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Quebec
Moving to Quebec from the US
Moving to Quebec from the US starts a clock that has nothing to do with packing. RAMQ, the province's public health insurance board, says coverage for people settling from another country usually begins after a waiting period of up to 3 months. It applies even to Canadian citizens, though not to children under 18. And the United States isn't among the 11 countries whose social security agreements with Quebec can lift that wait for their natives.
So the day you register with RAMQ matters as much as the day you load: the wait counts from registration, once you're in Quebec with all your documents. Star Van Lines runs the US road leg of your move under our federal operating authority, USDOT #4176875 and MC #1607491. We survey your home, measure the shipment in cubic feet and put the price in a written estimate. This page covers what Canada's border agency asks of a new resident, what changes for your car and your pets, and what to handle in your first weeks in Quebec.
A move from the US to Quebec is a household move with a customs entry in the middle. You list what you're bringing, declare it to the Canada Border Services Agency as a settler, then sign up for health insurance, a driver's licence and car registration with Quebec's own agencies. And the paperwork, more than the distance, decides how smoothly it goes.
Want a price? Call (855) 822-2722 for a survey and a written estimate. Star Van Lines has moved households in all 50 states since 2016 and has a 240+ review history across public platforms.
Dennis has 15+ years of experience in interstate moving and has coordinated over 1,000 relocations across the United States.
Moving services to Quebec
A move to Quebec from the US crosses two systems. The road leg inside the United States travels under a federal moving authority you can look up yourself. Everything past the border follows Canadian rules, starting with the Canada Border Services Agency, which decides what your household goods need at entry. Plan for both from the start.
How does a US-to-Quebec move work?
It starts with a survey. We walk through your home in person or by video and measure what you're shipping in cubic feet, and that volume becomes a written estimate instead of a phone guess. At loading, your shipment is inventoried and valued: every item listed and given a value.
Separately, CBSA advises new residents to prepare their own list of goods, with values, makes, models and serial numbers where they apply. Keep our inventory handy while you write it. You won't be working it out alone: we'll talk you through the paperwork Canada asks a settler for and what to have ready at the border.
The US road leg moves under our authority from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, USDOT #4176875 and MC #1607491. You can check both numbers on the FMCSA SAFER registry. Those numbers cover the American road leg. But they don't extend past the border, where Canada's rules take over.
Which crossings lead into Quebec?
The Canada Border Services Agency publishes wait times for 30 of its busiest land crossings from the US, with commercial and traveller lanes shown separately. Six of them lead into Quebec, including these two:
- St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Highway 15, across from Champlain, New York. CBSA says the port is being redeveloped until Winter 2027, so waits may run longer than normal.
- Stanstead, across from Derby Line, Vermont, with both commercial and traveller lanes.
The other four are Hemmingford, two other Lacolle crossings and Saint-Armand. Coming from New York or Vermont? All six sit across from those two states.
How long does a move to Quebec take?
Most moves are delivered within about 30 days of pickup. Take that as typical rather than promised: a border and two sets of agencies sit between the US road leg and your new home, and neither works to our schedule. What you also get is a written estimate and a US road leg under a licence anyone can verify.
How much does moving to Quebec cost?
The cost of moving to Quebec from the US depends on how much you ship and where the move starts. We don't publish a flat rate for Canada. Each move is priced after a survey and put in writing, so the number reflects your volume and your starting point, not a guess made over the phone.
What moves the price of a Quebec move?
- Volume. Measured in cubic feet at the survey, room by room.
- Starting point. A move from Boston and a move from Texas are different US road legs.
- Packing. If you'd rather not pack yourself, see our packing and unpacking service.
Because a car brings its own import costs, budget for them separately: they aren't ours. For a car less than 15 years old, the Registrar of Imported Vehicles charges CAN$325.00 plus GST and QST in Quebec, and a car with air conditioning owes a CAN$100 excise tax.
How do you get a written estimate?
Call (855) 822-2722. We answer seven days a week, 08:00 to 20:00. We'll book the survey, measure your shipment and send the estimate in writing. If your move starts deep in the US, our long-distance moving page explains how the domestic road leg is handled.
Moving to Quebec: what you should know
Canada's border agency describes a settler as someone entering Canada to set up a residence for the first time, for one year or more. Settlers may bring personal and household goods in without duty or taxes when CBSA's conditions are met. People coming to work for 36 months or less, or to study, fall under different rules.
Settlers' effects and Form BSF186
CBSA says you must have owned, possessed and used your goods before you arrive to bring them in duty- and tax-free. Leased goods don't qualify, since CBSA doesn't consider you their owner.
Make two copies of a list of everything you're bringing, with value, make, model and serial number where they apply. At your first point of entry, hand that list to the border services officer, even if your belongings arrive later. The officer completes Form BSF186, the Personal Effects Accounting Document, and you present your copy to claim goods that come after you. CBSA says the form can also be filled out before you arrive to speed up clearance. The full rules are on CBSA's moving to Canada page.
One more condition catches people. And if you sell or give away an item within one year of importing it, the duty and taxes you were spared become payable.
What is a goods to follow list?
Anything that reaches Canada after you counts as goods to follow, and it enters duty- and tax-free only if it was on your original list. CBSA's settlers' effects memorandum (D2-2-1) says there's no time limit for goods listed to follow. But alcohol and tobacco work differently: under the tariff, they count as settlers' effects only when they come with you on arrival. Check any timing question with CBSA.
What needs extra care at the border?
- Alcohol and tobacco. A settler may include either up to 1.5 litres of wine or up to 1.14 litres of other alcohol, plus limited tobacco, but only if it travels with you when you arrive. The minimum age follows the province where you enter Canada; at a Quebec crossing it's 18.
- Firearms. Every firearm has to be declared to a border services officer. CBSA says visitors can't bring in prohibited firearms, devices or weapons under any circumstances, and a Canadian resident needs a Possession and Acquisition Licence to import non-restricted firearms.
- Cannabis. Health Canada says taking cannabis across the border is illegal, including cannabis for medical use.
- Food, plants, firewood and soil. Food, plants and animal products must be declared, and firewood needs a permit. Goods contaminated with soil, from garden tools and hiking boots to vehicles, are usually refused. Used mattresses need a certificate that they were cleaned and fumigated, though the tariff exempts mattresses imported as settlers' effects.
- Cash. CAN$10,000 or more has to be reported when you arrive.
Bringing your car from the US
Start on the US side. Under federal rules 19 CFR 192.2 and 15 CFR 30.4, you file Electronic Export Information and submit the export documents to US Customs and Border Protection at least 72 hours before a used car leaves by road, then present the car at export. If it's leased or has a recorded lien, add a letter from the leasing company or lienholder allowing the export. The Registrar of Imported Vehicles suggests sending the paperwork at least 3 business days ahead.
On the Canadian side, a car registered in the Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV) program must be less than 15 years old on the date of import, not flagged as inadmissible on the Vehicle Import Compatibility List, and free of outstanding safety recalls, with its original US title. You declare it on Form 1. RIV sends a delinquency notice if the inspection isn't done within 45 days of import. A leased car fails the settlers' ownership rule. But a financed one doesn't.
Then comes Quebec. SAAQ says a vehicle has to be registered within 90 days of settling in Quebec. A used vehicle from outside Quebec needs a mechanical inspection certificate and, for a US car, the certificate of title signed by the last owner, so call the SAAQ first to confirm your documents. You'll also need civil liability insurance of at least CAN$50,000 from a private insurer.
Pets crossing into Canada
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency doesn't count the United States among rabies-free countries. A dog older than 3 months needs a valid rabies vaccination certificate, and so does a cat 3 months or older. A dog under 8 months travelling without its owner also needs a Veterinary Certificate of Health. And dogs must have been at least 3 months old when vaccinated. Canada doesn't require a microchip or tattoo for pet dogs or cats.
Does the 2026 surtax hit household goods?
Since September 8, 2026, certain US-origin goods entering Canada carry a surtax of 15%, 25% or 50%. Goods in Chapters 98 and 99 of the tariff are exempt unless the Order lists them, and its list doesn't include settlers' effects (tariff item 9807.00.00). Read that way, goods that qualify as settlers' effects fall under the Chapter 98 exemption. Confirm with CBSA, especially for anything that doesn't qualify.
Your first weeks in Quebec: a checklist
- Register with RAMQ as soon as you arrive, if you meet its eligibility conditions. Each family member fills in their own form. Coverage usually starts after a waiting period of up to 3 months, except for children under 18, and RAMQ gives you 12 months to send missing documents, after which your start date is delayed. RAMQ strongly recommends private insurance from the day you arrive. See RAMQ's eligibility rules.
- Keep driving on your US licence for up to six months. After that, SAAQ requires a Quebec licence. A valid US licence, or one that expired less than three years ago, is exchanged for a passenger-vehicle licence without tests.
- Book the licence exchange with originals. SAAQ says it contacts you within 20 business days after it receives your completed form.
- Register the car with SAAQ within 90 days of settling, with the inspection certificate and signed title.
- Budget for two sales taxes. Purchases in Quebec carry the 5% federal GST and the 9.975% QST, which Revenu Québec shows as 14.975% combined.
- Know that Quebec has its own income tax. Revenu Québec's 2026 provincial rate is 14% on taxable income of CAN$54,345 or less.
- Read IRCC's program pages. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada lists permanent residence programs, such as Express Entry, family sponsorship and regional programs including Quebec-selected skilled workers, plus a work permit page for people who want to work in Canada for a few years.
- Sign up for French classes. Francisation Québec is the government's access point for free courses for people 16 and older living in Quebec or planning to settle there.
What to know before moving to Quebec
Quebec by the numbers
0,016,222
Population, April 1, 2026
0,291,732
Montreal metro population, 2021 Census
0% GST + 9.975% QST
Sales tax
0%
Lowest provincial income tax rate, 2026
-0.2 °C
Montreal January daily average (1991-2020)
CAN$0,346
Average 2-bedroom rent, Montreal metro primary rental market, Oct. 2025
French is Quebec's sole official language, and the province is home to more than 9 million people. These figures come from Statistics Canada, CMHC, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Revenu Québec. Each card shows the period it covers, so you can compare like with like.
Is Quebec a good place to live?
Whether Quebec fits your family comes down to language, winter and housing more than anything on a map. French is the province's only official language, Montreal's airport averages 216.6 cm of snow a year, and most leases in the province end on the same date. Here's what the official sources say about each.
Do you need French to live in Quebec?
The Government of Québec says French is Quebec's sole official language and the common language of the Québec nation. Under the Charter of the French language, the civil administration may use another language for welcome services to immigrants during their first six months after arrival.
But you won't be the only one learning. In the 2021 Census, 2,396,535 of 4,246,060 Montreal metro residents, not counting people living in institutions, reported knowing both English and French, and Francisation Québec offers courses at no cost.
Why do most Quebec leases end June 30?
Quebec's housing tribunal, the Tribunal administratif du logement, says most residential leases in the province end on June 30. And that's why so many households move on July 1 each year. Renting? Ask about the lease end date before you lock in your move.
How cold do Montreal winters get?
Environment and Climate Change Canada's 1991-2020 normals for Montreal Trudeau airport give a January daily average of -9.2 °C and 216.6 cm of snow a year. And that's the kind of detail that should shape your first weeks, from setting up utilities to planning your own arrival with some slack around it.
How is Quebec's economy doing?
Quebec's Ministère des Finances reported real GDP growth of 0.8% in 2025 and expects 1.1% in 2026. But unemployment averaged 5.6% in 2025, up from 5.3% in 2024. For renters, CMHC's October 2025 Rental Market Survey put the average two-bedroom rent in the Montreal metro's primary rental market at CAN$1,346.
Ready to plan the move? Call (855) 822-2722 for a survey and a written estimate. Our US road leg runs under USDOT #4176875 and MC #1607491, and our international moving page covers our overseas moving service.
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Not if they qualify as settlers' effects. CBSA says you must have owned, possessed and used the goods before arriving to bring them in duty- and tax-free. Leased goods don't qualify, and anything you sell or give away within one year of importing it becomes subject to the duty and taxes that were waived.
It's the Personal Effects Accounting Document. You bring two copies of a list of your goods with values and serial numbers, and the border services officer completes Form BSF186 from that list at your first point of entry. You then present your copy to claim goods that arrive after you. CBSA says it can be filled out before you arrive.
Yes, if they're on the list you give the border officer when you first enter Canada. Goods that follow later enter duty- and tax-free only if they were on that original list, and CBSA's settlers' effects memorandum says there's no time limit for them. Alcohol and tobacco are the exception: they count as settlers' effects only when they come with you.
RAMQ says coverage for people settling from another country usually begins after a waiting period of up to 3 months, counted from registration once you're in Quebec with all your documents. The wait applies even to Canadian citizens but not to children under 18. The United States isn't one of the 11 countries whose agreements with Quebec can remove it for their natives.
SAAQ lets you drive a passenger vehicle on a valid US licence for the first six months after you settle. After that you need a Quebec licence. A valid US licence, or one expired less than three years, is exchanged for a passenger-vehicle licence without proficiency tests.
SAAQ says a vehicle must be registered within 90 days of settling in Quebec. A used vehicle from outside Quebec needs a mechanical inspection certificate and, for a US car, the title signed by the last owner. Before that, a car less than 15 years old goes through the federal Registrar of Imported Vehicles program, which charges CAN$325.00 plus GST and QST in Quebec.
Yes. The CFIA doesn't treat the United States as rabies-free, so a dog older than 3 months and a cat 3 months or older each need a valid rabies vaccination certificate, and dogs must have been at least 3 months old when vaccinated. A dog under 8 months travelling without its owner also needs a Veterinary Certificate of Health. No microchip or tattoo is required.
The surtax of 15%, 25% or 50% took effect on September 8, 2026, but goods in Chapters 98 and 99 of the tariff are exempt unless the Order lists them, and settlers' effects (tariff item 9807.00.00) aren't listed. Read that way, goods that qualify as settlers' effects fall under that exemption. Confirm with CBSA, especially for anything that doesn't qualify.
It depends on your shipment's volume in cubic feet, where the move starts and whether you want packing. We don't publish a flat rate for Canada. Call (855) 822-2722 and we'll survey your home and send a written estimate.
Look up USDOT #4176875 and MC #1607491 on the FMCSA SAFER registry. That federal authority covers the US road leg of your move. It doesn't extend into Canada, where the Canada Border Services Agency and Quebec's own agencies set the rules for entry and settling in.
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