Moving from Italy to Canada
A classic transatlantic move from the Mediterranean to North America, where the shipping is well trodden and the customs step is your settler goods list for the border. Here is the honest brief on cost, sea transit, and clearing the CBSA.
Costs are indicative ranges for 2026.
The honest summary of this move.
Moving a household from Italy to Canada is a long transatlantic ocean move, and the cost is driven by sea freight, your volume, and whether you share a container. For a 2 to 3 bedroom home a shared container runs roughly 4,500 to 9,500 US dollars in 2026, with door to door delivery in about five to eight weeks from Genoa to Halifax, Montreal, or onward to Toronto, Vancouver, or wherever you settle.
This is an ocean move across the Atlantic. Your goods are packed in Italy, loaded into a container at a port such as Genoa or Naples, sailed to a Canadian port such as Halifax or Montreal, cleared by Canadian customs, and trucked or railed to your address. Price is driven by your volume in cubic metres, whether you share or take a sole use container, the season, and the inland distance to your Canadian city. Because there is a long sea leg and a customs entry, the timeline runs in weeks.
Canada is outside the European Union and runs its own import regime, handled by the Canada Border Services Agency. The step that matters is presenting a list of your goods as a settler or returning resident. You prepare two copies of a detailed list of everything you are importing, including goods to follow, and the agency processes it on form BSF186, the Personal Effects Accounting Document. Used personal and household goods owned and used before you arrive can usually enter free of duty and tax when you are establishing residence.
Settling in then runs on a Social Insurance Number, the SIN, which you need to work and to access benefits and services in Canada. Open a Canadian bank account, arrange provincial health coverage, which can carry a waiting period in some provinces, and sort a provincial driving licence. Coming from Italy you move from the euro to the Canadian dollar, and you switch from a Mediterranean climate to Canadian winters, so factor warm clothing and the cost of setting up into your budget.
What it costs, by home size and method.
The numbers below are indicative ranges for Italy to Canada in 2026. It is a transatlantic ocean corridor, so volume, container choice, the inland distance, and the season drive the price.
Indicative ranges for 2026 in US dollars. The main drivers are volume in cubic metres, whether you share a container or take a sole use twenty or forty foot box, packing scope, port and bunker charges, the inland delivery distance to your Canadian city, and the season. Summer is peak, so a June to August move costs more. Air freight is much faster and much dearer, suited to a small, urgent load.
- + Best value for a 2 to 3 bedroom home
- + You pay only for the space you use
- - Consolidation and inland transit add time
- + Your goods seal in Italy and open in Canada
- + Faster and tighter scheduling
- - More than you need for a small load
- + Fastest way to get essentials across
- + Good alongside a sea shipment
- - Priced by weight, costly for a full home
A sane timeline for this move.
With a long ocean leg and a Canadian customs entry, the plan is about booking the sailing early and preparing your settler goods list so clearance at the border is straightforward.
Get three surveys
Have movers run video or in home surveys for an accurate volume and a binding quote that names your Italian collection point and your Canadian delivery address.
Book the sailing
Confirm a shared or sole use container and a sailing from a port such as Genoa, and start a detailed inventory of everything you are importing, including goods to follow.
Pack and load
The crew packs and inventories your goods in Italy and loads the container, which is trucked to the port and laden for the transatlantic sailing.
Ocean transit
The vessel sails across the Atlantic to a Canadian port such as Halifax or Montreal. Keep your goods list and documents ready for clearance.
Clear Canadian customs
You present your list of goods to the Canada Border Services Agency, processed on form BSF186, and used personal effects clear for inland delivery to your home.
Set up in Canada
Apply for a Social Insurance Number, open a bank account, arrange provincial health coverage, and sort a provincial driving licence.
Bringing your household goods into Canada.
Canada is outside the European Union and runs its own import regime through the Canada Border Services Agency. As a settler or returning resident, you present a list of your goods, processed on form BSF186, and used personal effects can usually enter free of duty and tax.
When you ship from Italy to Canada your goods are imported into Canada and cleared by the Canada Border Services Agency. As someone establishing residence, you prepare two copies of a detailed list of all the goods you are importing, with values, and you note items that are arriving later as goods to follow. The agency processes the list on form BSF186, the Personal Effects Accounting Document. Used personal and household goods that you owned and used before arriving can normally enter free of duty and tax when you are settling in Canada.
Some categories are treated separately. Alcohol and tobacco, firearms, certain food, plants, and a vehicle each follow their own rules and may attract duty, tax, or restrictions, and a vehicle must meet Canadian admissibility and safety standards. Goods bought new shortly before the move, rather than owned and used, can be assessed. Because Canada is a federation, some taxes and services are provincial, so your destination province shapes parts of the picture beyond the federal customs step.
Practical Canadian life then runs on the Social Insurance Number, the SIN, which you need to work and to access government programs. You also arrange provincial health coverage, which can carry a waiting period of up to a few months in some provinces, so private interim cover is worth considering. Open a Canadian bank account, exchange your licence for a provincial one within the allowed window, and keep your goods list and immigration documents, since they support your customs entry and your settlement.
Verify before you move. Canadian rules on settler goods, form BSF186, vehicles, and restricted items change and some taxes are provincial. Confirm the current position with the Canada Border Services Agency and your destination agent before you ship.The realistic routes for this corridor.
Italy is outside Canada, so unless you are already a Canadian citizen or permanent resident you will need an immigration status before you settle. These are the routes through which people on this corridor typically move.
Skilled workers can seek permanent residence through the Express Entry system, scored on age, education, language, and experience, and arranged before the move.
A province can nominate you for permanent residence to meet local labour needs, which can support an Express Entry profile or a separate stream.
A Canadian employer can support a temporary work permit, sometimes requiring a labour market assessment, as a route to live and work while you plan longer term.
A Canadian citizen or permanent resident can sponsor a spouse, partner, or eligible relative for permanent residence, subject to the conditions.
How to choose a mover for Italy to Canada.
We never name, rank, or recommend a moving company. Instead, here is the neutral checklist that matters on this exact lane. Apply it to any quote, then request comparable quotes through the form below.
FIDI or IAM affiliation
Membership of the FIDI Global Alliance or the International Association of Movers signals audited financial stability and a complaints process you can lean on if something goes wrong.
Real corridor experience
Ask how many households the company has shipped from Italy to Canada in the past year. A mover that runs the lane often knows the ports, the customs broker, and the paperwork by heart.
A binding pre move survey
Insist on a video or in home survey and a binding or not to exceed quote. A price built from a real volume estimate is the only quote you can compare like for like.
Clear insurance terms
Read how transit cover is calculated, what the deductible is, and whether valuation is by replacement value. Vague cover is the most common regret on an international move.
Verifiable reviews
Look for recent, specific reviews that name the destination, not just star ratings. Patterns in how a company handles claims tell you more than any single glowing note.
Written scope and timeline
Everything that matters belongs in writing: packing, customs clearance, delivery, unpacking, and debris removal, with who pays destination charges spelled out.
Get moving quotes for Italy to Canada.
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Questions people ask about this move.
How much does it cost to move from Italy to Canada?
For a 2 to 3 bedroom home, a shared container typically costs from about 4,500 to 9,500 US dollars in 2026. Volume, whether you share or take a sole use container, the inland distance, and the season drive the price. Base your budget on a binding pre move survey.
How long does shipping take from Italy to Canada?
Plan on roughly five to eight weeks door to door by sea, including the transatlantic leg from a port such as Genoa to Halifax or Montreal, customs clearance, and inland delivery. Air freight cuts the transit to one to two weeks at a far higher price.
Do I pay duty on my furniture moving from Italy to Canada?
Usually not. As a settler establishing residence, your used personal and household goods can normally enter free of duty and tax when you present your list to the Canada Border Services Agency on form BSF186, provided you owned and used them before arriving. Verify before you ship.
What is the BSF186 settler list?
BSF186 is the Personal Effects Accounting Document used by the Canada Border Services Agency. You provide two copies of a detailed list of the goods you are importing, including goods to follow, and the agency processes your used effects against it.
Can I bring my car from Italy to Canada?
You can, but a vehicle is treated separately from settler goods and must meet Canadian admissibility and safety standards before it can be imported and registered. Check the cost and the rules before deciding, since not every vehicle qualifies.