Cost of international moving

Are you planning to move abroad? Obviously, this will be an involved process, even more so than moving within one’s own country! Luckily, many moving firms specialise in international moves and can help out.

What does it cost to move abroad?

The costs for an international move can vary greatly; a move from the Netherlands to Germany or Belgium, for example, will cost less than a move to the US or Australia. Especially important in this regard is the type of transport used – whether one uses shipping or air transport. Since shipping tends to be the cheapest option, it is the most popular way to move a part of your furniture abroad, in spite of the longer travelling time. In this table, we have summarised three specific examples, in order to give you an idea of what an international move would cost.

*The prices are based on furniture taking up a surface area of 40 m³.

Building the price of an international move

The price of an international move consists of three parts: the transport costs (50%), the loading costs (25%) and the unloading costs (25%). This instantly makes it clear that about half of the cost is taken up with the loading and unloading of furniture. Since the hourly rates of different moving firms can vary, it’s always best to carry out an objective comparison and guarantee the best price.

Which factors impact the price of an international move?

Factor 1: The amount of furniture

Firstly, the more furniture you have, the more movers you will need – but also the more moving vans or shipping containers, which have a capacity of respectively 50 and 67m³

Factor 2: The type of transport

This is also crucial in terms of the costs of an international move – for example in terms of the distance between your current and future homes. Moves within Europe tend to use moving vans, whereas moves to a different continent tend to use shipping containers.

Factor 3: Insurance for international moves

For an international move, it’s always a good idea to buy suitable insurance, since your furniture will be long underway. Do make sure your insurance policy covers furniture, since not all insurance policies do! Do bear in mind such an insurance policy can cost up to 1-2% of the value of the furniture to be moved.

Factor 4: Additional options

There are also additional options which can ensure your move goes more smoothly and which can keep your furniture safer. These include a handyman service (at approximately 30 GBP/hour) or piano transport (215-260 GBP/hour).

For extra security, it is recommended to choose an international moving firm that is part of Fidi Netherlands – an organisation created in the Netherlands that complies with international norms, similar to ISO.

Tips to save money:

• Grouping: In this way, you may get the opportunity to combine shipping with others, for example when your furniture only takes up half of a shipping container. The other half can then be used by someone else to transport his or her furniture. You thus share costs and both benefit financially.
• Do you have a right to a moving bonus? In case you are not moving abroad for the lovely sunshine, but have to move for your job. It is always worth to make sure if you have a right to a moving bonus. Such a bonus can amount to up to 6650 GBP and can be allotted to you by your employer. A few conditions do, however, need to be met. The distance from your new home to your workplace cannot be more than 25km – the new distance has to be at least 60 per cent shorter than was the case before – and the move has to take place within two years of accepting the new function.
• Selling redundant items: Since a significant part of the costs depend on the amount of furniture to you own, it makes sense to try and reduce this. An international move is the ideal time to try and sell redundant items.

Moving expenses: save money on your moving costs

Most of all, we recommend you to start comparing quotes from different international moving firms. Our website enables you to receive up to 6 price estimates. In this way, you can compare the different offers and save up to 30%!