International Shifting
Global relocation made simple. From customs clearance to sea and air freight, we manage your entire international move.
International Shifting Done Properly, First Time
Moving abroad involves complex logistics, paperwork, and strict customs regulations. Globe Relocation has the expertise to manage your international transition flawlessly.
We provide end-to-end international moving services, coordinating air or sea freight, handling customs documentation, and partnering with trusted global agents for destination delivery.
Our specialized export packing uses international standard materials to ensure your belongings survive long overseas journeys.
Our International Shifting Process
Our professional packers follow a systematic, step-by-step process:
Consultation & Planning
Detailed planning regarding shipping modes, regulations, and timelines.
Export Packing
Using ISPM-15 certified wooden crates and moisture-proof packing.
Customs Clearance
Handling all origin and destination customs paperwork.
Global Delivery
Partner networks delivering and unpacking at your new international home.
Why Choose Us
Global Network
Partners in over 100 countries.
Customs Support
Expert handling of import/export documentation.
Sea & Air Freight
Flexible shipping options based on urgency and budget.
International Standard
Highest grade export packing materials.
Frequently Asked Questions
An International Move Is Three Jobs, and We Do One of Them
This is the thing the industry is vaguest about, so it goes first. An international move has three separate parts. Somebody packs your household and gets it to a port or an airport. Somebody handles the shipping, the customs paperwork and the destination clearance. And somebody delivers it at the other end. Those are frequently three different companies, and the middle one is a freight forwarder rather than a mover.
We are the first of those three and we say so plainly. We survey, pack to export standard, inventory everything in the detail customs requires, and deliver to your forwarder or the port. What we do not do is act as your customs broker, guarantee a clearance date in another country, or take responsibility for a duty assessment made by another country's authorities.
A mover who implies they control all three is either quietly subcontracting the whole thing or about to disappoint you at a point where you are in another country and can do very little about it. Ask any international mover which of the three they are actually doing, and get the answer in writing.
What Should Actually Go, and What Should Not
Sea freight is priced by volume, so every cubic metre you ship is a real cost, and a great deal of what people ship isn't worth the freight. Indian voltage appliances mostly won't work on a European or American supply. Mattresses and inexpensive board furniture almost never justify the space. Books are heavy and cheap to replace.
What is worth shipping is what you'd be sad to lose or couldn't buy again. Being honest about that list at the survey is worth more than any discount, and most households ship at least a third more than they should. One careful afternoon walking the house with that question has saved people more money than negotiating a rate ever will.
There's a related decision people don't think to ask about, which is whether to store rather than ship. If you're going abroad for a fixed term and intend to come back, storing here is frequently cheaper than shipping both ways and avoids the customs question in both directions. If you're going indefinitely, storage becomes an open ended bill on furniture you'll probably never see again. The honest test is whether you can name the month you're returning.
Timing, and the Month You Will Spend Without Your Things
Sea freight to most destinations is measured in weeks rather than days once you add loading, sailing and clearance. So you will be living without your household at the far end for a while, and people consistently underestimate how long that feels.
Plan an air shipment or accompanied baggage for the first month of essentials, and don't put anything into the sea load that you'll need before it arrives. That includes documents, professional equipment, medicines and children's things, and putting them in the container is the mistake we see most often and the one people regret longest.
Start six to eight weeks out. The packing is the short part. What takes time is deciding what goes, getting the inventory right, and lining up with a forwarder's sailing schedule, and none of those three compress well under pressure.
The Inventory Is the Document That Decides How Smoothly You Clear
Customs wants an itemised inventory, numbered and valued, in considerably more detail than a domestic move needs. It's tedious to produce and it is the single document that determines whether your shipment moves through clearance or sits waiting on somebody's desk.
A vague inventory is the commonest reason a container is held. So we do it properly, item by item rather than carton by carton, with declared values, and you keep a copy. Photograph it too.
Declare everything honestly, including things you think are trivial. Undeclared items are what turn a routine clearance into a problem with a fine attached, and the destination country's rules are not something anybody can argue with from India.
What International Shifting Costs
| Job | Price | What decides it |
|---|---|---|
| Full household prepared for a sea container | After Survey | Priced by cubic metre, so the list you cut is the bill you cut. |
| Air freight for the things you need immediately | After Survey | Charged on weight, so keep it to documents, clothes and work equipment. |
| Export standard inventory and documentation | After Survey | Itemised and valued, in the detail customs wants rather than a carton list. |
| Household stored in Bangalore instead of shipped | ₹2,999 onwards | Quoted as a defined period. Sensible for a fixed term posting, not an open ended one. |
| Domestic leg to the port, 2 BHK household | ₹6,000 – ₹10,500 | The Indian side at ordinary rates, plus the distance band to the port. |
| Car moved domestically before an overseas move | ₹6,000 – ₹12,000 | The Indian leg only. Getting a car out of the country is a different trade. |
Local moves start at ₹2,999. Interstate work is charged on distance bands of ₹15 to ₹28 per KM depending on the distance, quoted separately from the load so you can see both figures.
What International Shifting Does Not Include
Worth reading before you book. A mover who tells you this afterwards has cost you a day.
- We are not customs brokers. We do not clear your shipment, guarantee a clearance date, or take responsibility for a duty assessment made abroad.
- We do not control the sailing schedule or the destination delivery. Those belong to your freight forwarder, and we will tell you who they are.
- We do not ship vehicles. Exporting a car has its own paperwork and its own destination rules, and for most people selling here is the better answer.
- We do not ship hazardous, perishable or prohibited goods. Destination rules vary and they are not negotiable from this end.
- We do not advise on visas, tax residency or import duty liability. Those belong to professionals in those fields, and getting it wrong is expensive.
More Questions About International Shifting
Do you handle the whole international move?
We handle our part, which is the survey, export standard packing, the customs level inventory and delivery to your forwarder or the port. We are not customs brokers and we do not guarantee a clearance date in another country. Anybody implying they control all of it is either subcontracting quietly or about to disappoint you.
What should we actually ship?
What you would be sad to lose or could not buy again. Sea freight is priced by volume, so mattresses, cheap board furniture and books rarely earn their space, and Indian voltage appliances mostly will not work on a foreign supply anyway. Most households ship a third more than they should.
How long will it take to arrive?
Weeks rather than days for sea freight, once loading, sailing and clearance are added up. Plan an air shipment or accompanied baggage for the first month, and keep documents, professional equipment, medicines and children's things out of the container entirely.
Should we store instead of shipping?
If you are going for a fixed term and coming back, often yes, because it avoids the customs question in both directions. If you are going indefinitely, no, because it becomes an open ended bill on furniture you will probably never see. The test is whether you can name the month you are returning.
Who does the customs paperwork?
Your forwarder or a licensed broker, not us. What we provide is the itemised inventory in the detail customs requires, numbered and valued, and that document does a great deal of the work. A vague inventory is the commonest reason a container sits waiting.
Can you ship our car?
No. Exporting a car is a specialist matter with its own paperwork and its own destination rules, and it is frequently not worth doing. For most people the honest answer is to sell here and buy there, and we would rather say that than take the booking.
How far ahead should we start?
Six to eight weeks. Packing is the short part. Deciding what goes, getting the inventory right and lining up with a sailing schedule are the slow parts, and none of them compresses well when you are also handling a visa and a job.
Guides Related to International Shifting
Written from the jobs we actually run, not from a template.
