Moving from Belgium to the United States: learn everything there is to know about this move across the Atlantic

Are personal or professional reasons pushing you to leave Belgium for the United States? The characteristics and customs formalities specific to this intercontinental move are outlined for you below.

Moving to the land of Uncle Sam: three options for transporting your personal effects

Just like for a move from Belgium to Canada, the transport of household goods from Belgium to the United States can be done in three different ways:

• By air: this option is ideal for urgent personal effects, or for small amounts of goods. Since weight constitutes a decisive factor in the cost of this operation, household goods are now packaged in rigid cardboard crates, which are far lighter than a metal or wooden equivalent. This method is the most expensive of the three ;
• By shipping container: this is often the best solution because of its cost and the possibility it offers of importing a larger quantity of goods ;
• By shipping crate: oven-dried wooden crates are chosen when using a cargo ship to move smaller quantities of goods, i.e. less than 10 m³.

If you choose the shipping route, whether in wooden crates or in a container, then your goods will leave from the port of Antwerp and be transported to one of the following three destination ports, depending on your future residence :

• East Coast : for your information, the transportation of goods by boat from Belgium to New York requires 11 travel days port-to-port ;
• West Coast : a move to the West Coast requires a long detour via the Panama Canal. This results in a distinctly longer travel time, nearing 35 days for California (Los Angeles, San Francisco) ;
• The Gulf of Mexico : this destination is of interest for people moving to Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

Customs formalities for a Belgium-United States move

Since the attacks of September 11 2001, the conditions for importing goods onto American soil have been tightened up. All containers are now scanned and inspected by Customs. This means that, in advance, the mover has to draw up concise, labeled and numbered inventories of the goods found in the container. No vague descriptions that could arouse the curiosity of Customs officers are acceptable.  For example, a "Miscellaneous" label would be viewed as suspicious. In addition, a multitude of goods are prohibited from import into the USA :

• Any lubricant, anti-freeze, flammable or explosive products (fireworks, propane bottles, paint cans, etc.);
• Any plants or fresh food products;
• Compressed gas (fire extinguishers, diving tanks, etc.);
• Any corrosive products (car batteries, etc.);
• Weapons, even deactivated weapons;
• For goods being moved by air only, any batteries or chargers (for computer, tablet, cellphone, etc.) are prohibited. They must be removed from the device which they power before boarding.

Certain objects may be imported but are subject to prior authorization issued by NWID . These goods are governed by extremely strict rules and can only be imported in reasonable quantities. This notably concerns alcoholic beverages, canned foods, baby food, water and soda.

Please also note that since September 11, the physical presence of the importer is required by authorities on the day the goods pass through customs.

Importing your household goods into the United States: an operation that requires several customs forms

It is the responsibility of the company in charge of this international move to send these duly completed documents to American agents prior to importing. The term "documents" means the following :

• The Bioterrorism Act document pertaining to the import of food products: this document is meant for the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). It allows them to inspect food products and to identify the immediate sources and end recipients of the food products, including their packaging. This procedure addresses potential threats with serious health consequences or causing human or animal deaths;
• Customs form 3299: this form has three main sections. The first is a declaration of entry of unaccompanied personal effects. The second is a document for the Finance center of U.S. Customs, in which the reasons for moving are stated (employer, job title, type of business, type of contract, etc.). The third component of this form is the Power of Attorney, which gives Customs the right, when in doubt, to open and search the container.

Are you taking up residence across the Atlantic? For a high-quality moving experience, trust Maison Genné!

Need more information? A free estimate? Contact our movers in Walloon Brabant! Our associates will be happy to satisfy your request as quickly as possible.