Container removals from Sussex to Texas, sailing direct from Felixstowe to Houston through the Gulf. Sole-use containers for family homes, ISF filing and US customs entry included.
Removals to Texas and the Mid-South from the UK tend to involve bigger houses than any other US route we run. A job in Houston’s energy sector or Austin’s tech scene usually comes with a detached home in the suburbs, often larger than the Sussex house it replaces, and people ship more furniture as a result. The route suits that. Containers sail from Felixstowe straight into the Gulf of Mexico to Houston, which puts the whole state within a day’s drive of the port.
Houston is where the container lands and where many of our Texas customers live, working in oil and gas, engineering, the port and the huge medical centre. Its suburbs spread in every direction, and a lot of British families settle in the large planned communities to the north and west of the city. Austin, the state capital, has become a technology centre in its own right, with a university town feel in the middle and new-build neighbourhoods growing fast around the edge.
Dallas and neighbouring Fort Worth form the largest metropolitan area in the state, with corporate head offices, finance and aviation. San Antonio, to the south-west, has military bases, a historic centre and a slower pace. All three inland cities are reached by road from Houston, which means one arrival port and one customs clearance whatever part of Texas you are heading for.
Texas is enormous, and the card on our main page is named for its four big cities. If your destination is further out, towards El Paso or the Panhandle, we plan and quote the extra road distance individually.
Many Texas moves are paid for by an employer, particularly in the energy business, and the relocation team will want to see exactly what they are paying for. Our quotes are fixed and itemised, covering UK packing, road haulage to Felixstowe, the sailing, the ISF filing, customs entry at Houston and delivery to the house, so the HR department and the family are looking at the same figures. If your package caps the volume, we survey against that allowance and tell you honestly what fits inside it before anything is packed.
Texas deliveries are generally easier on access than a city-centre apartment. Suburban houses have driveways, wide roads and garages, so the truck parks close and the carry is short. The complication is usually the homeowners’ association. Many Texas subdivisions have one, and it can limit truck sizes, set delivery hours or ask for notice before a crew arrives. We ask for the rules at the survey stage.
Size is the other planning point. Houses here are often larger than the ones people leave, which tempts customers to ship everything. We would rather you decide room by room with a clear idea of what fits in a 20-foot or a 40-foot container, because an honest survey then gives a fixed volume and no surprise at loading.
The climate needs respect. Summer in Texas is long and fierce, with high heat across the state and humidity on the Gulf coast, so we plan early starts and pack anything heat-sensitive carefully. Houston also sits in the path of Gulf hurricanes between June and November, and a storm can close the port or delay road deliveries for a few days.
Every Texas shipment clears at the Port of Houston, which is one of the advantages of this route: the container sails direct, lands once, and is examined, if at all, by US Customs and Border Protection at the same port it travels inland from. We lodge the ISF 10+2 security filing at least 24 hours before the container is loaded at Felixstowe, and our destination agent files Form 3299 so that used household goods owned and used for twelve months or more can enter free of duty for a customer taking up residence.
What catches Texas movers out is usually the garage, not the house. Ride-on mowers, garden machinery and outdoor furniture must arrive completely clean, because soil and plant material are a problem at any US port. Anything with an engine should have its fuel drained. Firearms are not shipped at all. A recently bought television or sofa is fine to include, but it goes on the declaration because it may attract duty.
Wine collectors should talk to us early. The US allows personal-use quantities, but a cellar of any size needs an import permit and pays excise, and individual states, Texas included, have alcohol rules of their own. Often the simplest answer is to drink or sell most of it before you go.
The agent will need copies of your passport and visa, and clearance normally follows your own arrival in the country, so we time the sailing accordingly.
The direct container from Felixstowe to Houston via the Gulf takes 5–7 weeks. It is longer than the run to New York because the ship has further to go, but the direct routing avoids a second port and a long cross-country road leg. Customs clearance at Houston and the drive to Austin, Dallas or San Antonio fit within a Texas move without much extra time, since all three are a few hours up the interstate.
Shared LCL shipments add 2–4 weeks while the container fills, and air freight at 7–14 days covers the essentials if you need them sooner. Because Texas moves are often large, many customers book a sole-use container and pick the sailing to suit their closing date. Late July and August are the peak of the removals year, so book ahead for a summer move.
We are a family-run removals company, set up in 2017 and operating from our Lower Dicker depot in East Sussex. A Texas move is usually a full-house job in a big container, and that is work our own crews are organised for: a proper survey, careful loading so the weight sits right, and export packing and crating for sea freight throughout. For an heirloom dresser or a glass cabinet, our custom crate builders make a box to fit.
Most Texas customers take our complete packing service, but you can also order removal boxes and export materials and pack yourself. A piano goes in the container under the care of our trained piano movers, and if the Houston closing slips we keep your goods in storage at our depot before shipping until you are ready.
We are BAR Overseas Group members and work to BS 8564, the British Standard for international moves. Look through our customer feedback, meet the family behind the firm on our about us page, and read our UK to USA moving guide before you book. Our international removals page sets out the service as a whole, and Mark answers 01323 848 008.
Texas has its own direct sailing, and these are the other North American routes we run from Lower Dicker.
Yes. Containers sail from Felixstowe direct to Houston through the Gulf of Mexico, taking 5–7 weeks. Austin, Dallas and San Antonio are then reached by road from Houston after customs clearance.
It depends on how much you take, and Texas houses tempt people to take everything. A 40-foot container is usually right for a three-bedroom home or larger. We decide it room by room at the survey so the volume is fixed before loading day.
Yes, if it is spotlessly clean. Soil and plant material cause problems at US ports, so mowers, tools and garden furniture must be washed, and anything with an engine drained of fuel. We check these items at the survey.
They can. Many subdivisions limit truck sizes, set delivery hours or want notice in advance. Send us the association rules when you have them and we plan the delivery to fit, including a smaller shuttle vehicle if large trucks are not allowed in.
Occasionally. The Gulf season runs from June to November, and a storm can close the port or delay deliveries for a few days. It rarely causes damage to a sealed container, but a flexible delivery date helps if you are moving in late summer.
Call us for a free, no-obligation quote, or use our online form. Whether it is a shared part-load or a whole house, we have handled the route before and we will handle yours with care.