International moving glossary: the terms in your quote, explained

This glossary explains the words you meet in an international move, from customs forms to freight terms. Each one has a short definition and what it means for a household move.

Pick a term from the list to jump to it. Its link leads to the guide or route page that explains it in full.

An air waybill is the transport document issued for goods sent as air freight, the air counterpart of a sea shipment's bill of lading.

Destination customs papers often ask for it. Singapore wants one declaration for each air waybill or bill of lading. The international moving process guide shows where it is issued.

An all-risk marine policy pays for loss of or damage to single items in transit from any cause the policy does not exclude.

Ask how declared values are set, because a claim is measured against them. With IMove, every move carries all-risk marine cover at declared replacement value, included as standard. The hidden costs of international moving guide explains what to check.

A bill of lading is the document a sea carrier issues for goods received for shipment, as a receipt and evidence of the terms of carriage.

Keep a copy, because destination customs papers ask for it. The moving process guide shows where it fits in a move.

CBD-II is the Customs Baggage Declaration form on which unaccompanied baggage is declared electronically to Indian customs for import.

It records whether the goods are claimed under transfer of residence. You can file it yourself, or authorise someone such as a customs broker. The Singapore to India route page explains when it goes in.

CBM, or cubic metre, is a unit of volume, the space of a box one metre long, one metre wide and one metre high.

Sea shipments are measured by the space they take up, often stated in cubic metres. A survey turns the contents of your home into that volume. The sea freight vs air freight guide compares how space and weight count for each mode.

Chargeable weight is the weight air freight is charged on, the greater of a shipment's actual weight and its volume weight.

Volume weight counts the space a shipment fills, so bulky, light goods cost more by air than their weight suggests. That is one reason air suits only a few cartons. The sea freight vs air freight guide explains both modes.

A customs broker is a person or firm licensed to carry out customs business for others, such as filing the declarations that clear goods.

In a move, an agent or broker often files the papers made from your details. Ask which declarations are filed for you and which stay with you. The international moving process guide explains who completes each paper.

A Declaration of Facts (DOF) is the online form submitted to Singapore Customs to claim GST relief on shipped household goods.

You or your appointed agent must submit it before the goods arrive. If the goods have already arrived, Customs rejects the application and GST is due. The international moving timeline shows when it falls.

Declared value is the value you state for your goods on a transit policy, and the figure a claim is measured against.

Ask how declared values are set before you sign, because a value set too low limits what a claim can pay. The hidden costs of international moving guide explains transit protection.

Demurrage and detention are charges for keeping a container or its cargo past the free time a shipping line or terminal allows.

Demurrage usually runs at the terminal, and detention while the container is kept outside it. A late paper or an unready home can start them, and the line or terminal sets the rate, not the mover's quote. The hidden costs guide explains port storage after arrival.

A destination agent is the company that does a move's work in the destination country, such as clearance and delivery, for the booking mover.

Some quotes list a destination agent fee. With IMove, work at the destination is handled by our own in-house coordinators, working with a vetted agent network and local destination partners. The international moving page lists what a quote leaves out.

Door to door describes a move or quote that runs from your old address to your new one, through packing, freight, clearance and delivery.

A door-to-door quote can still leave out duty, tax and port charges, so check what it lists. Ask for its timing split by stage. The international moving timeline sets out each stage.

An export permit is the Singapore Customs permit an exporter must obtain before goods leave Singapore, applied for through TradeNet.

A declaring agent can apply for you. Household goods shipped as cargo usually need one, because the personal-effects exemption is for luggage that travels with a passenger. The Singapore to India route page shows where the permit falls in a move.

FCL, or full container load, is sea freight booked as a whole container for one customer's goods.

The container can leave once your goods are loaded, without waiting for other cargo to fill it. It suits a whole household. The sea freight vs air freight guide compares a container of your own with a shared one.

GST relief is Singapore Customs' conditional waiver of goods and services tax on the used household goods and personal effects of someone moving to Singapore.

The goods must have been owned and used for at least 3 months. They must not be sold or given away within 3 months of arrival. The India to Singapore route page sets out every condition.

The Importer Security Filing (ISF) is the set of shipment details US Customs and Border Protection requires for sea cargo heading to the USA.

It must go in at least 24 hours before the cargo is loaded at the foreign port. An air shipment does not use it. The India to USA route page explains the US paperwork.

An inventory is the list of every carton and piece packed for a move, used to check your goods at delivery.

Customs papers draw on it too, such as Canada's list of goods. Check it against what was packed before you sign, and keep a copy. The international moving process guide walks through packing day.

ISPM 15 is the international standard, set under the International Plant Protection Convention, that requires crates of raw wood to be debarked, treated and marked.

Crates made wholly of plywood or other processed wood are exempt. An importing country can hold an unmarked crate, then treat, destroy or return it. The international moving process guide explains the standard.

A land bridge is a road or rail leg that carries a container between ports in place of part of the sea route.

Since March 2026, cargo for Jebel Ali may land at Fujairah or Khor Fakkan, on the UAE's east coast. It comes on by road under customs seal. The India to UAE route page shows the east-coast sailing and the road leg to Jebel Ali.

LCL, or less than container load, is sea freight in which your goods share a container with other customers' cargo.

It suits a smaller move that would not fill a container on its own. The sea freight vs air freight guide compares a shared container with one of your own.

Port to port is the stretch of a move from the port of loading to the port of discharge, the sailing alone.

It is the only part with a published time, in the carrier's schedule. Packing, clearance at both ends and delivery all sit outside it. The international moving timeline explains where the rest of the time goes.

A pre-move survey is the mover's look at everything you plan to move, room by room, so the quote rests on what is really going.

Show every cupboard, loft and storeroom, and say what stays behind. A survey can only price what it is shown. The international moving tips guide lists what to sort out before it.

Settler's effects are the personal and household goods a person brings when settling in Canada, which can enter free of duty and taxes on conditions.

You must have owned, possessed and used them abroad. If you sell or give them away within 1 year of import, the duty and taxes become payable. The India to Canada route page explains the list you prepare.

A shipping bill is the export declaration Indian customs requires for goods leaving India by sea or air.

It is filed electronically against the packing list and the itemised inventory, before the container is loaded. The international moving from India page explains export clearance.

Storage in transit is the storing of packed goods between collection and delivery, when a move has to pause because two dates do not meet.

Stored goods stay packed to export standard and are checked in and out against the inventory. The storage during an international move page explains how it works.

Transfer of residence (TR) is the customs concession that lets a person of Indian origin returning from abroad bring personal and household goods into India free of duty.

A value cap applies. It depends on how long you lived abroad, and the lowest applies to a stay of 3 to 12 months. The Singapore to India route page explains the allowances.

Transfer of Residence relief is HMRC's relief from import duty and charges on belongings brought in by someone moving their main home to the UK.

You must have lived outside the UK for at least 12 months in a row. The goods must also have been in your possession for a set period. The international moving process guide explains the ToR1 form you apply with.

Transit time is how long a shipment takes to travel.

Quotes use it for the carrier's port-to-port sailing or for the whole move from door to door. Ask which one a figure means. The sea freight vs air freight guide shows where the time goes.

Unaccompanied baggage is the part of a traveller's belongings that travels separately as cargo, not with the passenger on the flight.

Under India's Baggage Rules, 2026, it must be dispatched within 1 month of your arrival in India, unless customs allows longer. It may land up to 2 months before you, or longer with customs' leave. The Singapore to India route page explains the rules.