Moving from United States to Cambodia
A practical guide to shipping a household from the United States to Cambodia by sea, the realistic timeline to the port of Sihanoukville, how a one year visa can bring your used goods in free of duty, and the visa steps that fit this corridor.
United States to Cambodia is a long sea move where your goods can arrive duty free if you hold a one year visa.
Moving a household from the United States to Cambodia is a long ocean shipment to Southeast Asia. Containers leave a United States port such as Los Angeles, Long Beach, New York or Savannah, route across the Pacific or through the Suez Canal, and tranship at a major Asian hub such as Singapore or Port Klang before reaching Cambodia at the deep water port of Sihanoukville. From there your goods clear customs and travel by road to Phnom Penh or wherever you are settling, with the Phnom Penh river port handling some barge traffic. With at least one transhipment normal on this lane, the freight is the long stretch and the schedule needs patience.
The point that surprises people is that the duty relief depends on your visa. Cambodia generally admits used household goods and personal effects free of duty and tax for a person changing residence who holds a one year visa at the time the shipment arrives, in reasonable household quantities. Without that long visa, the goods are treated as an ordinary import, with value added tax of ten percent on the assessed value plus any duty. Cambodia is heavily dollarised, so most quotes and many local costs are in United States dollars, which keeps budgeting simple for an American mover.
What shipping a household from the United States to Cambodia costs in 2026.
Indicative ranges in United States dollars for 2026, covering the freight and move services. With a one year visa held on arrival, Cambodian duty and tax should not apply to a normal household shipment, but always confirm your status first.
Indicative ranges for 2026, in United States dollars. Real quotes depend on your volume, the United States loading port, season, the transhipment, the Sihanoukville clearance and the road delivery to Phnom Penh. Cambodian tax, where it applies, is extra.
- +You pay only for the space your goods occupy
- +Best value for a one bedroom
- −Consolidation adds weeks before the sailing
- −Transhipment makes timing harder to fix
- +Fits a typical two bedroom home
- +Your goods travel alone and are handled less
- +On your own schedule rather than a load plan
- −You pay for the box even if part empty
- +Space for a three or four bedroom home
- +Best cost per cubic metre for large volumes
- −Overkill for a small flat
- −Needs truck access at the Cambodian address
Get moving quotes for United States to Cambodia.
Tell us your size and timing. We pass your request to vetted international movers who run the United States to Cambodia lane, and you compare them on your own terms.
A realistic schedule for this route.
A conservative schedule for a United States to Cambodia move. The fixed points are your sailing date, your inventory and your one year visa, so start all three early.
Book the move and take a survey
Get a binding in home or video survey of your volume from movers who run the United States to Cambodia lane, and choose shared space or a sole use container while you arrange your visa.
Prepare documents and visa
Build a detailed packing list in English and gather a clear copy of your passport photo page and visa page, since the duty relief depends on holding a one year visa when the shipment arrives.
Pack and load in the United States
The crew packs and loads your container at your United States address, matches the contents to your packing list, then moves it to the loading port for the sailing.
Ocean crossing via an Asian hub
The box sails across the Pacific or through Suez and tranships at Singapore or Port Klang before reaching Sihanoukville. This is the longest and least visible stretch of the move.
Customs clearance at Sihanoukville
Your agent presents the packing list and your passport and visa to the General Department of Customs and Excise. With a one year visa, a normal household shipment should clear free of duty and tax.
Delivery and settling in
The container moves by road to Phnom Penh or your town, and the crew delivers and unpacks. You then settle the rest of your residence paperwork for daily life.
Bringing used household goods into Cambodia from the United States.
Cambodia generally treats a genuine change of residence kindly. Used household goods and personal effects can come in free of import duty and tax for a person moving to Cambodia who holds a one year visa at the time the shipment arrives, provided the goods are in reasonable household quantities and have been owned and used. Clearance runs through the General Department of Customs and Excise, and a detailed packing list written in English, together with a clear copy of the shipper's passport photo page and visa page, is the core of the entry. Without a qualifying long visa, the goods are assessed as an ordinary import, with value added tax of ten percent on the assessed value plus any applicable duty.
The practical lesson is to have the long visa in hand before the box lands, because the relief turns on your status on arrival rather than your intentions. The deep water port of Sihanoukville handles most household containers, with the Phnom Penh river port taking some traffic. New goods bought shortly before the move, items beyond a normal household, a vehicle, which has its own import rules and taxes, and alcohol or tobacco above allowances follow separate treatment and can attract charges even for a resident.
The routes in for this corridor.
United States citizens are not Cambodian nationals, so a long term move means arranging a long visa, and the duty relief needs a one year visa on arrival. The route depends on why you are moving.
United States citizens can usually obtain a tourist visa on arrival or an electronic visa for a short stay. It suits a scouting trip but does not support residence or the household goods duty relief, which needs a long stay visa.
The ordinary visa, often called the E class, can be extended for six months or a year for those working or doing business in Cambodia. The one year extension is the usual base for relocating and supports the household goods move.
Older movers who are not working can extend the ordinary visa on retirement grounds, which provides the long validity the customs relief requires. Conditions change, so confirm the current requirements before relying on it.
Those employed by or running a registered Cambodian business hold the long visa extension and a work permit. It is the practical long term base for working movers, with the company often handling the paperwork.
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. In the United States, look for movers affiliated with FIDI or IAM and ask directly about their sailings toward Sihanoukville through an Asian hub, their experience with General Department of Customs and Excise clearance and the one year visa relief, and their road delivery to Phnom Penh.
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 route and customs experience.
Questions people ask about this move.
How much does it cost to move from the United States to Cambodia?
As an indicative range for 2026, a one bedroom move runs about $3,800 to $7,000 in shared container space, and a full three bedroom home in sole use lands around $11,000 to $13,500 door to door. With a one year visa held on arrival, a normal household shipment should clear free of duty and tax.
How long does shipping take from the United States to Cambodia?
Plan on roughly eight to twelve weeks door to door for a sole use container and ten to fourteen weeks for a shared load. Goods sail across the Pacific or through Suez and tranship at an Asian hub before reaching Sihanoukville and the road to Phnom Penh.
Do I pay duty or tax on my furniture moving to Cambodia?
Often not, if you qualify. Cambodia generally lets a person changing residence bring used household goods in free of duty and tax when they hold a one year visa on arrival, in reasonable quantities. Without that visa, value added tax of ten percent plus any duty applies.
Can I bring my car from the United States to Cambodia?
A vehicle is possible but follows its own import rules separate from household goods, with its own taxes, and it is often costly and slow. Confirm the current vehicle import rules and charges with the General Department of Customs and Excise before shipping one.
Do I need a visa to move to Cambodia from the United States?
For a short visit you can get a visa on arrival or an electronic visa. To settle and to claim the household goods relief you need a long stay visa, usually an ordinary E class visa extended for a year for work, business or retirement. Confirm the current rules first.