15
Years in international removals
850k+
Verified customer enquiries
3
FIDI-accredited partners
Trusted International Moving Network
Accredited Relocation Specialists
Dalian is the sea gate for the whole of north east China. Containers bound for Shenyang, Changchun and Harbin come through here, which means the port sees far more traffic than the city's own population would generate. If Dalian itself is your destination, that scale works entirely in your favour.
One vetted mover from our network handles the job, chosen for north east coverage. This region has a distinct pattern of foreign residents, heavily Japanese and Korean, and the local moving trade is built around it. That is useful, because personal effects here are ordinary rather than exceptional.
Dayaowan, north east of the city, is the main container terminal. The drive into the central districts or out to the development zone is short. Dalian sits on the tip of the Liaodong peninsula, so the sea is never far from anything.
Dalian handles household goods for Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang, which is a population of well over a hundred million people with no closer deep water alternative. Shenyang, Changchun and Harbin shipments all clear here before a long road or rail leg north.
For a Dalian resident that means a busy, well equipped port and a very short final leg. Dayaowan sits north east of the city and the run into the central districts is straightforward. The development zone, where most foreign residents live, is closer still.
Winter is the genuine variable and it is not the same as Beijing's. Dalian is a maritime city and the Bohai Gulf can produce sea ice in a hard year, which occasionally affects port operations. More routinely, the city itself is icy from December through March, streets are steep in parts, and a loaded barrow on a frozen slope is not something a crew will rush. A February delivery is a slower and more expensive day than the same job in September.
The city was built by Russian and then Japanese administrations, and the street plan shows it. The radiating avenues at Zhongshan Square look impressive and are awkward for a large vehicle, with tight turns and limited stopping. Deliveries in the historic centre are usually scheduled outside peak hours as a result.
Dalian splits between a historic core and a purpose built development zone, and they are about as different as two districts can be.
Kaifaqu, the Dalian Development Zone out towards Jinzhou, is where most foreign professionals live. It grew up around Japanese, Korean and later software and outsourcing businesses, and the housing was planned for that population. Modern compounds, service lifts, wide roads, space to park. It is the easiest delivery in the municipality and it sits close to the port.
Zhongshan district, the historic centre, is the interesting one. Zhongshan Square is a circle with ten avenues radiating from it, lined with Japanese and Russian era buildings, and it is genuinely awkward for a lorry. Turns are tight, stopping is restricted and the buildings around it are old. Deliveries here are often scheduled early or late to avoid the traffic.
Xigang and Shahekou are conventional urban districts of mostly mid and high rise blocks. Lifts are usual, though the older stock has small ones. Streets are hilly in places, which matters more in January than in June.
Russian Street and the streets around it in the north of Zhongshan are a heritage area with narrow access. Not many people live there, but if you do, mention it early.
The Japanese and Korean business presence has one practical benefit worth mentioning. Dalian's moving trade handles international household goods constantly, so the crews are experienced with export packing standards and with the paperwork. It is a better served city for this than its size alone would suggest.
Dalian prices in the middle of the mainland range and can drop below it in summer, because the port is efficient and the final leg is short. Winter is what moves the figure, and it moves it for the delivery day rather than for the shipping.
Plan for around £250 to £1,000
Language teachers, software contracts and single postings in Kaifaqu.
Plan for around £1,200 to £3,200
The common Dalian shipment, usually into a development zone compound.
Plan for around £3,400 to £8,000
Family postings, generally longer term and often employer arranged.
Tell us the district and the month. In Dalian the season changes the delivery day as much as the address does.
We match you with your vetted mover, which means one team handles everything. It is free, with no obligation. Get a relocation quote today and hold your dates.
Send your move detailsCall 07551 855 064 or +447551855064. Message us on WhatsApp.
Dayaowan clears personal effects regularly, partly because so much north east traffic passes through. You need a valid residence permit, a complete valued inventory and your passport details. If your goods are continuing to Shenyang, Changchun or Harbin, clearance still happens here before the road leg.
The national rules are the same across mainland China, so the detail on permits, restricted goods and the cultural relics rule is set out in full on the China removals and shipping page. Read that before you start packing, particularly the section on items made before 1949.
A lot of what leaves Dalian is heading for Japan or Korea rather than Europe. Those routes are short, frequent and well handled locally. British departures are a smaller share and tend to follow contract endings rather than school terms.
Whatever the destination, apply for the arrival country's relief before the goods move. For Britain that is Transfer of Residence relief with HMRC, applied for early enough that the reference is available when the container lands. Liaoning has an antique trade in Republican era and Japanese occupation period pieces, so have anything old assessed for an export certificate before packing.
A move usually means moving money too, whether that is a deposit on a Dalian flat or funds coming back the other way. We have helped customers with currency exchange in any currency through trusted partners for many years, and our partners can help with the money side of your move. Mention it on the form and it gets included.
Experts in currency exchange
No hidden fees
5 star consumer ratings
Competitive exchange rate
Dalian is the clearance point for most of north east China, so Shenyang, Changchun and Harbin shipments pass through here before the road leg north.
For the full picture on routes, sea freight, rail freight, costs and Chinese customs, start at the China shipping and moving page.
Because it serves three provinces. Household goods for Shenyang, Changchun and Harbin all clear at Dalian before a long road or rail leg north, since there is no closer deep water alternative for the north east. For a Dalian resident that means a well equipped port and a very short final leg.
It affects the delivery day rather than the sailing. The city is icy from December through March, streets are steep in parts, and crews work slower and shorter days on frozen ground. Bohai sea ice can affect port operations in a severe year, though that is uncommon. Booking between May and October is easier.
Kaifaqu, the development zone out towards Jinzhou. It grew up around Japanese, Korean and later software businesses, and the housing was planned for that population: modern compounds, working service lifts, wide roads. It is the easiest delivery in the municipality and it is close to the port.
It can be. Zhongshan Square has ten avenues radiating from a circle, with tight turns, restricted stopping and old buildings around it. Deliveries there are usually scheduled early or late to avoid traffic. Russian Street and the heritage blocks nearby are narrower again.
Six to eight weeks door to door by sea. Roughly thirty five days sailing, a few working days clearing at Dayaowan, then a short final leg. Air freight into Zhoushuizi takes about ten to twelve days and is priced by weight, so it suits clothes and documents rather than furniture.
The clearance is the same and happens at Dalian either way. What changes is the road leg afterwards, which adds several hours and shows up in the price. Shipments continuing to Changchun or Harbin add considerably more, since the distances north are substantial.
Better than its size suggests. The large Japanese and Korean business presence means local crews handle international household goods constantly, so export packing standards and customs paperwork are routine rather than occasional work for them.
A valid residence permit, a full inventory with values and your passport details. The goods should be used personal effects arriving as one shipment within the permitted window after you enter the country. These are national rules and apply the same way at Dayaowan as anywhere else.
Yes, and it is one of the busier ones out of Dalian. Japan and Korea are short frequent routes from here and the local trade knows them well. Give the destination country when you enquire and coverage is checked before anything is priced.
Send your collection address, your Dalian district, a rough idea of the volume and your date. A vetted mover from our network checks the route, the access and the paperwork, then comes back to you with the price.
Send your move detailsWe match international moving enquiries with vetted moving companies in the AGM Group network, each holding FIDI FAIM certification and BAR Overseas membership.
We are not a removal firm ourselves. We find you the one that suits your route, and you deal with them directly from there.