Shipping Container to the USA | Moving to the US
Moving Your World International Shipping Services
Shipping to the United States of America from Australia
When shipping a 20FT or 40FT container (FCL) to the US you are paying a fixed sea-freight rate (subject to USD/AUD exchange rate/s) and may fill up as little or as much of the sole-purpose container as you wish.
With this type of service, the container space is not shared with other cargoes and your goods are not handled from one container to another at several points during transit such as is the case with shared container services (LCL), rather, the goods stay in the same container they were packed at origin, until delivery at the final destination.
What size shipping container do I need for moving my personal effects to the USA?
- 20FT shipping containers have inner dimensions as follows and a capacity of 33m3//1,158cubic feet:
- 5.90m x 2.35m x 2.38m // 19.35 ft x 7.71 ft x 7.80 ft
- 20FT containers are usually sufficient for an entire 2-3 bedroom house contents
- 40FT shipping containers have inner dimensions as follows and have a capacity of 67m3//2,372cubic feet:
- 12.01m x 2.35m x 2.38m // 39.39 ft x 7.71 ft x 7.80 ft
- 40FT containers are usually sufficient for an entire 2-3 bedroom house contents and a motor vehicle, or, an entire 4-5 bedroom house contents.
- 40FT (High Cube) shipping containers have inner dimensions as follows and have a capacity of 76m3//2,679cubic feet:
- 12.01m x 2.35m x 2.69m // 39.39 ft x 7.71 ft x 8.82 ft
- 40HC containers are 30cm//1foot higher than a standard 40FT container and are designed for when that little bit of extra space is needed for excess cargoes.
What if I wish to ship only a smaller volume of goods to the USA?
If you wish to send only boxes and/or minimal amounts of furniture, our shared container services (LCL) may be the best option for you.
The minimal charge in our shared container services is 1m3//cubic metre, equivalent to approximately 10 standard moving cartons (tea-chest size), these cartons are 43cm x 41cm x 60cm each. See our LCL page here for more information about this type of shipping service.
Are you planning on Moving to the USA?
We provide self pack options or professional packing services (should you require them) to move your household goods and/or motor vehicle/s in 20FT and 40FT shipping container/s from your door in Australia to your door in the US.
If you have owned and used the goods for more than 12 months, and are planning to move to the US after being outside of the country for more than 12 months, you may be eligible to import your goods tax/duty free in reasonable quantities and not for re-sale. Proof of living outside of the US is required i.e. utility bills, bank statements, property purchase or rental receipts etc,
Required documents for import:
- Copy of the importers passport photo page
- Bill of Lading (provided once cargo is shipped)
- Comprehensive valued inventory list in English, signed and dated (Electrical goods should include make/model/serial number)
- Customs Form 3299 (available here)
- Supplemental Declaration for Unaccompanied Personal Effects (available here)
- Importer Security Filing (ISFS-10) (available here)
- Power of Attorney for destination agent to arrange import customs clearance on the importers behalf.
- Utility bills, tax returns, rental/purchase documents from origin (current and 12 months prior) to show proofs of living outside of the US for a 12 month period.
Required documents for vehicle importation: Proof of purchase, Certificate of title, Current/Previous registration, Passport, Insurance policy, Drivers licence, Letter of Conformity from the manufacturer, EPA Form 3520-1.
Vehicles imported need to meet both Environment Protection Agency (EPA) fuel emission requriements, and, Department of Transport (DOT) safety requirements.
The motor vehicle needs to be listed on the container manifest inclusive of make/model/year/VIN.
If you are considering moving to the US speak to one of our friendly professionals to assist you with all your shipping related questions, call us on +6129575-7614.
