How To Move Your Belongings Overseas

Are you planning to move overseas and wondering how you'll get all of your belongings there too? Moving a household's worth of belongings across borders is a tricky business (trickier even than moving in your own country!). Still, it can be done with the correct planning, patience, and foresight.

In this short guide, we give you an overview of how to move your belongings overseas, how it usually works, and what to expect along the way. —

Step 1 — Planning Your Move

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If you have an international move on the horizon, the first thing you have to do is plan with enough time in advance. Thinking six months to a year ahead is crucial if you want to give yourself as little stress as possible when the moving day finally comes around.

Next, you want to assess which belongings you need to move. Get out a pen and pad, and make a list of everything you'll want to have packed. Try to estimate how many boxes your belongings will fill, and then note the large furniture (e.g. sofas, beds, etc.) separately. Having a rough overview of how much you want to be moved written on paper (e.g. "30 boxes, 2 sofas, 2 beds, 1 washing machine") can help you more than you think! It would help if you also noted which items are fragile and should be handled with particular care.

Next, you'll want to find an international moving company. This can be tough depending on where you live in the world, but if you're from Europe, Asia, or North America, you'll probably have a few providers to choose from. You'll need to make sure they're a reputable company offering you fair rates for your move.

To find the best rates and service for your move, we recommend shipping your belongings overseas with Eurosender, whose innovative online platform connects shippers with logistics companies worldwide to find you the best price and service for your relocation needs.

Step 2 — Packing For Your Move

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After contacting your moving company, there will probably be a bit of back and forth (and even some paperwork) to get the details confirmed ahead of your move.

When moving day finally rolls around, your moving company will arrive with a large truck and a team of professionals (both of which will depend on how much you're moving!). They'll explain to you how the process will work, and the entire process will be overseen by an origin agent, who will coordinate the packing and make sure everything runs smoothly.

We recommend taking some time to cover up the parts of your property that you want to protect from damage (e.g. countertops, wooden floors, etc.). The team will then get to work wrapping and boxing your belongings and packing them into the truck, which will probably take several hours.

Finally, it's always essential to ensure most or all of your belongings before your move — not only the most valuable ones.

Step 3 — Moving

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Your belongings will then be sent to your new home. This usually takes place via ship, onto which your belongings will be loaded in a container (either a dedicated shipping container or — depending on the size — a shared container) and shipped to your destination. However, some international moves happen by plane (which is much more expensive) or, for moves where there are only a few land borders between the origin and destination (e.g. you're moving from the US to Canada or from Denmark to Portugal), then the move may happen entirely by truck too.

Although there are other third parties involved in this step (e.g. customs, freight, agents, etc.), your moving company will be in charge of this, and they'll keep you up to date whenever your belongings reach specific important points along the journey.

While your belongings travel, you'll, in all likelihood, already have left your country and will be making your way to your new home overseas!

Step 4 — Delivery and Unpacking

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After clearing customs, your goods will finally arrive at your new home abroad. Just as before, the moving company will be in charge of the last leg of the move too (e.g. from the port to your new address), even if it's a different company's logo on the truck that arrives.

Many international movers also finish the job for you by moving the boxes and furniture into your new home and unpacking them, placing the furniture where you want it, reassembling things, reconnecting appliances, and removing the cardboard and wrapping before they leave. However, this service isn't always a given, so it's best to clarify with the company whether they plan to unload the boxes inside your home or whether they'll unpack them and clear the debris for you.