Three separate components make up international moving. The first component is origin services, which covers everything involved with leaving the point of origin, including packing and moving the household goods. The second component is the transportation of goods, which covers how the goods are going to be shipped, whether it’s by air, truck, rail, or ship. The third component of an international move is destination services, which covers everything after your goods arrive at the point of entry.
Now that the basics are covered, here are seven common international moving terms you may come across when reviewing an international move estimate.
1. Door to Door Move
This is an all-inclusive international move. The use of this phrase means the moving company will handle every aspect of your move from origin to destination.
2. Warehouse to Door
In this scenario, the customer packs their goods and delivers them to the moving company’s warehouse. Then from there, the moving company arranges all services for overseas delivery to the door of the final destination.
3. Port to Door
In this scenario, the customer is responsible for getting their goods to the departure port. From there a freight forwarder handles the rest of the move, delivering the goods to the final destination.
4. Port to Port
In this scenario, the customer is responsible for getting their goods to the departure port and the freight forwarder is responsible for delivering the goods to the entrance port. The customer again would be responsible for customs clearance, port fees, and delivering goods from port to destination.
5. Customs Clearance
During an international move, your goods will have to clear customs in the destination country in order to reach your new home. Clear and concise paperwork is key to a smooth clearance process, which when combined with personal identification documents and all the proper entry permits that the country of destination requires for the customer and their goods, will make this moving stage go smoother. If you have questions about what you can and can’t bring in to the new country, contact the embassy of the country that you are moving to in your current home country to get the most up to date information and permissions.
6. Packing List
This is an extremely important document in international shipping; it lets customs know exactly what you are bringing into the new country. If your packing list and your belongings don’t match up, you can expect further dialogue with customs.
7. Port Fees
These are the fees you must pay when using the dock and can include docking charges, pier charges, handling of the cargo, and storing the cargo, for example. These are legitimate fees that should be supported with official receipts and must be paid.
Not only does JK know the ins and outs of international moving and how complex it can be, we have a dedicated team of experts to ensure a smooth international move for our customers.