Sending a few suitcases or boxes ahead of you is one of the simplest parts of a move abroad. You pack them, they are collected, and they are waiting when you land. Then, for some people, a message arrives asking for a payment before the boxes can be released.
It is an unwelcome surprise when you have already paid for the shipping. It is also usually avoidable. Most of the charges that can apply to unaccompanied baggage come from how it was declared, not from what is in it.
Quick answer: Used personal belongings that you are taking to live with you in a new country usually enter free of duty and import tax, if they are declared as personal effects on the right form, with a proper packing list. Charges are more likely if the boxes contain new items, alcohol or tobacco, if they are declared as an ordinary parcel, if they arrive long before you, or if customs or biosecurity decides to inspect them. Ask before booking which destination charges your quote includes.
What charges can apply when unaccompanied baggage arrives?
| Charge | Who sets it | When it applies | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Import duty | Destination customs | New or recently bought items, gifts, items for sale, alcohol and tobacco; or if the personal-effects concession is not claimed | Declare as personal effects on the right form; list new items honestly |
| Import tax (GST or VAT) | Destination customs | Same as duty; in some countries on the full value of dutiable goods | As above |
| Disbursement or advancement fee | The courier or broker who pays duty on your behalf | Whenever duty or tax is paid for you before delivery | Avoid the duty, or pay it directly if the carrier allows |
| Customs broker or clearance fee | The broker who lodges your paperwork | Sometimes included in the shipping price, sometimes not | Ask whether destination clearance is included |
| Terminal handling and storage | Airport, port or warehouse | Storage builds up daily if the boxes cannot be cleared or collected | Make sure documents are ready and someone can receive the boxes |
| Inspection fees | Customs or biosecurity | If your boxes are selected for inspection | An accurate packing list and nothing restricted in the boxes |
| Delivery from the airport or port | Local carrier | If the price was “to the airport” rather than “to the door” | Check whether the quote is door to door |
The review that prompted this guide, from someone who sent three suitcases from Scotland to Australia in October 2026, described courier fees on arrival that added substantially to the cost. That is the disbursement and clearance line in the table: easy to miss in a quote, and easy to ask about before booking.
Why do used personal belongings usually clear without duty?
Most countries give people moving to live there a concession for their own used belongings, because taxing someone’s clothes, books and kitchen things would make little sense. The details differ, but the test is broadly the same everywhere:
- the items are yours, and you have owned and used them before the move;
- they are for your own use, not for sale or as gifts;
- you are moving to live in the country (or returning to it), not visiting.
New items, alcohol, tobacco and anything commercial usually fall outside the concession. Some countries also treat new personal electronics differently.
This is the same idea as Transfer of Residence relief in the UK and the EU. Our guide to Transfer of Residence relief explains how it works for moves into Europe.
Which form do you need for your destination?
| Destination | Form | Key points from the official guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Unaccompanied Personal Effects Statement, Form B534 | For household and personal items that arrive separately from you. Completed by the owner; it can be lodged by a customs broker or a nominee. Packing list and passport copy required. Personal effects generally need to have been owned and used overseas, usually for 12 months, to qualify duty-free. Plants, wooden items and animal products must be declared for biosecurity. |
| Canada | BSF186 Personal Effects Accounting Document (with a list of goods to follow) | Settlers list everything they are bringing, including what will arrive later, when they first enter Canada. Goods arriving later qualify only if they were on that list. Alcohol and tobacco are excluded from the settler exemption. |
| USA | CBP Form 3299, Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles | Used for personal and household effects that arrive without you. Household effects must have been used abroad for at least a year by you or your family to enter duty-free. A full packing list is expected; “household goods” on its own is not enough. |
| New Zealand | NZCS 218, with the MPI biosecurity declaration | Effects must have been personally owned by you while overseas and be for your own use. New items can qualify, except personal electronic devices such as phones and laptops. You do not need to be in New Zealand when the shipment arrives. |
Rules change. Check the official page for your destination before you send anything, and ask your shipper which form they will use.
Sending Boxes Ahead Of Your Move?
We can tell you which customs form your destination needs, what to put on the packing list and which destination charges your quote covers, before anything is collected.
Why does baggage get charged when the contents are just clothes?
In our experience, the contents are rarely the reason. These are the usual causes:
- It was sent as an ordinary parcel. A suitcase sent by a standard courier service may be cleared like an online purchase, with duty and tax assessed on its declared value. Sent as unaccompanied personal effects, with the right form, the same suitcase usually clears free.
- The packing list was vague. “Personal items” invites questions. A list by box (“Box 3: winter clothes, two pairs of boots, bedding”) is what customs and biosecurity expect.
- New items were mixed in. A new laptop still in its box, or gifts for family, can make part of a consignment dutiable. List them separately and keep the receipts.
- It arrived long before you. Some countries will not clear personal effects until you are there, or until your visa is in place. Meanwhile storage builds up.
- Something needed a biosecurity check. In Australia and New Zealand especially, walking boots with soil, wooden items and food will be inspected, and inspection is charged.
What does a baggage quote from Gerson Moving Services include?
Before you book any baggage shipping service, ours included, ask four questions:
- Is the price door to door, or to the airport or port?
- Is customs clearance at the destination included, and who lodges the form?
- Are duties and taxes excluded, and if they apply, who pays them and how?
- What happens, and what does it cost, if the boxes arrive before I do?
Our international baggage shipping service sends suitcases, boxes and personal effects by air or sea. When you book, we will tell you which form your destination needs and what goes on the packing list, so your boxes are declared as what they are: your belongings, moving with you.
How do you pack and label baggage so it clears quickly?
- Number every box and write a matching packing list, box by box.
- Keep new items, and their receipts, in a separate box.
- Clean shoes, sports equipment and anything that has been outdoors.
- Leave out food, plants, seeds and anything flammable. Our guide to what you can’t ship has the full list.
- Put a copy of the packing list inside the first box as well as with the paperwork.
- Keep passports, visas, medicines, valuables and documents with you, not in the baggage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I pay customs duty on my own clothes and belongings when I move abroad?
Usually not, if you are moving to live in the country and the items are your own used belongings. Most countries have a personal-effects concession for exactly this. You normally need to claim it on a specific form with a packing list, and new items, alcohol and tobacco may still be charged.
What is unaccompanied baggage?
Unaccompanied baggage is luggage or boxes of your personal belongings that travel separately from you, usually as air or sea freight, rather than checked in on your flight. Because it arrives separately, it goes through customs on its own paperwork.
Can someone else collect my boxes if I have not arrived yet?
Often yes. Australia allows the form to be lodged by a customs broker or a nominee, and New Zealand says you do not need to be in the country when your shipment arrives. Rules vary, and some countries require you to be present or to hold your visa first, so check before the boxes are sent.
Why did a courier charge me a fee on top of the duty?
Couriers and brokers often pay duty and tax to customs on your behalf so the parcel is not held, and then charge a fee for doing it. It is sometimes called a disbursement or advancement fee. Declaring your boxes correctly as personal effects is the most reliable way to avoid both the duty and the fee.
Is it cheaper to send boxes by sea or by air?
Sea freight is usually much cheaper for more than a few boxes, but takes weeks rather than days. Air freight suits a small consignment of essentials you need soon after arriving. Our guide to sea freight vs air freight compares the two by volume.
What happens if my boxes are held at customs?
Customs will say what it needs, usually a form, a clearer packing list or proof of your visa, and storage is charged while it waits. Sending the missing document quickly is usually enough. Our guide to belongings held at customs explains the common causes and who normally pays.
