Container removals from Sussex to Toronto, Ontario and Eastern Canada, by direct sailing to Montreal or via New York by road. Settler’s effects paperwork and condo deliveries planned for you.
Removals to Toronto and Eastern Canada from the UK cover a wide mix of people. Finance and tech professionals relocating to Toronto, public servants and academics heading for Ottawa, families drawn to Montreal’s bilingual life, and Britons with Canadian partners going home together. Canada is the more straightforward of the two North American countries for customs, and there are two good ways to get a container to it: direct up the St Lawrence to Montreal, or into New York and north by road to Toronto.
Toronto is Canada’s largest city and the busiest destination on this card. Downtown moves are overwhelmingly condominium towers, while families head for older houses in neighbourhoods such as the Annex and Leslieville or for the suburbs of Mississauga, Oakville and Markham. Ottawa, the federal capital, draws government, diplomatic and university staff, and its outlying suburbs are easier deliveries than the city centre.
Montreal is the heart of French-speaking Canada and a major port in its own right. Its classic housing is the triplex, with external iron staircases spiralling up to upper-floor flats, which is as awkward for a removal crew as it looks. Quebec City, further down the St Lawrence, has an old walled centre with narrow streets. In Quebec, French is the language of signage and official business, so labelling rooms clearly on the day matters more than usual.
We deliver across Ontario and Quebec on the same service, and further east into the Maritime provinces on request, planned individually.
For Toronto and Ottawa, the routing through New York surprises some customers, who worry that their furniture will have to clear American customs on the way. It does not work like that. The container travels north under customs seal, as goods in transit, and is cleared by the Canadian authorities rather than in New York. You deal with one border, the Canadian one, and the American leg is simply the fastest road to Ontario.
A Toronto condo move has a routine to it. The building management will want the service elevator booked, often for a fixed window of a few hours, and many ask for a deposit and a certificate of insurance before the crew arrives. The loading dock may be shared with deliveries and refuse collection. We ask for the building’s rules at the survey so the delivery date is fixed around an elevator slot rather than the other way round.
Montreal adds its famous outside staircases. Big furniture going up to a second- or third-floor flat sometimes has to be hoisted over the balcony rail, and we check that at the survey. Montreal also has a particular date to avoid: across Quebec, many residential leases end on 30 June, so the first of July is a day when a huge share of the province moves at once, and trucks, crews and parking are all at a premium.
Winter is the other factor. From December to March, snow and ice across Ontario and Quebec make paths slippery and streets narrower, and heavy snowfall can cost a day. Crews here are used to it, but we lay protection on floors and plan more time for each delivery.
Canadian clearance is handled by the Canada Border Services Agency, and the rules suit an organised mover. Used household goods you own and have used before you arrive can generally come in free of duty as settler’s effects. The key document is Form B4, the Personal Effects Accounting Document, with Form BSF186 for goods arriving separately from you. The detail that matters most is timing: the list of everything following in the container has to be presented to the border officer when you first land, at Toronto Pearson, Montreal or Ottawa.
If that list is not declared at your first arrival, clearing the container later becomes much harder. So we prepare the itemised list with you before you fly, and you carry two copies in your hand luggage, not in the container. Once the officer has processed it, the destination agent can use it to clear your goods at the port or at an inland customs point.
Returning Canadians moving home after years in Britain follow a similar process, with the list declared at the border in the same way. Whichever category you fall into, the officer’s decision is final, so accuracy matters: a list that says “boxes of kitchen items” is fine, but valuable items such as jewellery, art and electronics should be listed individually with serial numbers where they have them. We help you write it so nothing is vague.
Anything bought recently, wine above the personal allowance, and firearms all need special handling, and fresh food and plants stay behind. We flag them at the survey.
Allow 5–7 weeks door to door. That covers both routings: direct sea freight up the St Lawrence to Montreal, which suits Montreal and Quebec City, and the Felixstowe to New York sailing followed by road north across the border to Toronto or Ottawa. We choose between them on the sailing schedule and your delivery address, and the window is the same either way once clearance is included.
A shared LCL shipment adds 2–4 weeks while the container fills, which is often the sensible choice for a couple taking a modest load to a Toronto condo. Air freight at 7–14 days covers the essentials. Summer is the peak season, and in Quebec the weeks around the first of July are the busiest of all, so we would book early for any move to Montreal that summer.
Mark Ratcliffe Moving was founded in 2017 and runs every move from our Lower Dicker depot in East Sussex. Our crews pack and load their own work rather than handing it to agency labour, and a Canadian move gets export-grade packing and crating suited to a long voyage and a frozen delivery. Delicate antiques, glass and artwork can travel in a purpose-built timber crate made to measure.
We will pack the whole house through our full export packing service, or supply cartons and wrap for your Canadian move if you would rather pack yourself. Pianos go in the container, loaded by our piano handling specialists. If the Toronto condo is not ready or your immigration dates move, we keep your goods in pre-shipment storage in Sussex until they can sail.
We are a BAR Overseas Group removals firm accredited to BS 8564 for overseas moving services. Read our customer reviews, find out about the Ratcliffe family firm, and see how we handle removals abroad from Sussex more widely. To talk through Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal, call Mark on 01323 848 008.
Heading somewhere other than Ontario or Quebec? These are the rest of our North American routes.
Usually by sea from Felixstowe to New York and then by road north across the border, or by direct sailing up the St Lawrence to Montreal and on by road. Both routes take 5–7 weeks door to door; we choose on the sailing schedule and your address.
Bring a detailed list of everything following in the container, on Form B4 with Form BSF186, and present it to the border officer when you first arrive. Keep two copies in your hand luggage. Missing this step makes clearing the container much harder later.
Most do. Expect to book the service elevator for a set window, and many buildings ask for a deposit and a certificate of insurance. We ask for the building rules early and fix the delivery date around the elevator booking.
If you can. Many Quebec leases end on 30 June, so 1 July is when a large share of the province moves at once, and trucks, crews and parking are all stretched. A delivery a week or two either side is far easier to arrange.
Yes. Crews in Eastern Canada work through snow and ice as a matter of routine. We allow extra time on the day, protect floors from slush, and occasionally move a delivery by a day if heavy snowfall closes streets.
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.