On a move between Canada and the United States, the driving is the easy part. The border is where things get complicated: declaration forms, an inventory that has to match what’s actually on the truck, and rules about what’s allowed to cross at all. That’s why, on these moves, we treat the paperwork as part of the job.
Moving Co. moves homes from Ontario to the United States and from the United States to Ontario, and we handle the customs paperwork for your shipment. Our own crew loads the truck at your old place, takes it across the border and unloads it at your new address. Your things aren’t handed to a U.S. carrier partway through, so you have one company to call the whole way.
Need Canada to US movers, or a crew for the trip back north? Call 905-752-7787 or request a quote with your two addresses, the size of your home and the date you need to be moved in.
What we handle on a cross-border move
- Packing. All of it, part of it, or none, depending on what you want. Everything is packed for a long trip, not a short one.
- The inventory. A detailed list of what’s on the truck. Customs on both sides works from lists, so this matters more on a cross-border move than on any other.
- The customs paperwork for your shipment. We prepare it and take care of it at the border. You give us the details and documents only you can provide.
- The drive. Our crew takes the truck across the border and all the way to your new home.
- Delivery. The crew unloads, places your furniture and puts back together anything that came apart.
- Storage for the gap. If your dates don’t match up, your things can wait in our own storage in the Toronto area.
Moving from Canada to the United States
When your household goods arrive in the United States separately from you, which is how a moving truck works, U.S. Customs and Border Protection uses a specific declaration for them. CBP’s Form 3299 is the Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles. It’s used both by U.S. residents coming home and by people moving to the United States, to claim duty-free entry for household and personal effects.
The key rule is about how long you’ve had your things. On the form, household effects acquired abroad qualify for free entry when they were used abroad for at least one year by you or your family, and they’re not for sale. For a typical household moving south, that covers the furniture, dishes, clothes and everything else that’s been part of daily life. Anything newer, anything for business, and anything you plan to sell may be treated differently.
The form asks for the details CBP needs to match the shipment to you: your name and date of birth, your arrival date and port of entry, your U.S. address, the bill of lading number, and a packing list. It can be signed by an agent with power of attorney. That’s part of the paperwork we handle. You give us the personal details and documents, we prepare the paperwork, and we take care of it with the shipment.
What has to be declared going into the U.S.
Form 3299 itself lists items that have to be declared specifically, because they may be subject to duty or other requirements. They include firearms and ammunition, alcoholic beverages and tobacco products, fruits, plants, seeds, meats and birds, and fish and wildlife products. Tell us about anything in those categories before packing day, not when the truck is at the border.
Food and garden items catch people out the most. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s border guidance says travellers entering the United States must declare all agricultural and wildlife products, that homegrown produce is generally prohibited, and that fresh cherries grown in Ontario are prohibited. The simple rule for a household move: use up or give away the pantry, the freezer, the houseplants and the garden supplies before moving day, rather than trying to bring them along.
Firearms need particular care. Canada’s border agency notes that the United States requires an import permit for firearms. If firearms are part of your household, talk to us before you book, and sort out the U.S. permits before anything is packed.
Bringing a dog into the U.S.
If the family dog is moving with you, there’s a U.S. rule to know. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all dogs entering or returning to the United States must be accompanied by a CDC Dog Import Form receipt, one for each dog. For dogs that have only been in low-risk countries like Canada, the CDC also says the dog must appear healthy, be at least six months old and have a microchip that can be scanned. Your destination state may have its own rules too. Pets travel with you, never on the moving truck.
Leaving Canada: taxes and health coverage
Moving to another country also changes your tax situation. The Canada Revenue Agency says that when you emigrate, you’re generally treated as having sold certain property at fair market value, which it calls a deemed disposition. You may have to report a capital gain, also known as departure tax. The CRA also requires a form listing your property if what you owned was worth more than $25,000. Talk to an accountant who handles cross-border moves well before you go.
For health coverage, Ontario asks you to tell ServiceOntario your new address and the date you’re moving, so your OHIP coverage continues for the time allowed after a move. Arrange U.S. health insurance to start the day you arrive, rather than counting on coverage from home.
Moving from the United States to Canada
Coming north works under Canadian rules for what the Canada Border Services Agency calls settlers’ effects. According to the CBSA, goods you owned, possessed and used before arriving in Canada can generally come in free of duty and taxes. The catch is the list. Everything has to be declared when you first arrive, including the goods that will follow later on the moving truck. Goods that weren’t listed as goods to follow on your original form don’t qualify for duty- and tax-free entry. The CBSA also says goods that come in this way and are sold within 12 months become subject to duty and taxes.
The form is the Personal Effects Accounting Document, BSF186, with a supplementary sheet, BSF186A, which the CBSA notes was formerly the B4A. Because your household is on our truck rather than in your car, the goods to follow list is the part that matters most. We build the inventory with you and look after the customs side of the shipment, so what you declare when you arrive matches what’s on the truck.
Canadians coming home
If you’re a Canadian returning after living in the United States, the CBSA has rules for former residents. You must have been a resident of another country for at least one year, and goods generally qualify for duty-free entry if you owned, possessed and used them abroad for at least six months. The CBSA waives the six-month requirement for people who have lived abroad for five years or more. Any single item worth more than CAN$10,000 pays duty and taxes on the amount over that.
Back in Ontario, two things are simpler than many people expect. The province no longer has an OHIP waiting period for eligible residents. And a valid licence from another province, state or country can be used for 60 days before you have to switch to an Ontario licence.
Firearms and cash at the Canadian border
Two rules apply at the Canadian border whichever way you’re moving. The CBSA says you must declare all firearms to a border services officer when you arrive. Residents need a Possession and Acquisition Licence, visitors without one complete a Non-Resident Firearm Declaration, and prohibited firearms are generally barred.
Cash is the other. The CBSA requires currency and monetary instruments of CAN$10,000 or more to be reported to a border services officer when you enter or leave Canada. Selling a house and carrying the proceeds is not how most people move money, but it’s worth knowing the rule exists.
Bringing a U.S. car into Canada
Not every U.S. vehicle can be imported. Transport Canada’s vehicle import rules run through the Registrar of Imported Vehicles. The vehicle has to be on the list of vehicles that can be modified to meet Canadian standards, have no open recalls, be declared at the border and pass an inspection within 45 days. Vehicles that can’t be made to comply have to leave Canada. Check your car’s eligibility before you decide whether to drive it north, ship it or sell it.
Why the inventory matters so much
On a local move, the inventory is a convenience. On a cross-border move, it’s how customs on both sides understands what you’re bringing. The U.S. declaration asks for a packing list, and the Canadian rules depend on goods being listed when you first arrive. A vague list, or one that doesn’t match the truck, is the fastest way to turn a smooth crossing into a long day.
So we take the inventory seriously. We go room by room with you, record what’s going, and note anything that needs to be declared on its own, like firearms, alcohol or high-value items. Boxes are labelled and numbered. When the truck crosses, the paperwork and the load tell the same story.
What moving day looks like
Loading day begins with a walk-through of the house to settle what’s coming, what’s staying and what has to be declared. Then the crew covers floors and door frames, wraps the furniture, and takes apart beds and large tables, bagging the hardware with each piece. Nothing is loaded until it’s on the inventory.
From there, the crew drives to the border and on to your new home. At delivery, each piece goes into the room you want it in, beds and tables are reassembled, and furniture is set where you ask. If a question comes up at the border or at your door, the people answering it are the people who loaded your home.
Choosing Canada to US movers
A lot of cross-border moving problems start when the company that sells the move hands the shipment to a different company somewhere along the way, or leaves the customs work to the customer. Before you book anyone, ask:
- Will your own crew drive the truck across the border and all the way to my new home?
- Who prepares the customs paperwork, and what do you need from me?
- How detailed is your inventory, and will I get a copy?
- If something is damaged, what does your standard coverage pay, and can I get full replacement-value coverage?
- Can you give me a delivery window, and who picks up the phone while my shipment is on the road?
Here’s how we’d answer. Our own crew does the whole move. We handle the customs paperwork. You get a copy of the inventory, and it’s the same list that goes with that paperwork. And when you have a question, you call us.
Timing a cross-border move
- Allow for the border. Customs can inspect any shipment, and a crossing can take longer than planned. A delivery window, rather than a single hour, is honest.
- Know your own arrival date. The paperwork on both sides asks when you arrive, so plan your own travel with the move.
- Summer books up first. A lot of families move between school years, so call once your dates are firm.
- Leave room at both ends. If you have to be out of your old home before the new one is ready, storage in the Toronto area fills the gap.
When we quote, the delivery window we give you reflects the distance, the crossing and the season.
Packing for a long move across the border
A cross-border move is a long-distance move first, and it gets packed like one. Furniture goes into moving blankets, and stretch wrap holds the blankets in place. Mattresses travel in mattress bags. Mirrors, glass and framed art get rigid board or a crate. TVs ride boxed and upright, and dressers and cabinets ride empty. Every box is labelled with its room and listed on the inventory, which doubles as your customs list.
Pack it all yourself, leave us the kitchen and anything fragile, or hand us the whole house. Our packing services page explains the options.
What not to put on the truck
No moving truck can carry hazardous goods, so propane tanks, gasoline, paint, thinners, solvents, aerosols and similar products stay behind. On a cross-border move, so do the things the border cares about: food from the pantry and freezer, houseplants, soil and garden products. Plan to use up the food and give the plants to friends or neighbours. For furniture and other things you decide not to take, our junk removal crew can clear them out before moving day.
A few things should never leave your hands. Keep these in your carry-on or your car:
- Passports, visas, permanent resident cards and any immigration documents.
- Birth certificates, marriage certificates and school records.
- Medications, with their prescriptions.
- Jewellery, cash and small items you can’t replace.
- Laptops, phones and the folder of important papers, including a copy of your inventory.
Storage before or after the move
Cross-border moves rarely line up perfectly. A U.S. job starts before the house sells, or a return to Canada happens before the new home is ready. Our storage is our own, here in the Toronto area. It’s climate controlled and monitored, and everything that goes in is inventoried. You pay for the space you use and the time you use it, plus the move into storage and the move out. Details are on our storage page.
Coverage on a cross-border move
The coverage included with your move is the industry standard: $0.60 per pound per article. Because it’s based on weight, a heavy bookcase is covered reasonably well, while a laptop or a flat-screen TV is covered for very little. For a move across the border, talk to us about full replacement-value coverage before loading day. Our moving insurance guide walks through the difference.
How a cross-border move is priced
Every cross-border move is different, so we quote each one on its own. These are the things that move the price:
- The size of the load. A studio apartment and a family house fill very different amounts of truck.
- The distance. A move just across the border is a different job from one deep into the United States.
- Access at each address. Walk-ups, elevator bookings, long walks from the truck and narrow streets all add time.
- Extra services. Packing by our crew, and storage between homes, are added to the quote if you need them.
- When you move. Summer is peak season for long moves.
You’ll get a clear quote before you book, and we’ll tell you up front what the border crossing involves for your shipment. For moves inside Canada, see our long distance moves and province to province movers pages.
A cross-border moving timeline
- Eight to twelve weeks before. Collect quotes. Check your immigration status, your car’s eligibility and your tax position with the right professionals.
- About six weeks before. Lock in your moving date. Start selling, donating and using up anything that won’t cross the border.
- A month before. Set up health insurance, utilities and internet at the new place, and arrange mail forwarding. If your dog is going to the U.S., fill in the CDC Dog Import Form.
- Two weeks before. Start packing, or confirm the day our packers come. Go over the inventory with us.
- The week of the move. Confirm the loading time, your own arrival date and the delivery window. Keep your documents on you.
- Once you’ve arrived. Sort out the licence, the car and the health card in your new country, and file the customs paperwork with your important papers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you move from Canada to the United States?
Yes. We move households from Ontario to the United States and from the United States to Ontario. Our own crew loads, drives across the border and unloads, and we look after the customs paperwork.
Do you handle the customs paperwork?
Yes. We prepare and take care of the customs paperwork for the shipment. You provide the personal details and documents only you can give, like your ID and your arrival date.
Will I pay duty on my household goods moving to the U.S.?
CBP’s Form 3299 allows household effects to enter duty-free when they were used abroad for at least one year by you or your family and aren’t for sale. Newer items, business goods and things for sale may be treated differently.
Will I pay duty moving my things from the U.S. to Canada?
The CBSA generally lets settlers bring goods they owned, possessed and used before arriving free of duty and taxes. Everything, including goods arriving later on the truck, has to be listed when you first arrive.
Can I bring my dog to the U.S.?
Yes, with a CDC Dog Import Form receipt for each dog. Dogs from Canada must also appear healthy, be at least six months old and be microchipped. Your dog rides with you, never in the moving truck.
Can I bring food and plants across the border?
It’s best not to. The U.S. requires agricultural and wildlife products to be declared, and many are prohibited, including fresh cherries grown in Ontario. Use up or give away the pantry, freezer and houseplants before moving day.
Can I bring my U.S. car to Canada?
Only if it’s eligible. Transport Canada’s Registrar of Imported Vehicles program requires the vehicle to be on the admissible list, have no open recalls and pass an inspection within 45 days. Check before you decide to bring it.
What documents should I keep with me during the move?
Your passport, visa or permanent resident card and any immigration documents, birth and marriage certificates, prescriptions, and a copy of your inventory. Keep them in your carry-on or your car, never on the truck.
How long does a cross-border move take?
It depends on the distance and the border. We give you a realistic delivery window when we quote, with room for the crossing.
Can you hold my things if my dates don’t line up?
Yes. Your things can wait in our own storage in the Toronto area, which is climate controlled and monitored. You pay for the space and the time, plus the moves in and out.
Moving across the border in either direction? Send us the details and we’ll come back with a price, a delivery window and a plain explanation of what the crossing needs from you. Get your free quote or call 905-752-7787.