International Moving Insurance
An international move is one of the few occasions when almost everything you own is in transit at once, passing through lorries, terminals, warehouses, ships or aircraft. That is why relocation insurance exists. Flyto Relocation has moved households across Europe and beyond since 2018, with our own hubs in Northern, Central and Southern Europe and vetted partners overseas. We are a relocation company, not an insurer: we arrange marine and transit cover through established insurers and brokers.
This page explains how removals insurance cover normally works. It is general information, not insurance or financial advice: the cover available to you, its terms, limits and exclusions are set by the policy and must be confirmed in the wording and certificate issued for your shipment.
Why carrier liability is not the same as insurance
Many people assume that because a professional company is carrying their belongings, those belongings are insured. They are usually not. What applies by default is carrier liability: a responsibility that arises only if the carrier is at fault, and is typically capped by the weight of the goods rather than their value. In European international road transport, for example, CMR liability is calculated per kilogram of gross weight lost or damaged.
A three-kilogram carton may hold a laptop, a camera or a piece of family silver, and under a weight-based limit the compensation bears no relationship to what was inside. Carrier liability is a floor, not protection. Insurance responds instead to the declared value and, depending on the cover level, to loss or damage regardless of fault.
| Feature | Carrier liability (default) | All-risk transit insurance (arranged) |
|---|---|---|
| Basis of compensation | Fault of the carrier must normally be established | Declared value of the items in your inventory |
| Typical limit | Per kilogram of weight, subject to convention or contract caps | Up to the declared value, subject to policy limits and deductible |
| What it protects | A partial contribution towards damage caused by the carrier | Insured perils across the whole journey, subject to exclusions |
| Cost to you | Included in the transport price | A premium, usually a small percentage of declared value |
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The table shows the general pattern; the exact terms depend on the transport contract and on the policy issued.
Cover levels: all-risk versus total-loss-only
- All-risk cover responds to physical loss or damage from any external cause not specifically excluded: a dropped item, water ingress, crush damage in a container, theft from a warehouse. Most families choose this for a full household move.
- Total-loss-only cover responds only if the whole shipment or container is lost, through sinking or fire. It is cheaper, but will not pay for a broken cabinet.
Names vary between insurers, so read what the wording says the cover responds to rather than relying on the label.
The valued inventory: the basis of any claim
The most important document in relocation insurance is the valued inventory: the list of what is being shipped, with a replacement value for each item or, for ordinary contents, each carton. It is what the premium is based on and what any claim is measured against.
Two rules follow. Declare replacement value, not what you paid, unless the wording says otherwise. And do not under-declare to reduce the premium: many policies apply an averaging provision, so a shipment declared at half its true value may see claims settled at a proportionally reduced amount. High-value items such as fine art, antiques or musical instruments are normally listed individually and may need a valuation or a specific endorsement.
What is usually not covered
Every policy has exclusions. Knowing them in advance prevents unpleasant surprises. Typical ones:
- Pre-existing damage — chips, scratches and defects noted on the inventory at collection.
- Wear, tear and gradual deterioration, including fading, rust and mould.
- Inherent vice — damage from the nature of the item itself, such as timber splitting with humidity.
- Mechanical or electrical derangement with no external evidence of impact, unless specifically endorsed.
- Cash, jewellery, precious metals, passports and irreplaceable documents, usually excluded or capped low. These should travel with you.
- Delay and consequential losses arising from it, such as accommodation or replacement purchases.
- Perishables, plants, live animals and prohibited or hazardous goods.
- Owner-packed cartons, discussed below.
Watch also for pairs-and-sets clauses. If one chair from a set of six is destroyed, many wordings pay for that item plus a contribution towards the reduced value of the rest, rather than replacing the set. If a set matters to you, raise it before departure.
If you pack yourself
Cartons packed by the owner, often abbreviated to PBO, are treated differently, because the insurer cannot verify what went in or how it was protected. In most wordings an owner-packed carton is covered only where there is visible external damage to the carton itself, or in the event of total loss: a plate that arrives broken inside an undamaged box is generally not recoverable. If you do pack yourself, list the contents on the outside, photograph the items and the packed carton, and use rigid boxes with proper cushioning. Better still, let the crew pack anything breakable or valuable.
Storage cover
Storage is a separate exposure from transit. Transit cover does not always extend to a period in a hub or destination warehouse, or may extend only for a limited number of days. If your goods will be stored, ask for storage cover to be confirmed for the expected duration and extended in writing if the timeline slips. Perils typical of storage, such as damp or infestation, may be excluded even then.
Before packing day, and how a claim works
The strongest claims are prepared before anything happens: photograph valuable and fragile items from several angles, capturing existing marks, keep receipts and valuations, and check the crew’s condition notes on the inventory. Store that evidence where you can reach it from your destination. Procedures vary by insurer, but the sequence is usually similar:
- Note it at delivery, on the delivery paperwork, before the crew leaves.
- Notify promptly. Reporting time limits are often short, sometimes only days after delivery for concealed damage. Late notification is a common reason claims fail.
- Keep everything. Retain the damaged item and its packaging until the insurer releases it; a surveyor may wish to inspect.
- Submit evidence. The inventory reference, photographs, valuation documents and, where required, a repair estimate.
- Settlement. The insurer assesses against the declared value and the policy terms, applying any deductible.
How Flyto arranges cover with your shipment
We handle insurance as part of the move rather than as an afterthought. Your consultant helps you build the valued inventory, flags items needing separate declaration, explains the cover levels available for your route and mode, and obtains the premium quotation. Once you accept, cover is placed through the insurer or broker and the certificate is issued against your consignment, so cover, inventory and shipping documents all match. If something goes wrong, we help you assemble and submit the claim. What we do not do is underwrite risk or decide claims: that sits with the insurer, and the policy wording governs.
What cover costs
Premiums are normally a small percentage of the total declared value, so the more you declare, the more the cover costs in absolute terms. The rate varies with the route, the mode of transport, the cover level, whether storage is included, high-value items and the deductible. We therefore publish no fixed prices: we quote the actual premium once the inventory and route are known, and that figure is the insurer’s, not a Flyto estimate.
Ask us about your shipment
If you want to know whether your move is properly protected, tell us what you are shipping and where it is going. Ask about cover for your move and we will come back with figures and the wording you need to read.