How to Fill out a Customs Form for International Shipping

If you send household goods from one country to another, you must make a customs declaration or fill in a customs form.

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What is a Customs Declaration Form?

A customs declaration is an official government document that lists and gives details of the goods imported or exported into a different tax jurisdiction. In legal terms, a customs declaration is when a person indicates the wish to place goods under a given customs procedure.

Have you ever ordered something in the mail from a different country? If so, it probably had a big sticker on the outside saying what was in the package and how much it cost. This sticker is actually a type of customs form.

You must fill in a different customs form when sending a shipment overseas. Essentially, it includes the same information, but since a shipment typically contains many different pieces, a longer form allowing for more details is necessary.

Import Duties Based on the Customs Form Info

Customs officers assess the shipment contents and decide whether they should be taxed and free from taxes. Customs are administered by different government bodies in different countries, but they exist everywhere.

Many of SDC International Movers clients qualify for an exemption from paying customs or import duties, either because:

They are citizens of their destination countries who have lived in the United States long enough to qualify for “returning citizen” status; or
They are moving with a valid immigration or long-term residence visa, which allows for the import of a container of household goods and personal effects. (If you are a European Union member state citizen, you must have lived outside any EU country for at least six months, though some member countries require longer periods.)

Most common requirements for duty exemption:

Household goods must have been used in the U.S. for not less than six months or one year (depending on the destination country) by a family or individual who held residency for not less than one year. In this case, free entry is allowed.
The use of household goods for one year should be proven and may involve documentation other than the declaration.

Regardless of your tax-exempt status, you will still need to fill in a customs form for your international shipment. Customs officials will need to review your declaration and ensure that everything you have written qualifies for exemption.

Some of our clients send commercial items along with their household goods and personal effects. These are not exempt from customs duties and import taxes. The exemption is usually for used goods; if you send new items, they might be taxed.

How to Fill a Customs Form

When filling out a customs form for household goods, the complete inventory of imported goods and the paWhen filling out a customs form for household goods, a complete inventory of imported goods and a packing list must be provided upon request by the border officer.

The customs form usually includes the following information:

Given and family names
Passport number and country of issue
Persons covered by the statement (if it’s your spouse, you will likely need to provide their passport number)
Number of children under 18 years of age
Your intention to move to the destination country and the expected arrival date
Information about the shipping method (air or sea), including the name of the port or airport, Sea Bill or Air Waybill number, expected date of arrival, container number, and the freight forwarder transporting your household goods
For returning citizens, a list of other countries visited and the period of absence from the destination country
Details about who will be clearing your personal effects
Information about the length of your stay
Who packed your items
Information on restricted items in the shipment, including medicines and the specific amount of local currency, if applicable
A separate sheet may be required to describe the items shipped, covering the estimated price and date of purchase.

Please remember that no single customs form is used worldwide; each country has its own form. Some countries might even have separate forms at the federal and local levels. These forms don’t differ much other than by language, and you can usually find the form for your destination country online.

Make sure you fill in your customs declaration fully and accurately. A false or suspicious customs declaration might trigger a manual inspection of your container. Although there are random inspections at all ports, only a tiny fraction of containers are manually inspected; x-ray inspections are far more common.

However, if there is a discrepancy between the customs declaration and the container contents on the x-ray, or if you have made errors on the customs form, you should expect an inspection.

These inspections are at the client’s expense. They include the impounding of the container for several days and could delay your delivery by a week or more. We highly recommend that you complete the declaration forms as fully and correctly as possible.

Are There Any Prohibited Items?

For the most part, used personal items are exempt from customs duties. However, each country has its own regulations about specific items.

You are prohibited from importing pornography into almost every country in the world. Some countries also prohibit communications equipment or restrict certain types of books or music. Check the prohibited items list for your destination and ensure that restricted items are not in your shipment, even by accident.

A Permit Form for Shipping a Vehicle

Many countries allow the import of motor vehicles, which usually don’t fall under the “personal effects” category.

If you plan to import a car or vehicle, you will likely need to obtain a prior import permit. As your moving company, we will provide you with detailed information about the form you need to fill out to get the permit.

Some countries may require your vehicle, motorbike, trailer, or caravan to undergo a quarantine inspection, including steam cleaning.

How to Create an Inventory List and a Packing List

SDC International Shipping’s movers will come to your home to load your belongings. The container will be loaded and sealed if you send a full container load. If you are sending a less-than-full container load, your belongings will be loaded into our moving vans, sent to our warehouse to be palletized, and prepared for shipment to the port. In either case, we will prepare an inventory list while loading.

We advise our clients to let us handle the packing. Professional packing is more than just saving you a little bit of time—it can save you considerable headaches. Professional packing ensures that the packaging materials are new and conform to international shipping standards; not all do, and used ones inevitably don’t.

If you insist on packing yourself, make sure to label each box’s contents clearly. Avoid general labels like “miscellaneous” or “kitchen.” Instead, use specific terms like “vacuum cleaner parts” or “dishes and bowls.”

Some destinations insist that your inventory be consecutive. For instance, if you are sending 40 boxes, make sure that all kitchen items are placed in consecutively numbered boxes. What feels logical to you (“my room”) might not satisfy customs regulations.

Our movers will prepare your inventory list in English. This is usually sufficient for most destinations, although some countries may require it to be translated into their official language.

Even though we prepare the list, it is your responsibility to ensure it is correct. You will be held accountable for discrepancies, so please check the list carefully.

By the way, the inventory list is also necessary for your marine insurance policy. When you order insurance, you must ensure that the inventory reflects specific items.

Difference Between Household Goods and Personal Effects

Some countries distinguish between household goods and personal effects. You may not be allowed to list them together as “household effects.” Please pay attention to the following distinctions:

Household effects include:

Furniture
Carpets
Books
Libraries
Artwork
Paintings
Other general household furnishings and effects

Personal effects include:

Jewelry
Photographic equipment
Toiletries
Tape recorders
Mobile phones
Sporting equipment (golf clubs, bikes, skis, or windsurfers)
Personal study materials

Bottom Line

Some of the information typically collected on the forms includes details about the origin, who packed your belongings, and which family members are moving with you. If you have a spouse remaining abroad, you will typically be asked about that. Typically tax exemptions are granted to a family, but in some cases, it might be individual.

Current regulations about money laundering will limit the amount of cash and cash equivalents you can send. We highly recommend against sending cash. Electronic transfers are preferable.

If you don’t yet have a bank account with your name in your destination country, we recommend you try to set this up before you move there. It will make things far easier for you in the long run.

Popular International Moving Destination Countries: