Shipping your home across the Atlantic is a different exercise from a local move. When you relocate from Europe to Canada — or from Canada back to Europe — you are not just moving boxes; you are clearing an international customs border, meeting biosecurity rules, and, in most cases, coordinating the move around an immigration status. This pillar guide walks through how an intercontinental household move actually works, both directions, and links out to the detailed sibling guides in our Canada relocation series.

Flyto handles Europe-to-Canada moves as a full door-to-door Platinum service: sea or air freight, export packing, customs brokerage on both ends, and delivery to your new home. This guide gives you the official rules behind that service so you can plan with confidence.

Freshness note: Customs tariffs, biosecurity lists, immigration draws and settlement-fund figures change regularly, and several numbers below are revised annually. Treat every figure here as a planning estimate and confirm the current rule on the linked government page before you ship or file.

Key takeaways

• New permanent residents arriving to live in Canada for the first time can usually import their used personal and household goods duty- and tax-free under tariff item 9807.00.00, with no cap on the value of eligible goods (CBSA Memorandum D2-2-1).
• You must list everything arriving later as "goods to follow" on Form BSF186/BSF186A at your first point of entry — items not listed then lose their duty-free eligibility (CBSA: Moving or returning to Canada).
• A separate CAD $10,000 per-item limit applies only to returning former residents (tariff item 9805.00.00), not to settlers: a single item worth more than that stays partly relieved, with duty and tax charged only on its value over CAD $10,000 (CBSA Memorandum D2-3-2).
• All food, plant, animal and wood products must be declared; many are restricted or prohibited to protect Canadian agriculture (CFIA; CBSA).
• Most people immigrate through Express Entry, which manages the federal economic programs and processes most complete applications within about six months (IRCC).
• Declare CAD $10,000 or more in cash or monetary instruments when you cross the border (CBSA).
• Apply for a Social Insurance Number (free) and register for provincial health coverage as soon as you arrive; some provinces have a waiting period of up to three months, which you should confirm with your destination province’s health plan (Service Canada; Health Canada).
• Newcomers must file a Canadian tax return for the year they become a resident for tax purposes, even with no Canadian income (CRA).

1. How an intercontinental household move works

A Europe–Canada move is a chain of linked steps rather than a single truck journey. Your goods are surveyed, export-packed and either consolidated into a shared container or loaded into a dedicated one, road-hauled to the port of departure, shipped by sea (or flown, for urgent or small volumes), cleared through Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on arrival, then trucked inland and delivered to your address.

Sea versus air. Sea freight is the default for a full household. A typical two- to three-bedroom home fills roughly a 20-foot container; a smaller flat may travel as a shared/groupage load, where you pay only for the volume you use. Ocean transit from northern Europe to Canada’s East Coast is commonly a few weeks port-to-port, plus packing, customs and inland delivery on each side — so plan on several weeks door-to-door. These durations are operational planning estimates from our own moving experience, not fixed or government-published figures. Air freight is far faster but priced by weight and dimensional volume, so it suits a small, urgent shipment (a suitcase-plus of essentials, work equipment) rather than furniture.

Because the overseas move crosses a customs frontier, brokerage and documentation matter as much as the trucking. Flyto’s Platinum overseas service bundles the customs paperwork below so you are not filing it alone.

2. CBSA customs: settlers, former residents and Form BSF186

Two tariff items govern who imports personal effects duty-free.

Settlers (tariff item 9807.00.00). If you are entering Canada to establish a residence for the first time and intend to stay at least 12 months, you are a "settler." Your owned, used personal and household goods generally enter free of duty and tax, with no ceiling on their value (CBSA D2-2-1). New permanent residents typically fall here.

Former residents (tariff item 9805.00.00). If you are a Canadian or former resident returning to resume residence after living abroad for at least one year, your goods must have been owned, possessed and used abroad — as a rule of thumb, for at least six months before your return — to qualify (CBSA D2-3-2).

There is one value cap, and it applies to former residents only. Under tariff item 9805.00.00, a single item worth more than CAD $10,000 is removed from the full exemption, but its value for duty is reduced by CAD $10,000 — so duty and tax apply only to the excess over CAD $10,000, not to the whole item (CBSA D2-3-2). Settlers under 9807.00.00 have no such value ceiling: their used personal and household goods enter free of duty and tax regardless of value. Confirm the treatment of any high-value single item with the CBSA before shipping.

The BSF186 form. At your first arrival you complete the Personal Effects Accounting Document (BSF186), listing the goods with you, and BSF186A for goods to follow that arrive later by ship or air (CBSA form BSF186). This is the single most important document to get right: you cannot add items to the goods-to-follow list after your first entry. Anything you forget to list loses its duty-free status. Prepare a detailed inventory with values before you land (CBSA: Moving or returning to Canada).

3. CFIA biosecurity: food, plants and wood

Canada enforces strict biosecurity through the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to keep out invasive pests and animal diseases. By law you must declare all food, plant, animal and related products you bring in, including fruit, vegetables, seeds, houseplants, soil, and wood and wood products such as furniture, carvings and firewood (CBSA; CFIA travellers’ guide).

Many items are restricted or prohibited; food for personal use is allowed only within CFIA’s maximum quantity limits (CFIA: Bringing food into Canada for personal use). Failing to declare can mean confiscation, monetary penalties or prosecution. For a household shipment this matters most for wooden furniture and garden items — declare them, and expect that untreated wood or soil-contaminated goods may be refused. Check specific products against CFIA import requirements before packing.

4. Immigration overview (IRCC): getting the status first

You generally need the right immigration status before you relocate. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) runs the routes; the main economic pathway is Express Entry.

Express Entry is an application-management system covering three federal programs — the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program and Canadian Experience Class. You submit an online profile, receive a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score, and the highest-ranked candidates are invited to apply for permanent residence; most complete applications are processed within about six months (IRCC: Express Entry; Apply for PR).

Other routes include Provincial Nominee Programs, family sponsorship, and work permits (employer-specific or open) for those coming to work temporarily (IRCC: Immigrate to Canada). Federal Skilled Worker and Trades applicants generally must show proof of settlement funds, tied to household size and updated annually — the current single-applicant amount is approximately CAD $15,263 (roughly CAD $15,000), rising with each family member. Because this figure changes when Statistics Canada’s Low-Income Cut-Off is revised, treat it as approximate. Some Canadian Experience Class and valid-job-offer applicants are exempt; confirm the exact current table on the IRCC proof-of-funds page before you rely on any number.

For a Canada-to-Europe move, the mirror applies: check the destination country’s residence or visa route before you ship.

5. Timeline: what to do when

Ocean transit alone runs a few weeks, so the practical door-to-door window for a European household move is commonly 6–12 weeks once packing, customs and inland delivery are counted. These ranges are operational planning estimates rather than guaranteed or government-published transit times. Air freight compresses the transport leg to days but not the paperwork.

6. Costs: what drives the price

International moving costs are driven by volume (cubic metres or container size), mode (sea groupage is cheapest per unit, dedicated container next, air the most expensive), distance and access at both ends, and services such as export packing, insurance and destination customs clearance.

Because published averages vary widely by route and season, we don’t quote a single figure here — a small shared-container load and a full dedicated container can differ by a large multiple. The reliable way to budget is a surveyed quote based on your actual inventory. Build in a contingency for potential duty on a single high-value item if you are a returning former resident (see section 2), port or storage fees if timing slips, and the Registrar of Imported Vehicles costs if you ship a car (section 8).

7. Choosing an international mover

For an overseas move, look for a mover that:

• Handles door-to-door logistics including customs brokerage on both ends — not just port-to-port freight.
• Provides a proper inventory and survey so the BSF186 goods-to-follow list is accurate.
• Is transparent about sea vs air, groupage vs dedicated container, and what insurance covers.
• Explains the destination rules (CBSA, CFIA, RIV) rather than leaving them to you at the border.

This is exactly the scope of Flyto’s Platinum overseas service. A cheap port-to-port rate that leaves you to clear customs and arrange inland delivery alone is rarely cheaper once the gaps are filled.

8. Bringing a vehicle

Importing a car from Europe is the hardest part of many moves. Vehicles are regulated by Transport Canada and the Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV). A car less than 15 years old from a country other than the United States or Mexico can only be imported in limited circumstances — for example if it appears on a regulated class and meets Transport Canada’s admissibility conditions — and most European-market cars do not qualify, because they were never certified to Canadian standards (Transport Canada: Importing a vehicle from countries other than the United States and Mexico; CBSA D19-12-1).

A vehicle 15 or more years old (measured to the month of manufacture) is generally exempt from the safety-standards/RIV requirement, which is why older classics are the common exception. At the border you declare the vehicle to CBSA and complete a Vehicle Import Form (Form 1). Even a federally admissible vehicle still has to meet provincial/territorial licensing rules. For most European daily drivers, selling before you move and buying locally in Canada is the pragmatic choice — confirm your specific case with the RIV first.

9. Settling in: SIN, banking, healthcare and taxes

Social Insurance Number (SIN). You cannot be paid legally without one, and it is free. Apply online, in person (often issued on the spot) or by mail through Service Canada (Service Canada: Apply for a SIN).

Banking. Federally regulated banks must open a basic personal account for you even if you have no job, no Canadian credit history and no money to deposit yet, provided you show acceptable ID (FCAC). A foreign passport appears on the government-recognised list of acceptable identification for opening an account, but the accepted documents and how they can be combined are set by rule, so confirm the current list with the FCAC guidance on opening a bank account before you rely on a single document.

Health coverage. Each province and territory runs its own plan and issues its own health card (Health Canada). Some provinces cover eligible newcomers from their arrival date; others can impose a waiting period of up to three months before public coverage begins. Waiting-period rules differ by province and have changed in recent years, so confirm the current rule directly with your destination province’s own health plan. Register as soon as you arrive and carry private interim insurance to bridge any gap.

Taxes. The Canada Revenue Agency treats you as a newcomer for the first year you are a resident for tax purposes, which usually begins the day you establish residential ties. You must file a return for that year — even with no Canadian income — and filing is how you unlock benefits like the GST/HST credit and Canada Child Benefit (CRA: Newcomers to Canada).

10. At the border: money and honesty

Whether arriving or leaving, you must report currency or monetary instruments of CAD $10,000 or more (cash, cheques, money orders, drafts — Canadian or foreign, or a combination) to CBSA (CBSA: Travelling with CAN$10,000 or more). There is no limit on how much you may bring; the requirement is simply to declare it. Fail to, and CBSA can seize the funds. The same principle runs through the whole crossing: declare your goods-to-follow, your food and wood, and your money accurately — honest declarations are what keep your move duty-free and penalty-free.

Frequently asked questions

Can I really bring my furniture to Canada without paying duty?
Usually yes, if you are a settler establishing residence for the first time (or a qualifying returning former resident) and the goods are your used personal and household effects listed on the BSF186. Settlers face no value cap. A separate CAD $10,000 per-item limit applies only to returning former residents, and even then duty and tax are charged only on the value over CAD $10,000 (CBSA D2-2-1; CBSA D2-3-2).

What happens if I forget to list something as "goods to follow"?
It loses its duty-free eligibility. You cannot amend the goods-to-follow list after your first entry, so the BSF186A inventory must be complete when you land (CBSA).

Can I ship my European car?
Rarely, if it is under 15 years old and does not meet Transport Canada’s admissibility conditions — most European models do not. Cars 15+ years old are generally RIV-exempt. Check with Transport Canada’s guidance on importing a vehicle from countries other than the United States and Mexico before deciding.

How long does the move take?
Plan on roughly 6–12 weeks door-to-door by sea once packing, ocean transit, customs and inland delivery are counted. This is an operational planning estimate, not a guaranteed schedule. Air freight shortens the transport leg to days but costs more.

Do I need health insurance when I first arrive?
Very likely, yes. Some provinces impose up to a three-month wait before public coverage starts, so carry private interim insurance and confirm the current waiting period with your provincial health plan, registering for your card immediately (Health Canada).

Do I have to file taxes if I only arrived partway through the year?
Yes — you file for the year you became a resident for tax purposes, even for a few months and even with no Canadian income, to claim benefits and credits (CRA).

Planning your move?

An international move rewards early, careful planning — the customs, biosecurity and immigration steps above all reward getting the paperwork right the first time. If you’d like a surveyed, door-to-door quote for shipping your home between Europe and Canada, including customs handling on both ends, start here: get a Canada moving quote. Flyto’s Platinum overseas service is built for exactly this kind of intercontinental relocation, and you can browse the rest of our Canada relocation guides for the detail behind each step.