When you’re relocating from Australia to the United States, you’ll need to arrange a visa or residency with US immigration authorities. You’ll have to have a valid passport, apply for a visa or green card, prove you’ve got sufficient funds, and book your travel.
Before you leave there’s accounts to close – bank, memberships, mobile phone – and utility bills to settle. On top of all of this, you’ve got to sort the transportation of all your worldly goods! So, how long is shipping from Australia to USA? Find out all you need to know here…
Shipping Options
Shipping from Australia to USA can be done by sea freight or air freight. Cheap sea freight can cost around five times less than air freight making it a very affordable option.
One disadvantage is that the shipping time from Australia to USA is slow – container ships can take several weeks to complete the journey so plans need to be put in place well in advance. As with any international shipping where customs processes are slow can take up to six weeks.
If sea freight is your preferred choice your possessions will be shipped in appropriately sized containers. If your load is less than about 15 cubic metres, a shared-use container will be designated.
Most shipping suppliers will provide a full door-to-door service which means the entire process will be handled for you from your former property to your new one.
Airfreight is much quicker – a cargo plane will ship from Australia to USA in approximately two to three days. The downside is that it’s very expensive – you often pay a huge premium for an air freight service which can make it unaffordable if you’ve got limited funds.
Depending on the state you’re shipping to a general time calculation is about five to 10 working days for a shipment to reach the US by air freight.
Shipping Regulations
By following this basic advice, the US customs regulations will be less overwhelming:
You need to make an inventory of the items you’re bringing into the USA – this packing list ensures that you declare everything.
You can import household goods and personal effects duty-free as long as you’ve used them for at least a year before your move, and they’re intended for use in your new home.
As custom officials may open and inspect containers you need to be aware of items that aren’t allowed into the country and these restricted items include:
- Narcotics and some medicines
- Hazardous materials
- Trademarked goods suspected of being counterfeit
- Weapons and firearms
- Pornographic materials
- Plant and animal products
- Livestock
Sending goods by air freight is subject to
Packages and Letters
Times for International shipping from Australia to USA for parcels can be calculated on a shipping comparison calculator. You can determine the best shipping route for your items by assessing four key factors – width, height, weight, and time.
It usually only takes a week for packages to get to USA from Australia – two weeks at the most. Often shipping can take as little as four days.
How Long Is Shipping From Australia To USA?
You can expect 7 to 14 business days using standard International postage. A typical first-class mail takes approximately 10 days. Bear in mind that most mail takes three to five days to cross the US – and travels faster between major cities with airports.
Professional Shipping Services
Shipping from Australia to US is a speciality of trusted shipping experts. There’s a whole range of International couriers to choose from that ensure you’ll get the most cost-effective service for your needs. And there are no limits on size or weight. All of your items will have full insurance protection throughout the journey. And packing of any breakable goods or fragile items will be taken care of for you.
Although they can’t calculate the exact shipping time – often due to unforeseen circumstances – you’ll be given a quality assurance that your items will arrive as fast as possible. You’ll be given all the help and advice you need from an experienced specialist who will source the fastest method to get your items where they need to go. And time-sensitive packages will get a guaranteed delivery time.