Removals to the USA and Canada handled end-to-end from our Lower Dicker depot — ISF 10+2 and Form 3299 paperwork, sea-freight via Felixstowe or Southampton, used personal effects relief, destination agents in every major city.
Removals to the USA and Canada from Sussex are a steady flow of work for Mark Ratcliffe Moving — tech-sector relocations to the Bay Area, finance moves to NYC and Toronto, retirees joining family in Florida or Vancouver, academic posts in Boston and Montreal. North America is an easier customs regime than Australia (no biosecurity inspection on the same scale) and the trade flow is high-volume, which means container sailings are frequent and the cost-per-cubic-metre is competitive. The two paperwork items you cannot skip are the US Importer Security Filing (ISF 10+2) and either Form 3299 (USA) or Form B4 (Canada) for used personal effects relief. We file all of it as standard. We are a British Association of Removers (BAR) Overseas Group member with destination agents in every major US and Canadian city.
The USA and Canada attract a specific type of mover — usually a working-age professional with a job offer in hand, sometimes a retiree following adult children, occasionally a returning citizen who spent years in the UK. The pull factors are different for the two countries. The USA offers career opportunity at scale, higher salaries in technology, finance and academia, and a familiarity that makes the cultural transition easy. Canada offers a more progressive social safety net, more affordable healthcare, easier residency for skilled workers, and the great outdoors at the scale most Brits dream about. For both, the practical removal logistics are similar: a 20 or 40-foot container shipped from Felixstowe or Southampton, customs at the port of entry, road or rail to the inland destination, door-to-door delivery into your North American home.
Every move starts with a free survey at your Sussex address — in person across East Sussex, Kent and West Sussex, or by video for outlying postcodes — followed by an itemised written quote within 48 hours that includes UK packing, road haulage to port, sea freight, ISF filing, destination customs entry and delivery to your North American address.
Mark or one of our senior surveyors visits your home for a no-obligation survey. We walk every room, identify items obtained in the last 12 months (which may carry duty), note any antiques or fragile pieces that need specialist crating, and discuss timing. Within 48 hours you have a fixed-price written quote covering UK packing, port handling, sea freight, ISF filing, destination customs entry and delivery.
North American removals use our white-glove pad-wrap protection on every piece of furniture and BAR-spec export double-wall cartons for fragile items, from our Lower Dicker packing shop. Containers are sealed in your driveway with a numbered customs seal that only the destination agent can break.
For a 3-bedroom or larger house, a 40-foot sole-use container is usually best. For smaller moves, LCL groupage is far cheaper — you pay per cubic metre and share container space with other UK-North America shipments. LCL adds 2 to 4 weeks to the schedule. Air freight is an option for time-critical smaller moves but costs roughly 4 to 5 times the equivalent sea freight.
Our containers ship through Felixstowe (east-coast) or Southampton (south-coast) depending on the sailing schedule and destination. Routes: Felixstowe-NYC (3 to 5 weeks), Felixstowe-Baltimore (similar), Felixstowe-Houston via the Gulf (5 to 7 weeks), Southampton-LA via Panama Canal (4 to 6 weeks), Felixstowe-Vancouver via Panama (5 to 7 weeks). Toronto is typically served via NYC with onward rail/road; Montreal direct via the St Lawrence Seaway.
For US shipments we file the ISF (Importer Security Filing) 24 hours before vessel loading at the UK port — this is mandatory and the $5,000-per-violation penalty for non-filing means we treat it as a non-negotiable. On arrival in the US our destination agent files the Form 3299 used personal effects declaration with US Customs and Border Protection; in Canada it’s the equivalent Form B4. Used household goods owned 12+ months are duty-free under both regimes.
Our destination agent meets the container at your North American property, unpacks furniture into the rooms you agreed in advance, removes the pad-wrap, and reassembles beds and large items. For US apartments with HOA elevator restrictions or delivery windows, we coordinate access with the building manager. Box-by-box unpacking is an optional add-on.
Manhattan, Brooklyn, Westchester, Long Island, Boston, Philadelphia, DC. Most-frequent US destination. Container Felixstowe-NYC 3–5 weeks; HOA elevator coordination is the bottleneck in Manhattan.
LA, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Portland. Container Southampton-LA via Panama Canal 4–6 weeks. Tech-sector relocations dominate; longer route but more frequent sailings.
Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Naples, Atlanta, Charlotte. Container via NYC or Houston with onward road delivery. Retirees and second-home owners dominate. Allow 5–7 weeks door-to-door.
Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio. Container Felixstowe-Houston direct via Gulf 5–7 weeks. Growing tech and energy-sector destination.
Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City. Direct sea freight to Montreal via St Lawrence, or via NYC plus road to Toronto. Total 5–7 weeks door-to-door.
Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Victoria. Sea freight via Panama Canal 5–7 weeks. Skilled-worker relocations and retirees drawn to British Columbia’s climate.
US customs requires two pieces of paperwork on every household move from the UK:
Canada is similar with simpler paperwork — Form B4 (Personal Effects Accounting Document) plus Form BSF186 for unaccompanied goods. Canadian customs is generally more straightforward than US Customs and Border Protection. For both countries, items obtained in the last 12 months may attract duty; wine and alcohol have their own rules and limits.
Cars are usually the most expensive and complicated item on a US/Canada move. UK vehicles over 25 years old can usually be imported to the US under the classic-vehicle exemption (no NHTSA or EPA compliance required). Newer vehicles typically need modifications that exceed the car’s value — we recommend leaving most modern UK cars in the UK. Canada is more flexible; vehicles under 15 years old can enter via Transport Canada’s RIV programme with relatively minor modifications. We work with specialist vehicle shippers who handle the import permits.
Antiques over 100 years old may need a UK cultural export licence depending on value. Pianos travel inside the same container with our piano-moving crews. Wine is limited — the US allows personal-use quantities (broadly one case per traveller) but volumes beyond that need an import permit and pay excise. Firearms are not shipped. Food, plants and seeds are not shipped.
Most North American removals follow this rhythm:
If destination dates slip we store at our Lower Dicker depot in steel strong rooms until you’re ready.
North American removals have one feature that distinguishes them from the rest of our work: the ISF 10+2 filing. Miss it or file it wrong and the penalty is $5,000. The destination agent either knows their way around CBP and customs brokerage or your container sits at NYC waiting for paperwork while you pay storage. The pad-wrap either holds across a 5-week sea voyage with humidity and temperature swings or it doesn’t.
We’ve been doing North American moves since 2017. About a quarter of our annual international workload is USA or Canada, and we work with the same destination agents in NYC, LA, Chicago, Toronto and Vancouver that we’ve worked with for years. The crews who pack your house in Eastbourne are the same crews who’ve done it on dozens of US moves — not casual labour hired the week before.
Read what customers say on our reviews page, browse the gallery for photos of recent moves, or call Mark on 01323 848 008. We’ll give you honest answers about ISF filing, used-effects relief, and what realistic timelines look like for your destination city.
Door-to-door, allow 6 to 10 weeks. Sea freight from Felixstowe to New York or Baltimore is 3 to 5 weeks; to LA, Long Beach or Oakland 4 to 6 weeks via Panama Canal; to Vancouver 5 to 7 weeks. Add 1 to 2 weeks for customs clearance and road delivery to inland addresses. Toronto is most commonly served via NYC and rail/road; Montreal directly. Air freight runs 7 to 14 days door-to-door but at 4 to 5 times the cost.
Yes. The Importer Security Filing (ISF, sometimes called “10+2”) is mandatory for every container entering the United States and must be filed by the importer at least 24 hours before the cargo is loaded onto the vessel at the UK port. Failure to file or late filing carries a $5,000 penalty per violation. We file the ISF for every US-bound shipment on your behalf as part of standard service — you sign the authorisation at the survey and we handle the rest.
Generally yes. The US allows duty-free import of used personal and household effects under Form 3299 (Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles), provided the goods have been owned and used for at least 12 months and you are entering the US to take up residence. Canadian rules under Form B4 (Personal Effects Accounting Document) are similar. Items obtained in the last 12 months may be subject to duty; we identify these at the survey. Wine, alcohol and certain restricted items have their own rules.
Sometimes, but it is usually cheaper and simpler to use a specialist car-shipping partner. The USA enforces NHTSA safety and EPA emissions standards strictly — UK cars older than 25 years can be imported under the classic-vehicle exemption; newer vehicles often need modifications that exceed the car’s value. Canada is generally easier and accepts most UK vehicles under 15 years old via Transport Canada’s RIV programme. We coordinate timing so vehicle and household arrive in the same window.
A 20-foot sole-use container Sussex to New York or Baltimore is typically £5,800 to £8,800 all-in. To LA, Long Beach or Vancouver £6,500 to £9,500. A 40-foot container is roughly £8,000 to £13,000. LCL shared shipments work out at £170 to £240 per cubic metre. Air freight starts around £4,500 for a 1-bedroom flat’s contents and scales steeply. All sea quotes include UK packing, road haulage to port, sea freight, ISF filing, customs entry and destination delivery.
Door-to-door delivery into your North American property as standard. Our destination agent’s crew places furniture in agreed rooms and removes the pad-wrap. Box-by-box unpacking is an optional add-on. For US apartments with elevator restrictions or HOA delivery windows we coordinate access with the building manager in advance.
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