Duty-free eligibility for personal effects, unaccompanied baggage formalities, wood packaging treatment and door-to-door delivery.
What an international move costs usually has less to do with the freight rate than with whether your status and your goods match the destination country's duty-free conditions. The same batch of used furniture can enter free of duty where the mover holds qualifying status, the goods have been used for the required period and the paperwork is timed correctly. Miss one element of the status evidence, or have the goods treated as new, and the shipment is assessed as ordinary imported cargo, with duty and tax often exceeding the freight itself. The China side has hard deadlines of its own: unaccompanied baggage has to be initiated at the moment the traveller enters or leaves, and applying afterwards loses the allowance. Wood packaging also has to satisfy phytosanitary treatment piece by piece, and untreated solid wood components can hold an entire consignment at the destination port.
Duty-free eligibility for personal effects, unaccompanied baggage formalities, wood packaging treatment and door-to-door delivery
Household goods handling in an export warehouse: furniture is wrapped in blankets and stretch film and packed into custom-built wooden crates, with rigid and soft packaging stacked separately. Solid wood load-bearing components of the crates have to be treated under the international wood packaging standard and marked accordingly, while engineered wood components are outside that requirement.
Household goods are not classified the way trade cargo is. There is no commodity code; three things decide instead: who is moving, how long the goods have been used, and which status the destination country recognises for a duty-free allowance. All three are fixed before the cargo leaves port, and there is very little room to change them after the container is loaded.
| Status Category | Typical Profile | Basis for Relief | Key Precondition |
|---|---|---|---|
| New settler | A household moving to the destination country for the first time | Destination country relief for personal effects of new residents | The immigration status and the goods declaration have to be completed on entry to the destination country, and most markets require the goods to have been used for at least 6 months |
| Returning resident | Someone returning home after living abroad | Relief for personal effects of returning residents | Most markets require a minimum period of continuous residence abroad, one year in the case of the United States |
| Long-stay permit holder | Work visa holders, staff of resident offices and their families | Rules for personal effects of non-resident long-stay travellers | A residence permit has to be obtained first; the first import is relieved and later imports are generally taxed |
| Students and posted staff | Enrolled students, employees posted overseas | Destination rules for students or temporary residents | Some markets withdraw relief for baggage shipped after a student graduates and leaves, so clearance has to be completed within the validity period |
| Foreign nationals resident in China | Staff of resident offices relocating to China | Rules for personal effects of non-resident long-stay travellers | At least one year of continuous residence before declaring, and motor vehicles limited to one per person |
The test on the goods side is finer. Household items such as furniture, carpets, tableware and books have to be shown to have been used abroad in practice, and the period of use varies: one year for the United States, 6 months for Canada, the European Union and Japan, and 12 months for Australia. The use does not have to be continuous and does not have to run right up to shipment, so a period in storage in between does not affect the assessment. Goods that are new and still sealed are almost never within the relief, and declaring them honestly and paying the duty is the only safe course.
Status eligibility and period of use are two independent thresholds, and both have to be satisfied for relief to apply. Satisfy only one and the cargo is still assessed as ordinary imported goods on arrival, and that conclusion can only be finally confirmed at the destination customs desk. There is no way to lock it in before departure.
Unaccompanied baggage means a traveller's own effects moving in or out by consignment within the prescribed period after entry or before departure. The current Measures of the Customs of the People's Republic of China for the Supervision of Inbound and Outbound Baggage and Articles has applied since 1 April 2025 and sets out clear requirements on when to declare and by when to complete: a person entering China who brings in baggage as unaccompanied cargo has to declare it to customs on entry, and after customs agrees, complete the customs formalities within 6 months of the date of their own entry.
The outbound sequence runs the other way. Before departure, the owner applies to the customs office at the place of departure with a valid travel document, completes the declaration form in duplicate with an itemised list attached, and customs seals the first copy of the form together with the list and hands the packet to the traveller. The traveller then uses that sealed packet and identity documents to complete the remaining formalities with the cargo control section of the customs office at the actual place of departure. Outbound unaccompanied baggage is in principle limited to ordinary household articles, books and bulky items.
For a resident passenger entering China, baggage brought in as unaccompanied cargo is aggregated in value with the accompanied baggage already released by customs on entry. Where the aggregated value is within CNY 5,000, inclusive, it is released free of duty, with any single category limited to personal use in reasonable quantities; where it exceeds that and customs is satisfied the goods are for personal use, only the excess is taxed. Where a passenger did not go through the declaration channel on entry and complete a declaration form, but can show an entry record within the previous 6 months, unaccompanied baggage may still be handled as such where it is verified as reasonable for personal use, but without the duty-free allowance.
A non-resident long-stay traveller means a foreign national, a person from Hong Kong, China, Macao, China or Taiwan, China, or an overseas Chinese national who has been approved to enter by the public security authorities and resides in China continuously for one year or more, inclusive, and who returns to live outside China afterwards. Personal effects of such persons have to fall within the personal effects catalogue, be limited to personal use in reasonable quantities, and may only be declared for import after a long-stay residence permit has been obtained. The first import of personal effects is relieved of duty, excluding motor vehicles and goods that state regulations require to be taxed, while every subsequent import is taxed in full. Resident office staff may import a motor vehicle, limited to one per person, and other non-resident long-stay travellers may not import motor vehicles. Customs normally responds within 3 working days of receiving an application, or 5 working days where a motor vehicle is involved.
Unaccompanied baggage may not contain goods prohibited from entering or leaving the country, and may not exceed personal use in reasonable quantities. Where the reasonable personal use limit is exceeded, the goods have to be returned or declared as cargo in accordance with the law. Restricted goods require an import permit issued by the relevant authority.
Furniture, pianos, glassware and artworks in a move often need custom wooden crates, and timber is the part of a cross-border shipment most likely to cause trouble.
The international wood packaging standard covers solid wood thicker than 6 mm, including crates, pallets, frames, dunnage, skids and battens, whether new or used. Plywood, particle board, MDF, fibreboard and oriented strand board are produced under high temperature and pressure and are outside the requirement, and do not need marking; veneer no thicker than 6 mm is likewise excluded. A cardboard carton on a plastic pallet does not trigger it either.
Mixed construction is the part most often missed. In a typical export crate with plywood panels but a solid wood base frame and skids, the plywood is exempt while the solid wood frame, skids and dunnage still have to be treated and marked. Where a packer quotes without distinguishing the structure, some components can end up untreated and the shipment faces on-site treatment or return at the destination port.
Heat treatment requires the core of the timber to reach 56 °C and hold for at least 30 minutes, with a temperature record of the process, no bark and no soil on the timber, and moisture content kept within a reasonable range. Methyl bromide fumigation matches dosage to temperature, commonly 48 grams per cubic metre at 21 °C or above, with at least 16 hours of enclosed fumigation and thorough aeration afterwards. Heat treatment leaves no chemical residue and is the first choice in most markets; the European Union has restricted methyl bromide, and timber marked with it is easily refused at European ports.
After treatment, the mark has to be applied to two opposite faces of the wood packaging and contains the IPPC symbol, the country code, the registration number of the treatment company and the treatment method code. Wood treated in China carries CN plus HT or MB. The mark has to be permanent and legible, and may not be handwritten, altered or applied as a sticker, and red and orange may not be used. There are limits on residual bark on the timber surface, and residue exceeding the width or total area limits means outright return.
The validity of a wood packaging marking company's approval was extended from three years to five years with effect from 1 November 2026, and forging or altering the special mark draws a customs fine of up to CNY 30,000. Checking a treatment company's approval status and a sample of its mark before commissioning packaging is more effective than explaining afterwards at the destination port.
Whole-container moves typically use 20-foot and 40-foot high cube containers, the former suited to a small or medium home and the latter to a full house of furniture. Furniture takes up far more volume than trade cargo of the same weight, with little heavy cargo and a great deal of light bulky cargo, so rating by volume is normal. Loading runs in reverse room order so that what goes in first comes out last, which shortens stripping and delivery time at the destination. Furniture has to be secured inside the container with timber, air bags and straps, because movement in transit is the main source of knocks and scratches.
Where the goods do not fill a container, groupage is used, and several consignments can be sent to a domestic consolidation warehouse first and stuffed together to share the ocean freight. The trade-off is sharing a container with other shippers' cargo, more handling, and higher risk for fragile items than a dedicated container; the stripping sequence also depends on how quickly the other cargo clears, so collection time at the destination is hard to schedule precisely. Valuable furniture and pianos are not suited to groupage.
Air freight suits a small quantity of items needed urgently, such as documents, a change of clothes or office equipment. It has clear limits on the dimensions and weight of each piece, so oversized furniture can only go by sea. A move usually involves a timing gap at both ends, and short-term storage may be needed between the domestic packing period and the delivery date of the new home, so storage arrangements at origin and destination should both be included.
Furniture, glassware and musical instruments are high-value and fragile, so transport insurance should be taken out for the full declared value rather than by weight or by container. The method of packing affects the claim outcome, and furniture shipped uncrated or unbraced is easily judged to have been improperly packed in a damage assessment.
| Mode | When It Applies | Cost Order | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full container by sea | A whole house of furniture, appliances and large quantities of household goods | Charged per container, lowest cost per cubic metre | Suits goods that fill or nearly fill a container; the container is exclusive, giving the lowest risk of knocks and scratches |
| Groupage by sea | One person's small consignment, a student's clothes and books | Charged per cubic metre, low entry threshold | Shares a container with other shippers, more handling, and fragile items need extra bracing |
| Air freight | Documents, urgently needed clothing, small office equipment | Charged on chargeable weight, high unit cost | Limited by the dimensions and weight of each piece, and furniture cannot go by air |
| Rail | Household goods moving to inland Europe | Between sea and air freight | Routes and terminals have limited coverage, and delivery from the destination terminal has to be confirmed |
| Sea freight plus inland delivery | A move that has to be delivered to a home in the destination country | Charged by destination distance and access conditions | Unloading, carrying upstairs and waste removal vary widely and have to be set out clearly in the quotation |
The choice is driven by volume and status eligibility together. Where the volume is close to a full container, a dedicated container is better on both cost and safety. Where the volume is under a container but the status eligibility is complete, groupage is workable, provided the longer wait at the destination port is acceptable. Where the status eligibility is incomplete, the shipment is taxed as ordinary goods whichever mode is used, because the tax saving does not come from the transport plan.
Two things shape the departure port for household goods: how easy it is to consolidate cargo in the departure city, and how direct the services are to the destination country.
Where the departure city is not a port city, moving the goods to a consolidation warehouse on a domestic line before stuffing the container gives better control over packing quality than sending small lots separately. The domestic leg also needs timber frames and stretch film, because much of the visible damage actually happens on that leg.
Duty-free declaration of personal effects and household goods uses the US Customs unaccompanied articles declaration, with the legal basis in the federal regulations on relief for household effects and tools of trade used abroad. Household items such as furniture, carpets, paintings, tableware and books have to have been actually used abroad for at least one year, must not be held for another person and must not be for sale; the year does not have to be continuous and does not have to run right up to the import. On status, the relief covers returning residents, immigrants and holders of long-term work or student visas. Where the goods arrive more than ten years after the owner last entered the United States from the country of use, relief is generally denied unless the delay can be shown to have been unavoidable; beyond twenty-five years the relief no longer applies at all. The declaration has to be completed and signed by the owner personally, and a carrier or moving company signing in the owner's place is returned, which is the most common cause of delay. Commercial goods may not be declared on this form, and mixing in restricted items such as alcohol, firearms, food or plants is a major reason for detention.
Goods of new settlers and returning citizens have to be for personal long-term use and used for at least six months, and the list of goods to follow has to be completed at the airport on entry and stamped by customs, with the cargo arriving within a set period after settlement. New goods still sealed cannot be relieved, and have to be declared honestly with duty and sales tax paid. Wooden furniture and wood pallets have to be treated with a certificate issued, in line with Canada's phytosanitary requirements for timber imports.
Most EU member states require personal effects to have been used for more than six months before relief applies, with new goods taxed at the corresponding rate. Since leaving the European Union the United Kingdom operates its own declaration process, with a framework close to other European countries but handled separately. Packaging regulation on the EU side has been tightening in recent years, and wood crates using board, adhesives and inks face limits on total heavy metal content, so supplying a packaging conformity declaration with the cargo has become common practice.
Both countries apply strict quarantine standards, normally requiring an immigrant visa or proof of long-term residence, and goods have to have been used for more than twelve months before relief can be applied for. Beyond wood packaging treatment, items that have been in contact with soil, dust or rainwater are a quarantine focus, and vacuum cleaners, carpets, sports balls, outdoor furniture, golf clubs, fishing rods and bicycles are often required to have cleaning certificates, with failed inspection leading to secondary treatment costs or, in serious cases, destruction.
Japan requires personal effects to have been used for more than six months, and prohibits entry of fresh food, plant and animal products and prohibited medicines. Singapore is relatively relaxed on the period of use for used personal effects, but sets a firm deadline on clearance: personal effects have to complete import clearance within a set period after arrival, beyond which consumption tax is assessed on the declared value, and new goods are likewise taxed by value.
| Market | Period of Use | Key Action | Common Sticking Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Household goods used for 1 year | The owner personally completes and signs the unaccompanied articles declaration | Missing or proxy signature; more than 10 years elapsed; restricted items mixed in |
| Canada | 6 months | Complete the list of goods to follow at the airport on entry and have it stamped | No airport stamp, so the duty-free channel is unavailable on arrival |
| European Union | 6 months | Declare personal effects to member state requirements | New goods not declared honestly; packaging heavy metal limits |
| United Kingdom | 6 months | Declare separately, the harmonised EU process does not apply | Following the EU process produces the wrong declaration basis |
| Australia and New Zealand | 12 months | Provide immigration or long-term residence evidence and clean soil-contaminated items | Outdoor goods and vacuum cleaners not cleaned, failing quarantine |
| Japan | 6 months | Declare as personal effects; fresh food and plant and animal products are prohibited | Food and plant products mixed into the shipment |
| Singapore | 3 months | Complete import clearance within the set period after arrival | Late clearance means consumption tax assessed on value |
The difference between moving services rarely shows up in the freight rate; it shows up in whether anyone takes over when a problem arises. Once the goods are at sea and the destination port asks for more documents, the advantage of a cheap origin price is usually not enough to offset being left on your own.
A family moved to Vancouver as new settlers and shipped a whole house of furniture in a 20-foot container. The itemised list, passports and immigration papers were all complete before departure, but the list of goods to follow was not completed at the airport on landing and no customs stamp was obtained. After the cargo arrived, the local broker advised that it could not be declared through the new settler duty-free channel and would have to be assessed as ordinary imported goods, with duty and sales tax far exceeding the freight. The shipment was released after the tax was paid, and on the next move "complete and stamp the list on entry" became the first line of the travel checklist. Every family handled since then has received a bilingual entry declaration note before landing, flagging the airport step as one that has to be completed on the spot.
A consignment of household goods shipped to Los Angeles in a 40-foot high cube, mostly furniture, books and tableware that had been in use for years. The preparation before shipping focused on two points: confirming that all household items had been used abroad for a full year, with a written explanation covering items whose use had not been continuous, and the declaration signed page by page by the owner personally with passport and arrival details attached. The documents cleared in one pass on arrival with no inspection flagged, and stripping and delivery ran to the planned schedule. The client later listed tools of trade separately for relief under a different provision, which also cleared in one pass.
A consignment went to Sydney including woven outdoor furniture, a vacuum cleaner and a child's bicycle. Anticipating the sensitivity of Australian and New Zealand quarantine to items carrying soil and dust, the outdoor furniture was washed and dried before shipment, the vacuum cleaner dust bin and filter were emptied and replaced, and the bicycle tyres and rims were scrubbed and photographed for the record. The solid wood frame of the wood packaging was heat treated and marked. On arrival some items were still required to have cleaning documentation, which the photographs and treatment records satisfied. That routine of cleaning and documenting has since become standard for the route.
A client renting in Tokyo had only clothing, books and a monitor, well under a full container, and chose groupage. The goods were packed by material, clothing compressed into vacuum bags to reduce volume, and the monitor packed separately in bubble wrap and a custom carton. Only a small solid wood pallet was used, fully treated and marked. Destination clearance was declared as personal effects after arrival, and with the documents well prepared collection on landing went smoothly.
Furniture and personal effects shipped from Suzhou to London. The client had originally prepared documents to the EU harmonised process and then reorganised them to the separate UK declaration basis, adding residence evidence and a statement on the period of use. The solid wood frame of the crates was heat treated with a certificate issued, avoiding a fumigation mark. The consignment was declared through the personal effects channel on arrival with no additional tax.
A consignment of personal effects went to Singapore, mostly furniture and household goods in use for years. The critical point was the clearance deadline after arrival, so the destination broker was brought in at the time of sailing and the documents were pre-checked before the cargo arrived. Clearance was completed within the required period after arrival and the value-based consumption tax was not triggered. The programme has since required all Singapore-bound consignments to have the destination agent confirmed before sailing rather than waiting for arrival.
Does an international move have to go in a full container?
No. Where the volume approaches or exceeds a container, a dedicated container is more economical, the cargo is exclusive with the lowest risk of knocks, and the stuffing order can follow the destination rooms. With less cargo, groupage is used, charged per cubic metre, and several consignments can be sent to a consolidation warehouse first and stuffed together. The practical threshold is whether the goods fill a 20-foot container, and whether there are fragile items such as a piano or a glass cabinet that should not share a container.
Can personal effects go by groupage?
Yes, but with trade-offs. Groupage involves more handling than a dedicated container, so the risk to furniture edges and glass surfaces is higher. The stripping sequence also depends on how quickly the other shippers' cargo clears, which makes the collection time at the destination hard to schedule precisely. Where the consignment includes high-value fragile items, it is better to use a dedicated container or to send the fragile items separately by air than to compress the whole shipment into groupage to save freight.
How does unaccompanied baggage declaration differ from ordinary cargo declaration?
Unaccompanied baggage is supervised as baggage and articles, limited to personal use in reasonable quantities, and handled on the Customs Declaration Form for Baggage and Articles of Inbound and Outbound Passengers. Ordinary cargo is supervised as commercial imports, needs trade documents and is taxed by commodity classification. The two channels have entirely different tests and bases for relief. The immediate consequence of using the wrong one is losing the duty-free entitlement, with the cargo taxed as goods and possibly a penalty for inaccurate declaration.
When should outbound unaccompanied baggage be applied for at customs?
Before departure. The owner applies to the customs office at the place of departure with a valid travel document, completes the declaration form in duplicate with an itemised list attached, and customs seals the first copy of the form together with the list and hands the packet to the traveller. The traveller then uses that sealed packet and identity documents to complete the remaining formalities with the cargo control section of the customs office at the actual place of departure. Shipping first and applying afterwards does not work.
Does a wooden crate always have to be fumigated?
It depends on the material, not on whether it is a crate. Solid wood components thicker than 6 mm have to be treated and marked, while plywood, particle board, MDF and similar engineered wood are outside the requirement and need no mark. A mixed structure has to be examined in detail: where the crate panels are plywood but the base frame and skids are solid wood, the solid wood still has to be treated. Both heat treatment and fumigation are acceptable, but the European Union restricts fumigation chemicals, so heat treatment is preferred for Europe.
How do I read the mark on wood packaging?
The mark has four elements: the IPPC symbol, the country code, the registration number of the treatment company and the treatment method code. Wood treated in China carries CN and the method code, HT for heat treatment and MB for fumigation. The mark has to be applied to two opposite faces of the packaging, permanent and legible, and may not be a sticker or handwritten or altered, and red and orange may not be used. There are upper limits on the width and total area of residual bark on the timber surface, beyond which the shipment is returned.
Can new furniture enter duty free?
Essentially no. The relief policies of the major markets all target used personal effects, and unopened new goods are outside the relief. Declaring them honestly and paying duty and consumption tax at the applicable rate is the only safe course, because understating the value and being caught brings fines and storage losses greater than the tax itself. Where only a small amount of newly purchased goods is involved, they can be listed separately with their condition noted, so the whole consignment is not questioned because of them.
How long do goods have to have been used to qualify for relief?
Requirements differ by market. The United States requires household goods to have been used for one year, Canada, the European Union and Japan apply six months, Australia and New Zealand apply twelve months, and Singapore is relatively relaxed. The period of use does not have to be continuous and does not have to run right up to shipment, so a period in storage in between does not affect the assessment. Proof of the period usually rests on a statement of use in the itemised list, supported by purchase records where needed.
How are pianos and large furniture packed?
Pianos, marble tops and glass cabinets need custom wooden crates with foam and blankets layered inside to secure them, and the crate itself has to withstand stacking. Upholstered furniture is wrapped in blankets first and then stretch film to prevent rubbing and paint loss. Large furniture is dismantled before loading where parts are removable, packed separately and labelled so it can be reassembled at the destination. The single purpose of all the packing is to stop the goods shifting through repeated handling and the movement of the vessel.
Which items are commonly prohibited in destination countries?
Fresh meat, fresh fruit and vegetables, seeds and soil, flammable and explosive goods, and prescription medicines are common restrictions across most markets. Australia and New Zealand also treat items that have been in contact with soil, dust or rainwater as a quarantine priority, and vacuum cleaners, carpets, sports balls, outdoor furniture, golf clubs, fishing rods and bicycles are often required to have cleaning certificates. Alcohol and tobacco usually have quantity limits, and anything above the limit is taxed at the normal rate. Working through the destination country's list item by item before planning the move is easier than explaining afterwards on arrival.
Do household goods need insurance?
Yes, and it should cover the full declared value. A carrier's liability limit is usually far below the actual value of household goods, and the value of furniture and instruments is concentrated in a few pieces, so insuring by weight or by container leaves a large gap. The method of packing affects the claim outcome, and furniture shipped unbraced and uncrated is easily judged to have been improperly packed, while packing photographs and loading records are both useful material in a claim.
How far in advance should a move be arranged?
Working back from the departure date is more useful than giving a fixed number of days. The steps that need time are obtaining and verifying the status documents, completing the declaration at the destination on entry, sorting and packing the goods in the domestic leg, treating and marking the solid wood packaging, and booking and terminal delivery. The two most often underestimated are the status documents and the destination entry step, because their timing is set by the visa and the travel plan and is not under the forwarder's control. Packing and booking can be compressed, but it is not advisable to shorten packing time to catch a sailing.
How long does clearance normally take at the destination?
It depends on how complete the documents are and whether an inspection is flagged. Where the documents are complete and the status evidence and period of use both check out, release usually takes a few working days. Where further documents are requested or an inspection is arranged, it takes noticeably longer, with port storage and container demurrage charged by the day. The most effective way to shorten it is not to chase the broker but to have the declaration, the list and the identity documents complete in one pass before departure, especially the forms that the owner has to sign personally.
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