Best International Moving Companies
International Van Lines4.4(1,020)
Allegiance Moving and Storage3.5(138)
Mayflower International Moving1.0(29)
Best International Moving Companies
Use our guide to research the best international moving company for you. Moving across international borders is a complicated process, especially if you're moving overseas. To simplify the process, global moving companies help people move their belongings across international borders. These companies ensure that moving internationally goes smoothly, from keeping belongings safe to making certain customs forms are in order. The most common ways to ship overseas are by air and by boat. When you ship by boat, your belongings will be packed into a container. When they arrive, each country has laws for what can be imported and whether taxes will be levied.
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Licensed moving company that offers local, long-distance and international moves. Services available by van, freight, air and ocean. Works in the entire U.S. and more than 180 countries. Free moving quotes available.
Licensed with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Auto transport, state-to-state, commercial and residential moving services. Free quotes available online. Uses a large network of movers. 30% deposit required.
With relocation experts that handle logistics, immigration and housing, Mayflower International Moving has become a leader in international moving. Relocation experts can answer questions pertaining to local culture and customs.
Provides moving services. Covers a range of services, including help with move preparation, visas, housing procurement and new home acclimation.
With 50 years of experience and 250 offices in more than 60 countries, Crown Relocations handles a wide variety of moves. The company has specialized expertise in moving fine art and also offers storage services to its customers.
Specializes in international moves to Australia, China, Germany, India, Ireland, the Middle East, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the U.S. Charges several thousands of dollars for international moves.
Having been in business for more than 50 years, Atlas has built relationships with nearly 300 partners around the world. Its broad network helps its customers move internationally to a variety of locations.
Allied International Moving offers a team of relocation experts to guide the customer through planning and customs. Since each customer has only one point of contact, the company can provide a highly personalized service.
Bekins Van Lines is an international moving company specializing in relocations to Canada, Mexico and overseas locations. The business has support employees who have lived in 52 countries and speak 37 languages.
International Moving Companies Buyers guide
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In this guide
Contents
What to consider in an international moving company
Added services
When moving across borders, there are so many things to consider it can be overwhelming. Having a moving company that offers additional help with your move can make it go much more smoothly.
- Cleaning services: Some companies offer cleaning services and debris pickup that can make it easy to transition from one home to another. You can rest assured that you will leave your old home in good condition and arrive to find the new one clean and ready to move into.
- Auto transport: Some companies are also able to transport cars, boats, motorcycles or other vehicles that you need to have shipped internationally as well.
- Setup: If you need help setting up your new home, many moving companies offer help with such things as home theater setup, furniture disassembly, furniture assembly and more.
Cost
International moving companies offer a wide variety of pricing options. Prices depend on the services you are looking for in a moving company.
- Pricing levels: Often, there are different pricing structures based on the method of moving and length of time it will take to move your belongings. Some companies charge per box while others charge by total weight, and they all generally factor distance into account.
- Protection plan costs: The cost of protection plans will vary depending on if you are choosing to protect your materials by weight or choosing a more specific plan based on your individual inventory or high-value inventory.
- Hidden costs: Reliable companies will guarantee that there are no hidden costs in the move. Watch out for companies who charge extra for miles, fuel, time delays that are out of your hands or extra supplies needed without your compliance.
Moving method
International moving companies can be either huge multinational corporations, small operations or something between. Depending on the size of the company, they may offer a variety of moving methods.
- Consolidation: Some companies treat each move individually, which can be more expensive. Other companies consolidate a number of different moves into one, which can take more time but save you money.
- Coordination with local offices: It is common that companies will transport your items to the border of the company you are moving to and then pass them off to local moving partners who will handle the duration of your move. Be sure to know the information for the movers you are being transferred to, in case of emergencies or loss of items.
- Settle-in services: A moving company should be able to offer settle-in services as well, which is a type of moving method that helps get a home set up and ready for move-in before a customer arrives.
Professionalism
It's important to work with an international moving company that is professional and reliable. No matter if you're a family moving with small children or a large corporation, you want to be able to depend on a moving company and know that they will communicate well and meet all of your needs.
- Experience: The company should have experience with the particular type of move you need. For example, if you are an art gallery moving overseas, you want to make sure your moving company is an expert in handling and shipping valuable artwork.
- Legal compliance: An international moving company should be aware of any particular legal issues that could come up when moving to a different country, these issues will vary from country to country. Make sure that your company keeps you informed on these issues.
- Resources: Some companies offer plenty of resources to help clients with every step of the move, from packing to unloading to dealing with visas and foreign issues.
Claims
In the event that your belongings are damaged or go missing, every international moving company should have a claims process in place.
- Staff: If an incident occurs, a company should have a dedicated team that is prepared and certified to handle claims and willing to accept responsibility for their company’s fault in them.
- Waiting time: It should be quick and easy to get a claim filed and to receive money back on your claim.
- Variety of plans: A moving company should offer a variety of plans that can be tailored to your needs. Cheaper plans are usually based on weight, while other plans can cover individual items or an entire inventory of items.
Types of international moving companies
General movers
General movers have the capability to handle any kind of move. They typically either partner with other companies, or have the infrastructure and transportation options to move large amounts of items internationally.
Corporate movers
This type of moving company is usually directed toward corporations who need to move a large office or business overseas. This typically requires additional planning in terms of packing and unpacking in order to make sure the move doesn't disrupt business operations for too long.
Art handlers
Art dealers require a special type of moving company that has the capacity and the expertise to deal with the difficult task of packaging very valuable art. Museums, galleries, and private collectors will want to work with moving companies that specialize in this very particular type of moving and have the necessary materials and partnerships to do so.
Military moving companies
Military families are often tasked with having to move quite frequently and can benefit from moving companies that cater specifically to military families or offer military discounts. Companies who develop relationships with their military clients might also offer storage options for clients who are only moving abroad temporarily.
Who uses international moving companies?
International students
Students that need to relocate their belongings overseas need moving companies that can safely handle their belongings and deliver them across country lines by a specified date.
Families
Families who need to move overseas will typically decide whether to keep all of their belongings, or downgrade some items and purchase new furniture overseas. They need an international moving company that will treat their valuable possessions carefully and keep them organized so it's easy to move in quickly.
Art dealers
Art dealers need to work with sophisticated moving companies that are able to delicately handle extremely expensive items without damaging them. These are usually more specialized companies.
Business relocations
Many businesses decide to relocate their company to a different location overseas. These types of move require special consideration of timelines because companies don't want to have much downtime while they are moving.
Information in this guide is general in nature and is intended for informational purposes only; it is not legal, health, investment or tax advice. ConsumerAffairs.com makes no representation as to the accuracy of the information provided and assumes no liability for any damages or loss arising from its use.
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International moving companies author reviews
United Van Lines International Movers is a well-known and well-respected moving company that offers moving services to over 180 countries around the world. They have a network of over 340 agent locations in America and internationally.
- Reputation: United Van Lines International Moving has a solid reputation as being one of the most frequently used moving services in the world. They have received a number of awards, including the AMSA Fleet Safety Award three years in a row.
- Customized plans: They can help customers devise customized plans to make their move go more smoothly and include specific services, such as cleaning services for your old or new home, debris pickup and even specialized services such as home theater set up.
- Cultural training: The company provides cultural training to help make the process of moving go smoothly. They handle cross-cultural issues for clients moving abroad.
- Visa and immigration services: United Van Lines offers assistance with Visa and Immigration Services in order to obtain the necessary international work authorizations, passports and more.
- Property protection: Through protection plans, the company offers a guarantee to customers to protect their belongings while in transit. Their plans include weight multiplier plans, itemized inventory plans and high-value item protection.
Atlas is a trusted International Moving Company that has local representatives as well as a network of licensees and partners. They are headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, and are the second-largest carrier of household goods in the U.S.
- Size: There are more than 500 Atlas Agents with equipment and warehouses around the world, making them easily accessible to a lot of consumers.
- Complete services: Atlas offers a full service international transition, including packing, delivering and unpacking customer's belongings.
- Storage: The company offers storage solutions for anyone who needs an interim place to stow their things while transitioning between homes.
- Experience: For more than 50 years, Atlas has been providing international moving services for thousands of customers each year.
- Network: They have a strong network of partners who help them make smooth international transitions for their customers, such as local movers within each country who they can transition items to in order to handle the move efficiently.
Mayflower International Moving is a division of United Moving. The company provides international moving services in more than 180 countries.
Allied International Moving offers moving help all over the world. The company also has over 85 years of experience with successful moves, including unpacking, crating, assembly and disassembly.
- Personal move coordinator: Allied International Moving provides each customer with a personal move coordinator. They work with each customer on their individual needs, including the details of when they need to relocate, any fragile belongings they might have, what their budget is and more.
- Specialty moves: They have the capacity even to move specialty items, such as cars and boats.
- Scheduling: They are great at scheduling moves for exact time frames and sticking to their deadlines. If a customer needs their belongings at a certain date, they will arrange for the items to be moved separately, which can be more expensive. However, if the customer has flexible deadlines, they can schedule a move with one or more other customers who are moving in the same direction in order to save the customer money.
- Piecemeal moving: They allow customers to transport only some goods at once and store others until they are ready to receive them. For example, this is helpful for families who might be moving belongings but need to wait until they can clear existing items out of a house before moving in completely.
- Low-stress: They focus on offering customers a low-stress experience by offering excellent communication and making sure that the details of the move are outlined and thoroughly reviewed before beginning any work.
Crown Relocations is a shipping company that ships fine art and other valuable items both nationally and internationally. They specialize in shipping items of large sizes that carry great monetary value. The company has over 50 years of experience.
Arpin International Group is a leading, service-oriented moving and storage company that has offices all over the world. They specialize in moving households and corporate offices.
- Military moves: They have a Retired Captain as part of their team who understands the moving needs of military members and offers dedicated help with military moves.
- Green initiatives: They are one of the few moving companies that focuses on green initiatives and making your move less harmful to the environment. They take strides to reduce the amount of packing material used, recycle all of their materials and they implemented green initiatives into the building design of their new and existing locations.
- Locations worldwide: The company has offices worldwide, including Germany, Singapore, United Kingdom and Canada.
- Agents: They offer help to their customers not only over the phone, but they also have a large network of agents that can help in-person.
- Moving tips: Arpin provides helpful moving tips to customers in order to help ensure their moves go as smoothly as possible, such as dealing with visas and international laws regarding moving certain items.
Founded in 1891, Bekins Van Lines is a moving company that specializes in different kinds of moves, one of these is international moves. The company has international partners that can help you move all of your belongings seamlessly across different country borders.
- Planning: Bekins International Movers does extensive planning in order to make sure that you are getting the best international moving deals that you can. They advise you to contact them to begin taking inventory three to four months in advance of a big move.
- Individual care: They are very attentive to individuals in order to make sure they get the right packages needed for moving their belongings abroad. They treat each move individually and tailor their services to your needs.
- Competitive pricing: They can save you money on your move by helping you with packing or sourcing moving materials for you.
- Experienced staff: Their staff speaks over 37 languages and has lived in more than 50 countries, so they offer a level of expertise and experience.
- In-home estimates: The company will come to your home or office to do an in-person estimate of what your international move will cost, for free.
