Dangerous goods are banned on every international move: flammable liquids like petrol, paint, and solvents, aerosols, gas cylinders, fireworks, and ammunition. Used personal belongings you've owned for six months or more usually ship duty-free. What changes by destination is biosecurity and customs paperwork. Australia is the strictest. No food, no untreated timber, no soil. EU moves are the cleanest. Your surveyor gives you a definitive list before anything is packed.

Most people planning a move abroad assume the question is what fits in the truck. The more useful question is what's allowed across the border. Get that wrong and your shipment can be held, inspected, fumigated at your cost, or, in the case of food and plants, confiscated outright.

Some rules are the same wherever you're going. Others depend entirely on the destination. This guide covers both, the items that never travel, the ones that need declaring, and what each destination checks for.

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What can't go on any international move?

Some items are banned on every removal, anywhere in the world, because they're classed as dangerous goods for road and sea transport. This has nothing to do with the destination country and everything to do with the safety of the shipment. No reputable remover will load them.

The list covers anything flammable, pressurised, explosive, or corrosive:

• Flammable liquids: petrol, diesel, kerosene, lighter fluid, paint, paint thinners, white spirit, solvents, and nail varnish remover
• Aerosols and pressurised cans: hairspray, deodorant, spray paint, WD-40, and similar
• Gas cylinders: camping gas, BBQ propane bottles, oxygen tanks, and fire extinguishers
• Explosives: fireworks, flares, party poppers, and ammunition
• Corrosives and pool chemicals: bleach in bulk, acids, chlorine, and cleaning chemicals in quantity
• Other: matches, lighters, and open or half-used fuel containers of any kind

Empty a lawnmower, strimmer, or chainsaw of fuel before it's packed. Drain the petrol and run the engine dry. A full or part-full fuel tank is enough to hold the whole load.

What ships fine but needs declaring?

A second group of items can travel, but they have to be declared and may attract duty, excise, or an inspection. Hiding them is what causes problems, not the items themselves.

Alcohol and tobacco. These can usually be shipped, but they're subject to excise duty and quantity limits in most destinations, and some countries won't allow them in a household shipment at all. Declare exactly what's in the load. A modest wine collection is often fine; a garage full of duty-free spirits is a different conversation.

New items and anything still boxed. Used personal effects get relief from import duty and VAT. New goods, items still in their original packaging, and anything bought commercially for resale do not. If you've a genuinely new purchase going in the shipment, declare it separately rather than burying it in the inventory.

Medicines. Personal prescription medication is fine in reasonable quantities with the prescription to hand. Controlled substances and large quantities can be restricted, so check the destination's rules before you pack a year's supply.

Valuables and documents. Passports, birth and marriage certificates, jewellery, cash, and irreplaceable paperwork should travel with you, not in the container. Not because they're prohibited, but because a shipment can take weeks and you'll want these in your hand luggage.

Biosecurity: the rules that catch people out

Biosecurity is where most Irish moves hit trouble, and it's almost entirely about organic material: food, plants, soil, and untreated wood. The rules exist to stop pests and diseases crossing borders, and enforcement is serious.

Australia has the strictest biosecurity regime in the world. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) inspects household shipments, and the list of what gets stopped surprises people:

• Food of any kind: fresh, dried, packaged, tinned, or vacuum-sealed. Spices, condiments, and baby food included. It won't arrive, so don't pack it.
• Seeds, soil, and plant material: dried flowers, potpourri, potted plants, herbal teas, and even traces of soil on garden tools.
• Outdoor and sporting gear: hiking boots, tents, camping equipment, bikes, and fishing gear with any mud or organic matter on them. Clean everything thoroughly before it's packed.
• Untreated timber: furniture, decorative items, and crates need to meet the ISPM 15 heat-treatment standard. No stamp, no entry.

New Zealand, the USA, and Canada all run their own biosecurity checks on wood, plant material, and food, though none are as strict as Australia. Within the EU, the rules are far lighter, but soil on garden tools and untreated wooden items can still draw attention. The safe habit on any move: clean anything that's been in contact with soil, and don't ship food.

What does each destination check for?

Beyond biosecurity, every destination has its own customs paperwork for a household move. This is the documentation that grants your belongings duty-free entry as personal effects, and getting it right is what keeps a shipment moving. A good remover prepares it for you.

Destination: EU (Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands)
Customs relief/paperwork: No import duty or VAT on used goods owned 6+ months; detailed inventory
What to know: The cleanest moves. No customs border for personal effects.

Destination: USA
Customs relief/paperwork: ISF 10+2 pre-filed 24 hours before departure; CBP Form 3299
What to know: Missing the ISF filing causes fines and delays.

Destination: Canada
Customs relief/paperwork: CBSA Form B4E (list of goods imported)9
What to know: A full inventory with values, submitted on arrival.

Destination: Australia
Customs relief/paperwork: CBSA Form B4E (list of goods imported)9
What to know: The most paperwork and the strictest inspection.

The pattern is simple: EU moves are light on customs, non-EU moves need specific forms filed at specific times, and Australia sits at the far end for both paperwork and biosecurity. Each of these is covered in more depth on the relevant country page.

The six-month rule, and why it matters

Across almost every destination, the relief that lets your belongings enter duty-free applies to used personal effects you've owned and used for at least six months before the move. It's the single most important rule for keeping costs down.

The practical implications:

• Buying new furniture right before a move can backfire. A sofa bought the week before you ship may not qualify for relief and could attract duty. If you're replacing big items, either do it well ahead of the move or wait until you arrive.
• Keep proof of ownership and residence. Utility bills, bank statements, and a tenancy end date show the goods were genuinely yours and that Ireland was your main home. Some customs authorities ask for it.
• Declare new items honestly. If something new genuinely has to travel, list it separately. It's cheaper than the alternative if it's found.

How AMC keeps your shipment moving

We handle the customs and biosecurity side of every international move, so you're not reading government guidelines at midnight trying to work out what qualifies.

That means preparing the right paperwork for your destination  (ToR1 for the UK, ISF and CBP Form 3299 for the USA, CBSA Form B4E for Canada, the personal effects statement and ISPM 15 timber compliance for Australia) and building the inventory that every one of them depends on. At the pre-move survey, your surveyor gives you a clear, destination-specific list of what can travel, what needs declaring, and what to leave behind, before a single box is packed.

Twenty-five years of doing this means the surprises land on us, not on you.

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FAQs

Q.Can I ship food when moving abroad from Ireland?

‍For most destinations it's not worth it, and for Australia it's banned outright. DAFF confiscates all food, including packaged, tinned, and sealed items. Even where it's technically allowed, food adds biosecurity risk to your whole shipment for little benefit. Leave it behind and restock on arrival.

Q.Why can't removal companies ship paint, petrol, or aerosols?

‍These are classed as dangerous goods for road and sea transport because they're flammable or pressurised. The restriction is about the safety of the shipment, not the destination, so it applies to every international move regardless of where you're going.

Q.Do I pay import duty on my belongings?

‍Usually not. Used personal effects you've owned for at least six months generally qualify for relief from import duty and VAT when you're relocating your main residence. New items, commercial goods, and anything still boxed don't qualify and should be declared separately.

Q.What is ISPM 15 and why does it matter for Australia?

‍ISPM 15 is the international heat-treatment standard for timber used in shipping. Australia (and several other countries) won't admit untreated wooden furniture or crates without it, because untreated timber can carry pests. AMC handles ISPM 15 compliance on Australian moves.

Q.Can I bring my car?

‍Vehicles aren't covered by household goods relief and follow a separate import process with their own taxes and registration steps, which vary by country. For older or lower-value cars, selling in Ireland and buying on arrival is often cheaper than importing. We quote vehicle transport separately.

Q.What should I keep with me rather than ship?

‍Passports, birth and marriage certificates, jewellery, cash, medication, and any irreplaceable documents. A shipment can take weeks to arrive, so anything you'll need immediately or can't replace belongs in your hand luggage, not the container.

Get started

AMC has been moving Irish families abroad for over 25 years, across the EU, the UK, North America, and Australia. FIDI-accredited and FAIM-certified, the highest independent standards in international moving, held by fewer than 600 companies worldwide. We prepare the customs and biosecurity paperwork for your destination and tell you exactly what can and can't travel before you pack.

The first step is a free pre-move survey, in-home or by video call. It takes 30 to 60 minutes and gives you a fixed quote and a destination-specific list of what to ship, declare, and leave behind.

Get a free pre-move survey here.

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AMC Removals is an Irish-owned international removal company with over 25 years of experience. FIDI-accredited and FAIM-certified.

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