Montreal is one of the easier Canadian cities to ship to from Britain. It's a major port on the St Lawrence. So your container sails straight there and berths in the city, with no inland leg. That keeps the trip short, around 5 to 8 weeks, and the routing simple. Costs run from £900 for a few boxes to £14,000-plus for a full home. We'll connect you with one FIDI-certified mover for Montreal. They run the shipping, the delivery and the customs, French paperwork and all. The service is free.
Written by Darren Benjamin, founder of International Removals Companies, who has arranged international moves for over 15 years. The service has handled 850,000+ enquiries since 2010. Reviewed August 2026.
Montreal has a real advantage here. It's a major container port in its own right. It sits on the St Lawrence River, well inland from the Atlantic.
So your container sails straight from Britain and docks in the city. There's no separate rail or road leg to bolt on at the end. That's why Montreal is among the quickest Canadian arrivals from Britain.
From Britain, shipments leave ports such as Liverpool, Southampton and Felixstowe. They cross the Atlantic, then follow the St Lawrence up to the city.
The carrying isn't ours to do. We pass your move to one vetted, FIDI-certified firm, and they take it from there.
Delivery covers the island and the suburbs around it. Downtown and Old Montreal, the Plateau and Mile End. North to Laval, and across the river to the South Shore. Older apartments can mean tight stairs and scarce parking, so it pays to flag the access early.
And then there are the staircases. Montreal's classic triplexes wear those narrow external spiral stairs. They're lovely to look at, and awkward to carry a sofa down. An experienced crew plans for it, sometimes hoisting big pieces through a window or balcony instead.
Quebec is French-speaking, so a little signage and paperwork come in French. Your mover bridges that, and you won't need a word of it yourself.
You've two ways to load. A shared container, or part load, bills you only for the space you fill, and it leaves once it's full. A sole-use container carries just your things, locked in Britain and unlocked in Montreal.
Reckon on £900 for a few boxes in shared space. A big home in its own box can reach £14,000 or more. Montreal's direct port keeps the routing tidy, with no inland surcharge.
Montreal is Canadian soil, so customs meet your shipment at the dock. The CBSA clears it using form BSF186. Possessions you've owned and used for six months or longer normally land duty-free, as settler effects. Items bought recently can bring duty, plus GST and Quebec's QST.
For the full walk-through, see Removals UK to Canada. The prices are laid out in the cost of moving to Canada guide.
Choose how much you take on. A crew can box up the whole place, or just the fragile items. They wrap the furniture for the ocean and fill the container. At the Montreal end they handle the customs, manage the staircase or the hoist, deliver and unpack. Need a gap covered? Storage sits ready at both ends. Cars, pianos and artwork get the specialist care they deserve.
Beyond the move, for many years we've linked customers to trusted partners to change money, in any currency. That covers the Canadian dollars you'll need on day one. A full door-to-door booking means you lift almost nothing. A part service rewards you for packing your own boxes.
One date stands out: the first of July. Across Quebec, a remarkable share of leases turn over that day. Movers are booked solid, and vans clog the streets. If your timing has any give in it, steer clear of 1 July.
Winter is the other factor. From December into March the city sees real snow and cold. A delivery then wants a little flexibility on the day.
Trust isn't a small thing on a move this far. The standard to check for is FIDI FAIM, held by audited international movers the world over. Ernst and Young do the auditing. In Britain, the equivalent is BAR Overseas. A firm holding both has been examined on its finances, its training and the way it treats your belongings.
On our side, International Removals Companies handles the introduction, not the move. We connect you with one vetted, FIDI-certified firm, who run everything from the survey to delivery in Montreal. We've been connecting movers this way since November 2010. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company 07425576, ICO ZB022743, Norman House, Saint Saviours Estate, Abbey Street, London, SE1 3DH. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
Montreal is one of many. Look at the other destinations, or the guides on cost, cars and pets.
From about £900 for a few boxes sharing a container, to £14,000 or more for a large home. The direct port keeps routing simple. A survey settles the figure.
Straight up the St Lawrence to the city port. No inland leg, which makes Montreal one of the quicker Canadian arrivals from Britain.
About 5 to 8 weeks door to door. The direct route and city port mean no extra leg to slow it down.
No. Some paperwork is in French, but your mover handles the customs forms and the language for you.
Quebec's Moving Day. Most leases turn over then, so movers are booked solid. Avoid it if your dates allow.
The CBSA and form BSF186. Used goods you've had six months or more enter free as settler effects. New items can carry GST and Quebec's QST.
A known quirk. Triplex spiral stairs slow the carry; an experienced crew plans for it, hoisting big pieces if needed.
No. We aren't a removal company. We link you with one vetted, FIDI-certified Montreal mover, and they do the work.
Send your UK postcode, your Montreal address, the date and a rough idea of the load. One FIDI-certified mover responds with a price, the dates and the customs plan. No cost, no obligation.
Get My Montreal QuoteFree. One FIDI-certified partner mover. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, operating since 2010.
We connect removals to Montreal with one vetted, FIDI-certified partner mover. We don't run removals ourselves. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company 07425576, ICO ZB022743. Norman House, Saint Saviours Estate, Abbey Street, London, SE1 3DH. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
Your mover sets out price, transit time, insurance and customs paperwork before you book.