The Ireland-to-USA corridor is one of the oldest migration routes in the world, and in 2026 it is still busy with people relocating for work transfers, family, study and startups. A successful move has two halves that are governed by completely different authorities: the Irish export side — clearing your goods out of the EU customs territory through Revenue — and the US import side — bringing them into the United States through U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), with separate agencies for pets and vehicles. This guide covers both halves in detail, plus a short note on the reverse (USA → Ireland). It is written for a resident of Ireland shipping household goods, and possibly a pet or car, across the Atlantic.

Key takeaways

• Your US immigration status determines your customs treatment: household effects used abroad for at least one year can enter free of duty for returning residents, emigrants and even non-residents, under U.S. law (CBP household-goods guidance).
• Ireland’s customs authority is Revenue (Irish Tax and Customs); your goods leave the EU under an export declaration lodged in Revenue’s Automated Export System (AES), which replaced the old AEP system in 2023 (Revenue AES).
• Ireland has no population register and no compulsory municipal deregistration; the main authority to notify is Revenue, for your tax position (Revenue: Leaving Ireland).
• On arrival you file CBP Form 3299 for goods that arrive separately from you, and CBP Form 6059B as your traveller customs declaration (Form 3299, Form 6059B).
• Since 1 August 2024, every dog entering the US needs a CDC Dog Import Form, a microchip and a minimum age of six months; dogs from Ireland (a low-risk rabies country) need little else (CDC: Bringing a Dog).
• Cars less than 25 years old must meet US safety (DOT/NHTSA) and emissions (EPA) standards, filed on DOT Form HS-7 and EPA Form 3520-1 (CBP: Importing a Motor Vehicle).
• Carrying more than US$10,000 in or out of the US must be reported on FinCEN Form 105; €10,000 or more leaving the EU must be declared to Irish Customs (FinCEN 105, Revenue: cash controls).

1. Your US status decides everything

Before you book a container, understand this: US customs treatment of your belongings depends on why and how you are entering the country. CBP allows "furniture, carpets, paintings, tableware, books, libraries and other household furnishings and effects" to enter free of duty when they were actually used abroad for at least one year and are not for sale — and this applies to residents and non-residents alike (CBP household-goods process).

In practice, the person arriving falls into one of three groups on the paperwork:

• Emigrants / new lawful permanent residents (e.g. arriving on an immigrant visa or green card) — importing the possessions they already own.
• Returning US residents — US citizens or existing green-card holders who lived in Ireland and are bringing belongings home.
• Non-immigrants (temporary work, study or E/L/H visas) — who may import used personal effects and the tools of their trade for their own use.

All three declare the same underlying facts on CBP Form 3299, but you tick a different eligibility basis. Your visa is what proves that basis, so confirm your immigration category is granted before your shipment sails. (Visa issuance itself is handled by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the consular process — outside customs — so line that up first.)

2. The Ireland export side

The authority. Ireland’s customs service is Revenue (Irish Tax and Customs). Because the USA is outside the EU, your removal shipment is a formal export from the customs territory of the Union, and an export declaration must be lodged electronically in Revenue’s Automated Export System (AES) (Revenue AES roles). AES went live on 21 March 2023 and fully replaced the legacy AEP system for new export declarations from 22 May 2023, so any current guidance referring to "AEP" is out of date (Revenue AES presentation). In practice your international mover or freight agent files this declaration on your behalf as the exporter’s representative.

"Deregistration." Unlike many EU countries, Ireland does not operate a national population register, and there is no town-hall "deregistration" step to complete when you leave. The move you must actively manage is your tax position with Revenue. Revenue publishes dedicated guidance for anyone "going to work or live abroad on a long-term or permanent basis," including how to claim any refund of Income Tax or USC you are owed for your final part-year of work using Form P50 (Revenue: Leaving Ireland).

Tax residency exit. You are Irish tax-resident in a year if you spend 183 days there in that year, or 280 days across two consecutive years (with at least 30 days in each year) (Citizens Information: tax residence and domicile). Separately, if you have been resident for the previous three years you become ordinarily resident, and you remain ordinarily resident until you have been non-resident for three consecutive tax years — a point that catches many emigrants, because it can keep certain foreign income within the Irish net after you leave. In your year of departure you may claim split-year treatment, so employment income earned in the US after your date of departure is not taxed in Ireland, provided you are leaving with the intention of being non-resident the following year (Revenue: split-year treatment on departure).

3. Ports & transit times

Ireland’s main deep-sea gateway is Dublin Port, which handles roughly half the Republic’s trade, with the Port of Cork (its container terminal is at Ringaskiddy) the principal southern option (Port of Cork / Ringaskiddy terminal). Cork now has direct weekly transatlantic container sailings to the US East Coast; most Irish household moves, though, route via Dublin and a UK or continental hub. For air freight, Dublin Airport is the main gateway.

Transit times below are freight-industry estimates, not official government figures, and vary with carrier, season, routing and US port congestion:

• Sea freight (full or shared container): roughly 10–20 days port-to-port to the US East Coast, plus 1–3 weeks each side for collection, packing, export/import clearance and final delivery — so 4–8 weeks door-to-door is a realistic planning window.
• Air freight: typically a few days in transit, with clearance and delivery adding to that. Far faster, far more expensive, and priced by volumetric weight — best for a small, urgent shipment.

Treat any single number a mover quotes as an estimate and build in buffer, especially around US holidays.

4. The US import side

When your goods reach the US, clearance runs on two CBP forms:

• CBP Form 3299 — Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles. This is the core household-goods form, used for belongings that ship separately from you (your container almost always arrives after you fly in). It identifies you as owner, describes the shipment and claims duty-free entry for effects used abroad for at least a year (CBP Form 3299 PDF; CBP Form 3299 instructions).
• CBP Form 6059B — Customs Declaration. The traveller declaration you complete on arrival, listing what you are bringing and the value of anything new. Returning US residents get an $800 duty-free personal exemption on accompanying items; most visitors get $100 (CBP Form 6059B PDF; CBP: What to Expect When You Return).

Your effects can be released duty-free provided they were used for at least one year and are not intended for sale or for another person (CBP household-goods process). Prepare a detailed, valued inventory — CBP can request it, and it is also your insurance record. Note that alcohol, tobacco, firearms, food, plants and certain wood/agricultural items face separate restrictions and are not part of a routine household clearance.

5. Pets

Ireland → USA. Since 1 August 2024, the CDC requires every dog entering the US to: be at least six months old, have an ISO-compatible microchip implanted before any rabies vaccination, appear healthy, and travel with a completed CDC Dog Import Form submitted online before arrival (CDC: Bringing a Dog into the U.S.). Ireland is not on the CDC’s high-risk-for-rabies list, so it is treated as a dog rabies-free or low-risk country — meaning a dog that has only been in such countries in the previous six months needs just the CDC Dog Import Form receipt and can enter through any US port (CDC: dogs from rabies-free/low-risk countries; CDC high-risk list). The receipt is valid for six months of entries. For cats, USDA APHIS has no animal-health import requirement, though airlines and the destination state may (APHIS: bring a pet cat; CBP: bringing pets).

Reverse (USA → Ireland). Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) governs pet entry. The US is an EU-listed country, so no rabies blood-titre test is required. A dog, cat or ferret needs a microchip implanted before rabies vaccination, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days old, and an EU health certificate endorsed by USDA APHIS; dogs also need tapeworm treatment 24 hours to 5 days (24–120 hours) before arrival (DAFM pet travel; APHIS: US to Ireland pet travel). Compliant pets enter with no quarantine.

6. Vehicles, money and things people forget

Vehicles. Importing a car is the single hardest part of any transatlantic move. Under CBP, EPA and NHTSA rules, a vehicle less than 25 years old must conform to all US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and EPA emissions standards, or be brought into compliance by a NHTSA-registered importer — Irish-market cars usually were not built or certified to US standards (CBP: Importing a Motor Vehicle; NHTSA import FAQs). Paperwork is DOT Form HS-7 and EPA Form 3520-1, presented to CBP at entry (EPA import forms). A vehicle at least 25 years old is exempt from FMVSS, and older gasoline vehicles from EPA requirements — the reason classic cars move easily but a three-year-old family car often cannot. A 2.5% import duty typically applies to cars. For most movers, selling the car in Ireland is cheaper than importing it.

Money. You must file FinCEN Form 105 if you carry, mail or ship more than US$10,000 in currency or monetary instruments into or out of the US — failure means seizure (FinCEN 105; USA.gov: travel money). In the other direction, €10,000 or more leaving the EU must be declared to Irish Customs on the EU cash-declaration form (Revenue: travelling with cash).

Easy to forget: an EU cash rule also applies to cash sent by post or freight; US states set their own driving-licence, vehicle-registration and pet rules on top of the federal ones; and if you ever move back to Ireland, you can reclaim customs duty and VAT on your belongings under Revenue’s Transfer of Residence relief using Form C&E 1076, provided you owned and used them abroad (Revenue: Transfer of Residence).

How Flyto handles your Ireland to the USA move

Flyto runs strong in-house European operations — our own offices, warehouses, teams and vehicles across Northern, Central and Southern Europe — so the collection, packing, export paperwork and consolidation on the Irish and EU side stay under our direct control. For the ocean and air legs and for delivery in the US, we combine that with a carefully chosen network of vetted partners and subcontractors and trusted local partners in the USA. You get one coordinated move end to end, without us pretending to own every truck on both continents.

Frequently asked questions

Do I pay US duty on my used furniture and belongings?
Generally no. Household effects used abroad for at least a year and not for resale can enter free of duty, declared on CBP Form 3299 (CBP).

What’s the one thing I must sort with the Irish government before leaving?
Your Revenue tax position — Ireland has no population register to deregister from. Notify Revenue, claim any refund via Form P50, and check split-year treatment (Revenue).

Can I bring my dog from Ireland easily?
Yes. Ireland is a low-risk rabies country, so a microchipped, healthy dog aged 6+ months needs only the CDC Dog Import Form (CDC).

How long will my container take?
Plan on 4–8 weeks door-to-door by sea — an industry estimate, not an official figure, that shifts with carrier and season.

Should I ship my car?
Rarely worth it. Cars under 25 years old must meet US DOT and EPA standards most Irish cars don’t (CBP). Selling locally is usually cheaper.

What about carrying cash?
Report more than US$10,000 on FinCEN Form 105 and declare €10,000 or more to Irish Customs — both directions are enforced (FinCEN, Revenue).

Sources

• Revenue — Automated Export System (AES) roles & responsibilities
• Revenue — AES go-live presentation (2023)
• Revenue — Leaving Ireland
• Revenue — Split-year treatment in your year of departure
• Revenue — Travelling with, or sending, cash
• Revenue — Transfer of Residence (moving to Ireland)
• Citizens Information — Tax residence and domicile in Ireland
• DAFM — Bringing your pet into Ireland (pettravel.gov.ie)
• Port of Cork — Ringaskiddy transatlantic container service
• CBP — Household goods import process (Article 1392)
• CBP — Form 3299 (PDF)
• CBP — Form 3299 instructions (Article 1329)
• CBP — Form 6059B (PDF)
• CBP — What to Expect When You Return
• CBP — Importing a Motor Vehicle
• CBP — Bringing Pets and Wildlife into the United States
• NHTSA — Importation and Certification FAQs
• EPA — Publications and Forms for Importing Vehicles and Engines
• CDC — Bringing a Dog into the U.S.
• CDC — Dogs from rabies-free or low-risk countries
• CDC — High-risk countries for dog rabies
• USDA APHIS — Bring a pet cat into the US
• USDA APHIS — Pet travel from the US to Ireland
• FinCEN — Form 105 (CMIR, PDF)
• USA.gov — How much money can you bring into and out of the U.S.