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Moving from the UK to Canada means shipping your things by sea, in a container. A shared load takes 5 to 9 weeks; your own container, 4 to 7. You'll pay somewhere between £900 for a few boxes and £14,000-plus for a big house. And you'll declare everything to Canadian customs on one form, the BSF186. We'll connect you with a single FIDI-certified mover who handles the lot, and that part is free.
Written by Darren Benjamin, founder of International Removals Companies. He has spent more than 15 years arranging international moves. The service has handled 850,000+ enquiries since 2010. Reviewed September 2026.
Canada is a long way off, and that shapes everything. There's no van-and-ferry option like there is to France or Spain. Your belongings cross the Atlantic in a steel shipping container. That sea leg is what you're really paying for, and waiting on.
It's a well-trodden route. Thousands of people make the move every year, and the steps barely change: survey, pack, load, sail, clear customs, deliver. Each step is straightforward once you know it: what it costs, how long it takes, and the paperwork you can't skip.
We won't be carrying your sofa ourselves. We connect your move with one vetted, FIDI-certified firm, then they take it from there. That accreditation is what protects your move.
In our experience, the same few things catch people out. Leaving the customs forms too late. Packing a mattress that then needs fumigating. Underestimating how long the west-coast sailing takes. This page heads those off before they cost you time or money.
Your first real decision is the container. Share one, or have your own.
A shared container — movers call it groupage, or LCL — carries your things alongside other people's. You only pay for the space you take up. It's the cheapest way across, and it suits a flat, a studio, or a few rooms. The catch is time: the container waits until it's full before it sails.
A full container — FCL — is yours alone. It's sealed at your door and not opened again until Canada. A 20-foot box takes a typical two or three-bed house; a 40-foot, a big family home. It costs more, but it's faster, and your things are handled far less.
Not sure which? A flat or a few rooms with flexible dates suits a shared container. A whole house, or a fixed move date, points to your own.
| Shared container (LCL) | Full container (FCL) | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | A few rooms, a studio, a part load | A whole house, two-bed and up |
| Cost | Lowest — you pay for your space | Higher — you pay for the box |
| Transit | 5 to 9 weeks | 4 to 7 weeks |
| Handling | Loaded at a depot | Sealed at your door |
A full-service mover does far more than drive a van. You pick the level that suits your budget and how hands-on you want to be.
A full door-to-door service costs more, but you barely lift a box. A part service keeps the price down if you're happy to pack yourself. Tell the mover which you want, so the quote matches the job.
Most of the wait is the crossing itself. Here's the rough shape of a move, door to door.
All in, plan for 4 to 8 weeks. Build in a little slack. Don't commit to anything at the Canada end until the ship has docked.
No one can give you a real figure without seeing what you're moving. But it helps to know what pushes the price up or down before you ask.
Volume is the biggest single factor. Clearing out before you quote can drop you a container size.
A shared container is cheaper for a small load. Your own works out better once you're near a full house.
The west coast costs more than the east, thanks to the longer sailing and inland haul.
Stairs, tight streets, packing, a car or storage all add to the bill. Flag them early.
| Move size | Indicative cost | Typical transit |
|---|---|---|
| A few boxes (shared) | £900 to £1,800 | 5 to 9 weeks |
| Studio or 1-bed | £2,200 to £3,800 | 5 to 8 weeks |
| 2 to 3-bed house | £4,000 to £7,500 | 4 to 7 weeks |
| 4-bed or larger | £7,500 to £14,000+ | 4 to 7 weeks |
Rough planning guides in pounds. Canada uses the dollar, so anything you set up on arrival is paid in dollars. Your mover gives a firm price after a survey.
Quotes vary, so it pays to check what you're actually getting. Compare like with like before you choose.
Ask the mover to spell out what's in and what's not. A cheap quote that leaves out clearance or delivery isn't really cheaper.
Canada sits outside the UK and the EU, so customs paperwork isn't optional. Every move needs it. It works like this.
You declare your belongings to the Canada Border Services Agency, the CBSA. It's one form: the BSF186, the Personal Effects Accounting Document. Older guides call it the B4, which is the same form renamed. Anything that arrives on a later sailing goes on a second list, the BSF186A.
If you're moving to Canada for the first time, you come in as a settler. If you're a Canadian heading home after a year or more away, you're a former resident. There's a catch: the goods must have been owned and used for at least six months before you return.
Used personal and household things usually come in free of duty. New items, or anything you sell within a year of arriving, can attract duty and GST or HST. One rule catches people out: you have to be in Canada, and declare your goods, before or as they land. Turn up at the border without your list and you can be turned away.
Your mover prepares the paperwork, but the declaration is yours to make.
A few items get held, treated or refused on the way in. Check these before you start packing.
They need a certificate to show they've been cleaned and fumigated, or they don't come in. Often cheaper to replace.
Restricted to protect Canadian farming. Most house plants won't make the trip, so rehome them first.
Tight limits, with tax above them. Declaring a wine collection is rarely worth the duty.
Banned outright or tightly controlled. If you're unsure about an item, ask before it's packed.
An overseas move is a long way to trust the wrong firm. The mark to look for is FIDI FAIM, the global standard for international movers. It's checked by an independent Ernst and Young audit. BAR Overseas is the British equivalent. A company with both has been vetted on its finances, its training and the way it treats your goods.
That's the only kind of firm we'll put you in front of. International Removals Companies is not a removal company. We're a free service that connects your move with one FIDI-certified partner, and they handle it from survey to delivery. We've done this 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.
Anywhere from about £900 for a few boxes to £14,000 or more for a big house. The price turns on how much you're moving, the container type, and where you're headed. A mover gives a firm figure after a survey.
Most moves take 4 to 8 weeks door to door. A full container is quicker, around 4 to 7 weeks. A shared one runs 5 to 9, because it waits to fill. The sea crossing is the bulk of it.
By sea, in a container. A mover surveys your home, packs and loads everything, and books the sailing. The container crosses the Atlantic, clears customs at a Canadian port, then comes to your door.
Usually not on used things you've owned and used — they come in as settler or former-resident effects. New items, or anything you sell within a year, can attract duty and GST or HST. The CBSA guidance has the detail.
One form: the BSF186 (older guides call it the B4). Anything arriving on a later sailing goes on the BSF186A. You hand them in at your first point of entry in Canada.
Montreal or Halifax for the east and centre, Vancouver for BC and the west. Your mover picks the one that suits your destination.
Yes, but it's a separate job. The car has to meet Transport Canada rules through the Registrar of Imported Vehicles. Tell your mover early, as it changes the cost.
No. We're not a removal company. We're a free service that connects you with one vetted, FIDI-certified mover, and they do the work. We don't touch your belongings ourselves.
Send your UK postcode, your Canadian address, the move date and roughly what you're shifting. One FIDI-certified mover comes back with a price, a timeline and the customs plan. No cost, no obligation.
Get Connected with a Canada MoverFree. One FIDI-certified partner mover. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, operating since 2010.
We connect UK to Canada moves with one vetted, FIDI-certified partner mover. We're not a removal company 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.
Prices, transit times, insurance and customs paperwork are confirmed by the mover before you book.
