The bit of a UK-to-USA move that trips people up isn’t the shipping. It’s the rule that says the goods can’t clear US customs until the household is physically in the country. The container can sit at the destination port for days or weeks if the family’s flight isn’t booked until later, and storage charges at US ports run high. The whole move pivots on the question of when you actually arrive in the US, not when the container does.
This guide walks through what a UK-to-USA removal involves in 2026: the customs framework, the paperwork, the working timelines by coast, and the practical decisions that shape what arrives, when, and what it costs.
Why being in-country matters
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operates a Personal Effects rule that lets returning residents and incoming immigrants import their household goods duty-free, provided certain conditions are met. The headline conditions: the goods have been owned and used by the importer for at least one year, the importer is moving to the USA to live (not a tourist), and the importer is in the US to file the customs entry.
That last condition is the operational problem. Form 3299 (the Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles, also called the household effects declaration) needs to be signed by the importer in the USA, with a US address that customs can verify. The customs broker handling the clearance needs the form before they can submit the entry. So the goods can land at the port, the broker has the bill of lading, but until the importer is in the country and the form is signed, nothing moves.
The way it usually goes is the family flies first, settles into an interim address (hotel, short-let, friend’s place), signs the form, and the goods clear over the next 1 to 3 weeks. The container then delivers to a more permanent address. Trying to ship before flying is a recipe for storage fees.
Visa status matters here too. CBP needs to see the visa class is consistent with permanent or long-term residency. H-1B, L-1, O-1, and the various EB green-card categories all qualify. Tourist visas don’t. Worth confirming with the customs broker before shipping which visa category supports the duty-free claim.
The paperwork list
The importer’s documents:
- Form 3299, signed in the USA
- Form 6059B (declared on arrival, the standard customs declaration)
- Copies of all passports
- Visa documentation showing residency status
- A US address (interim or permanent)
- Proof of foreign residence for at least one year before the move (helps demonstrate the goods are personal effects, not commercial)
- A detailed inventory of contents with declared values
The removals firm and their US-side agent handle:
- The bill of lading from the shipping line
- The ISF 10+2 filing (Importer Security Filing, due 24 hours before vessel loading at the UK end)
- The customs entry through CBP
- Coordination of port-of-entry delivery to the destination address
- HTSUS classification for any items that don’t fall under personal effects (rare on a household move, but firearms, vehicles, alcohol, and certain art items can)
ISF 10+2 is worth knowing about. Filed late, it triggers fines (currently up to $5,000 per shipment). Reputable firms file in good time, but it’s worth asking how they handle it.
Working costs and transit times (2026)
A 3-bed sole-use 20-foot container, door-to-door, full origin and destination services, standard insurance.
East coast (Norfolk, New York, Charleston, Houston, Miami)
- Cost: £5,500 to £10,000
- Sea transit: 4 to 6 weeks port-to-port (via the North Atlantic)
- Total door-to-door window: 6 to 10 weeks
The east coast is the cheaper and faster route from the UK. Most UK firms ship east coast traffic through Felixstowe, Tilbury, or Southampton, with destination ports varying by where the family is heading. New York for the north-east, Norfolk for the mid-Atlantic, Charleston for the Carolinas and southeastern states, Houston for Texas and onwards.
West coast (Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, Tacoma)
- Cost: £6,500 to £12,000
- Sea transit: 6 to 8 weeks via the Panama Canal, or transhipped via an east coast port with rail across the country (similar overall time)
- Total door-to-door window: 8 to 12 weeks
West coast routing is longer because of the geography. The Panama Canal route is the standard for direct sailings. Some lines transship via the east coast and use the US intermodal rail network for the last leg.
Middle of the country (Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Atlanta)
These destinations port through the nearest coast (usually east) and continue by truck or rail. Add 1 to 2 weeks to the east coast door-to-door window. Cost adds £500 to £1,500 depending on distance from the port and the destination’s road access.
Air freight for an urgent consignment of clothes, work documents, and essentials runs 5 to 10 days door-to-door and costs roughly 4 to 6 times sea freight per cubic foot.
What CBP actually inspects
US customs is less strict than Australian biosecurity but more particular than European customs. The typical inspection happens at the port-of-entry warehouse and ranges from a paperwork check (most shipments) to a physical inspection (smaller percentage).
Items that draw attention:
Alcohol. Personal quantities are usually fine, but state laws differ. Some states (Pennsylvania, Utah) restrict private alcohol imports significantly. Worth declaring honestly and asking the broker about the destination state.
Food. Most processed, sealed, in-date food is allowed in small personal quantities. Fresh produce, meat products, dairy from some countries, and anything that could carry plant disease is prohibited. Don’t try.
Firearms. Possible to import but heavily regulated through ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives). Form 6 or Form 6NIA is needed depending on import type. Most movers leave UK firearms behind.
Antiques and art. Documentation of provenance for items over $2,500. CITES certificates for anything with ivory, certain woods, or animal materials.
Cars and motorcycles. Importable but need to meet US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and EPA emissions rules. Most UK vehicles don’t meet these without modification, and the import fees often exceed the vehicle value. Most movers leave the UK car behind.
Pharmaceuticals. Prescription medications in original packaging with a prescription are usually fine in personal quantities. Controlled substances need a doctor’s letter and may need DEA authorisation. Recreational use products that are legal in the UK but not federally legal in the US (or vice versa) are a federal matter regardless of state law.
State-level wrinkles
Once goods clear federal customs, state-level rules may still apply at delivery. California’s Proposition 65 affects certain household items and finishes. New York and Connecticut have specific rules around mattresses (used mattress imports may be restricted). Some states have weight or vehicle size restrictions that affect the delivery truck from the port.
Reputable firms will know the destination state’s quirks. Worth raising at the survey if the destination is California, New York, Texas, or Florida, all of which have non-standard rules.
Working timelines from UK booking to US delivery
From first enquiry to survey: 1 to 2 weeks. Survey to confirmed booking: 1 to 2 weeks. Booking to packing day: 4 to 8 weeks for off-peak, 8 to 12 weeks for summer (May to August is peak). Packing day to vessel sailing: 1 to 2 weeks (consolidation, ISF 10+2 filing window). Sea transit: 4 to 6 weeks east coast, 6 to 8 weeks west coast. Vessel arrival to customs clearance: 1 to 3 weeks (depends on when the importer is in-country and how quickly Form 3299 is signed). Clearance to delivery: 1 to 2 weeks.
Total typical window: 12 to 18 weeks for east coast, 16 to 22 weeks for west coast. The customs clearance step is the variable one and depends almost entirely on when the family arrives in the USA. Plan the flights around the shipping, not the other way around, if at all possible.
The interim period
Most UK-to-USA movers spend 4 to 8 weeks in the destination city without their belongings. Interim accommodation, basic kitchen kit, school enrolment, and any work commitments all happen in that window.
An air freight consignment of 10 to 15 cubic feet covers the essentials: clothes for the season, work documents, the children’s important items, school records, medical records, work laptops, and any small valuables. Worth budgeting £1,500 to £3,000 for that consignment depending on volume.
Furnished short-lets are common in the major US cities and often work better than trying to live in an empty apartment with hotel bed linen. A 4-week short-let runs $3,000 to $8,000 depending on city, neighbourhood, and the family’s standards. New York, San Francisco, and Boston are the more expensive ends; Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston are more reasonable.
Our international removals team handles UK-to-USA moves regularly and will work through the timeline with the family at the survey. The flight dates, the visa dates, and the shipping dates all need to line up. The move is easier when they do and harder when they don’t.