Shipping and Removals in Calgary
Expats who are interested in shipping items to Calgary should read this page carefully. Shipping your belongings to, or removing them from a foreign country, can be an expensive and stressful process – but the advice presented here should help make the ordeal a little easier.
Firstly, you are encouraged to always ask yourself, before committing to packing the item up and sending it over, “Do I really need it?” The best advice on shipping is, unless you really need it, leave it behind – so long as it's safely stored, it will be waiting for you when you get home! Shipping can be shockingly expensive, and often you can repurchase goods in Canada far more cheaply than it'd cost to freight them over.
Secondly, before shipping to Calgary, be sure you have your B4a (customs) form prepared when you land. This is the form that acts as the inventory of your goods – and which you must present to customs when you arrive in Canada, informing them of the items of yours that will be following you by commercial shipment at a later point. There is no expiration date concerning when you can import your personal items once this document is on file with the Canada Border Services Agency – but if you don't submit the form, you will be taxed on your items when they do eventually arrive. When filling the B4a form in, be sure to provide not only an item-by-item value, but a sum total of the value of goods to be imported as well. Also – importantly – if anything (laptops, cameras, etc.) you are bringing in has a serial number, ensure that you note it on your form. Finally, if items are too unique for descriptions (artworks, curios, etc.), provide photos of them, attached to the customs form.
It's a really good idea to shop around for quotes before deciding on who will ship your goods to Calgary. To underline the importance of shopping around for the best possible quote, note that – in the same month, and for the same service (sole use of a 20-foot container, with complete packing services) – expats moving from the UK to Calgary have reported paying sums as wildly divergent as £3,500 to £9,000!
A fantastic resource for expats looking to ship their goods to Canada is the Canadian Association of Movers (CAM) – an organisation which documents the history and legitimacy of leading removal companies. Needless to say, if the company you're interested in doesn't appear on their database, it's probably less than reputable.
Finally, for expats looking to move with pets, expect to have to provide up to three years of veterinary records, and certification for the shipping of pets.
