Moving to USA from UK: Complete Household Goods Guide
Moving to USA from UK: Complete Household Goods Guide
Moving to USA from UK is one of the most involved international relocations a household can undertake, and it is also one of the least transparently priced. Every enquiry we receive on this corridor tends to open the same way: the family has read four or five removals company websites, each promising a smooth experience, and not one of them has published a single figure. So we will start with numbers, and we will keep returning to them throughout this guide.
We are The International Mover, part of The Mover Group — a young, family-run specialist relocations business in London led by Onkar Sharma, who brings 30+ years of personal experience in international removals and relocation. We are an IAM Premier Member, the highest tier of membership of the International Association of Movers. This guide is the hub for our UK-to-USA content, and it is written to be genuinely useful whether you are a family relocating to Boston, a corporate client moving an executive to Houston, or a government department posting staff to Washington DC.
How much does moving to USA from UK actually cost?
For household goods shipped by sea, most London-to-USA moves fall between £2,800 and £14,500. A part-container groupage shipment of 200–300 cubic feet typically runs £2,800–£4,500. A 20ft sole-use container sits around £6,500–£9,000. A 40ft container is generally £9,500–£14,500. These are door-to-door ranges from actual jobs, including origin packing, sea freight, customs formalities and delivery.
Those figures move up or down for reasons that are entirely predictable once you know what they are. The single largest variable is volume — how much you are actually shipping. The second is access at both ends: a fourth-floor flat in Kensington with no lift and a permit-only loading bay costs more to load than a detached house in Surrey with a driveway. The third is destination geography: a delivery in New Jersey, 40 minutes from the port, is a fraction of the cost of an inland delivery to Denver or Austin, where a container must be trucked over a thousand miles or transloaded onto a domestic lorry.
Where a number genuinely cannot be verified in advance — US port storage if your visa paperwork is delayed, for instance, or a CBP examination fee if your container is selected for inspection — we tell you what drives it rather than inventing a figure. That approach is the whole basis of our transparent fixed pricing: everything we can fix, we fix in writing; everything we cannot, we explain, quantify the likely range, and flag before you sign.
What size container do I need — 20ft or 40ft?
A 20ft container holds roughly 1,100 cubic feet of usable packed space and comfortably takes the contents of a two-bedroom property or a lightly furnished three-bed. A 40ft container holds around 2,300 cubic feet and suits a fully furnished four or five-bedroom house. The most common mistake is assuming a three-bed house fits a 20ft container. Sometimes it does. Frequently it does not.
Here is the honest position on the three-bedroom question, because it is the one we are asked most. A three-bed London terrace with two reception rooms, a loft used for storage, a garage, garden furniture, bicycles and a piano will fill a 20ft container and leave you with 200–400 cubic feet of overspill. That overspill is expensive to solve at the last minute. A three-bed flat with built-in wardrobes, no loft, no garage and modern flat-pack furniture will often come in at 850–1,000 cubic feet and fit a 20ft with room to spare.
The only reliable way to know is a proper pre-move survey. Our personal move managers survey room by room, list every item, and produce a cubic footage figure you can rely on. If the survey shows you sit awkwardly between sizes, we will say so and set out the two options — reduce the volume, or step up to a 40ft — with the cost difference in writing.
| Shipping option | Usable volume | Typical property | Indicative cost (door to door) | Realistic transit time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groupage (part container) | 100–400 cu ft | Studio, one-bed flat, or selected items only | £1,900–£4,500 | 6–10 weeks |
| 20ft sole-use container | approx. 1,100 cu ft | Two-bed house or lightly furnished three-bed | £6,500–£9,000 | 4–6 weeks |
| 40ft sole-use container | approx. 2,300 cu ft | Four to five-bed house, fully furnished | £9,500–£14,500 | 4–6 weeks |
| Air freight (essentials) | 100–500 kg | Clothing, laptops, documents, children’s items | £9–£14 per kg, £1,200 minimum typical | 7–14 days |
Should I choose groupage or a sole-use container?
Groupage is right when your volume is under roughly 400 cubic feet and your timeline is flexible. You pay only for the space you occupy inside a shared container. Sole-use is right when volume exceeds 400 cubic feet, when your timeline is fixed, or when the goods are valuable enough that you do not want the container opened at a consolidation depot. Sole-use is faster and more controlled; groupage is cheaper.
When groupage works well
Overseas groupage is a service we run regularly and it suits a specific profile: postgraduate students, single professionals relocating for a two-year contract, families who are letting their UK home furnished and shipping only personal effects, and clients sending a defined list of items ahead of a later full move. The economics are straightforward — you pay per cubic foot rather than for a whole box.
The trade-off is time. A groupage container does not sail until it is full. If your consignment is collected on 3 March and the container reaches capacity on 24 March, your goods sit in a bonded warehouse for three weeks before the vessel loads. Add ocean transit, US consolidation and deconsolidation, and 6–10 weeks door to door is realistic. Anyone quoting you four weeks on groupage is quoting you a best case, not a plan.
When sole-use is the only sensible choice
For executive clients relocating on a corporate timetable, for diplomatic families with posting dates that do not move, and for anyone shipping fine art, wine, antiques or a vehicle, sole-use is the answer. The container is loaded at your property, sealed in front of you, and that seal is not broken again until customs clearance or delivery. There is no consolidation depot, no shared handling, and no waiting for other people's shipments.
Sole-use is also the route for vehicles. We handle vehicle shipping alongside household goods through The Supercar Mover, including enclosed supercar shipping from the UK, collector car shipping from London and luxury vehicle shipping. Supercar shipping UK to USA is a distinct discipline — a Porsche, Lamborghini or classic car crossing the Atlantic requires EPA and DOT documentation, a customs bond, and in most cases enclosed transport rather than a shared vehicle deck.
Is sea freight or air freight better for moving to USA from UK?
Sea freight is the correct choice for the overwhelming majority of household goods: it costs roughly a tenth of air freight per unit of volume and handles furniture that air freight cannot economically carry. Air freight is for the 100–300 kg of items you genuinely cannot be without for six weeks. The right answer for most families is both, in combination.
In practice, we build a split shipment. Your beds, sofas, dining table, wardrobes, garden equipment and the boxed contents of the house go by sea. A carefully selected air consignment — work clothing, school uniforms, laptops, chargers, prescription items, a child's essential toys, bedding for the first fortnight, and any original documents you will need for a US bank account or lease — flies with you or a few days behind. That air consignment typically weighs 150–250 kg and costs £1,400–£3,000.
The alternative is spending £180 a night on a serviced flat in Chicago for four weeks while you wait for a container. The air freight is nearly always the cheaper decision.
Which port pairs are used for UK to USA shipping, and how long does it take?
Household goods from London leave through Southampton or Felixstowe. Southampton to New York/Newark is the fastest lane at 10–14 days on the water. Felixstowe to Savannah runs 14–18 days. Southampton or Felixstowe to Los Angeles or Long Beach, routed via the Panama Canal, takes 24–32 days. Ocean transit is only part of the story.
The full door-to-door picture for a sole-use container looks like this. Packing and loading at your London property takes one to two days for a three-bed, two to three for a large house. The container then moves by road to the port, where it waits for its allocated vessel — allow five to ten days, and longer if you have loaded on a Friday before a bank holiday. Ocean transit follows. On arrival in the USA, the container is discharged, customs cleared, and released. Then it is delivered.
| Route | Ocean transit | Total door to door (sole-use) | Common destinations served |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton to New York / Newark | 10–14 days | 4–5 weeks | New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Boston, Philadelphia |
| Felixstowe to Savannah | 14–18 days | 5–6 weeks | Georgia, Florida, the Carolinas, Atlanta, Nashville |
| Southampton to Houston | 18–24 days | 6–7 weeks | Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma |
| Felixstowe to Los Angeles / Long Beach | 24–32 days | 7–9 weeks | California, Nevada, Arizona, Seattle, Portland |
| Air freight, Heathrow to major US hub | 1–2 days flying | 7–14 days | Nationwide via domestic connection |
What does US customs require — and what is CBP Form 3299?
CBP Form 3299 is the Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles. It is the document that allows returning residents and new immigrants to import used personal effects into the USA duty free. It is submitted to US Customs and Border Protection with a detailed inventory, a copy of your passport and visa, and, where relevant, a supplementary declaration for household goods.
The documents your shipment will need
- CBP Form 3299 — signed by you, not by us on your behalf. Customs takes the declaration seriously and so do we.
- A detailed packing inventory — every carton numbered and described. "Misc household" on 60 cartons is an invitation to be examined.
- Copy of passport and US visa or green card, or A-1/A-2 credentials for diplomatic clients.
- Supplemental Declaration (CBP Form 3299 attachment) where goods have been owned less than one year.
- Bill of lading and, for vehicles, EPA Form 3520-1 and DOT Form HS-7.
Duty-free entry generally applies to goods you have owned and used for at least a year and are importing for your continued personal use. Items purchased new shortly before shipping can attract duty. Alcohol is treated separately, is subject to state as well as federal rules, and in several states cannot practically be imported in a household shipment at all. Firearms, certain plant and animal products, and anything containing ivory or protected species require separate clearance or are prohibited outright. Full official guidance is published by US Customs and Border Protection, and UK-side export and residency guidance sits on gov.uk.
What is a customs bond, and do I need one?
A US customs bond is a financial guarantee to CBP that any duties, taxes or penalties owed on your shipment will be paid. For household goods entering under Form 3299, a single-entry bond is normally arranged by the US destination agent on your behalf. The cost is typically $150–$400 depending on the declared value of the shipment. It is not optional and it is not a fee your removals company invented — it is a condition of entry.
Where clients get caught out is when a low-cost quotation excludes it. If a UK quotation for moving to USA from UK does not mention the customs bond, ask directly whether it is included. We include it in our written fixed price.
What destination charges does nobody warn you about?
The charges that surprise families are almost always on the US side: terminal handling, chassis hire, container demurrage, per diem storage, ISF filing, port congestion surcharges, and the shuttle vehicle needed where a 40ft lorry cannot reach the property. Together these can add £600–£2,500 to a move that was quoted as "all inclusive" by a company that only priced the UK end.
The mechanics matter. A container discharged at Newark is entitled to a limited number of free days at the terminal — usually four or five. If your closing date slips, if your lease is not signed, or if your visa stamp is delayed, storage begins to accrue at roughly $75–$150 per day for a 20ft container. Demurrage on the container itself, payable to the shipping line, accrues separately at a similar rate. Two weeks of delay can therefore cost more than £2,000 on charges nobody mentioned at quotation stage.
Then there is the delivery-to-door leg, which is where most published online prices quietly stop. Getting a container from the port to your American front door involves several possibilities:
- Direct container delivery — the 40ft container is trucked to your property and unloaded there. Cheapest option, but requires a wide street, no low trees or cables, and often a local permit.
- Transload and shuttle — the container is unloaded at a US warehouse into a smaller vehicle for final delivery. Adds £450–£1,100 but is unavoidable in most US city centres and gated communities.
- Long-haul inland trucking — for destinations well away from the port. Denver from Los Angeles, or Chicago from Newark, adds £1,200–£2,800.
- Stair carry and long carry charges — US destination agents charge for carries over 75 feet and for flights of stairs above the first.
We price the delivery leg before you commit, not after your container has landed. That is the difference between transparent fixed pricing and a headline figure.
What does a real UK to USA move cost, line by line?
Below is a worked example based on an actual job: a four-bedroom house in Richmond, south-west London, relocating to Westchester County, New York. Total volume after survey was 1,940 cubic feet, requiring a 40ft sole-use container, plus a 180 kg air consignment for the family's first fortnight. Figures are rounded to the nearest £25.
| Line item | Detail | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-move survey and move management | Personal move manager, single point of contact throughout | Included |
| Full export packing, three days | Six packers, all materials, numbered inventory | £2,150 |
| Fine art and mirror crating | Four made-to-measure timber cases, two paintings, marble console | £880 |
| Loading and container haulage to Southampton | 40ft container, loaded and sealed at property | £1,075 |
| Sea freight, Southampton to New York | 40ft sole-use, 12-day ocean transit | £3,420 |
| UK port and documentation charges | Terminal handling, bill of lading, export declaration, ISF filing | £445 |
| US customs clearance and CBP Form 3299 | Destination agent filing, inventory submission | £310 |
| Single-entry customs bond | Based on declared value of £96,000 | £240 |
| US terminal handling and chassis hire | Newark, five free days included | £585 |
| Delivery to door, Westchester County | Transload to shuttle vehicle, 62 miles, four-man crew | £1,290 |
| Unpacking, reassembly and debris removal | Beds and wardrobes rebuilt, cartons and packing removed | £720 |
| Marine insurance | All-risk cover, £96,000 declared value, itemised valuation | £1,345 |
| Air freight consignment | 180 kg, Heathrow to JFK, cleared and delivered | £1,980 |
| Total, door to door | Fixed in writing before commencement | £14,440 |
How does The Mover Group handle a UK to USA relocation?
Every client is assigned a personal move manager who handles the move from survey to final delivery. That one person arranges the packing crews, books the vessel, prepares the customs documentation, briefs the US destination agent, and answers the phone when you call. There is no call centre and no handover between departments.
We are deliberately selective, limiting the number of clients we take each month so that this level of attention is real rather than aspirational. Onkar Sharma grew up in his father's moving company, packing containers, and spent 30+ years personally moving diplomatic and executive families between India, London and the wider world before starting The Mover Group. That personal experience is what shapes how we work.
Our five sub-brands cover the corridors we know best: The International Mover for worldwide household relocations including the UK-to-USA route, The Indian Mover for the UK–India corridor including transfer of residence and NRI families moving back to India from the UK, The Supercar Mover for supercar logistics from London and vehicle shipping worldwide, The London Mover for house moves within the capital, and The Diplomatic Mover for embassy, mission and government relocations — including diplomatic spouse relocation support, which is a genuine part of the service rather than an afterthought. We have handled diplomatic relocations to the Middle East for close to 1,000 families.
As an IAM Premier Member, we work only with vetted destination agents in the USA. That accreditation matters on this corridor specifically, because your goods spend the second half of their journey in someone else's hands. You can read more about why IAM Premier Membership matters, and about the personal move manager service that sits at the centre of every relocation we handle.
Frequently asked questions about moving to USA from UK
Do I have to pay duty on my household goods entering the USA?
Generally no, provided the goods are used personal effects that you have owned for at least twelve months and are importing for your own continued use. This exemption is claimed on CBP Form 3299. Items bought new within the year before shipping may attract duty and must be listed on the supplemental declaration. Alcohol, tobacco and vehicles are treated separately and can be dutiable regardless of ownership period.
Can I ship my car from the UK to the USA?
Yes, but it is a separate regulatory process from household goods. Vehicles require EPA Form 3520-1 and DOT Form HS-7, must meet US emissions and safety standards or qualify for an exemption, and vehicles over 25 years old have a considerably easier route in as classics. We handle classic car shipping and international supercar movements from London through The Supercar Mover, using enclosed transport for high-value vehicles and shared decks where appropriate. Supercar import and export from the UK is a specialism, not a sideline.
How far in advance should I book my UK to USA relocation?
Eight to twelve weeks before your intended sailing date is comfortable. Six weeks is workable. Under four weeks, you are relying on container availability, vessel space and survey slots all aligning, and you will pay more. Peak season runs from May to early September, driven by school holidays and the American academic year, and Southampton and Felixstowe both tighten considerably during those months.
What is the cheapest way to ship personal effects to the USA?
Groupage, by a clear margin, for volumes under 400 cubic feet. Shipping personal effects to the USA in a shared container costs roughly £11–£16 per cubic foot compared with the effective rate on a sole-use 20ft container. The saving comes at the cost of time, since the container waits for other consignments. We will always tell you honestly which route suits your volume, rather than pushing you toward the larger booking.
Is my shipment insured while at sea?
Standard carrier liability is minimal and calculated by weight, not value — it would not replace a single decent sofa. We arrange full all-risk marine insurance based on an itemised valuation you complete with your move manager. Cover typically costs 1.4–1.8 per cent of declared value. For fine art, wine collections and high-value vehicles we arrange specialist cover with agreed valuations.
What happens if my US housing is not ready when the container arrives?
We arrange bonded or warehouse storage in the USA before your container ever leaves the terminal, which is far cheaper than accruing port storage and demurrage at $75–$150 per day per charge line. Your move manager monitors your closing or lease date throughout the transit and will raise the storage question with you the moment a date starts slipping.
Ready to discuss your move?
If you are moving to USA from UK — as a family, as an executive on a corporate posting, or as part of a government or diplomatic assignment — we will survey your property, produce a written fixed price with every line item visible, and give you one named person to deal with from start to finish.
Learn more about our worldwide relocation service at The International Mover, read what clients say in our international moving company London reviews, or see what a full packing service in London costs and includes.
Call us on 0203 318 2216, email sales@themovergroup.com, or get in touch here to arrange your survey.
Every move is personal.
