Planning a move to Toronto from New York or somewhere else in the United States? There are many reasons that people may move from the US to Toronto. Perhaps you’ve fallen in love and are marrying a Canadian citizen. Maybe you are being relocated to Canada by your current employer. Or maybe you are simply moving to be closer to your family. Whatever the reason you are moving, if you’re determining how to move to Toronto from the US, there are some things you should know. Our professional long-distance movers have helped put together these moving tips to make your Toronto move a stress-free success.
Get Organized: Planning Your Move from the US to Toronto
Like any other local, long-distance, or overseas move, planning and preparing well in advance will help make your moving experience more smooth. If you’re planning to move from the US to Toronto, or any other city in Canada, it is important that you give yourself as much time as possible for the move. If you don’t know anything about Canada or never visited Toronto, you likely need even more time to plan.
Declutter Your Home Before Packing
Before you pack a single thing, declutter your current home. As we move from place to place, we have a tendency to collect things we don’t necessarily need or use. Over time, you may not even realize how much clutter you have in your home.
If your new home in Toronto is smaller than your current residence, you’ll definitely need to downsize. Whether you decide to hire professional movers or move your own items to Toronto, the more items you move, the higher the cost will be. You don’t want to go through the trouble of moving items that you are eventually going to throw away. You also don’t want to pay to move items that won’t even fit in your new space.
Decide what will be moving with you and what you will purchase new when you arrive in Toronto. You can throw away or donate things that you don’t need or use anymore. You could even throw a yard sale and sell some of your old items for some cash! Regardless of how you plan to do it, decluttering your home before moving is a great way to give you a fresh start in a new country.
Make a Moving Day Essential Items List
When you’re packing up all of your items, it can get easy to lose track of the everyday items you need to use. Before you start packing, make a list of the items you will need for moving day. Think about the items you’ll need handy on the first day in your new home. These items may include toiletries, medications, or chargers for electronic devices.
On moving day, you should gather those items from your Moving Day Essential Items List and place them together in a bag or box to ride with you to your new destination. Your essential items should all fit in a relatively small box or bag.
Gather Moving and Packing Supplies
If you’re going to pack your items by yourself, you’ll want to make sure you gather or purchase moving and packing supplies. Some of the items you’ll want to gather include:
- Moving boxes of various sizes
- High-quality packing tape
- Moving blankets, to wrap furniture and large appliances in
- Bubble wrap, to protect fragile items
- Packing paper
If you’re looking for a more modern take on moving boxes, international moving companies like FlatRate Moving provide supplies like moving box kits, dish boxes for your plates, book boxes, and linen boxes. They even have a wardrobe box with a bar so that you can take the clothes straight from your closet and hang them in the box for transport. When you arrive in Toronto, you can grab them from the box and hang them up in your new home.
Strategically Pack Your Items for Your Move
Depending on how large your move is, packing your items by yourself can be daunting but it doesn’t have to be. Plan to pack your current residence in sections. Start by packing the things you rarely use. Perhaps there is a guest room not being used that you can pack up weeks before your move. If you’re planning your move to Toronto in the summer, pack up all of your winter clothes, gear, and boots that you won’t need for a bit.
If you have important documents or photographs that you will be packing for your move, make a digital copy of them just in case anything should go wrong during your move. Consider including important or irreplaceable documents in your Essential Moving Items List we described earlier.
Label Your Moving Boxes
As you are packing up your boxes, take inventory of what you are putting in each box, and label them. Don’t just put the room where each box should go. Your label should also include a list of the contents of each box. Detailed moving box labels will keep you track of exactly what items you are bringing with you and where those items are located. It takes a little more effort, and may even feel a little silly to list the items in each of your packing boxes.
However, when you get to Toronto, you will be glad you did this. You or your movers will be able to take boxes straight from the truck and place them in their respective areas of your new place. Furthermore, when it’s time to start unpacking your boxes, you’ll know exactly where all of your things are.
Declaring Your Items Upon Arrival In Canada
Before arriving in Canada, create two copies of a list of all the items you intend to bring to Toronto. The list should indicate the following details about your items, where applicable:
- Item name
- Value
- Make
- Model
- Serial number
You should divide your list into 2 sections. The first section is for the items you are physically bringing with you over the border. The second section is for the items that will arrive later without you, like from your moving company. Your items that arrive later will only qualify to be imported for you if they are on your list.
Items You Can Import Duty- and Tax-Free to Canada
In order to bring items to Canada duty- and tax-free, you must prove ownership, possession, and use. This means that you must have owned, possessed, and used the item prior to arriving in Canada. If you have copies of receipts or registration of your items, that will be helpful to you. Below is a brief list of the types of things you can import duty- and tax-free when you move to Toronto. For a complete list of duty- and tax-free items you can import to Canada visit their official site. They also have a list and details regarding restricted items you can bring on your move.
- Clothing and linen
- Furniture
- Furnishings
- Appliances
- Personal computers
- Books
- Musical instruments
- Personal vehicles
- Private aircraft
Find the Reliable US to Toronto Moving Company
If you aren’t planning to move your items yourself, you need to find a professional international or long-distance mover. Look for a certified and insured moving company with experience moving from the US to Toronto.
You’ll fill out an online form (or tell a consultant on the phone) with all of the inventory you’re bringing with you to Toronto. Based on your inventory, the moving company will give you a quote for your move. Beware! Some moving companies may drastically change what they quote for your Toronto move vs your actual cost to be to move.
Industry-leading, all-inclusive moving companies like FlatRate provide one guaranteed price with no hidden fees, based on what you are moving and the distance you’re traveling. We’ve been moving people and families from the US to Toronto for more than 25 years. Just provide us with an accurate inventory and we’ll guarantee your moving quote using their
FlatRate Formula
Full-Service Movers
If you packed your items yourself, you can hire a moving company to just do the heavy lifting. If the idea of movers coming to properly protect and pack your things and deliver them to your new destination without you lifting a finger interests you, consider hiring professional full-service movers.
When you get a full-service moving quote, it includes everything you need, including labor and travel expenses. The movers will pack your items, take inventory, and label your boxes. They’ll protect and wrap your furniture, haul out your appliances, and protect your floors while they do it! By the time you arrive in Toronto, your items will be there, ready for you. You can even ask for IT & Installation services for your new home.