Top International Moving Companies of 2024: The Big Picture
Moving from one country to another is never easy. There’s the “good”—incredible new experiences, a plethora of opportunities for personal and career growth, the chance to see the world from a different perspective, and the “less good”: logistical challenges, stress and worry, and the general sense of being a stranger in a strange land—at least for a while.
The reality is, without help from highly experienced professional movers, an international move can run into trouble—and fast.
Read Here: The Best way to organize for an International Move
Embarking on an international move is very different than, say, moving from Seattle to Los Angeles, or relocating from the West Coast to the East Coast. There are unique challenges that only international movers with decades of experience can overcome.
Why Hire a Professional Moving Company? Couldn’t I Handle Most of My International Move Myself?
You could handle almost every aspect of your international relocation yourself if you wanted to—sure. But why suffer through days, weeks, and months of hassle and migraine-inducing anxiety?
Your best option with an international move process is always to turn things over to highly-trained international movers with decades of moving experience behind them. Make things easy on yourself. Let them do what they do best.
Know More Here: All you need to know when moving Overseas from the US
International Movers: Ranking the Best
To help you select from among the very best international moving companies on planet Earth, we’ve put together a short list of the crème de la crème of the international moving industry: companies whose reputation for excellence precedes them.
1. International Van Lines: #1 Overall
International Van Lines, or IVL, is our choice for the best all-round international moving company. IVL does it all: it’s a full-service mover that can move you around the block, across the country, or between continents. Especially between continents. And its international moving quotes consistently beat the competition.
What’s IVL’s Advantage?
Because of IVL’s size and versatility, it’s more flexible than its competitors. It can do more, and it can do it better.
IVL has the connections, the infrastructure, and the flexibility. And the company prides itself on its transparency. No one is ever left in the dark. Customers have access to the same information that IVL’s more than 200 highly-trained staff members do.
Is IVL Well-Established?
With 25 years of experience in international moving, IVL now leads all others. It’s now the go-to choice for customers relocating outside the United States.
How Many Countries Does IVL Serve?
IVL rolls out a veritable magic carpet for its customers: door-to-door international relocation between 180 different countries—a list that continues to grow.
Here’s what IVL offers its customers, regardless of where they are and where they’re headed:
Strengths:
- Professional packing and unpacking
- Furniture assembly/disassembly
- Short-term and long-term storage
- Vehicle transport (an IVL specialty—no vehicle is too big or too small!)
- Liability protection
- Customs clearance at international border crossings
- Personalized options for challenging international moves and extremely valuable, sometimes fragile personal items (think pianos, artwork, antiques, and electronics)
- Comprehensive international moving services for corporate, military, and commercial clients
- Live chat and customer service 24/7
- Transparent, easy-to-understand pricing with international moving quotes that don’t change halfway through your move (check out IVL’s online pricing calculator!)
Potential Weaknesses:
- In certain states—and to promote speed and efficiency—IVL works with local partners.
- In addition, International Van Lines requires a deposit—typically one-quarter of the total bill for the international move—though this is refundable in the event of cancellation.
Is IVL Fully-Licensed?
A Sterling Reputation:
IVL has been rated the best overall US-based international moving company by some of the nation’s premier publications, including Forbes, USA Today, US News, and Consumer Affairs.
What IVL Customers Say:
Customer reviews of IVL at Trustpilot average 4.5/5 stars.
Contact IVL for an international moving quote that you can trust.
2. Allied Van Lines
Allied Van Lines is no slouch either and has been moving its customers across states, between states, and between continents for close to a century now. The company has a strong reputation as an international mover and maintains a sophisticated global network of partners and agents.
Like IVL, Allied offers different plans for different types of international moves, ranging from basic to full-service. Here’s a quick overview of Allied’s key features:
International Strengths
- Professional packing and unpacking
- Furniture assembly and disassembly
- Point-to-point transport across borders
- Customs clearance
- Reliable customer service
- Transparent pricing and accurate international move quotes
- Customer-friendly online shipment tracking
- A strong reputation for helping members of the military complete international moves
- Basic liability coverage
- Delivery to at least 175 different countries
Potential Weaknesses
Some customers and industry analysts suggest that Allied Van Lines is pricier than IVL and other international movers, and still others have reported variable customer service at times. (Notably, Allied does not provide 24/7 customer service for claims.) In addition, while the company’s official Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating is high, customer reviews currently average only one star out of a possible five stars.
3. North American Van Lines
North American Van Lines (NAVL) is another US-based international moving specialist with decades of experience to draw upon. Hundreds of mover agents work in tandem to help customers move door-to-door inside the US or from the US to more than 130 countries worldwide.
Like both IVL and Allied, North American Van Lines has the ability to handle almost any type of international move on behalf of almost any type of client. Residential, commercial, and corporate moves—inside the US or to locations much further afield—are all within NAVL’s wheelhouse.
NAVL also boasts excellent customer service, varied options for unusual or especially-challenging international moves, GPS-based tracking, comprehensive insurance coverage, and guaranteed written quotes (so there are no surprises!). And unlike Allied, NAVL offers access to its customer service resources (including claims) 24/7.
Strengths
- Full suite of international moving services (packing/unpacking and assembly/disassembly)
- Unique, customizable service options to fit unique customer requirements
- No customer deposit is required to secure a moving date!
- Seniors’ discounts
- GPS tracking
- Extra insurance options
- 24/7 customer support
Potential Weaknesses
NAVL is a reputable company, but it comes up a bit short on the issue of full transparency. Some pricing and company info is missing from NAVL’s website, which has the potential to cause customer confusion.
4. Atlas Van Lines
Atlas Van Lines is another well-established international moving company with a solid reputation in both Canada and the United States. The company has been in business since 1948.
Atlas offers full packing and unpacking services, reliable transport, long-term storage and vehicle transport.
The company currently boasts close to 500 mover agents across North America and more than 1500 additional employees in at least 17 different countries.
Atlas’s reputation, decades of experience, and complex network of agents, partners and local service providers makes it a decent choice for any move overseas.
One thing to remember, however, is that Atlas isn’t so much a single company as a network of service providers who’ve been brought together under the Atlas banner.
This doesn’t mean there’s anything to worry about—it simply means that some services are better than others, depending on where you are in the network and what your requirements are.
Here’s a quick overview of what Atlas does best:
Strengths:
- A strong presence in every state or province in North America, with over 400 agents available at any given time
- A tightly integrated network of professional movers and other service providers
- Abundant long-term storage options
- Transparent pricing
- Strong coordination of flights, hotel and car rentals, and specialized travel services
Potential Weaknesses:
Despite these pluses, Atlas isn’t known for delivering rapid online quotes. Getting an accurate quote can take time, which may speak to a lack of up-to-date information. Reviews also suggest that the experience of individual customers can vary widely.
5. United Van Lines
United Van Lines is another domestic and international mover with a great reputation, offering soon-to-be expatriates a solid collection of services, including instant online quotes and in-home estimates, full-service packing and unpacking, residential and corporate moves, short- and long-term storage, vehicle transport, and clean-up when things get a bit messy.
They specialize in the domestic market, but it’s equally adept at helping you get to where you’re going across almost any international border.
It’s important to remember, however, that United’s pricing is set a bit higher than its competitors, and some online reviewers have suggested it could be more transparent than it is currently.
Even so, United has been in business for almost a century and has come a long way since its founding in Fenton, Missouri. The company will certainly get your possessions to where they’re going intact.
Strengths:
- Speedy online estimates
- All standard moving services (packing/unpacking, etc.)
- Service to more than 150 countries
- Short-, medium-, and long-term storage
- Individualized plans for those whose moves are slightly different from the norm
- In-home help with setting up computer networks, home theaters, and anything else a bit tricky
- Options for businesses requiring distribution services, freight forwarding, and complex supply chain management
Potential Weaknesses:
Bear in mind United’s reputation for occasionally steep prices and less-than-full pricing transparency.
6. JK Moving Services
Having been in business since 1982, JK Moving Services has developed some serious skills when it comes to handling both domestic and international moves.
Founded in Sterling, Virginia, the company now consistently ranks among the very best US-based international moving companies. JK’s areas of expertise include the following:
Strengths:
- Residential, corporate, and government relocations to more than 150 countries globally.
- Full-service packing/unpacking and assembly/disassembly
- Shipment tracking
- Expertise with sensitive and potentially fragile items like computers, televisions, musical instruments, and art
- Vehicle transport
- Flexible storage options
- Transport of pets (through a sister company) and chartered flights for its customers
- Varied insurance options and possible move financing
- Environmentally friendly box-free moving with reusable crates and recyclable moving blankets
Weaknesses:
- Customers have to call the company directly for international moving quotes
- A pricier option
- Requires a $250 deposit (non-refundable)
How Should I Choose an International Moving Company?
Consider Your Needs
Spend some time thinking about the moving services you must have, the services you’d like to have, and those you could do without. Look carefully at the various services offered by each moving company. Each of the six tends to have slightly different areas of expertise.
Read Here: Top 10 Questions to ask before hiring a moving company
Confirm Licensing
Take a few minutes to confirm that the international movers you’re considering are properly licensed by DOT, FMC, AMSA or FIDI.
Read Online Reviews
Online reviews aren’t always representative of an international moving company’s strengths and weaknesses, but that doesn’t mean they’re not useful. Check out Trustpilot and Better Business Bureau to get unvarnished takes. Google is helpful too!
Investigate Insurance Options
Call any moving company directly to get the skinny on insurance, and make sure they offer you the insurance you need. Ask questions. Reputable international movers should always be able to answer them.
Know More Here: Do you need International Shipping Insurance?
Look Hard at Pricing and the Way Quotes Work
Fly-by-night international moving companies love to slip extra fees or “unexpected” charges into the mix. Be wary. Again, ask questions.
Always remember: your international moving quote should make sense.
Read Here: Understanding International Moving Quotes – A Simple Guide
Beware of Scams
Avoid cash-only operators, rock-bottom estimates, movers who aren’t transparent about their local partners, movers who are under-licensed (or unlicensed), and movers requesting enormous deposits.
Read Here: Top 5 Moving Scams you need to know
Seek Out Advice About Your Overseas Move
Whether you do it online or offline, spend time getting tips and recommendations from those around you. Use this information constructively.
Our Take for Best among the Top International Moving Companies
Again, all things considered, International Van Lines is still king of the hill when it comes to international moving (at least for now!). To get the ball rolling, contact IVL today and request a free international moving quote. International Van Lines’ team is always ready to answer any questions you may have!
More about International Van Lines
