International Moving Insurance: What It Covers & Why You Need It
You’ve packed your life into boxes. You’ve chosen a destination, a mover, and a date. But what happens if something goes wrong along the way?
It’s a question not enough people ask when planning an international move—and it’s one that can make or break your experience.
International relocations involve more than just shipping. From ocean crossings and customs inspections to third-party handlers and weather conditions, your belongings pass through dozens of hands and thousands of miles before they reach your new home.
That’s why international moving insurance is not just a formality—it’s a critical part of protecting your investment, your peace of mind, and your future.
At SDC International Shipping, we’ve helped thousands of clients relocate overseas safely. But we’ve also seen the rare—but real—situations where damage, loss, or delays occur. The difference between stress and security? Having the right coverage.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- What international moving insurance actually covers
- The different types of coverage (and how to choose the right one)
- How to qualify and document your shipment properly
- Why insurance must be arranged before your move begins
Let’s make sure you arrive at your new destination with more than just boxes—let’s protect everything inside them, too.
What Does International Moving Insurance Cover?
Let’s be honest—moving insurance can be confusing. And when you’re dealing with an international move, the stakes are even higher.
The good news? With the right plan in place, you can protect your belongings against the most common (and costly) risks of international relocation.
At SDC International Shipping, we offer two primary types of insurance coverage—each designed to meet the needs of different move sizes, values, and destinations.
1. All-Risk Insurance (Full-Value Protection)
This is the most comprehensive level of protection available for international shipments. It covers your belongings against damage, loss, or theft—from origin to destination.
Coverage includes:
- Breakage during handling or transit
- Water damage from storms or sea air
- Theft or loss during transport
- Damage due to customs inspections
- Fire or major incident en route
Key Requirement:
All-risk insurance is only available for items that are professionally packed by our SDC packing team. This ensures every item is inventoried, labeled, and protected to international shipping standards.
2. Total Loss Insurance
This is a more limited, budget-friendly option. It only covers the entire shipment if it is completely lost or destroyed in transit (for example, if a container falls off a ship or is destroyed in a fire).
It does not cover:
- Individual items that are damaged
- Partial loss or breakage
- Items packed by the client
Total Loss Insurance may be appropriate for smaller, low-value shipments—but it comes with significant risk if you’re moving a household full of furniture, electronics, and irreplaceable items.
What’s Not Covered (In Most Policies):
- Items packed by the client (for all-risk policies)
- Jewelry, cash, or personal documents
- Pre-existing damage or wear and tear
- Delays not resulting in loss or damage
- Prohibited or restricted items
That’s why we work closely with clients to customize their insurance based on what they’re shipping, how it’s packed, and the country of destination.
How to Qualify for Full Coverage
If you’re going to invest in international moving insurance, you want to be sure you actually qualify for the protection it offers.
The most common reason a claim is denied? Failure to meet the basic requirements for coverage. That’s why SDC International Shipping walks every client through the process step-by-step—so there are no surprises.
Here’s what you’ll need to qualify for all-risk, full-value insurance:
1. Have Your Items Professionally Packed
This is the most important requirement.
For all-risk coverage, your household goods must be packed by a certified team using approved international materials. Why? Because insurance carriers want to ensure that your belongings were properly protected, inventoried, and labeled before shipment.
That’s why we always recommend our professional packing services, which include:
- International-grade materials
- Custom crating for fragile or high-value items
- Secure labeling and tracking
- Photos or documentation for inventory lists
2. Create a Complete, Itemized Inventory
To insure your items, we need to know what’s being shipped—and what it’s worth.
Our team will help you prepare:
- A full packing list with descriptions and estimated values
- A categorized breakdown (e.g., bedroom furniture, kitchenware, electronics)
- Translations if required for customs (especially in the EU)
This inventory is used by both the insurance provider and customs officials to document your shipment.
3. Declare High-Value Items Separately
Items like artwork, musical instruments, designer fashion, or professional equipment often need to be declared individually with appraised or replacement values.
Let us know what you’re shipping, and we’ll help you:
- Decide what needs special listing
- Secure additional protection for irreplaceable or rare items
- Pack and crate these items to meet coverage guidelines
4. Purchase Insurance Before Departure
International moving insurance must be arranged before your shipment leaves the U.S. Once the container is in transit, it’s too late to add coverage or make changes.
That’s why we include insurance consultation as part of our moving plan and encourage clients to finalize their policy well in advance of shipping day.
When you move with SDC, we don’t just recommend insurance—we make sure you’re properly covered and compliant.
In the next section, we’ll explain how international moving insurance helps avoid worst-case scenarios—and why going without it is a risk not worth taking.
Why Moving Without Insurance Is a Risk You Don’t Want to Take
Imagine spending months planning your international relocation—organizing your documents, packing your belongings, and saying goodbye to the life you’ve built—only to arrive at your new home and discover that part of your shipment was damaged, delayed, or lost along the way.
This isn’t a horror story—it’s a reality that happens more often than most people realize.
The journey your household goods take across international borders is long, complex, and filled with variables beyond your control. Your container may pass through multiple ports, change hands several times, undergo customs inspections, or be rerouted due to shipping delays or port congestion. Even with the most professional movers, the global freight system is not immune to human error, natural elements, or equipment failure.
We’ve seen it all: a forklift operator accidentally punctures a shipment; sea air seeps into improperly packed items and causes water damage; a high-value item shifts in transit and cracks under pressure. Sometimes, entire containers are delayed for weeks or held in customs due to administrative mix-ups.
And when that happens—without insurance, you’re on your own.
International moving insurance isn’t just about dollars and cents. It’s about having the peace of mind that if something does go wrong, you have a safety net. You can file a claim. You can recover the value of your items. You can continue your move, your life, and your new beginning without carrying the burden of financial loss or emotional regret.
Unfortunately, too many people only think about insurance after something goes wrong. At SDC International Shipping, we help our clients think ahead—because we’ve seen the alternative.
In the final section, we’ll show you how simple it is to get covered—and how you can build a smarter, safer move with our team behind you.
How to Get Covered (and Move with Peace of Mind)?
Getting the right international moving insurance isn’t complicated—especially when you’re working with a team that makes protection part of the plan from day one.
At SDC International Shipping, we treat insurance as an essential step in every relocation—not an afterthought or upsell. From your first consultation, we’ll guide you through your options, help you document your belongings properly, and coordinate coverage through a trusted marine insurance provider.
We’ll also ensure you understand:
- What type of coverage is right for your move
- How to declare and itemize your inventory
- What high-value or fragile items require special attention
- How your packing and shipping method affects eligibility
More importantly, we’ll explain everything in plain language—no fine print, no last-minute surprises.
When you trust us with your move, we make sure you arrive in your new country with more than just your belongings. You’ll have confidence, clarity, and coverage that travels with you.
🎯 Ready to Protect Your Move?
Let’s get started on a secure, well-planned international relocation—with insurance that gives you peace of mind every step of the way.
👉 Request your free quote now
👉 Or speak directly with a relocation expert at 877-339-0267
Because when it comes to moving your life overseas, hoping nothing goes wrong isn’t a strategy. Getting covered is.
