Moving to New York from the UK: What Shipping Involves
Moving to New York from the UK: What Shipping Involves
Moving to New York from the UK is, for most London households, two entirely separate projects that happen to share a date in the diary. The first is immigration: the visa, the petition, the appointment at the embassy in Nine Elms. The second is the one nobody writes about — getting a four-bedroom house in Wandsworth, or a two-bedroom flat in Islington, safely into a steel box, across the Atlantic, through United States customs and up a lift on East 74th Street. We write about the second one, because that is the half we do.
Almost every guide to moving to New York from the UK will tell you about the E-2, the L-1 and the O-1. Very few will tell you whether your sofa survives contact with a pre-war building. Or what a container examination at Elizabeth costs you. Or why your goods can sit at a terminal running up charges while your lease completes.
The general mechanics of a transatlantic move — pricing, container sizing, groupage against sole use, CBP Form 3299, and a real move costed line by line — are covered in our complete guide to moving to the USA from the UK. This page takes all of that as read and deals only with what is specific to New York.
What does it cost to ship a household from London to New York?
Shipping a household from London to New York costs from £3,500 for a studio using a shared container to around £11,000 for a five-bedroom home in a 40ft high cube. A two-bedroom flat in a sole-use 20ft container is roughly £6,500, and a three to four-bedroom house in a 40ft container roughly £9,000. Volume, service level and access at both ends decide where you land.
Most movers will not put a number on a public page. Here are ours.
These are indicative figures for household moves to the Port of New York and New Jersey, correct as at September 2026. They cover origin packing and collection, ocean freight, United States customs clearance and standard delivery. They exclude marine insurance, which is optional and priced on the value you declare, and they exclude the situational charges set out further down this page — customs examination, terminal storage, shuttle vehicles and long carries.
| Property size | Container type | Indicative cost | Door-to-door transit | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio or one-bedroom flat | Groupage / shared container | £3,500 | 10 to 12 weeks | Professionals on a first posting; cost-sensitive moves where timing is flexible |
| Two-bedroom flat | 20ft container | £6,500 | 4 to 6 weeks | Couples and small families who want sole use and a sealed container |
| Three to four-bedroom house | 40ft container | £9,000 | 4 to 6 weeks | Family relocations with children's rooms, garden furniture and loft storage |
| Five-bedroom-plus home | 40ft high cube, or multiple containers | £11,000 | 4 to 6 weeks | Executive and diplomatic families with fine art, wine and antiques |
| Urgent essentials only | Air freight consignment, 80 cubic feet | £1,850 | 3 to 5 days | Anyone starting work or school immediately on arrival |
| Vehicle | Enclosed container or dedicated vehicle shipment | £5,500 | 4 to 6 weeks | Classic and performance car owners, handled by The Supercar Mover |
Indicative figures for household moves to the Port of New York and New Jersey, correct as at September 2026. They cover origin packing and collection, ocean freight, United States customs clearance and standard delivery. They exclude marine insurance, which is optional and priced on the value you declare, and the situational charges set out further down this page. Your fixed price is confirmed after a free home survey.
Why groupage costs less but takes twice as long
Look at the first two rows. Groupage saves money on a small consignment, and it costs you six weeks. Your goods wait for a container to fill at the UK end, then wait again to be separated out at the New York end. Sole use of a 20ft container is loaded once, sealed, and not opened again until it reaches your door.
For a professional moving with books, clothes and a few pieces of furniture, and no fixed start date, that trade is worth making. For a family with children starting school in September, it rarely is.
What the price does and does not do after survey
These figures are a starting point, not a quotation. The quotation comes after a free home survey, because volume estimated over the telephone is the single largest source of surprise invoices in this industry.
Once we have surveyed, the price holds. The only thing that moves it is adding to the load after the survey, and we will tell you what that costs before we take it.
Our UK to USA cost guide works the same numbers through charge by charge on a real move, if you want to see how a total is built rather than just what it lands at.
How long does sea freight from the UK to New York take?
Sea freight from the UK to New York is one of the faster deep-sea routes available to a household. Door-to-door timings depend on sailing schedules, whether you have sole use of a container or are sharing, and how quickly customs clearance is completed on arrival. Air freight is the alternative for a small, urgent consignment.
Rather than quote a range we cannot guarantee, it is more useful to explain what the timeline is made of, because that is what you can plan around.
- Packing and collection. A three- or four-bedroom London home typically takes one to two full days to pack and load properly. Fine art, pianos and wine cellars add time and specialist crating.
- Haulage and sailing. Your container is delivered to Southampton, Felixstowe or London Gateway ahead of a cut-off date. Miss the cut-off and you wait for the next sailing, which is why we build buffer into collection dates rather than cutting them fine. The North Atlantic crossing itself is comparatively short by international standards, though autumn and winter weather can shift schedules.
- Arrival, customs and release. Documentation is filed with US Customs and Border Protection before arrival. A clean file clears quickly. An incomplete one, or a container selected for examination, does not.
- Delivery. Once released, the container is hauled to your address, or to a warehouse for delivery by a smaller vehicle if the street cannot take an articulated lorry. In much of Manhattan and Brooklyn, it cannot.
The critical planning point for anyone moving to New York from the UK is this: your shipment will not arrive on the day you do. Plan for an interim period in a serviced flat, with an air freight consignment covering clothes, laptops, school essentials and the children's favourite things.
Will my furniture fit into a New York building?
This is the question that separates a New York move from any other American destination, and the one most households never think to ask. Container size determines what leaves London. Building access determines what arrives. Pre-war Manhattan buildings have narrow service lifts, tight stairwells and board-approved move-in windows, and no amount of planning at the London end overcomes a lift that is 30 inches wide.
| Building type | What constrains the move | What we need before packing day |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-war co-op (Upper East and West Side) | Narrow service lifts, tight stairwells, board-approved move-in windows, certificate of insurance | Lift dimensions, board rules in writing, approved date |
| Post-war condo | Lift usually adequate, but management still requires insurance and a booked slot | Management contact and insurance requirements |
| Brownstone (Brooklyn, Harlem) | No lift, narrow staircases, stoop access | Floor plans, staircase width, which floor |
| New-build tower | Loading dock and goods lift, often with restricted hours | Dock booking procedure and delivery window |
| Any Manhattan street | Many streets cannot take a 40ft articulated lorry | Destination surveyed in advance so a shuttle vehicle is priced in, not discovered |
A three-seat sofa that came into a Victorian terrace in Clapham may not go up to a fifth-floor co-op on the Upper West Side. We ask for floor plans, lift dimensions and building move-in rules before we pack, not after. Where an item genuinely will not fit, it is far better to know that in London than on the pavement in New York.
What happens at the Port of New York and New Jersey?
Your container arrives at the Port of New York and New Jersey, most commonly the terminals at Elizabeth or Newark, or Red Hook in Brooklyn. Documentation is filed in advance, the container is discharged, CBP either releases it or selects it for examination, and once released it is hauled to your address for delivery. Our destination agent manages every step.
Examinations, and what they cost
A proportion of containers are selected for inspection. It may be a non-intrusive X-ray. It may be a tailgate examination, where officers open the doors and look at the first tier of goods. Or it may be a full intensive examination, in which the container goes to a Centralised Examination Station to be unloaded, inspected and reloaded. That last one is expensive and adds days.
Selection is not always predictable, but a clean, specific inventory and correctly prepared paperwork materially reduce the likelihood. Where an examination does occur, the cost falls to the shipper, which is why we tell clients about it before the container sails rather than after.
Free time, demurrage and detention
Terminals allow a limited number of free days before storage charges begin. Shipping lines allow a limited number of days before container detention charges begin. If your New York lease has not completed, or your building has not approved a move-in date, those clocks run regardless.
Warehouse storage at destination is almost always cheaper than leaving goods sitting at a terminal, and arranging it early is cheaper than arranging it in a panic.
Does anything change for New York at customs?
CBP Form 3299 is the United States customs declaration for free entry of unaccompanied personal and household effects. You sign it. We prepare it, check it and file it with US Customs and Border Protection alongside your inventory, passport, visa copies and the bill of lading. Customs clearance is included in the international relocations we manage.
Our UK to USA guide explains the form and its supporting paperwork in full. Two points are worth adding for New York specifically.
Alcohol. Wine and spirits are not household effects. New York State applies its own rules on top of federal requirements, and duty is payable. A serious cellar needs handling as a separate, properly declared shipment rather than being buried in a household inventory.
Your own arrival. Your goods should not arrive before you do. Clearing effects for an owner who has not yet entered the United States is considerably harder, and at a busy port that delay is charged to you in terminal storage.
Which New York charges are people not warned about?
The charges that surprise families shipping to New York from the UK are almost all at the destination end. Customs examination fees. Terminal storage and container detention. A shuttle vehicle where the street cannot take an articulated lorry. Building certificates of insurance and lift bookings. Porterage on long carries and stair climbs.
| Charge | Why it arises | How to avoid or reduce it |
|---|---|---|
| Customs examination | CBP selects the container for inspection | Detailed inventory, accurate paperwork, nothing undeclared |
| Demurrage and detention | Free time expires before delivery can take place | Confirm lease and building move-in dates before the sailing |
| Shuttle vehicle | Street cannot accommodate a full-size lorry | Survey the destination address in advance and price it in |
| Long carry and stair carry | Distance from vehicle to door, or no service lift | Provide building details and lift dimensions at survey stage |
| Building requirements | Co-op and condo boards require insurance certificates and booked windows | Obtain the building's move-in rules in writing early |
| Duty on alcohol | Not classed as used household effects, and New York State rules apply | Declare separately and budget for federal and state charges |
| Storage at destination | Property not ready on arrival | Book warehouse storage rather than accruing terminal charges |
Why choose a specialist for international removals to New York?
We are a specialist relocations business, not general house movers. The International Mover handles transatlantic household shipping. The Diplomatic Mover handles accredited and government consignments. The Supercar Mover handles vehicles. The London Mover handles the UK leg. The Indian Mover handles the India corridor.
Onkar Sharma, who founded the business, brings 30+ years of personal experience in international relocations. The Mover Group itself is a young, deliberately small specialist firm. It was built to do this work the way he believes it should be done: a fixed price after survey, a
named personal move manager who knows your file, and no surprises at the far end
The Mover Group holds IAM Premier Membership, the highest tier of the International Association of Movers, which is how we maintain vetted destination agent relationships at the Port of New York and New Jersey and across the United States. We have written separately about what IAM certification actually means for a client.
Frequently asked questions about moving to New York from the UK
Do you handle United States customs clearance, or do I arrange it myself?
We handle it. Customs clearance is included in the international relocations we manage. We prepare and file CBP Form 3299, the Supplemental Declaration and the supporting inventory, liaise with US Customs and Border Protection and our destination agent, and keep you informed through your personal move manager. You will not be asked to deal with the port yourself.
What happens if my New York property is not ready when the container arrives?
We arrange storage at destination. Warehouse storage is materially cheaper than allowing demurrage and container detention to accrue at the terminal, and it means your goods are held securely until your lease completes and your building approves a move-in date. Tell us early and we plan for it.
Is The Mover Group an IAM member?
Yes. The Mover Group holds IAM Premier Membership, the highest tier of the International Association of Movers. That gives us access to a vetted global agent network, which matters enormously on a route like London to New York, where the quality of the destination agent determines how the last mile goes.
Can I ship my car from London to New York?
Yes. Vehicles are handled by The Supercar Mover, which manages enclosed supercar shipping from the UK, classic car shipping and luxury vehicle transport internationally. Vehicle imports into the United States carry their own compliance requirements under EPA and DOT rules, and we advise on eligibility before booking anything.
Do you move fine art, pianos and wine collections?
Yes. Fine art, antiques, pianos and cellars are crated to export standard and condition-reported. Alcohol is declared separately from household effects because it is dutiable. This is routine work for executive clients and diplomatic families and forms a significant part of what we do.
Speak to us about your move
If you are moving to New York from the UK, and you want the shipping half of it handled properly, we would be glad to help. Accurate volume. A fixed price after survey. Customs clearance included. One named personal move manager, from survey to unpacking.
Telephone 0203 318 2216 or email sales@themovergroup.com to arrange a free home survey and a fixed written quotation for your London to New York relocation.
Every move is personal.
