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Biggest Moving Mistakes

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If you’re about to move overseas, understanding the potential risks is crucial. From going over your planned budget to importing items that are actually banned in the destination country, there are a great number of costly International moving errors that you could potentially make. The good news though, is that they can be easily avoided if you have the right information from the very beginning.

Importing Taxable Items

When moving internationally, selecting what you’ll ship overseas is very crucial. It will be important to know what will attract duties and taxes. The Importing of Alcohol is most definitely going to incur duties and taxes, and that makes it way cheaper to purchase your alcohol when you land. Importing Motor vehicles will expose you to huge costs including duties and taxes. You will also most probably have to send the vehicle for emission testing and modification if it does not meet local requirements. In some countries like Singapore, you will not be allowed to import cars that are over 3 years old. Food is usually prohibited and we advise you not to ship foodstuff at all as it is not classified as used personal effects. Importing weapons and firearms is very difficult, and because you need very special clearances by the authorities, it will delay customs clearance for your entire shipment and expose you to expensive port and storage costs. Plants and plant parts such as fruits, nuts, seeds bulbs and leaves are usually not allowed into most countries as part of personal effects shipments.

Going Over Budget

There are a variety of expenses to consider when moving overseas — it is perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed initially. To keep costs within budget, you may consider:

Cutting down the number of items that you intend to move. The cost of your move is dependent on the volume of goods that need to be moved. Ask your International moving company for 2 quotes: One with items that are definitely going, and another for items on the “nice to have” or “optional” list. That way, you can compare and decide if it is cheaper to ship or buy the optional items again at destination.

Avoiding moving during peak season— it is more costly to move during certain months of the year.. In Singapore, peak seasons run through May, June and July, as well as November and December.

Choosing the Wrong Moving Company

It’s critical that you find a reputable International Mover that is trustworthy to honor everything that they agree on. Many expats make a huge mistake of selecting their coving company based on the lowest price, only to end up with extra costs and going over budget when it is too late.

Choose an International Mover with a lot of positive customer reviews online. One great site that does this is SIRELO . Make sure your International mover is specialized in handling international moves (not just local moves), and can offer all the additional services you might need like packing and unpacking, customs clearance and storage if needed. All reputable International moving companies will also definitely offer you a comprehensive transit insurance plan.

Neglecting Your Paperwork

Your visa papers and customs forms make up one of the most important parts of your international move. Without these, we will be unable to gain you duty/tax free concessions of your goods. In some countries, the goods may not even be able to clear customs, resulting in your shipment being shipped back to the country of origin.

We advise our customers of ALL required paperwork and provide them with a summarized country guide to ensure everything is covered and you have all the paperwork required prior to packing. In cases where this is not possible (if you are still waiting on approvals etc, but absolutely need to pack up sooner), we offer Storage in Singapore until everything is in order before shipping. We will work with you to make sure you understand all the requirements for the destination. Completing your paperwork accurately and diligently , and timely lodgment will make your International move as seamless as possible.

If you’re ready for CM Relocation to start working with you to understand all aspects of your move and provide you with a quick and easy-to-understand quote, contact us today.

We’ll drop by to perform a survey of your home contents and provide a detailed quote.

Happy planning!