XpatXperience - International Moving

So you're moving overseas, but how does that work? What are the things to consider, what kind of prices can you expect?

International Moving

It is always a good idea to get several quotations from different international moving companies, since prices and service levels may vary. Generally, the price for international moving is around SGD 800.- to SGD 1000.- per cubic meter. This price includes everything: people coming to your house to pack everything, cartons, boxes and protective materials, loading, shipping, unloading and unpacking at your new house, paperwork, customs, the works!

What to ship?

When moving overseas, you may not want or need to bring all your belongings with you. For instance, Singapore has 220 volts of electricity, so bringing your 110 volts equipment is useless unless you have a voltage regulator. Winter clothes are not needed here unless you plan to go holidaying in colder areas.

Be careful with bringing things that are easily affected by heat and humidity. This goes specifically for items such as photos, photo albums, (precious) books, records, cassette tapes, old VHS tapes, old prints, sensitive fabrics, sensitive equipment, expensive wines, expensive wood carvings, etc. You may want to consider not taking these items and putting them in storage back home.

What to bring?

Fast as international transport is these days (customs clearance sometimes is the bottleneck) you will need to bring enough for your first days or weeks in a hotel or appartment. Despite this maybe feeling like a holiday, it is not, so take care in packing.

If you have been a regular business traveller yourself you probably have a good idea of what to bring in terms of work-related clothing, IT etc. If you are moving with (young) children however you need to consider they are moving to their new 'home' and should get that feeling even if there is a temporary accomodation first. Make sure you pack their favourite toys, books, blanky etc. so they are comfortable in their new place. This probably needs to be more than just for a holiday and a few sets of extra, tropical, clothing here are easily enough bought.

Moving day

On moving day, you will look out the window and see a 20 feet or 40 feet ocean container on a huge trailer parked outside your house. You will see all your neighbors peeking through their kitchen windows, and you will find a small army of movers, armed with tape, cutters and boxes at the front door. Make sure you have cleaned everything because the movers will pack everything the way they find it. You don't need to do anything but oversee the work and mark the boxes so you know what's inside. Movers will put all sorts of unrelated items in the same box so mark these boxes well and in detail, or you'll have a hard time finding the right box once it arrives in Singapore.

About 4 hours after the truck arrived, it is gone and you are left in a completely empty house. The next time you see your furniture again, it will be in Singapore.

Arriving in Singapore

All major international moving companies have partnerships or alliances with local international moving companies in Singapore. They will take care that their local counterpart will get your furniture through customs, onto a truck and delivered to your new house. They will contact you when your belongings arrive in Singapore to make the necessary plans.

The moving company will unpack everything and will take the empty boxes and rubbish with them. All you need to do is give instructions. That same night, you will be sleeping in your own bed again.

Advertise with us

Interested in advertising with us?