International Movers and Overseas Moving Company

Why choose Star Van Lines for an international move

Overseas moving is full of brokers that resell your shipment and disappear once the container leaves the dock. We are not a broker on the road leg. An international move with Star Van Lines rests on things you can verify:

• Real federal authority on the road leg. The domestic transport to the port runs under active interstate authority, USDOT #4176875 and MC #1607491, both searchable on the public FMCSA SAFER registry at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov.
• Our own crews pack your container. The people who survey, export-pack, and load your ocean container work for Star Van Lines. International shipments fail at the handoffs, so we keep the packing and loading in house.
• Documents prepared before the container sails. We build your customs paperwork with you up front, because a missing form is what strands a shipment at a foreign port.
• A valued inventory you can hold us to. Every international shipment is inventoried and valued at loading, which is both your customs record and the basis for marine cargo coverage.

We have moved households in all 50 states since 2016 and hold a 240+ review history across public platforms. We keep that record by standing behind a written estimate.

How does an international move work end to end?

An international move runs in two connected legs. The first leg is a domestic road move under USDOT #4176875 that carries your goods to a United States departure port. The second leg is an ocean voyage in a 20-foot or 40-foot container to the destination country, followed by customs clearance and, if you booked door-to-door, final delivery to your address. One survey, one written estimate, and one valued inventory tie the two legs together.

How is an international move priced?

An international move is priced mainly on three inputs: the volume of your shipment in cubic feet, the destination port and country, and whether you ship a full container, FCL, or share one, LCL. Door-to-door service costs more than door-to-port because it adds destination handling and delivery. Export packing, specialty items, and any duties charged by the destination country also move the total. Because duty and clearance rules vary by country and we do not invent them, we quote each move after a survey rather than posting a flat rate. Call (855) 822-2722 and we will scope your specific destination.

What customs documents and steps are required?

Every international shipment clears customs on both ends, and the paperwork drives the timeline more than the goods do. For most moves you will need a valid passport, the entry visa or residence permit for the destination country, and a detailed inventory that lists and values every item in the shipment. United States Customs and Border Protection and the destination country's customs each require declaration forms, and some countries ask for proof of residence or a returning-resident declaration. We prepare this packet with you before the container is sealed, because customs holds start with a missing or inconsistent document, not with the goods themselves.

How does ocean freight and multimodal shipping work?

Ocean freight moves your goods by sea in a shipping container after our trucks carry them to the port. You ship either a full container load, FCL, where a 20-foot or 40-foot box is yours alone, or a less than container load, LCL, where your goods are consolidated with others and billed by the cubic feet they occupy. This is a multimodal move: road first, ocean second, and sometimes road again on the far side. We book the sailing, hand you the ocean bill of lading, and coordinate the road legs on either end. We do not quote a fixed day count for an ocean crossing, because sailing schedules, port queues, and customs are outside any mover's control.

What licensing and insurance apply to an international move?

Two different systems apply, one per leg. The road leg across the United States runs under our Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration authority, USDOT #4176875 and MC #1607491, verifiable on the FMCSA SAFER database at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov. The ocean leg is carried by an ocean freight carrier under maritime rules rather than FMCSA trucking authority. For protection, the domestic leg carries the federal valuation options a mover must offer, while the international leg is usually covered by separate marine cargo insurance written against your valued inventory. We explain which coverage attaches to which leg before you sign, so there is no gap in the middle.

What items are prohibited or restricted in an international move?

Every country keeps its own list of goods that may not enter or that need special permits, so the restricted list is destination-specific. As a general rule, ocean shipments exclude hazardous materials, flammable liquids, ammunition and firearms, perishable food, and live plants, and many countries restrict alcohol, tobacco, and certain electronics or require permits for them. We flag the common categories during the survey and ask you to keep passports, medication, and small valuables with you rather than in the container. Because these rules change and vary by country, we point you to the destination customs authority for the binding list instead of guessing.

How do you move to Hawaii or between the mainland and the islands?

A move to Hawaii is a multimodal move, not a truck drive. Because there is no road to the islands, your goods travel with our crews to a mainland ocean port and then cross the Pacific by ocean freight to Honolulu or another island port. A relocation such as New York to Honolulu combines a long domestic road leg under USDOT #4176875 with an ocean container leg to the islands. We do not attach a fixed number of delivery days to an ocean crossing, since sailing schedules and port handling set the pace. Island moves are surveyed and quoted the same way as any other ocean shipment, by volume and destination.

How do you protect specialty items like pianos overseas?

Fragile and high-value items take the most stress over a long sea voyage, so they get separate handling. We custom-box mirrors, art, and electronics, and we crate pianos, marble, and glass tops in wood for container shipment, because a piano and a stack of boxes cannot ride the ocean the same way. Every specialty piece is written into the valued inventory that both customs and your marine cargo coverage rely on, so it is documented before it sails and checked again on delivery.

How should you prepare for an international move?

Preparation controls both the cost and the customs timeline. Declutter first, because ocean freight is billed by the cubic feet your goods fill, so anything you will not use abroad is volume you pay to ship. Start the document packet early, since passports, visas, and a valued inventory take longer to assemble than people expect. Keep passports, medication, and small valuables in your carry-on, not in the container. Decide between door-to-door and door-to-port before loading, and label boxes by room for faster clearance and delivery. We hand you a preparation checklist after the survey so nothing is missed.