Moving from Canada to Ireland
An Atlantic crossing into a country where many Canadians already have a claim to citizenship. Here is the honest brief on container costs, the Irish transfer of residence relief, the PPS number steps, the routes in, and a timeline you can plan around.
An ocean move, and for many an easier route in than they expect.
Household moves from Canada to Ireland go by sea. Containers leave Halifax, Montreal, or Vancouver and arrive at Dublin or Cork, then clear customs and travel on by road. From the east coast the crossing is shorter, while west coast origins take longer. Air freight handles the essentials, but the container carries the home.
What makes this corridor distinctive is heritage. A large number of Canadians have an Irish born grandparent and qualify for Irish citizenship by descent, which removes the immigration question entirely. For everyone else there are work and family routes. On the goods side, Ireland offers a transfer of residence relief that lets used belongings in free of duty and value added tax when you genuinely move your home.
Prices below are in Canadian dollars and indicative for 2026. Ireland uses the euro, so budget for currency on the far side, and bear in mind that the Irish housing market, especially around Dublin, is tight and expensive, so securing an address early matters.
What it costs in 2026, by home size and method.
For an ocean move the figure is driven by volume, the Canadian port, and whether you fill a container or share one. The ranges below are indicative for 2026 in Canadian dollars, door to door.
Indicative 2026 ranges in Canadian dollars, door to door by sea. Volume, the Canadian coast you ship from, season, and access at both ends move the figure. West coast origins cost more than east coast ones.
- +Best value for a smaller home, you pay for the space you use
- +Consolidations run regularly from Canada into Dublin and Cork
- −Slower, because your goods wait for consolidation at each end
- +Faster and your goods travel sealed and alone
- +Worth it for a family home shipped in full
- −You pay for the whole box even if you do not fill it
- +Fastest way to get essentials across the Atlantic
- +Useful for the gap before your sea shipment lands
- −Rarely sensible for a full household on this route
Get moving quotes for Canada to Ireland.
Tell us your size and timing. We pass your request to vetted movers who run the Canada to Ireland ocean route and handle the transfer of residence clearance, and you compare them on your own terms.
A realistic schedule for this route.
Working back from your arrival in Ireland, here is a realistic schedule for an Atlantic move by sea.
Settle your status and customs route
Confirm whether you qualify for Irish citizenship by descent or need a visa, and prepare your transfer of residence claim, since your status and a clean customs file shape the whole move.
Get surveys and quotes
Have movers do in home or video surveys for an accurate volume and a binding price. Compare a shared container against a full container for your size and timing, and confirm your Canadian port.
Build your inventory
Prepare a detailed valued inventory with serial numbers for high value electronics, plus proof you owned and used the goods, since this underpins your duty and VAT free clearance into Ireland.
Pack and load the container
The crew packs and loads for the ocean leg. Confirm the sailing and keep your customs documents and passport ready for clearance.
Clear customs and settle in
Your agent clears the container on the transfer of residence basis with Irish Revenue, you take delivery, then you get your PPS number, register with immigration if required, and open a bank account.
Clearing your goods into Ireland.
Ireland lets people moving their home bring used belongings in free of customs duty and value added tax under transfer of residence relief, administered by the Revenue Commissioners, known as Irish Revenue. To qualify you generally need to have lived outside the European Union for a continuous period, to have owned and used the goods for at least the required months before the move, and to be transferring your normal residence to Ireland, keeping the goods for personal use.
Your shipping agent files the relief claim with Irish Revenue using a detailed valued inventory and evidence of your move, such as proof you are taking up residence and that you lived in Canada beforehand. A list that matches the container keeps clearance smooth, so note serial numbers for electronics and flag anything bought recently, since goods you have not owned and used long enough can fall outside the relief.
Some categories sit apart. Importing a vehicle from Canada into Ireland can involve vehicle registration tax and meeting Irish standards, and not every model is straightforward, so check before you ship a car. Pets travel under the European animal health rules with the right vaccinations and documents. Alcohol and tobacco beyond allowances, weapons, and certain foods and plants are controlled. Each of these has its own lead time worth planning for.
The routes in for this corridor.
Routes into Ireland for Canadians range from no immigration step at all, for those with Irish citizenship by descent, through employment permits, family, and a popular working holiday route for younger movers.
Many Canadians with an Irish born grandparent can claim Irish citizenship through the Foreign Births Register, which grants the right to live and work in Ireland with no visa. Check your eligibility early, as it changes everything.
For people with a job offer in an occupation on Ireland's critical skills list, meeting the salary threshold. A fast route to working in Ireland that can lead toward longer term residence.
For a wider range of occupations with a job offer meeting the criteria, where the role is not on the critical skills list. The broader work route into Ireland.
An arrangement that lets eligible young Canadians live and work in Ireland for a defined period, a popular first step that some later convert to an employment permit.
Your first weeks in Ireland.
Ireland runs on your PPS number. Get it and the rest of the admin opens up.
- 1Apply for your PPS number. The Personal Public Service number is needed to work, pay tax, and access public services. Apply once you have arrived and have an address and proof you need the number, such as a job.
- 2Register with immigration if required. Non European nationals staying beyond ninety days register and obtain an Irish Residence Permit, the IRP card, through the immigration service. Those entering as Irish or EU citizens skip this.
- 3Open an Irish bank account. A local account makes salary, rent, and bills simple. You will usually need proof of address and identity, so keep a tenancy or utility document to hand.
- 4Sort healthcare. Understand the Irish system, register with a local GP, and check whether you qualify for a medical card or GP visit card, otherwise budget for private cover and GP fees.
- 5Handle driving and the car. Check whether your Canadian licence can be exchanged or whether you must sit a test, and if you imported a vehicle, deal with vehicle registration tax and registration promptly.
How to pick a mover for this route, without the guesswork.
We do not rank or recommend individual companies. We teach you the criteria that separate a safe international move from an expensive mistake, then put your request in front of vetted movers who run this lane.
Check the trade affiliation. Membership of FIDI or IAM is the clearest signal a mover is financially screened and bound to industry standards for international household goods. For this route, ask whether the mover ships from Canada to Ireland regularly and handles the transfer of residence claim with Irish Revenue, because an agent who knows the relief keeps your clearance clean and your delivery on schedule.
Insist on a binding pre move survey. A real video or in home survey of your volume is the only honest basis for a price. A quote given without one is a guess that tends to grow on moving day.
Compare like for like. Read what each quote includes: packing, materials, customs clearance, destination delivery, stair or long carry charges, and insurance. The cheapest headline number is rarely the cheapest move.
Understand the insurance terms. Ask whether cover is full replacement value or depreciated, what the excess is, and how claims are handled. Read the valuation clause before you sign.
Read recent reviews for this corridor. A mover can be excellent locally and weak on international shipments. Look for verified reviews that mention the actual Canada to Ireland route and the customs experience.
Questions people ask about this move.
How much does it cost to move from Canada to Ireland?
For a two to three bedroom home by sea, plan on roughly 5,500 to 18,000 Canadian dollars door to door in 2026, depending on volume, the Canadian coast you ship from, and whether you share a container or fill one. A studio is much less and a four bedroom home more. These are indicative ranges, not a quote.
How long does shipping take from Canada to Ireland?
Expect about three to six weeks door to door by sea from the east coast, and longer from the west. A full container is at the faster end, while a shared container is slower because your goods wait for consolidation, plus customs clearance into Dublin or Cork.
Do I pay duty on my household goods moving to Ireland?
Not if you qualify for transfer of residence relief. Used belongings you have owned and used and are bringing when you move your home to Ireland can generally enter free of customs duty and value added tax through Irish Revenue, subject to the conditions. Verify the current rules before you ship.
Can I claim Irish citizenship as a Canadian?
Often yes. Many Canadians with an Irish born grandparent can claim Irish citizenship through the Foreign Births Register, which grants the right to live and work in Ireland without a visa. Check your eligibility early, as it can remove the immigration step entirely.
Do I need a visa to move from Canada to Ireland?
It depends. With Irish citizenship by descent you need no visa, while others use an employment permit, a family route, or the working holiday authorisation. Confirm your route with official Irish sources before you move.
What should I do first when I arrive in Ireland?
Apply for your PPS number, register with immigration if your status requires it, and open a bank account. Those steps unlock work, services, and daily life, and most other admin follows from them.
Last reviewed: 14 April 2026. We refresh this guide as costs, customs, and visa rules change.