International moving timeline: the stages and the dates you can't move
The stages of a move in order, the sailing times carriers publish, and the customs deadlines that fix your dates.
An international moving timeline is a chain of stages, from the survey to delivery, and only the carrier's port-to-port leg has a published time. Customs sets the other fixed dates. Some start before you move, some fall before your goods load or land, and some run after you arrive.
Plan backwards from those dates, and ask your mover for the rest. This guide sets out the stages in order and the customs rules in the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Dubai and India.
It ends with the questions to ask about timing. For how a whole move runs, see international moving with IMove.
How long does an international move take?
No single figure is honest, because a move runs through several stages and the only published times are the carriers' port-to-port legs, such as the sailing from Nhava Sheva, near Mumbai, of 32 days to New York, 10 days to Singapore and 4 days to Jebel Ali. Every other stage adds to that.
The table gives those three sailings. Each comes from a carrier's published schedule.
| Route | Sea leg, port to port | Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Nhava Sheva to New York | 32 days | HMM, India America Express |
| Nhava Sheva to Singapore | 10 days | HMM, FIM service |
| Nhava Sheva to Jebel Ali | 4 days | Ocean Network Express (opens in a new tab), RGI service |
Door to door adds packing, export clearance and port handling at both ends. Import clearance and delivery come after the sailing.
None of those stages has a published figure. Each depends on your home, your papers and your route.
The route pages for India to the USA, India to Singapore and India to the UAE set out each route.
Ask each mover for a door-to-door estimate in writing, split by stage, for each shipment. A single figure may describe the sailing alone.
What happens in an international move, and in what order?
An international move runs in a fixed order, from the survey and quote through paperwork, packing, export clearance, the sailing or flight, import clearance and delivery, with some customs filings due between those stages and some customs rules running on after you arrive.
The list gives the order. The diagram marks where customs dates fall along it.
- A survey and a quote, so the mover sees what you own
- Paperwork and approvals, such as the UK's ToR1 form or Canada's list of goods
- Packing and collection, with an inventory of what was packed
- Export clearance and loading at the port or airport
- The sailing or the flight
- Import clearance, with any inspection the destination chooses
- Delivery to your new home, then the rules that run after you arrive
If a pet moves with you, check the destination's official pet import rules before you fix a date. The international moving process guide explains what happens at each stage.
Which customs deadlines fix the dates of your move?
Each destination sets its own customs dates, in four groups, which are the time your goods must already be yours before you move, the filings due before a shipment loads or lands, the papers you show when you first arrive, and the windows that run after you arrive.
The diagram places each country's rule in its group. The lists below give the figures and the official sources.
Clocks that start before you move
These periods count back from your move. Goods that miss them can still be shipped, but they pay duty or tax.
- In the UK, goods must have been in your possession for at least 6 months before you move
- The UK also asks that you lived outside the UK for at least 12 months in a row
- In Singapore, goods must have been used and in your possession for at least 3 months
- In Australia, goods owned for less than 12 months must be declared on the B534 statement
Australia assesses those goods for duty and taxes. The rules are set by HMRC (opens in a new tab), Singapore Customs relief rules (opens in a new tab) and the Australian Border Force (opens in a new tab).
Before your goods load or land
Each of these is due before the shipment loads or lands, as its line says. Each one applies only to the shipment named.
- In the USA, the Importer Security Filing goes in at least 24 hours before a sea shipment loads abroad
- In Singapore, a Declaration of Facts goes in before the goods arrive, one per air waybill or bill of lading
- In the UK, a ToR1 form gets you a reference number before the goods are shipped
- In Canada, you prepare a two-part list before you leave, of the goods you bring and the goods to follow
An air shipment does not use the US filing. A split move into Singapore files two declarations, one for each shipment.
Once Singapore Customs approves relief, the relief permit is applied for within 10 working days. The UK reference goes on the import declaration. In Canada, every later shipment, by air or sea, must be on your list to come in duty- and tax-free.
The sources are US Customs and Border Protection regulations, 19 CFR 149.2 (opens in a new tab), Singapore Customs (opens in a new tab) and the Canada Border Services Agency (opens in a new tab).
Singapore Customs rejects the relief application once the goods have arrived, and GST is then due. File the declaration first.
When you arrive
Some rules turn on the day you first arrive, or on the papers you hold when the goods clear.
- In Canada, you hand your list to the border officer at your first point of entry, even with no goods
- In Dubai, customs asks for a passport copy, a residency visa copy and a written list of the goods to clear them
- If you are moving to India, unaccompanied baggage may land up to 2 months before you arrive
Canada's officer gives you a receipt, which you show when the shipment arrives. The Dubai rule is set by Dubai Customs (opens in a new tab).
After you arrive
Other rules run on after delivery. They matter for any goods you send later.
- If you are moving to India, customs may allow baggage dispatched within 1 month of your arrival
- In Singapore, goods must be imported within 6 months of your first arrival to get GST relief
- Goods given Singapore relief must not be sold or given away within 3 months of their arrival
- In the UK, goods must be imported within 12 months of coming to live there to get relief
- Goods given UK relief cannot be lent, hired out or transferred within 12 months of the move
- In Canada, goods sold or given away within 1 year of import owe the duty first exempted
The UK allows more than one consignment. India's rule is in India’s CBIC Baggage Rules, 2026 (opens in a new tab).
For what missing one of these costs, see the hidden costs of international moving. The India to Canada route page explains the goods-to-follow list.
When should you book your international mover?
Book as soon as you know where you are going and roughly when, because the survey and the quote come before packing day, papers such as the UK's ToR1 are due before the goods are shipped, and a mover can book a sailing only once your goods are ready to leave.
No official source publishes a lead time for household moves. Each mover sets its own.
A shared container also waits until it has enough cargo to sail. A container of your own sails once it is loaded.
Ask each mover for its lead time on your route and the date of the next suitable sailing. Then count back from the day you need your goods, and ask for a quote once you have a date.
What can delay an international move?
Delays can come from the stages around the sailing, not only the sailing itself, such as a filing that misses its deadline, goods that need another authority's approval, goods to declare for biosecurity, missing residence papers or a shared container still filling.
These are the points to check. All but the last have a rule behind them.
- A US security filing or a Singapore declaration sent after its deadline
- Goods that need another authority's approval in Singapore
- Goods to follow into Canada that face import restrictions
- Food, animal products or a recent farm visit, which Australia's B534 asks about
- A residency visa not ready when your goods reach Dubai
- A shared container that has not yet filled
Singapore Customs asks you to check other approvals early, with its product code checker. Canada warns that goods to follow may face import restrictions.
Paperwork is the part you control. Have the inventory, the list of goods and the forms your destination asks for ready before packing day.
Should part of your move go by air?
A small air shipment can bridge the gap until the sea shipment lands, because it carries what you need first, but each shipment meets the destination's customs rules on its own, and Singapore wants one declaration per air waybill or bill of lading.
The comparison of sea freight and air freight explains how each is charged and what can't fly. If the sea shipment lands before your home is ready, see storage during an international move.
What should you ask your mover about timing?
Ask every mover you compare the same seven questions, because the answers show whether an estimate counts every stage, who files each customs paper before its deadline, and what happens if your goods land before you or before your home is ready.
Ask every mover
- What is the door-to-door estimate for each shipment, stage by stage?
- How far ahead do you need to know my date?
- Is the sea shipment sole-use or shared, and when does it sail?
- Who files each customs paper, such as an ISF, a Declaration of Facts, a ToR1 or a list of goods to follow?
- Which papers do you need from me before packing day?
- What happens if my goods land before I do?
- How will I hear about each stage as it happens?
Signs an estimate leaves gaps
- One figure with no stages
- No word on who files the customs papers
- No date for the sailing
Common questions about international moving timelines
How far in advance should you book an international mover?
There is no official lead time, so book as soon as you know your destination and a rough date, because the survey and the quote come before packing day, papers such as the UK's ToR1 are due before the goods are shipped, and a sailing is booked after. Ask each mover how far ahead it needs your date.
How long does sea freight take from India?
Port to port, carrier schedules give 32 days from Nhava Sheva to New York, 10 days to Singapore and 4 days to Jebel Ali, but door to door is longer, because packing, export clearance, port handling, import clearance and delivery sit around the sailing at both ends. Ask for an estimate for each stage.
Can your goods arrive before you do?
They can in some countries, within limits, since India may allow unaccompanied baggage to land up to 2 months before you arrive, Singapore needs the Declaration of Facts in before the goods land, and Canada needs your list at your first point of entry, even if nothing comes with you. If your home isn't ready, see storage.
What happens if your shipment misses a customs deadline?
You can lose the relief and pay duty or tax, since Singapore Customs rejects a Declaration of Facts once the goods have arrived and GST is then due, and the UK may bill import duties when no valid ToR reference is on the declaration. In the UK you can still apply afterwards and reclaim the duty on form C285.
Does a shared container take longer than one of your own?
A shared container is slower to leave, because it waits until it has enough cargo from several households to sail, while a container of your own leaves once your goods are loaded, so the sailing may be the same but the wait before it is longer. Ask when the next shared container sails.
Get started
Planning a move to a fixed date?
Tell us where you're moving from and to, what you're taking and your date. We'll come back with a quote you can check against the questions above. Over the last five years, IMove has delivered 99.5% of its moves on time.