Moving to United States: the complete, honest guide
The largest relocation magnet on Earth, and the one with the most paperwork. Here is the real picture on visas, customs and cost, written for someone actually packing boxes.
A country of fifty countries, so choose the state before the visa.
People move to the United States for one of a few honest reasons: a job that pays in dollars, a company transfer, family already settled, or study that turns into a career. It rewards ambition and scale. Salaries in technology, finance, medicine and engineering run well above most of the world, and the internal market is so large you can change cities without changing countries.
It suits people who are comfortable with a system that gives you a lot of freedom and very little safety net. Healthcare is tied to your job and expensive without it. Time off is short by European standards. The flip side is opportunity that is hard to match anywhere else, and a culture that genuinely welcomes new arrivals who want to work.
The single most useful thing to understand early is that the United States is fifty states with different tax rates, costs, climates and rules. A move to Texas or Florida, with no state income tax, is a different financial life from a move to California or New York. Pick the state and city before you obsess over the visa, because that choice shapes your taxes, your rent and your daily costs more than almost anything else.
There is no general residence visa. You qualify through work, family or investment.
The United States has no equivalent of a retirement or remote work visa. Almost everyone arrives through an employer, a family relationship, study, or an investment route. These are the routes that carry most movers.
The H1B specialty occupation visa is the workhorse for skilled hires, allocated by an annual lottery. Intra company transfers use the L1 route, and citizens of a few countries have their own categories. Your employer files and largely controls the process.
- Sponsor
- Employer
- Typical term
- 3 to 6 years
- Path to a green card
- Employer or family
- Lottery
- Yes, for H1B
Spouses, parents and children of US citizens, and close relatives of permanent residents, can apply for a green card. Spouses of citizens are the fastest. Other categories sit in queues that can run for years depending on country of birth.
- Sponsor
- US relative
- Result
- Permanent residence
- Wait
- Months to years
- Source
- USCIS
The EB5 investor green card requires a large qualifying investment that creates jobs. The O1 route serves people with extraordinary ability in science, business, the arts or sport. Both are narrow but powerful when they fit.
- Capital
- High, EB5
- Talent
- O1 evidence
- Result
- Residence or work
- Advice
- Strongly recommended
Your used household goods can usually enter free of duty, with the right forms.
The good news for anyone shipping a home into the United States is that used personal and household effects that you have owned and used abroad for at least one year generally enter free of duty. Customs and Border Protection treats your packing inventory as the customs document, so a clean, valued inventory is the foundation of a smooth clearance.
For an unaccompanied shipment, the central form is the Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles. People arriving with bags also complete the standard arrival declaration. Returning residents who owned the goods for at least a year claim the same relief. New arrivals on a visa qualify on the same used goods basis, so keep proof of prior ownership and use.
Restricted and watched items are where shipments get held. Alcohol, firearms, certain foods, plants, wood products and anything made from protected species draw extra scrutiny or duty. Cars face a separate process with emissions and safety standards through the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation, and importing a daily driver is often more trouble than selling and rebuying. Pets need current rabies documentation and, for some animals, a longer process.
Most household shipments arrive by sea container through gateways such as New York and New Jersey, Savannah, Houston and Los Angeles and Long Beach, then move inland by road. Air freight is for the small, urgent fraction of your life you cannot live without while the boat crosses.
What your money buys, once the container is unpacked.
Cost of living in the United States is impossible to state as one number, because the spread between cities is enormous. A one bedroom flat that costs well over three thousand dollars a month in Manhattan or San Francisco can be found for a third of that in parts of the Midwest or the South. Build your budget around your actual target city, not a national average.
Healthcare is the cost that surprises newcomers most. Outside a job that provides insurance, cover is bought privately and can run to many hundreds of dollars a month per person, with deductibles on top. Sorting health insurance is part of accepting a job, not an afterthought. Cars are close behind: outside a handful of dense cities, life assumes you drive, so factor in a vehicle, fuel and insurance.
Indicative 2026 figures in US dollars, drawn from aggregated cost of living panels. Your city and lifestyle will move these a lot. Treat them as direction, not a budget.
Your first month checklist
In your first month, the priorities are a Social Security Number, a bank account and, in most places, a car and a state driver license. The Social Security Number, applied for at a Social Security Administration office, unlocks payroll, credit and most accounts. Bring your passport, visa and proof of address.
Open a checking account early and start building a credit history, because your overseas credit does not transfer and many things, from a phone plan to an apartment, lean on a US credit score. Register your address, swap to a state license within the window your state allows, and confirm your health insurance is active from day one.
How to choose a mover for United States, without the guesswork.
We never rank or recommend individual companies. Instead, here is the neutral checklist a careful mover uses to judge any firm bidding on this route.
Industry affiliation
Look for membership of FIDI or IAM. Both vet members on financial stability and handling standards, which matters when your goods cross a border.
Real corridor experience
Ask how many moves the firm has run into United States in the past year, which port or airport they clear through, and who their agent on the ground is.
A binding pre move survey
Insist on a video or in home survey and a written, binding volume. A quote built from a guessed cubic metre figure is the most common cause of a surprise final bill.
Insurance terms in writing
Read what the cover actually pays. Confirm whether it is full replacement value, what the excess is, and whether owner packed cartons are covered.
Reviews that name the route
Weight reviews that mention this destination and customs clearance, not just a tidy van on collection day. The hard part happens after the goods leave.
Like for like quotes
Compare three quotes with the same scope: same volume, same insurance, same delivery address and the same view on stairs, parking and customs fees.
Get moving quotes for the United States.
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The things people ask before they commit.
How much does it cost to move to the United States?
Do I pay duty on my furniture and personal belongings?
How long does shipping to the United States take?
Can I bring my car to the United States?
What visa do I need to move to the United States?
Which US state is cheapest for new arrivals?
Moving to United States from your country.
Pick your starting country to open a corridor guide built for that exact route, with the shipping lane, the customs detail and the cost range for your origin.
Britain, Ireland and the Low Countries
German speaking and Central Europe
The Nordics
Southern Europe
North America
The Gulf and Middle East
Asia and the Pacific
Other origins
Last reviewed: 27 May 2026. We refresh this guide as costs, customs, and visa rules change.