Moving can be quite overwhelming and draining of your energy. It's an experience that almost everyone goes through at some point. Additionally, international relocations involve regulations and safety concerns beyond our control, which adds to the stress and anxiety. That's why families planning to relocate across countries often start thinking about this issue several months in advance.

搬家到底有多烦，多耗费你身上的能量，估计人人都有经验。再加上国际间的运输还涉及到法规和更多安全问题，视乎更多不在掌控内的事情惹人操心和焦虑。所以常常很多举家跨国搬迁的家庭，常常提前好几个月就需要开始思考这个问题了。

Whether it's a large-scale move with furniture and appliances or just everyday items like clothing, books, and personal belongings, they all fall under the category of personal items. If you are an expatriate specializing in foreign trade in Ningbo, you would have your own transportation logistics for goods import and export. However, the procedures and customs requirements for exporting general merchandise and personal belongings are completely different.

无论是体量庞大的带家具、家电大型搬家，还是普通衣物、书籍、常用物品等，都通通属于私人物品。如果你是在宁波专门从事外贸业务的外籍人士，对于货物的进出口有一套自己的运输逻辑。但是，普通货物出口和私人物品出口程序和报关要求却截然不同。

I will explain the main key points of international personal belongings relocation from the following five aspects, helping you establish a mindset for international moving and alleviate anxiety.

我从以下五个方面来阐述国际私人物品搬家的主要关键点，便于你在脑中建立一个国际搬家的思路，拒绝焦虑。

1

Measurement and Packing

测量和打包

• Measurement: For international relocation, the moving consultant will measure your items during the home survey. They use their experience and visual estimation for small or irregularly shaped items to estimate the packed volume. For large furniture, precise measurements are taken. The overall cubic volume is calculated by including the volume increase due to packaging, such as cartons with wooden pallets or wooden crates.

• Packing: Due to the long duration, complex procedures, and multiple handovers involved in international moving, your belongings may be transferred frequently from one point to another, except during the peaceful days of being at sea. Therefore, it is essential to have experienced movers who possess knowledge in international transportation packing. They ensure that your goods remain intact even after multiple transfers. Rest assured, if needed, furniture will be disassembled and packed using specialized cardboard and packaging materials. However, if you plan to bring new furniture, please inform our consultant in advance so that we can make necessary arrangements to avoid potential complications during customs inspection.

• 关于测量：国际搬家顾问在上门时进行测量，会对小物件或非固定形态的物品通过多年的“视觉测量”经验，来预估物品打包完后的体积，对于大件家具则通过实际精准测量来评估。所以我们得加上打包后的纸箱带木托或木箱的体积增幅来测算总立方数。

• 关于打包：国际搬家由于周期长、手续复杂、部门衔接多的特点，会导致你的货物可能会频繁地从一个点周转到另一个点，当然除了在海上漂泊的日子里，那是属于岁月静好阶段。这就需要明白一点，给你物品打包的师傅，需要具备多年国际运输打包经验，从而确保货物在多次周转后依然如初。不用太担心家具无包装的问题，我们通常会先拆卸，然后用专用的包装纸板和打包材料灵活定制的打包。但是，如果你想带些新的家具一同，请务必事先把这样的想法告诉我们的顾问，我们需要做些提前处理来避免海关查验时可能的麻烦。

The following are the standard specifications and dimensions for international shipping cartons (no additional charges will be incurred for individual packages that exceed the length or width)

以下是国际运输的标准规格尺寸的纸箱（不会因单个包装的超长超宽而增加额外费用）

2

Handling and Loading

搬运装车

Once your items are packed, professional service consultants will have labeled each box with sequential numbers, room location indicators, fragile item labels, etc. The next step involves the strong and capable movers. The service consultants remain active during this process, recording an inventory list for each box being taken out to ensure that nothing is left behind or missing.

当你的物品打包完后，专业的服务顾问已经为每个箱子贴上了序号标签、房间定位标识、易碎品标识等，接下来就是强壮的搬运工人的事情了。服务顾问此时也不能闲着，会对出门的每一箱物品进行物品清单的记录，确保不会遗漏，少件。

3

Transportation

关于运输

For international relocation, the common transportation method is usually by sea, especially for individuals with a larger volume of items. However, when the quantity is small, it is advisable to consult with a moving consultant to assess the cost. Air freight might be more advantageous in such cases.

Typically, considering the cubic volume of the items, we have two options: Less than Container Load (LCL) or Full Container Load (FCL) shipping. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages in terms of price and transportation time.

From a professional standpoint, if your items are less than 15 cubic meters (CBM), we would recommend LCL shipping. Your goods will be consolidated with others' goods in one container. If your volume exceeds 15 CBM, you can opt for FCL shipping, which reduces the transit time at sea.

关于国际搬家，比较常见的是海运运输，特别是对于物品较多的人士。但是数量较少时，最好找搬家顾问给你评估成本，说不定空运价更有优势。通常从物品立方数考量，我们一般会选择拼箱(LCL)或者整箱(FCL)运输，两者在价格成本和运输时间方面各占优缺点。从专业角度来说， 如果您的物品不足15CBM,我们会建议您选择拼箱，您的货物会和其他人士的货物拼在一个集装箱柜子里。如果您的物品体积在15CBM以上，那么可以选择整柜运输，缩短海上周转的时间。

4

Customs and Import/Export Procedures

关于海关和进出口手续

The entry and exit of personal belongings in the departure and destination ports are subject to stricter regulations compared to general cargo. Due to the diverse nature and numerous uncontrollable factors involved, there is a high probability of customs officials conducting inspections by breaking open the boxes. Therefore, it is rare for customers to handle export declaration and destination customs clearance procedures themselves. Three points should be noted here:

• Prohibited items: Dangerous goods, contraband, counterfeit products, or items exceeding the permitted quantity for personal use are not allowed in personal belongings. For specific restrictions on export categories of personal items, you can seek advice from the customs agent (I have mentioned this in a previous article). Failure to comply may result in confiscation, detention, fines, or even legal consequences (though this is rare).

• Destination customs clearance: You need to familiarize yourself with your country's policies and documentation requirements for importing personal belongings. This will allow you to prepare in advance before leaving China and determine if there are any import duties applicable to your items. Of course, a professional international moving consultant will inform you of these matters in advance.

• Both the import and export of personal belongings require valid residency permits and employment permits for foreign individuals.

私人物品在起运港和目的港的进出，相较于一般货物更加严格。 因为它的品类繁多，不可控因素多，海关人员会有大概率会拆箱查验。所以一般客户都很少能够自己去做出口报关和目的港清关手续。这里需要注意3点：

• 私人物品中不允许出现易燃易爆的危险品、违禁品、仿牌、或者不符合自己日常使用数量的物品等。具体可以询问代理关于私人物品出口类目的限制（我在之前的一篇文章中也有专门提到）。否则你的货物可能存在没收、扣留、罚款的情况，严重者会追究相应的法律责任（虽然极少发生）。

• 然后是目的地清关，你需要提前了解自己国家对于进口私人物品的一些政策和文件，便于你在离开中国前提前准备，也能知晓自己物品是否存在进口关税。当然，专业的国际搬家顾问也会提前告知你相关事项。

• 私人物品进出口均要求外籍人事有效的居留许可和就业许可。

5

Price

价格

This is also one of the reasons why many people feel uncertain about international relocation. Compared to spending thousands of dollars on a person's airfare for a journey of over ten hours, transporting a container of goods for international moving appears much more cost-effective. However, it is crucial to find a service that offers good value for money. This requires service consultants to possess professional assessment capabilities, ethe ability to coordinate the entire process, as well as multi-channel access to service provider resources. They should be able to offer competitive prices to customers while saving costs and ensuring service quality. This reduces the likelihood of customers spending more money or wasting money on unnecessary expenses.

这也是很多人对国际搬家无从下手的一个原因，相较于让一个人坐飞机十几个小时到国外花个上万块钱，国际搬家运输一个集装箱的货物则显得便宜很多。当然，要找到一个性价比高的服务，也是至关重要，这要求服务顾问具有专业的整体评估能力，全流程协调能力，以及多渠道的服务商资源通路，能够在节省成本，保证服务质量的同时，给到一个客户颇具竞争力的价格。从而减少客户多花钱，花冤枉钱的概率。

If you have carefully read the above five points, I believe you no longer perceive international relocation as a complicated and challenging task. If you have a need for international relocation or encounter any special circumstances throughout the process, you can contact our professional transportation consultants. They will provide one-on-one assistance to address your concerns and alleviate any urgent issues you may have.

以上五点，如果能够仔细阅读，相信你已经不会觉得国际搬家是一件很复杂又颇具难度的事了。如果您有国际搬家的需求，或者在过程中存在特殊的情况，也可以联系我司专业的运输顾问，帮您一对一解答您的疑问，解除您的燃眉之急。

Author 作者 | Ryan