Moving from Italy to the United States
A transatlantic sea move from the Mediterranean to America. Here is the honest brief on container costs, the CBP Form 3299 that keeps your goods duty free, the visa reality, and a realistic timeline.
File CBP Form 3299 correctly and your used goods reach America duty free.
A move from Italy to the United States is a transatlantic sea haul, usually leaving Genoa or La Spezia and sailing to a US East Coast port such as New York and New Jersey, Baltimore or Norfolk. The ocean leg runs about two to four weeks, and a realistic door to door window is four to seven weeks once consolidation, US customs clearance and inland delivery are counted. For a home on the West Coast, expect longer because the goods either route through the Panama Canal or cross the country by road or rail after landing on the East Coast.
The customs picture is friendly if you prepare for it. US Customs and Border Protection lets you bring used household goods and personal effects free of duty when you have owned and used them abroad for at least one year, declared on CBP Form 3299, the Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles, with a supplemental declaration and a packing inventory. The relief covers returning residents, immigrants and long term visa holders.
Prices below are in euros and indicative for 2026. Your real number turns on volume, whether you share a container or take a full one, the destination port and how far inland your US home is.
What it costs in 2026, by home size and container.
Your bill is driven by volume, whether you share a container or fill your own, the destination port and the inland delivery distance. The figures below are indicative ranges for 2026 in euros, door to door.
Indicative 2026 ranges in euros, door to door by sea from Genoa or La Spezia to a US East Coast port. Volume, season, the destination port and the inland delivery distance move the figure. A West Coast or inland home costs more.
- +Best value for a studio or a partial home
- +You pay only for the space you use
- −Slower, because your goods wait for the consolidated load
- +Faster and sealed to your home only
- +The sensible choice for a full home
- −You pay for the whole box even if you do not fill it
- +Fastest way to get essentials to the United States
- +Useful while your container is at sea
- −Rarely sensible for a full household
Get moving quotes for Italy to the United States.
Tell us your size and timing. We pass your request to vetted movers who run the route from Italy into the United States, and you compare them on your own terms.
A realistic schedule for this route.
Working back from the day your container sails, here is a realistic schedule for a sea move from Italy to the United States.
Confirm your visa
Secure the US visa or green card that lets you live in the United States, such as an employment visa, a family based or employment based immigrant visa, or the diversity visa.
Get surveys and quotes
Have movers run video or in home surveys for an accurate volume and a binding price. Confirm they sail from Genoa or La Spezia and handle US customs clearance and the inland leg.
Book the sailing
Confirm your sailing date and prepare a detailed packing inventory, which you need for insurance, the Importer Security Filing and CBP Form 3299.
Prepare your customs paperwork
Complete CBP Form 3299 and the supplemental declaration so your used household goods clear duty free as personal effects owned and used for at least one year.
Clear customs and deliver
Your agent files the entry with US Customs and Border Protection at the port, then arranges inland delivery to your home.
Clearing your goods into the United States.
US Customs and Border Protection oversees the import of household goods. The relief that keeps your move duty free is the personal effects exemption: used household goods and personal effects that you have owned and used abroad for at least one year, and that are not intended for sale, normally enter free of duty. You declare them on CBP Form 3299, the Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles, supported by a supplemental declaration and a detailed packing inventory.
Ocean shipments also need an Importer Security Filing, often called ten plus two, lodged before the vessel loads in Italy, so your agent needs your details and inventory in good time. New goods, items bought within the last year, and anything intended for resale can attract duty and should be listed separately. Alcohol and tobacco beyond personal allowances are dutiable and regulated by the state of entry as well.
Some categories draw extra scrutiny. Food, plant material, wood and items made from protected species can be restricted by other agencies, a vehicle must meet US safety and emissions standards and is a separate import, and firearms follow strict federal rules. Honest, specific inventories keep clearance smooth, so declare everything and describe it plainly.
The routes in for this corridor.
To live in the United States you need a visa or green card that permits residence. A visit under the Visa Waiver Program is for travel only, not living or working, so the routes below are what actually let you settle. Once you arrive you apply for a Social Security number, the SSN, which you need for work and most services.
Temporary work visas such as the H1B for specialty occupations, the L1 for intracompany transfers and the O1 for people of extraordinary ability, each tied to a US employer or petition.
The EB categories give permanent residence to workers and investors who qualify, usually through an employer petition or, for some, self petition.
For close relatives of US citizens and permanent residents, leading to an immigrant visa and a green card, with waiting times that depend on the category.
The annual diversity visa program offers a limited number of immigrant visas by lottery to nationals of eligible countries, including Italy in many years.
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 recognised standards for international household goods. For this route, ask whether the company ships regularly from Italy into the United States and works with a customs broker who files the Importer Security Filing and CBP Form 3299 in house.
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, the freight itself, US customs clearance, port and terminal charges, inland delivery to your US address, 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 at home and weak on a long international shipment. Look for verified reviews that mention the Italy to United States route and a smooth clearance at the destination port.
Questions people ask about this move.
How much does it cost to move from Italy to the United States?
For a two to three bedroom household by sea, plan on roughly 3,500 to 13,000 euros door to door in 2026, depending on volume, shared or full container, the destination port and the inland delivery distance within the United States. A studio is less and a four bedroom home more. These are indicative ranges, not a quote.
How long does shipping take from Italy to the United States?
Door to door is usually about four to seven weeks. The sailing from Genoa or La Spezia to a US East Coast port such as New York and New Jersey runs about two to four weeks, and consolidation, customs clearance and inland delivery add the rest.
Do I pay duty on my household goods moving to the United States?
Usually not. Used household goods and personal effects that you have owned and used abroad for at least one year normally enter free of duty under CBP Form 3299, the Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles. Verify the current rules with US Customs and Border Protection.
What is CBP Form 3299?
CBP Form 3299 is the Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles, the form used to import household goods into the United States duty free when they ship separately from you. It applies to returning residents, immigrants and long term visa holders, with a packing inventory.
Do I need a visa to move from Italy to the United States?
Yes. A visit under the Visa Waiver Program does not allow you to live or work in the United States. Common routes to settle are employment visas such as the H1B, L1 or O1, family based and employment based green cards, and the diversity visa. Confirm your route with official US sources before you move.
Which port do my goods arrive at in the United States?
Most household shipments from Italy arrive at a US East Coast port such as New York and New Jersey, Baltimore or Norfolk, and your mover delivers onward by road, sometimes across the country, to your US address.
Last reviewed: 18 April 2026. We refresh this guide as costs, customs, and visa rules change.