• Vehicle title
• Insurance forms: options include Professional pack (advisable) or Packed by Owner
• Customs documents (customs clearance forms; inventory list with values, receipts, and invoices; any special permits needed; power of attorney)
• Any other shipping paperwork from your moving company including receipts, authorizations, and loading paperwork.

How to Pack

For an international move, it’s strongly advised to procure professional packing services from your moving company. Your belongings will be crossing international borders, requiring stringent checks and thorough paperwork. 

Belongings that are not itemized and labeled adequately, restricted items, and items that are in original packaging and look new can incur customs delays and additional fees.

Assuming your movers will take care of your packing, there are still some preparations that you should make:

• Prepare for the inventory list by gathering receipts, photos, serial numbers, and appraisals.
• Label and itemize your belongings for the movers (e.g. “Waterford Crystal wine glasses” not “glassware”) and provide size, make, and model for specialty items.
• Remove packaging from newly purchased items.
• Thoroughly clean outdoor items such as bicycles and tools, they must be dirt and insect-free.
• Determine which furniture can be disassembled and include assembly instructions;
• Check with your movers about which items they are prohibited from transferring such as cash, jewelry, coins, stocks, bonds, and medications.
• Consider things you’ll need or want in the first weeks, and which you may want to put in your luggage such as children’s supplies, personal toiletries, weather-appropriate clothing, medications, and photo albums.
• Finally, check your items as soon as you receive them, do a complete review against your inventory checklist, and look for any damage or discrepancies.

Conclusion

Moving countries is a big undertaking, regardless of whether you’re an experienced relocator, or you’re moving abroad for the first time. While the logistics can be overwhelming, a successful international relocation relies on a little planning and preparation, and support from an expert moving company. 

Contact Capital City Movers for your International move. Call us today at (718) 619-4881.