Customs Clearance: What Actually Happens to Your International Shipment
Important Disclaimer: Customs regulations, required documents, duties, taxes, and clearance procedures vary significantly by country and change frequently. Information in this article reflects general processes as of early 2025 but should not be considered official customs guidance. Always verify current requirements with official customs authorities in your destination country and work with experienced customs brokers. Duties and taxes are country-specific and subject to change. International Van Lines works with customs brokers but cannot provide official customs or legal advice - consult appropriate authorities for your specific situation.
Rachel’s container had been sitting at Rotterdam port for three weeks. Her moving company kept saying “customs delays” but couldn’t explain what was actually wrong. She’d filled out all the forms, provided every document they requested, and couldn’t understand the holdup.
Finally, the issue emerged: her customs declaration listed “household goods” in a single line item with a total value. Dutch customs wanted a detailed inventory breaking down specific items and individual values. Once she provided the detailed list, her container cleared in two days.
Customs clearance is the mysterious black box of international moving. Your stuff disappears into a port, various authorities inspect and process it, and eventually it emerges ready for delivery—hopefully. Understanding what actually happens during customs clearance helps you prepare properly and avoid delays.
What Customs Actually Does
Customs authorities protect their countries from prohibited items, collect duties and taxes owed on imports, and verify you’re not smuggling contraband or commercial goods disguised as personal effects.
Every international shipment goes through customs clearance at the destination country. There’s no way around this. Your container arrives at port and enters the customs process before it can be released for inland delivery.
Document Review
The first step is paperwork review. Customs officers examine your documentation including:
- Commercial invoice or declaration form
- Packing list/inventory
- Bill of lading from the shipping company
- Passport copies
- Visa or residency permit
- Work permit if applicable
- Insurance documents
They’re verifying that what you declared matches what’s actually in your shipment. They check that you have legal status to import household goods. They ensure you’ve paid required fees.
Most document reviews happen electronically now. Officers review scanned copies and flag issues without physically opening your container.
Risk Assessment
Customs uses risk assessment systems to determine which shipments warrant physical inspection. They’re looking for:
- Red flags in documentation
- Origin and destination patterns
- Discrepancies or vague descriptions
- Shipper or receiver history
- Random selection
If your documentation is complete, accurate, and nothing seems suspicious, your container might clear without physical inspection. If something raises flags, you get selected for physical exam.
Random selection happens too. Even perfect documentation doesn’t guarantee you’ll avoid inspection. Customs inspects a percentage of containers randomly to maintain security.
Physical Inspection
If selected for physical inspection, customs officers open your container and examine contents. They might:
- Open every box and verify contents match the inventory
- Open random boxes to spot-check
- Use scanning technology to examine contents without opening everything
- Focus on specific items they’re concerned about
Physical inspections delay your shipment 1-2 weeks typically. Officers work on their schedule, not yours.
What they’re looking for:
- Prohibited items like weapons, drugs, or illegal materials
- Restricted items requiring special permits
- Commercial goods disguised as personal effects
- Undervalued items to avoid duties
- Agricultural products that might carry pests or diseases
If they find prohibited items, those items get confiscated. If they find restricted items without proper permits, the shipment might be held until you obtain permits. If they suspect duty evasion, they’ll reassess values and charge you the difference plus penalties.
Duty and Tax Calculation
Based on your declared values and the items you’re importing, customs calculates any duties and taxes owed.
Many countries offer duty-free import of household goods for people establishing residence. You typically need to prove:
- You owned the items for a certain period before the move (often 6-12 months)
- You’re moving to establish residence, not visiting temporarily
- The goods are for personal use, not commercial resale
If you qualify for duty-free status, you usually pay only small processing fees.
If you don’t qualify or are importing items that don’t qualify for exemption, you’ll owe import duties and VAT/GST. Rates vary tremendously by country and item type.
Release
Once customs completes their process, collects any duties owed, and finds no issues, they release your container. The port authority notifies your moving company or customs broker that the container is cleared for delivery.
At that point, ground transportation to your home gets scheduled. You’re out of customs purgatory.
Required Documentation
Proper documentation prevents most customs delays. Here’s what you actually need.
Inventory List
The detailed packing list is your most important document. It needs to list every item in your shipment with reasonable description and value.
Bad inventory examples:
- “Miscellaneous kitchen items - $500”
- “10 boxes household goods”
- “Furniture - $3,000”
Good inventory examples:
- “Kitchenaid stand mixer, red, model KSM150, used - $200”
- “IKEA Malm 6-drawer dresser, white, used, purchased 2019 - $150”
- “Samsung 55-inch LED TV, model UN55RU7100, used - $400”
Notice the difference? Specific descriptions with brand, model, condition, and purchase year help customs understand exactly what you’re importing.
You don’t need to list every individual spoon. “Set of silverware, stainless steel, service for 8 - $80” works fine. But boxes described as “kitchen stuff” or “things” will cause problems.
Values should reflect current used condition, not original purchase price. That TV you bought for $800 three years ago is worth $400 now. Be honest but don’t artificially inflate values.
The moving company usually creates the inventory during packing. Review it carefully. Add details if descriptions are too vague. Correct errors before the shipment leaves.
Passport Copies
Customs needs to verify your identity and nationality. Clean copies of the information pages from passports for everyone in your household.
Visa or Residency Documents
If you have a work visa, residency permit, or other authorization to live in the destination country, provide copies. This proves you’re establishing residence and qualify for household goods exemptions.
Work Contract or Letter
Some countries want proof you’re moving for work. A job offer letter or employment contract helps.
Proof of Previous Residence
Utility bills, lease agreements, or other documents showing you lived at your origin address help establish these are legitimately your used household goods, not new items purchased for commercial import.
Insurance Documents
Insurance certificates might be required showing your shipment is insured during transport.
Special Permits
Certain items require additional permits:
- Firearms (if allowed at all)
- Prescription medications in large quantities
- Plants or seeds (if allowed)
- Cultural artifacts or antiquities
- Professional equipment in certain categories
Research your specific destination’s requirements. Missing a special permit for an item that needs one causes major delays.
Country-Specific Quirks
Every country has unique customs requirements and peculiarities.
Australia
Australia’s biosecurity requirements are the strictest you’ll encounter. They’re protecting an island ecosystem from foreign pests and diseases.
Expect detailed questions about:
- Wooden furniture and whether it’s been treated for pests
- Any items that touched soil or farms
- Food products
- Seeds or plant materials
- Animal products
Most shipments face biosecurity inspection. Officers look for contamination, and they’ll refuse entry for items that don’t meet standards. Some wooden furniture requires fumigation before or after arrival.
Processing typically takes longer than other countries due to these thorough inspections.
Japan
Japanese customs are efficient but detail-oriented. Your inventory needs to be extremely precise.
They distinguish between personal effects (duty-free) and general household goods (dutiable). The line between categories is specific, and they’ll reclassify items if they disagree with your categorization.
New items or items clearly purchased shortly before the move face duties even if everything else is duty-free.
If you’re shipping alcohol, Japan has strict quantity limits and high duties on excess.
European Union
EU customs are relatively straightforward for people establishing residence from outside the EU.
You typically need to prove you lived outside the EU for at least 12 consecutive months before moving. If you did, and you owned your goods for at least 6 months before moving, household effects import duty-free.
You must import goods within 12 months of establishing residence. If you leave items in storage in the US and ship them two years later, they won’t qualify for duty-free treatment.
Alcohol and tobacco have quantity limits. Exceed them and you pay duties on excess amounts.
Different EU countries have slightly different processes despite harmonized EU rules. German customs differ from French customs in implementation details.
United Kingdom (Post-Brexit)
The UK no longer follows EU rules exactly. If you’re moving from the US to the UK, you can import household goods duty-free if you’ve lived outside the UK for 12 months and owned the goods for at least 6 months.
New items purchased shortly before moving face duties.
United Arab Emirates
Dubai and Abu Dhabi customs are generally smooth for household goods shipments. Documentation requirements are straightforward.
Be careful about alcohol. The UAE has strict rules, and Dubai customs checks specifically for alcohol. Limits exist, and there’s a special process for importing it legally.
China
Chinese customs are unpredictable. Processing times vary wildly from quick clearances to weeks of delays for no apparent reason.
Documentation requirements are extensive. Having a local customs broker is essentially mandatory. They navigate the system and communicate with authorities in Chinese.
Used household goods face scrutiny. China wants to limit imports of used items. Emphasize that you’re a foreign national bringing personal belongings for your own use.
Common Causes of Customs Delays
Understanding what causes delays helps you avoid them.
Incomplete or Incorrect Documentation
This is the number one cause. Missing documents, wrong information, or vague descriptions stop clearance immediately.
Solution: Work with your moving company to ensure all required documents are complete, accurate, and detailed.
Discrepancies Between Documents
If your inventory says you’re shipping 50 boxes but the container loading report shows 62 boxes, customs notices. If values don’t match across documents, they’ll question it.
Solution: Review all documents for consistency before shipment.
Restricted Items Without Permits
Trying to import firearms, large quantities of medications, or other restricted items without proper permits causes shipments to be held.
Solution: Research destination country restrictions early. Obtain required permits before shipping. Don’t try to sneak restricted items through.
Prohibited Items
Including prohibited items guarantees delays while customs removes and disposes of them. You might face fines.
Solution: Know what’s prohibited in your destination country and don’t ship those items.
Commercial Goods in Personal Effects Shipment
If customs suspects you’re importing goods for resale, they’ll investigate thoroughly. Large quantities of identical items raise red flags.
Solution: Don’t use your household goods shipment to import commercial products. Keep collections reasonable. Six bottles of wine is personal. Sixty bottles looks commercial.
Undervalued Items
Declaring a new $3,000 laptop as worth $200 to avoid duties is fraud. Customs officers know approximate values of common items.
Solution: Declare honest used values. You might pay some duties, but it’s better than penalties for fraud.
Agricultural Products
Unprocessed food, seeds, plants, and wooden items can trigger agricultural inspections and delays.
Solution: Don’t ship risky agricultural items unless you’ve researched the rules and they’re allowed.
What Happens If There Are Issues
Customs finds a problem. Now what?
You’ll be notified through your moving company or customs broker that there’s an issue. The notification should explain what’s wrong.
Common resolutions:
- Provide additional documentation
- Clarify inventory descriptions
- Obtain missing permits
- Pay reassessed duties
- Abandon prohibited items for destruction
Sometimes resolution is quick—you email the requested document and clearance proceeds. Other times it takes weeks to resolve complex issues.
Using a Customs Broker
Customs brokers are professionals who handle clearance on your behalf. They know the regulations, communicate with customs, handle paperwork, and resolve issues.
Most international moving companies either employ customs brokers or partner with them. The service is typically included in your moving quote, or available for an additional fee.
For complex destinations (China, India, Middle East, etc.), customs brokers are essentially mandatory. For straightforward destinations (Canada, UK, EU), you might not need dedicated broker services.
Ask your moving company what customs clearance support they provide. Understand whether broker fees are included or extra.
Duties and Taxes You Might Owe
Even when importing personal household goods, some countries charge duties or taxes on certain items.
New items purchased shortly before moving often face duties even if used items don’t.
Vehicles face significant duties in most countries. Some countries ban personal vehicle imports entirely. Others charge 50-100% or more in duties.
Alcohol and tobacco face high duties beyond personal use quantities.
Commercial equipment or items that could be used for business might face duties.
If you owe duties, you need to pay before your shipment releases. Payment methods vary—sometimes directly to customs, sometimes through your moving company or broker who then pays customs.
Minimizing Customs Hassles
Follow these strategies to make customs clearance as smooth as possible:
Start documentation early. Don’t leave paperwork until the last minute.
Be honest and thorough on your inventory. Accurate detailed descriptions with reasonable values.
Research your destination country’s specific requirements and restrictions.
Don’t ship prohibited items. It seems obvious, but people try it constantly.
Keep copies of everything. You’ll need them if issues arise.
Respond quickly to requests for additional information or documentation.
Use experienced moving companies and customs brokers familiar with your specific route.
Build extra time into your timeline. Don’t schedule container delivery the day before you need your stuff. Customs delays are unpredictable.
Making Your International Move Smoother
Customs clearance is just one part of international moving, but it’s a crucial part that can derail your timeline if things go wrong. Working with experienced international movers who understand customs processes in your destination country makes everything easier.
We’ve handled thousands of international moves and have customs expertise for destinations worldwide. Our partners help navigate clearance smoothly and resolve issues when they arise.
Get Your International Moving Quote
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does customs clearance usually take?
If there are no issues and no physical inspection, clearance can happen in 3-5 days. With physical inspection, expect 1-2 weeks. If there are documentation problems or other issues, it could take several weeks or longer.
Will I definitely owe customs duties?
Not necessarily. Many countries allow duty-free import of used household goods for people establishing residence. But rules vary by country, and certain items might face duties even if most of your shipment doesn’t.
Can I track my container through customs?
Sort of. Your moving company can tell you when your container arrives at port and when it clears customs. But what happens during customs processing is largely opaque. You know it’s in customs, but not specifically what stage of review or inspection it’s in.
What if customs damages my items during inspection?
Customs has broad authority to inspect shipments, and they’re not liable for damage that occurs during legitimate inspections. This is why insurance is important. If they need to open boxes or unwrap items to inspect contents, minor damage can occur.
Can I be present during customs inspection?
Usually no. Inspections happen in secure port areas where you don’t have access. Your moving company or customs broker represents your interests, but you personally won’t be there.
What happens to prohibited items customs finds?
They’re confiscated and usually destroyed. You won’t get them back, and you might face fines depending on what the items are and whether you knowingly tried to import prohibited goods.
