The Poland-to-USA corridor is one of the busiest transatlantic relocation routes, carrying tech workers, academics, families reuniting and long-term green-card holders across the Atlantic every year. A successful move has two halves that must line up: the Polish export and departure side, where you clear your household goods out of the EU customs territory and settle your registration and tax status, and the US import and arrival side, where US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) admits your belongings, your vehicle and your pets. This guide walks through both, in the order you will actually meet them, and closes with a short note on the reverse move. It is written for a resident of Poland — Polish citizen or foreign national with Polish residence — planning a permanent or long-term move to the United States.

Key takeaways

• Your US immigration status determines your customs treatment: returning residents, new immigrants and temporary visa holders each declare household goods differently on CBP’s forms (CBP Form 3299, CBP process guide).
• Poland’s customs authority is Krajowa Administracja Skarbowa (KAS); exports leaving the EU are declared electronically in the AES system via the PUESC platform, and you need an EORI number (PUESC export service).
• Leaving Poland for more than 6 months means you must report your departure abroad (zgłoszenie wyjazdu za granicę), which also deregisters your residence (gov.pl).
• Polish tax residency turns on the 183-day test and your centre of vital interests — leaving physically is not enough on its own (Ministry of Finance / podatki.gov.pl).
• Used household goods owned and used for at least 12 months generally enter the USA duty-free on CBP Form 3299 (CBP).
• Dogs from Poland (a low-risk rabies country) need only be microchipped, at least 6 months old, healthy, and carry a CDC Dog Import Form receipt (CDC).
• You must report to CBP any amount over US$10,000 in cash or monetary instruments using FinCEN Form 105 (CBP).

1. How your US immigration status determines the customs treatment

Before you book a single container, understand this: US customs treats your goods according to who you are at the border, not just what you ship. CBP Form 3299, the Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles, asks you to identify yourself as a returning US resident, an emigrant (someone taking up residence in the US on an immigrant visa or similar status), or a non-resident on a temporary stay. Each category carries a different duty-free entitlement.

For household goods and personal effects, the core rule is generous: items you have owned and used for at least one year before importing them qualify for duty-free entry, provided they are not intended for resale (CBP household-goods process). This applies whether you arrive on an immigrant visa or as a returning resident. The 12-month test is what your Polish export paperwork and inventory should be built to prove. Newly bought items, tools of trade for a business, and goods for sale sit outside this relief and may attract duty.

Because the status question is decided at the US end, confirm your visa category and intended length of stay before shipping. A temporary non-immigrant importing furniture "permanently" is treated differently from a green-card holder settling for good.

2. The Poland export side — customs, deregistration and tax exit

Customs authority and export declaration. Poland’s national customs and tax body is Krajowa Administracja Skarbowa (KAS) — the National Revenue Administration — which runs customs through its Customs and Tax Service (Służba Celno-Skarbowa). Because the USA is outside the EU, moving goods from Poland to America is a customs export. Export declarations are lodged only electronically in the AES (Automatyczny System Eksportu) through the government’s PUESC electronic services platform, and both the exporter and any representative must first register on PUESC and hold an EORI number (PUESC export service). In a household removal your mover or customs agent normally files this declaration on your behalf as the declarant; you supply a signed, valued inventory. Poland charges no VAT or duty on your personal effects leaving the country — export is the point at which they exit the EU tax net.

Deregistration (wymeldowanie). If you leave Poland permanently, or for longer than six months, Polish law requires you to report your departure abroad (zgłoszenie wyjazdu za granicę), no later than the day you leave. A permanent-departure notification automatically deregisters you from both your permanent and temporary residence addresses; a long-but-temporary departure removes only the temporary registration. You can file it online through gov.pl with a trusted profile (profil zaufany) or in person at your urząd gminy (gov.pl departure notification). Your PESEL number stays valid for life — deregistration does not cancel it, and you will still need it for future tax filings or pensions.

Tax-residency exit. Physically leaving does not automatically end your Polish tax residency. Under Polish rules a person is tax-resident if they spend more than 183 days in Poland in a year or have their centre of personal or economic interests (ośrodek interesów życiowych) in Poland — and in practice the authorities weigh the centre-of-vital-interests test heavily (Ministry of Finance guidance). To make a clean break, move your home, family and main economic ties to the US, and keep the evidence. You can request a Polish certificate of tax residence (form CFR-1) from your tax office where needed, and the Poland-US double-taxation treaty governs the transition year.

3. Ports and transit times from Poland

Poland’s Baltic coast has three main seaport complexes, all viable for a US-bound container. Gdańsk is the largest, and in recent years has become one of the EU’s biggest ports by container volume; Gdynia, next door, is a major container and ro-ro port; and Szczecin-Świnoujście in the northwest serves the western half of the country (Port of Gdańsk Authority, Port of Gdynia Authority). Deep-sea container services from Gdańsk and Gdynia typically feed the US East Coast (New York/New Jersey, Baltimore, Charleston) and, via connections, the West Coast; air freight moves through Warsaw Chopin and Kraków.

Transit times below are freight-industry estimates, not official figures, and vary with routing, transhipment and season. As a working guide, expect roughly 2-4 weeks port-to-port by sea and, realistically, 6-10 weeks door-to-door once packing, export clearance, sailing, US customs and final delivery are added. Air freight is far faster — often 1-2 weeks door-to-door — at several times the cost. Treat any single quoted number as an estimate and build slack into your plans.

4. The US import side — the form and the process

When your shipment reaches a US port, it clears through CBP. The central document is CBP Form 3299, the Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles, filed together with a detailed packing inventory and, usually, a copy of your passport/visa and a bill of lading (CBP process). Goods you have owned and used for 12 months enter free of duty; the form is where you attest to that. Note the long-stop rules CBP applies: after 10 years abroad, duty-free entry of household goods requires an explanation of the circumstances, and effects are not duty-free at all if 25 or more years have passed since your last arrival from the country where they were used.

Separately, when you personally arrive in the US you complete CBP Form 6059B, the customs declaration, for the goods travelling with you. Returning US residents get an US$800 duty-free personal exemption; non-resident visitors get US$100 (CBP — what to expect). Your container of used furniture is handled under the 3299 duty-free household-goods rules, not squeezed into the $800 allowance — the exemption is for new purchases and gifts you carry in. Alcohol, tobacco, food and plants have their own restrictions and should always be declared.

5. Pets — the rules at both ends

Leaving Poland (export). As an EU member, Poland issues pet documentation through official (state) veterinarians. Your Polish vet handles the microchip and vaccination records; for the US, the practical requirement is meeting the US entry rules below, so coordinate with your vet on timing well before departure.

Entering the USA — dogs. Since 1 August 2024 the CDC requires every dog entering the US to appear healthy, be at least 6 months old, have a microchip, and arrive with a CDC Dog Import Form online-submission receipt (CDC — bringing a dog). The CDC publishes only the list of high-risk rabies countries; a country not on that list — which includes Poland — is treated as dog-rabies-free or low-risk, and for such dogs the CDC Dog Import Form is the only required document (CDC — low-risk countries, CDC rabies status by country). The form is free and its receipt is valid for six months of repeat entries.

Entering the USA — cats. The CDC does not require a general certificate or import permit for cats, though a rabies vaccination is strongly advised and some US states require one (CBP — bringing a cat into the US). Check your destination state’s rules.

6. Vehicles, money and things people forget

Vehicles. Importing a car permanently is the hardest part of many moves. A vehicle under 25 years old must comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and be declared to the Department of Transportation on DOT Form HS-7, and meet EPA emissions rules on EPA Form 3520-1; vehicles 25 years or older are exempt from those safety and emissions requirements (CBP — importing a car, CBP vehicle requirements). Non-conforming vehicles generally require a Registered Importer and a bond. The undercarriage must be cleaned of foreign soil before import. For most people, a Polish-market car is not worth importing — sell it before you leave.

Money. You may carry any amount of currency, but you must report to CBP any total over US$10,000 — cash plus monetary instruments — on FinCEN Form 105, on arrival or departure. Failure to report risks seizure and penalties (CBP — money). The threshold applies to the total carried by a family or group travelling together, not per person.

Commonly forgotten. Keep alcohol and tobacco within limits and declare them; food, plants and wooden items may be restricted; medications should travel with prescriptions; and keep your used-goods inventory realistic and honest — under-valuing or mislabelling is what triggers inspections. Notify your Polish bank, ZUS/NFZ and utility providers separately from the residence deregistration.

How Flyto handles your Poland to the USA move

Flyto combines strong in-house European operations — our own offices, warehouses, teams and vehicles across Northern, Central and Southern Europe — with a carefully chosen network of vetted partners and subcontractors for the legs we do not run ourselves, plus trusted local partners in the United States for final delivery and customs support. That means your packing and export clearance in Poland are handled directly by people we manage, while your US-side arrival is coordinated with established American agents. We do not claim to do everything ourselves; we claim to own the parts that matter and to pick reliable partners for the rest.

Frequently asked questions

Do I pay Polish duty or VAT when I ship my belongings to the USA?
No. Sending your personal effects to the US is a customs export out of the EU; Poland does not charge duty or VAT on used personal goods leaving the country. The declaration is filed electronically in AES via PUESC.

Will my used furniture be taxed by US customs?
Generally not. Household goods and personal effects you have owned and used for at least 12 months enter the USA duty-free on CBP Form 3299, provided they are not for resale.

Do I really need to deregister in Poland?
Yes, if you leave for good or for more than six months. File the zgłoszenie wyjazdu za granicę no later than your departure day; it also removes your residence registration (gov.pl). Your PESEL stays valid.

What does my dog need to enter the USA?
From low-risk Poland: a microchip, minimum age 6 months, healthy appearance, and a CDC Dog Import Form receipt (CDC). No rabies titre test is required for low-risk countries.

How long will sea freight take?
As a freight-industry estimate (not an official figure): roughly 2-4 weeks port-to-port and about 6-10 weeks door-to-door from Gdańsk or Gdynia. Air freight is typically 1-2 weeks door-to-door.

Can I bring more than $10,000 in cash?
Yes, there is no limit — but you must report any amount over US$10,000 to CBP on FinCEN Form 105 (CBP).

The reverse direction: USA to Poland

Moving back the other way flips every rule. Your belongings become an EU import, eligible for transfer-of-residence relief (mienie przesiedlenia): personal property you owned and used for at least six months, brought in within 12 months of establishing residence in Poland, can enter free of customs duty — a separate transfer-of-residence VAT exemption applies under Polish VAT rules — provided you lived outside the EU for at least 12 months and do not sell the goods for 12 months after import (podatki.gov.pl). Pets entering Poland from the US need a microchip, a rabies vaccination given at least 21 days before travel, and an EU animal health certificate endorsed by USDA (USDA APHIS — US to Poland).

Sources

• CBP Form 3299 — Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles (PDF)
• CBP — process to move household goods and personal effects into the US
• CBP Form 6059B — Customs Declaration (PDF)
• CBP — What to Expect When You Return (personal exemptions)
• CBP — Money and Other Monetary Instruments
• CBP — Importing a Motor Vehicle
• CBP — Requirements for importing a personal vehicle
• CBP — Requirements for bringing a cat into the United States
• CDC — Bringing a Dog into the U.S.
• CDC — Entry Requirements for Dogs from Rabies-Free or Low-Risk Countries
• CDC — Rabies Status by Country
• USDA APHIS — Pet Travel From the United States to Poland
• PUESC / KAS — Export of goods (AES) service
• gov.pl — Report your departure abroad (zgłoszenie wyjazdu za granicę)
• Ministry of Finance (podatki.gov.pl) — Tax residence
• podatki.gov.pl — Mienie przesiedlenia (transfer-of-residence customs relief)
• Port of Gdańsk Authority
• Port of Gdynia Authority