Posted by Tsvetan Petrov on February 16, 2013

Other than destinations countries that border with the US, such as Canada and Mexico, international moving is done via containers. Standard containers are 20’ or 40’ long. When it comes to larger sized shipments, the process is fairly simple – a container is brought to the customer’s house; the container is loaded, sealed and taken to the port. This type of shipment is called FCL – Full container load.

Small shipments that do not fill a complete container are called LCL – Less than a full container load. Such shipments are often loaded onto sealed wooden vaults and then loaded onto a consolidation container.

There are many variations and various prices for this process. Such variations include services in which the container is only brought to the house and the customer loads it himself, driving smaller shipments to the mover’s warehouse to reduce pickup costs and full service which includes packing and loading.

International movers will be able to offer you with the appropriate service, based on your budget and your needs. Documentation As mentioned above, each country has its own regulations, as far as documentation is concerned. Your status will also make a difference and in most cases there will be different regulations for those immigrating or seeking employment and returning citizens.

It is recommended to check with the local consulate about the most updated regulations to make sure that you cover everything correctly. All international moves will require a descriptive inventory. This is an inventory which contains additional details, such as the content of each box and an estimated value for various items. As most incoming shipments are checked based on this descriptive inventory and are not physically inspected, it is very important to be as accurate and meticulous as possible.