Moving To The United States

You may import such household effects and personal items as clothing, jewelry, cosmetics, furniture, dishes, linens, books, sports and leisure equipment, artwork, and similar household items for your personal use free of duty. To be eligible for duty free exemption, the articles must have either been available for your use or used in the household where you were a resident, for one year. The year does not need to be continuous, nor does it need to be the year immediately prior to the date of importation.

You do not need to accompany your goods when they cross the border. Our PODS international transportation service will handle this for you. The items will be cleared by US Customs at the border crossing. However, in order for the personal effects to enter the United States duty free, you must complete Customs Form 3299 (click here for instructions) and the PODS Container Inventory List, and make these forms available to PODS when your PODS containers are picked-up at your house. The form links and instructions can be accessed on this site, or PODS can fax or mail them to you. You must complete Form 3299 accurately. Items that may be liable for duty must be posted on Form 3299. The Inventory List requires that you list all the items that you are shipping in the PODS brand container. These items should all be duty-free. This is a mandatory requirement for any international move into the USA. We recommend that all closed cardboard boxes be labeled 'Packed by Owner', and that you write on the outside what type contents are in the sealed box. This will help expedite the clearing process at US Customs.

We must stress that Form 3299 and the Inventory List must accompany the shipment. Without those forms, the US Customs Service will not permit the goods to enter the United States. As stated above, once your move is booked, a customer service representative from PODS Logistics Center will be in close contact with you to assist you in making sure this documentation is done correctly and is available to PODS to present at the border.

In addition to Form 3299 and Inventory List, it is also necessary that you provide PODS with a Power of Attorney form which designates that our PODS transportation division can act on your behalf at the border, since you will not be accompanying your personal effects. Again, this is a standard requirement for a cross border move into the USA. In today's environment, there is always a chance that the Custom Service may want to open the PODS container for security purposes or to examine the items. This occurs on a random basis. Our driver needs to be empowered to cut the lock, open the PODS container door for Customs, and then close and relock the container unit. The drivers carry additional standard security locks to ensure your goods are always safe and secure. In the event that the PODS container is opened by Customs, PODS will make sure that the goods are resecured, and make sure you get a key to the new lock, so the container can be easily accessed at your selected destination in the USA.

It is important to note that the PODS carrier division is bonded, and all drivers have had the newly established security screening to comply with both the US and Canadian Customs standards.

Customers also need to know that items they are taking with them personally across the border must also be declared when crossing into the United States.

Restrictions
Due to safety, security, and USA customs regulations, the items below cannot be shipped inside your PODS container. Our Inter-Franchise moving contract also restricts many of these same items on our domestic relocation transactions. Please note those stated restrictions in your contract. There are links listed below to provide you with detailed information as to the US Customs importing requirements on these restricted items. Also your representative in the PODS Logistics Center will discuss these details with you and provide additional information on them, should you have any questions.

A complete review of restricted items for shipment is available at: http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/

US Customs restricted items with links for more information:

• Vehicles (cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats) http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/
• Hazardous Materials http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/
• Explosives http://www.atf.treas.gov/
• Weapons, Firearms, Munitions, Fireworks http://www.atf.treas.gov/
• Liquor http://www.atf.treas.gov/
• Livestock /Pets / Wildlife http://www.cdc.gov/
• Food and Dairy Products http://www.usda.gov/
• Biological Materials / Toxic Substances http://www.cdc.gov/
• Agricultural Products, including houseplants, seeds, plants, fruits, and vegetables http://www.aphis.usda.gov/
• Narcotics or any Illegal drug http://www.fda.gov/
• Money / Gold http://www.ustreas.gov/
• Cultural Artifacts and Property http://usinfo.state.gov/

Tips, Do's and Don'ts

Moving From U.S. To Canada