International Movers in Cleveland, OH

Moving from Cleveland to another country changes much more than your address. Your household belongings will cross an international border, you’ll need to prepare for requirements that don’t apply to domestic moves, and you may spend a significant amount of time apart from the belongings you’re sending overseas.

Berger Allied Moving & Storage – Cleveland helps individuals and families plan international moves from Northeast Ohio to destinations around the world. Your Berger Cleveland relocation consultant can help coordinate the moving services at origin, international transportation, and the transition to an overseas destination agent who assists with the destination portion of your move.

Good international moving plans start early. Before deciding how to pack everything in your Cleveland home, first decide what should actually make the international move with you.

Moving Abroad Starts With Decisions at Home

Not everything you own necessarily needs to move overseas.

Your new home may be smaller or configured differently from your home in Ohio. The climate may change what you use regularly. Electrical standards can affect whether certain appliances or electronics are practical at the destination. Some belongings may also be subject to import restrictions or other requirements in the country where you’re moving.

If your international relocation is temporary, the decision becomes even more important. Moving furniture and other belongings overseas only to bring them back to the United States a few years later may not make sense for everything you own.

Before packing begins, divide your household into categories: belongings you’ll take overseas, items you’ll personally carry while traveling, belongings that will remain in the United States, and things you no longer intend to keep.

You don’t need to make every decision immediately, but starting this process early gives you time to research your destination rather than making those choices while boxes are being packed.

What Happens to Your Belongings After They Leave Cleveland?

An international household move involves more stages than moving from one U.S. state to another.

Berger Cleveland begins by planning the origin portion of your move. Your household goods are prepared for international transportation based on the requirements of your shipment and destination.

Once your belongings leave the United States, the move involves international transportation and the requirements associated with entering your destination country. Berger/Allied coordinates with an overseas destination agent for the destination portion of the move.

The exact services available after your shipment arrives can vary by country and destination agent. Depending on your moving plan and destination, services may include delivery and additional assistance in the home. If services such as unpacking are important to you, discuss them with your relocation consultant so you understand what is included for your particular destination.

Thinking about the move as a journey rather than a single pickup and delivery can make international relocation easier to plan. There are responsibilities at your Cleveland home, requirements while your belongings are in transit, and another set of considerations waiting at the destination.

Customs and Documentation Are Part of the Move

International household goods don’t simply travel farther than they would on a domestic move. They also cross a national border.

The documentation and import requirements that apply to your belongings depend on the country you’re entering. Requirements can vary based on the destination, the items being imported, and other circumstances associated with the relocation.

That makes it important to understand the requirements for your destination before your household is packed.

Your relocation consultant can help explain the moving documentation associated with your shipment and how the destination portion of the move will be coordinated. You may also have personal immigration, residency, visa, or other government requirements that are separate from the transportation of your household goods.

Keep important personal and moving documents with you while traveling rather than packing them into your household shipment.

Check Before You Pack

Something that can be moved between homes in the United States isn’t automatically something that can be imported into another country.

Countries establish their own rules concerning what can enter their borders. Restrictions or additional requirements may apply to certain foods, plants, agricultural products, medications, alcohol, weapons, vehicles, and other types of property.

Because those requirements vary by destination and can change, a universal list isn’t a substitute for checking the rules that apply to the country where you’re moving.

Identify questionable items early. Finding out that something requires additional documentation, special handling, or cannot be included in your shipment is much easier to address before it has been packed.

Pack for the Time You’ll Be Without Your Household Goods

When you’re moving internationally, think about two different packing plans: what goes into your household shipment and what stays with you.

Your shipment and your personal travel won’t necessarily operate on the same schedule. You may arrive in your new country before your household goods, spend time in temporary accommodations, or need to begin work or school before you’re fully settled.

Keep passports and identification, important documents, medications, valuables, chargers, work equipment, clothing, toiletries, children’s necessities, and other essentials with you.

Also think beyond the flight itself. Ask what you’ll need to function comfortably if you’re in your destination country without the rest of your household belongings for a period of time.

For the belongings going into your international shipment, Berger Cleveland can provide professional packing services. Discuss artwork, antiques, fragile belongings, unusually shaped items, and other property requiring special preparation with your relocation consultant before packing begins.

Your New Country May Change What Makes Sense to Bring

Researching your destination can help you decide what belongs in your international shipment.

Consider the type and size of housing you’re likely to occupy. A large piece of furniture that fits comfortably in your Cleveland home may be difficult to use in a smaller apartment overseas. Climate differences may affect clothing, outdoor equipment, and other seasonal belongings.

Appliances and electronics deserve particular attention. Electrical voltage, frequency, and plug standards differ around the world, and compatibility can vary by device. Research the standards at your destination before deciding which electrical items to ship.

You may also find that some belongings are easier or more practical to obtain after you arrive.

The goal isn’t necessarily to move as little as possible. It’s to make informed choices about what belongs in your new home before paying to transport it internationally.

What Does an International Move Cost?

There isn’t a single standard cost for moving a household internationally.

International moving costs depend on the details of the relocation, including where you’re moving, the household goods you’re taking, the transportation involved, packing requirements, services at origin and destination, and other requirements associated with the shipment.

If you’re budgeting for an international move, talk with Berger Cleveland about your destination, anticipated timeframe, household belongings, and the services you’re considering. That information can be used to develop an estimate based on your particular international relocation.

Living Overseas Doesn’t Mean Everything Has to Go With You

Some international relocations are permanent. Others are assignments measured in months or years.

If you’re moving overseas for an extended work assignment but expect to return to the United States, you may not want to ship your entire household abroad.

Furniture, seasonal belongings, keepsakes, and other property that you want to retain can remain in managed storage while you’re overseas. Berger Cleveland offers long-term storage for belongings that need to stay in the United States during your time abroad.

When you return and are settled into a residence in the U.S., your stored belongings can be retrieved and scheduled for delivery.

Decide what will go overseas and what will remain in storage before packing begins. Keeping those groups clearly separated helps prevent belongings intended to stay in the United States from becoming part of the international shipment.

Prepare for Your Destination, Not Just the Shipment

Your household move is only one part of relocating to another country.

Depending on your circumstances, you may also need to address visas or residency requirements, housing, healthcare, banking, schools, pets, transportation, mobile phone service, and other aspects of establishing daily life in another country. These items can affect your moving decisions.

For example, temporary housing may influence what you need immediately after arrival. The availability of furnished housing may change what you ship. Your work or school start date may affect what you keep with you rather than placing in the household shipment.

Create a separate plan for establishing your life at the destination will help you prioritize what is included in the shipment and what can stay behind.

Start Planning Your International Move From Cleveland

An international move involves decisions that don’t exist when you’re moving within the United States. What should go overseas? What should stay behind? What will you need while separated from your household goods? What requirements apply at your destination? And which services will be available when your shipment arrives?

Those are questions worth answering before packing begins.

Berger Cleveland can help you plan the household-moving portion of your relocation and coordinate your shipment from Northeast Ohio to your international destination.

Schedule a moving consultation to discuss where you’re moving, when you expect to leave, what you plan to take, and the services you’ll need for your international move.