Moving from Germany to the USA 2026: Sea Freight, Customs and Costs
Moving from Germany to the USA: sea freight, customs and what it costs
A household move from Germany to the United States is a container shipment, not a truck run, and the questions change accordingly: full container or shared, which port, how long at sea, and what US Customs and Border Protection wants to see before your goods are released. This page covers the 2026 rules from CBP and the CDC, realistic transit times and market prices for a container from Hamburg or Bremerhaven, and the items that cannot go in the box.
US customs: Form 3299 and the one-year rule
Household effects enter the United States duty-free if they have been used abroad for at least one year and are not intended for another person or for sale. The declaration is CBP Form 3299, which you sign and the mover files with the entry. The rule is one year of use, not ownership: the year does not have to be continuous or immediately precede the shipment, but you must be able to satisfy the port director, so keep purchase receipts for anything bought in the last two years. Before the ship is loaded the mover files the Importer Security Filing (ISF, ”10+2”) at least 24 hours before departure; the legal responsibility is yours as the importer, and the mover acts as your agent. On the German side the mover handles the export formalities. Alcohol is governed by state law and must be declared; meat and most meat products are banned; plants, seeds and soil need permits; firearms need an ATF import permit with several weeks’ processing, and eligibility for non-US citizens should be checked directly with ATF.
Transit times and ports
Container ships from Hamburg and Bremerhaven reach New York in about 8–13 days port to port and Los Angeles in about 31 days via the Panama Canal. Add one to two weeks at each end for collection, packing, port handling, customs release and delivery, and a further one to two weeks for a shared container that waits to fill. Realistic door-to-door windows are four to six weeks to the East Coast and six to ten weeks to the West Coast, longer in a shared container.
Indicative 2026 market prices
Ocean freight figures below are port-to-port ranges published by freight forwarders for 2026, excluding packing, collection, US delivery, customs brokerage and insurance; the door-to-door bands add those. Not Flyto quotes.
| Option | Suits | Ocean freight, port to port | Door to door, indicative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared container (LCL) | up to about 15 m³ | $50–$120 per m³ | €3 500–€7 500 for a one-bedroom flat |
| 20 ft container (FCL) | up to about 28 m³ | $1 500–$4 500 | €6 000–€10 000 |
| 40 ft container (FCL) | up to about 60 m³ | $2 200–$6 500 | €9 000–€15 000 |
Get your fixed price (2 min) →
The door-to-door bands include export packing, which is not optional for sea freight: everything is wrapped and crated to survive four weeks of ship movement, and the packing list doubles as the customs inventory. Insurance is at declared value for the whole voyage.
Pets, cars and the things people forget
Dogs entering the United States since 1 August 2024 must be at least six months old, have an ISO microchip, look healthy on arrival and travel with a CDC Dog Import Form receipt, valid for six months; Germany is not on the high-risk rabies list, so the form is all that is needed on the CDC side, but airlines have their own rules. Cars can be imported but must meet US safety and emissions standards or be over 25 years old; for most German cars the conversion costs more than the car is worth, so households sell before leaving. Remember the German side too: Abmeldung, cancelling the Rundfunkbeitrag with the deregistration certificate, the one-month telecom termination right, and the pension contribution refund, which non-EU citizens can apply for 24 months after leaving compulsory insurance.
How Flyto handles a Germany–USA move
Flyto packs and collects with its own crews from the Central European hub near Düsseldorf, ships through Hamburg or Bremerhaven, and delivers in the United States through vetted partner agents who handle customs brokerage and the final delivery. One contract, one fixed price agreed before packing that names the container option, the port, the insurance and the US delivery, and one contact from survey to delivery. Flyto is the right fit for households moving on their own budget; for an employer-paid relocation with immigration and school search, a global mobility network is the better fit, and we say so.
Frequently asked questions
Do I pay US import duty on my furniture?
Not on household effects used abroad for at least one year, declared on CBP Form 3299. Items bought within the last year can be dutiable.
How long does shipping from Germany to the USA take?
About 8–13 days at sea to New York and about 31 days to Los Angeles, plus one to two weeks at each end. Door to door, four to ten weeks depending on coast and container type.
Shared container or my own?
Up to about 15 m³ a shared container is cheaper; above that a 20 ft container costs little more and gives a fixed sailing.
Can I ship alcohol or food?
Alcohol must be declared and is subject to the destination state’s rules; meat products are banned and plants need permits. Most movers exclude food entirely.
Can my dog come with me?
Yes: at least six months old, ISO microchip, healthy on arrival and a CDC Dog Import Form receipt. Germany is not on the high-risk list.
Does Flyto ship to the USA?
Yes, packed and collected by Flyto’s own crews in Germany, shipped from Hamburg or Bremerhaven and delivered by vetted partner agents in the US, at a fixed price agreed before packing.
Get your fixed price
Enter the volume and both addresses and you have a door-to-door price in about two minutes – access, ferries, tolls and customs paperwork included. Not sure about the volume? The calculator estimates it room by room.