International Moving,From the US Outward
An overseas move is a chain: an origin mover packs for export, a licensed forwarder books ocean or air space, a destination agent clears customs and delivers. These guides explain the chain, what sets the price, and the US paperwork that follows you abroad.
- Priced by
- Volume
- cubic feet or meters, not weight
- Container options
- 20 ft / 40 ft / shared
- sole use or consolidated
- Ocean intermediaries
- FMC-licensed
- Federal Maritime Commission, not FMCSA
- US taxes abroad
- Still filed
- citizens are taxed on worldwide income
Start here
Domestic long-distance moves are priced on weight and miles. International moves are priced on volume, because what you are buying is space in a shipping container or an aircraft hold. A full 20-foot or 40-foot container is yours alone; a shared shipment is priced per cubic foot and waits for the container to fill.
The companies in the chain are regulated by different agencies. The ocean booking is made by a freight forwarder or non-vessel-operating common carrier licensed by the Federal Maritime Commission, not by FMCSA; the origin and destination movers are local businesses under their own countries' rules. Marine insurance is separate from any of them and is worth declaring properly.
The paperwork is where US citizens are caught out. Federal tax filing continues on worldwide income, foreign bank accounts above a threshold must be reported, absentee voting has its own system, and pets need federal export health certificates. The checklist below runs from three months out to the last week.
International Moving guides
5 guides in this section, every figure from the published model.
7 min readNewest
International Moving Costs: What Sets the Price
International moves are priced on cubic volume, not weight and miles, so the $14,490 – $19,320 domestic 3-bedroom figure from our model does not carry over.
Sep 24, 2026
6 min read
International Moving From the US: How It Actually Works
An international move is a chain: an origin mover export-packs, an FMC-licensed forwarder books the container, a destination agent clears customs.
Sep 24, 2026
7 min read
Moving Abroad From the US: The Paperwork Checklist
US citizens abroad still file US returns on worldwide income and an FBAR once foreign accounts top $10,000. The paperwork, by 3 months, 1 month and last week.
Sep 24, 2026
What to know before you start
The five things that decide most of the outcome in this part of a move, in the order you will meet them.
- 1
Compare quotes on the same volume
Every quote should be built on the same surveyed volume and the same scope: door-to-door, or door-to-port with destination charges excluded. Two quotes that differ in scope are not comparable however close the totals look.
- 2
Destination charges are the surprise
Terminal handling, customs examination fees, port storage if clearance stalls, and delivery access charges are often quoted as estimates or excluded. Ask which are included and which will be billed at destination.
- 3
Used household goods are often duty-relieved
Many countries admit a returning or arriving resident's used household goods without duty, subject to conditions on ownership period, arrival timing and residence status. The destination agent knows the rules; ask before you buy anything new to ship.
- 4
Insure for replacement value at destination
Marine insurance is priced on the value you declare. Declare what it would cost to replace the goods where you are going, not what you paid for them, and read the exclusions for owner-packed cartons.
- 5
Some things should not go in the container
Documents, medications, jewelry and anything you need in the first weeks travel with you. Vehicles, alcohol, plants and food have their own rules in most countries, and some items are refused outright.
International Moving: questions people ask
How much does it cost to move overseas from the US?
It is priced on volume, destination and service level rather than on weight and miles, and we do not publish a model for it. For contrast, a 2,800-mile domestic move of a three-bedroom home is $14,490 – $19,320 in our model; an ocean move of the same home is built from export packing, container or shared space, destination charges and insurance.
Who regulates international moving companies?
The ocean leg is booked by forwarders and non-vessel-operating common carriers licensed by the Federal Maritime Commission. The US origin mover is a domestic business you can check on the FMCSA register if it holds interstate authority. The destination agent is under its own country's rules.
How long does an international move take?
It is the sum of packing, transport to port, waiting for a sailing or for a shared container to fill, the voyage, customs clearance and delivery. Air freight cuts the transit but not the customs step. Ask for each stage's estimate in writing rather than a single door-to-door figure.
Do I still pay US taxes if I move abroad?
US citizens and green-card holders file on worldwide income wherever they live, with exclusions and credits that reduce what is owed. Foreign accounts above a reporting threshold must be declared. The checklist in this section lists the forms and links the IRS and FinCEN pages.
Can I take my pet abroad?
Usually, with an export health certificate endorsed by the USDA, the destination country's import permit where required, vaccinations on a set schedule and sometimes a quarantine period. Start months ahead; some countries' timelines cannot be compressed.
More guides
All 14 topics →How this section is written. Every cost figure on this page and in these guides is generated from the same published model that powers the calculator, and every carrier figure comes from the federal register with the snapshot date shown. We do not operate trucks, we collect no customer reviews, and no company pays for placement.