MetEx House, 496a Great West Road, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW5 0TE  ·  Shipping since 1998
0800 096 38 39
🗻 & ✈ Shipping to the USA • UK’s America specialists • Since 1998

Shipping to the USA from the UK
Luggage, personal effects & household goods — by air or sea

Everything you need to ship to the United States in one place. We collect from your door anywhere in the UK, prepare the CBP Form 3299 customs paperwork, and deliver to New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and beyond. Air freight in 3–7 working days, or economical sea freight in roughly 2–5 weeks, subject to space and flight availability with the carriers. These sea transit times are approximate — the actual time depends on when your LCL container finishes loading and consolidating, the vessel’s sailing date and route, any transhipment hub before the final destination, and customs clearance, so please allow a week or two either side. Shipping to America since 1998.

Get a quote 📞 0800 096 38 39

After shipping personal effects to the United States since 1998, we’ve learned that a smooth US customs clearance comes down to two things: the right form, filled in properly, and a genuinely detailed inventory. Get those right and most shipments clear quickly; get them wrong and your goods can be held or assessed for duty. This guide brings together everything that actually matters for a UK–USA move, drawn from our own Heathrow-side operation and the thousands of America shipments we’ve handled.

Shipping from the United Kingdom to the United States

People describe this route in all sorts of ways — shipping from the United Kingdom to the United States, shipping from Great Britain to US addresses, or simply shipping from the UK to US — and it’s all the same door-to-door service. We collect from anywhere in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland and deliver to every state, so whether you’re shipping from England to USA or from anywhere else in Britain, your belongings are handled exactly the same way.

For most people, shipping to the United States is also the cheapest way to move more than a bag or two. The cheapest shipping from UK to USA is almost always by sea for volume, with air freight for anything you need quickly — either way you avoid the airline’s excess-baggage charges and never carry the weight through the airport.

Every way we ship to the USA

Not sure which service you need? Start here — each links to full details, transit times and what’s included.

How shipping to the USA works, step by step

1
Quote & book

Tell us what you’re sending and where. We’ll give you a clear quote up front.

2
Door collection

We collect from your address anywhere in the UK. No need to get anything to a depot or the airport.

3
Pack & document

Goods are export-packed and we prepare your itemised inventory and the CBP Form 3299 customs declaration.

4
Ship by air or sea

Air freight from Heathrow, or consolidated sea freight to your nearest US port.

5
US customs clearance

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) assesses your Form 3299 and inventory. We prepare everything to clear cleanly.

6
Delivery or collection

Your goods are delivered to the US address, or ready to collect from the arrival depot.

CBP Form 3299 and the one-year rule

The United States lets you bring your used personal and household effects in free of duty — but only under specific conditions, declared on the right form.

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CBP Form 3299 (Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles) is the form for anything shipped separately from you. It supports your duty-free claim and is assessed by US Customs and Border Protection. We prepare it with you.
The duty-free rule: household effects — furniture, books, linens, artwork, everyday belongings — can enter free of duty if they were used abroad for at least one year in a household you were a member of. The year of use need not be continuous or immediately before you move.
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Who qualifies: returning US citizens and residents, immigrants (new green-card holders) and non-residents relocating on a long-term work or study visa. Each completes a slightly different part of the form — we’ll guide you to the right one.
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A detailed inventory is mandatory. “Household effects” on its own is not enough — CBP requires a full, itemised list, which doubles as your packing list. A clear inventory is the single biggest factor in a fast clearance.
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What’s still assessed for duty: anything owned under a year, plus alcohol and tobacco regardless of age. Firearms you previously owned in the US need proof (a CBP Form 4457 or original documents).

Read the full US customs guide ›

What CBP restricts — and what slows shipments down

US customs is less about biosecurity than some destinations, but CBP and the USDA still inspect shipments and restrict certain goods. Declaring honestly and packing sensibly is what keeps your clearance quick.

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Restricted & prohibited: most foodstuffs, plants, seeds, fresh produce and many agricultural or animal products are restricted or barred by the USDA. Leave them out — they’re the fastest way to a hold.
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Alcohol & tobacco don’t travel duty-free with a household move and can need permits — it’s usually simpler to leave them behind.
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List what everything is. Vague box contents invite inspection; a clear, itemised inventory clears faster. Number your boxes to match the list.
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When in doubt, declare it. Everything is subject to CBP inspection, and declaring is free — failing to declare restricted goods can mean penalties, delays or seizure.

What we see most often — and how to avoid it

Most UK–USA shipments clear without drama. The ones that don’t nearly always come down to the same short list of things:

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A vague inventory. “Box of assorted items” is an invitation to open the box. “Books, kitchenware, cotton bedding” is not. On US moves the inventory is the customs document — detail saves you time and money.
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Misreading the one-year rule. It’s about owning and using the goods abroad for a year, not when you bought them. A brand-new item bought for the move doesn’t qualify for duty-free entry.
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The wrong Form 3299 section. Returning citizens, new immigrants and visa holders each complete different parts. Filling in the wrong one is a common cause of a bounce-back — we make sure it matches your status.
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Trying to bring the drinks cabinet. Alcohol and tobacco don’t ride along duty-free and can stall a whole shipment. It’s almost always simpler to leave them out.

What a move to the USA actually looks like

An illustrative example of a common scenario — your quote is always to your exact shipment.

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A family relocating to New York on a work visa with the contents of a two-bed flat — furniture, boxes and books — would typically go by shared-container sea freight to the Port of New York/New Jersey. We’d collect from their door, export-pack, and prepare the Form 3299 and a full itemised inventory matched to their visa status. Transit is usually in the 2–5 week range door-to-door, and with the paperwork clean the goods clear CBP without a hold. Anything urgent — documents, a laptop, a few essentials — goes ahead by air so it’s there when they land.

Door-to-door to every major US city

We ship to every state. Here are our most popular destinations — each with local delivery detail, arrival ports and transit times:

Which is right for your move?

Air freight suits a few boxes, urgent items or anything you need within a week or two — 3–7 working days, priced on weight and size. Sea freight suits volume — a room, a family’s contents or a whole home — at a fraction of the per-kilo cost, over roughly 2–5 weeks door-to-door. Many customers split the two: air for the essentials, sea for the rest.

Moving-to-USA shipping guide ›

Shipping to the USA — your questions answered

Should I ship my belongings or pay the airline for extra bags? +
For anything beyond one or two extra bags, shipping is usually cheaper than airline excess-baggage fees — and you’re not lugging the weight through the airport. We collect from your door, ship door-to-door and prepare the CBP paperwork.
How long does it take? +
Air freight is typically 3–7 working days to the arrival airport, plus clearance. Sea freight is typically 2–5 weeks door-to-door depending on the port and sailing, plus US customs clearance.
Will I pay duty? +
Used household and personal effects owned and used abroad for a year or more can usually clear duty-free under CBP Form 3299, if you’re a returning resident, an immigrant or a visa holder relocating. New items, alcohol and tobacco are assessed for duty.
What paperwork do I need? +
A detailed, itemised inventory, a copy of your passport/visa, and CBP Form 3299 (the Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles). We prepare these with you and match the form to your residency status.
Can I send electrical items? +
Yes — electricals and appliances are fine to ship. Note the US runs on 120V and uses different plugs, so some UK items may need a transformer or replacing.
Can someone else clear or receive my shipment? +
Yes. If you’re not travelling with your goods, you can authorise an agent in writing to clear them on your behalf, alongside your completed Form 3299. We can deliver to or arrange collection by a nominated person.
Is my shipment insured? +
We offer marine transit cover — we’ll explain the options and cost when we quote. We always recommend cover for a long-haul move.
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Lak Kharod, Director
Excess Luggage Co. • overseeing UK–USA shipping since 1998 • MetEx House, Hounslow, next to Heathrow

Excess Luggage Co. has shipped personal effects, luggage and household goods from the UK to the United States for over 28 years — through our own Heathrow-side warehouse and collection fleet. We know this route, its ports, and exactly what US Customs looks for. For a quote or advice on what to pack, call us on 0800 096 38 39.

Ready to ship to the USA?

Tell us what you’re sending and where it’s going. We’ll come back with a quote and a realistic transit-time estimate — before you commit to anything.