Our top pick: American Van Lines has the best international moving services. The full-service moving company has services on all seven continents, offers seven-days-per-week customer service, and gets excellent customer reviews.
Top 5 Best International Moving Companies for 2025: Compare Services, Prices & Reviews
For over 8 years Move.org experts have examined pricing, credentials, and real customer reviews to give you (human) recommendations you can trust. See how we review.
What should you look for in an international moving company?
There are several things you should look for in an international moving company. We recommend looking for options such as overseas availability and positive customer reviews:
- Availability. A mover can’t help you if it doesn’t provide service to your destination country. Every full-service mover on this list can ship your belongings almost anywhere in the world.
- Customer service hours. Moving companies don’t usually offer 24/7 customer service—and most aren’t even open on weekends. Companies like American Van Lines, and North American Van Lines stand out because they have reps available seven days a week.
- Strong reputation. There aren’t many companies that focus only on international moves. That means you want to find reputable international moving companies with solid reputations for domestic moves. We factor that into our rankings.
- Top-notch reviews. Nothing speaks more to quality than customer reviews. Try to find a company that scores higher than the industry average of 3.7 out of 5 stars.
If you're planning an international move, you've probably realized it requires a lot more effort than moving to a US city or state. For more planning help, we recommend taking a look at these resources:
1. American Van Lines: Best international mover
American Van Lines is our value pick thanks to its flat-rate pricing. These long-distance movers don’t tack on fees for every service—and they don't skimp on the things you need to keep your stress level low and your belongings safe. American charges a flat rate and lets you use all of its many moving services (including piano moving). The company also background checks its workers (including drug tests and background screenings). The catch? American doesn’t have GPS tracking, which is a feature our readers really like.
Images: Move.org Moving Grant recipient Crystal documented the care her American Van Lines moving crew took to ensure no damage.
Why choose American Van Lines for your international move?
Piano moving
American Van Lines specializes in moving large and heavy instruments long distances. They know all the tricks of the trade to ensure that your piano arrives undamaged—and in tune.
For example, did you know that professional movers should disassemble pianos before moving them? It’s a lot different than mental images of workers loading a baby grand onto a moving truck. American Van Lines trains its staff to disassemble, load, transport, unload, and reassemble your piano in working condition.
Best of all—you don’t pay extra thanks to AVL's flat-rate pricing.
Pianos aren’t the only high-value item that American Van Lines can move. The company also specialized in moving antiques and fine art.
Flat rates
American Van Lines’ flat-rate prices can save you time and money. Some state-to-state movers upsell you on services you don't need to make extra cash.
Not so with American Van Lines. The company charges a single upfront rate based on the distance you're moving, the weight of your belongings, and any extra services.
For example, let’s say you get a quote from American Van Lines—and another company that doesn’t use flat-rate pricing:
It’s easy to see how your invoice looks cleaner (imagine a bill with two dozen extra line items). Plus, you can save money if you use enough high-end services.
—Crystal, Move.org Moving Grant recipient
Background-checked movers
AVL’s across state movers are top-of-the-line professionals. The company puts every potential long-distance mover through an intense pre-hire screening process, including background checks and drug testing. Those who make the cut arrive at your home wearing uniforms that identify them as American Van Lines professionals.
Looking for premium quality at a great price?
2. United Van Lines: Best for work moves
United Van Lines is great if you need to move overseas for work. United’s service area is massive. It can go almost anywhere and has regional partners in more than 150 countries. The company assigns an international moving coordinator to help you every step of the way. Support ranges from a pre-move consult to customs clearance support. United Van Lines even offers tailored moving packages to match your budget. Add it all up, and we’re a little surprised United doesn’t have higher customer review scores.
Why we recommend United Van Lines
Corporate moves
United Van Lines is a surefire pick if you need to move overseas for your job. It doesn’t matter whether you work for a small paper company based out of Scranton, Pennsylvania, or a tech giant in San Francisco, California. United Van Lines can streamline your move so that you can focus on work.
It has all of the bells and whistles you’d expect from an international moving company:
- Car shipping
- Custom clearance management
- Global property protection
- International moving consultation
- Loading, transporting, and unloading
- Moving protection
- Packing and unpacking
- Personal move coordinator
- Pre-move coordination
- Qualified drivers
- Standard appliance transport
- Standard furniture placement
- Storage (short-term and long-term)
- Trash and debris pickup
— Rosanna, 2025 United customer review on TrustPilot
Tailored moving packages
United Van Lines lets you pick and choose which services go into your moving package. That means if you don’t need assistance packing your belongings, you don’t get charged for it. Maybe that seems like common sense, but many full-service moving companies make you pay for the whole kit and kaboodle whether you need it or not.
It’s more than a price issue too. Sure, you save money not paying for stuff you don’t need. But you may also be able to speed up your delivery timeline since the coordinator isn’t blocking out calendar days for services you don’t need.
Put it all together, and United can often save you time and money when moving to another country for work.
Expensive full-service options aren’t your only choice. In some cases, you can save thousands of dollars by adding DIY elements to your international move.
Tri-regional network
United Van Lines can service moves almost anywhere globally thanks to its tri-regional network. That’s a fancy way of saying that United strategically picked out three regional headquarters in Europe, Asia, and North America. By having three regional offices instead of a single epicenter, United can quickly respond to needs regardless of origin and destination countries.
For example, let’s say that your coordinator is out sick the day your belongings are due to arrive. Maybe the two of you previously worked out a tricky delivery detail, and you’re not sure things will get where they need to without her. You can ring up the nearest regional office to explain the situation without worrying about what time it is in your destination country. United can quickly find someone to take over—even if it’s just to assure you that everything’s on schedule.
Moving to another country for work?
3. Allied Van Lines—Wide availability
Allied Van Lines can ship your belongings almost anywhere in the world. The international moving company’s partnerships in more than 170 countries allow it to provide shipping and storage services on all 7 continents. Allied has an impressive virtual survey that enables you to get fast ballpark estimates. The company also has a nearly 100-year history, making it surprising to see below-average customer reviews.
Allied Van Lines stands out for its convenience, offering virtual in-home estimates and being one of the few moving companies that doesn’t require a deposit.
Though it has fewer customer reviews than you might expect from a company nearly 100 years old, Allied excels in features that simplify the moving process, such as storage options, virtual quote options, and packing supplies. Its network of 400 local agents ensures efficient service across the country, and it offers some of the best storage solutions in the industry.
The only downside is Allied’s limited customer reviews, which represent less than one percent of all moves Allied performs each year and tend to score lower than some competitors. However, certain carriers in its network receive near-perfect ratings, so we recommend checking reviews for the specific Allied Van Lines carrier you plan to use.
Things to know about Allied Van Lines
You can move almost anywhere
Allied Van Lines provides moving services to almost every corner of the world. The international moving company’s partners in more than 170 countries result in a service area that reaches every nook and cranny of the globe, from Algeria and Antarctica to New Zealand and New Brunswick.
Not only can Allied ship your belongings, but it can also provide storage services on the tail end of your international relocation. That can be a lifesaver if, for example, you and your partner arrive at different times and need to rent a separate apartment before moving into your new home.
You can get fast quotes
Allied’s virtual quote software allows you to get quick ballpark estimates for your international move. We like the way Allied advertises it: “This is just like FaceTiming with your family and friends.”
It’s a simple three-step process:
- Schedule an appointment. Allied Van Lines will send a link to download its app before your scheduled meeting time.
- Do a virtual walk-through. The Allied app lets you talk to your coordinator while showing a live video of your home. The coordinator will have you zero in on specific areas to determine how many belongings you have and how much it will cost.
- Get your quote. Allied’s coordinator will send you a moving quote when you finish. Be aware that it’s an estimate (nothing is set in stone until movers walk through your house). However, you can usually plan on something close to the quoted amount. Just don’t forget to cover high-cost items during your meeting (like packed storage closets or large appliances).
Not everyone’s an Allied fan
Our review process includes an exhaustive analysis of Allied’s services, availability, and customer reviews. While we love the company’s wide availability and virtual survey feature, things aren’t as rosy for customer reviews.
We looked at more than 1,000 Allied Van Lines customer reviews. The company’s 3.4 out of 5 stars rating is well below the 3.7-star industry average. (They have a 2.4-star rating on TrustPilot.) The most common complaints alleged poor communication and badly damaged personal items that Allied’s insurance policy didn’t cover.
These results surprised us since we’ve seen plenty of five-star Allied ratings and had positive experiences posing as Allied customers. However, nothing speaks to company quality more than customer reviews—and we can’t ignore an analysis of 1,194 reviews from 11 different review sites.
In the end, Allied can likely move you anywhere in the world—and you can get quotes in lickety-split time. However, you may also be at a higher risk of experiencing something that would cause you to leave a negative review. (If that were to happen, we can walk you through the steps to file a complaint with your moving company.)
Need to rent a storage unit for your non-essential items before heading overseas? Our self-storage shopping tips can typically save you around 20%.
Want to get a quick moving estimate?
4. North American Van Lines—Accessible customer service
North American Van Lines is among the best international moving companies we’ve seen. Unlike some companies that provide only shipping services, North American Van Lines can also handle your overseas storage needs. It gets above-average customer reviews and has customer service reps available every day of the week. The only real drawback is that the website’s a bit of a mess (you can find what you’re looking for faster on other sites).
Why we recommend North American Van Lines
Global moving network
North American Van Lines has one of the largest moving networks in the world. It has partners scattered across the globe that can make a move from California to Georgia (the country) feel like going from California to Georgia (the state).
It can ship your belongings to virtually every country in the world. Need more than just shipping? It’s got that covered too. North American Van Lines has physical locations in nearly 180 countries that are ideal for storing your belongings if they arrive before you. And those locations aren’t all packed into a corner of Europe or Asia. North American Van Lines provides moving and storage services in all seven continents.
No international move is the same, especially because every country has its own rules and regulations for immigration. For information that varies by country, take a look at our most popular country guides:
Accessible customer service reps
You can reach North American Van Lines representatives all seven days of the week. That may not seem like much if you’ve spent time arguing over a lost shipment at 2:00 a.m. with Amazon, but the moving industry isn’t like the tech world. International transport of household items isn’t an overnight process. It might take weeks—or even months—for your stuff to arrive.
Many companies are open only during business hours on weekdays. That’s a problem for the majority of folks who move on weekends. With North American, you can talk to a real human representative every day of the week—including Saturday and Sunday.
Positive customer reviews
North American gets some of the best customer reviews in the business. We crunched the numbers behind more than 12,000 reviews. Our findings show that North American Van Lines has the second-highest ratings on this list. The company’s average rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars is significantly higher than the industry average of 3.7 stars. (Unfortunately, it has a very low rating on TrustPilot.)
Here are just a few of the themes we’ve noticed in positive North American Van Lines customer reviews:
- On-time delivery. Customers often praise North American for delivering belongings on time.
- Minimal damage to belongings. Things almost always get damaged when moving overseas. Reviews show that customers often express appreciation for the condition of their belongings at the time of delivery.
- Frequent communication. Moving can be a nightmare if you can’t reach your coordinator. Reviews are often littered with customers saying how relieved they were to be in constant contact with North American representatives.
- Courteous movers. North American Van Lines has a reputation for professional and friendly moving crews. It’s a small thing, but customers eat it up in their online reviews.
- Reasonable prices. North American customer sometimes comment about the reasonable nature of the company’s international moving prices.
Looking for a global mover with accessible customer service?
5. Mayflower: Most experienced mover
Mayflower has over 95 years of experience in the long-distance moving industry. Packing, crating, car shipping, even connecting and disconnecting electronics—Mayflower does it all.
If you've got a daunting cross-country move ahead of you, it’s tough to find a more comprehensive moving experience than Mayflower can provide.
That is, if you have the budget.
Why choose Mayflower for your out-of-state move?
Full-service moving packages
While every company on this list can provide a full-service moving package, Mayflower just does it better than most. With one of its full-service moving packages, you can hire Mayflower to manage your move so you’re freed up to work on tackling other priorities.
Each full-service move includes the following:
- Assigned move coordinator
- Full-Value Protection (unless waived)
- Standard transport of appliances
- Qualified drivers and equipment
- Loading, transport, and unloading of household belongings
- Disassembly and reassembly of standard bed frames
- Standard furniture placement
Here is what you can expect in terms of pricing:
These full-service moving packages are offered on top of an already comprehensive list of services, all carried out by Mayflower’s highly qualified agent networks.
- Packing
- Unpacking
- Trash and debris removal
- Storage
- Car shipping
- Speciality items
- Crating
- Electronics installation
- Move protection
Shipment tracking
A common frustration consumers face when moving across the country is not knowing exactly where their belongings are. Thankfully, Mayflower has you covered with its shipment tracking portal. All you need is your order number and last name to get an update on where your household items are on their journey to your new home.
Hand the keys to your move over to Mayflower today!
International moving companies FAQ
Moving overseas can cost between $1000 and $10,000 depending on the size of your household, how much you plan to move (and how. you plan to move), as well as the time of year in which your move takes place...spring and summer moves will always be more expensive.
Hiring professional movers will hike the price up to between $5000 and $15,000, but it could be worth the expense to relieve the stress of international packing and transport.
The cheapest way to move your things to another country is to ship them via ocean freight. With ocean freight, you can ship in a container as large as 40 feet, but keep in mind that shipping by sea is the longest mode of transportation. This method usually takes several weeks to travel between international ports.
International movers do use containers when shipping your belongings overseas, but they're not the same type of containers you might find stateside at vendors like U-Haul or PODS.
International moving companies use large, commercial containers that come in two sizes: either 20 feet, or 40 feet.
Most self-storage container companies will not allow shipment overseas because of strict import and export laws in each country. As customers pack those themselves, the companies cannot be liable the shipment of prohibited and restricted items.
Allied International is a sister company of Allied Van Lines. It provides international moving services from North America to other countries (while Allied Van Lines handles domestic moves within the United States).
An international moving coordinator handles most of your move’s details. For example, the coordinator arranges services, acts as a liaison between you and partner agencies, and tracks the progress of your shipment.
The best international moving service to New Zealand is North American Van Lines. The moving company gets excellent reviews and assigns a personal moving coordinator to help you with issues specific to New Zealand, such as customs clearance.
Yes, international moving companies can ship stuff via air freight. The only drawback is that it’s far more expensive than standard ocean container shipping.
JK Moving Services is both a local mover and an international mover. It can provide quotes for local and international moves if you provide basic info such as the size of your home and where you want to move.
Yes, Bekins Van Lines goes to South Africa. The company offers residential and commercial moving services to South African cities such as Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban.
An international removals company is a moving company that can ship your belongings overseas. In this context, removals is a seldom-used term that means moving (as in “international moving company”).
You can find international moving companies near you by searching the web for moving companies (Google can usually pinpoint your location). However, all major moving companies provide services in the same cities and countries.
Yes. Europe is a popular moving destination served by top-tier moving companies such as North American Van Lines and International Van Lines.
Yes, international moving companies go to Canada. More importantly, you can usually find much better deals than longer-distance moves to countries outside of North America.
Bekins Van Lines and North American Van Lines get the best reviews. Both companies score well above the industry average of 3.7 out of 5 stars.
North American Van Lines and Allied Van Lines are your best options if moving internationally to Dubai. Both companies offer similar Middle East international shipping services such as moving, packing, and corporate relocation.
International car moving companies transport your vehicle from the United States to another country. They can be traditional moving companies like International Van Lines or car shipping companies with international expertise like Montway Auto Transport.
You should look for red flags when reviewing international moving company ratings. For example, try to avoid companies with customer complaints about unprofessional workers, late deliveries, and damaged belongings.
You can find reputable international moving companies at Move.org. We update our list of your top overseas relocation options every year.
The best international moving companies in NYC are North American Van Lines and United Van Lines. Both companies get excellent reviews and offer services from New York to virtually every country in the world.
Yes, International Van Lines is a popular company. More customers use IVL to move overseas than any other company we’ve seen. We like the company’s transparent pricing and dedicated moving account managers.
The most important thing to look for is whether the company offers services in both countries. Most companies service both countries since the US and Canada are geographic neighbors.
Not to most countries, but PODS does offer international moving services between Canada and the United States.
International moving typically costs anywhere from about $5,000–$15,000. However, pricing varies greatly depending on the specifics of your move. We recommend contacting your moving company for a quote rather than relying on the rough estimates you find online.
International Van Lines reviews are a mixed bag. While IVL gets more total customer reviews than any other company, it also scores slightly lower than the industry average. Move.org places it in the middle of the pack for international moving services—or right about where customers indicate it belongs.
The best international moving companies in the USA are North American Van Lines (Move.org’s top choice), United Van Lines (great for tight budgets), and International Van Lines (America’s most popular option).
How we reviewed the best international moving companies
Move.org identifies the best international moving companies by following a fourfold research approach:
- Site visits. We invite industry leaders to visit our headquarters in Salt Lake City, UT, and ask questions about specific companies and general trends.
- Mystery shopping. We call international moving companies posing as customers. We ask questions about pricing and services to pinpoint what each company does best.
- Traditional research. We carefully analyze publicly available information to see how companies stack up against each other. We then analyze our findings in a proprietary calculator that looks at variables such as international availability, moving features, and more than 12,000 customer reviews.
- Annual calendar. We repeat all of these steps each year to ensure you constantly have access to the latest information.
Recap: American Van Lines is our choice for International Moving
United Van Lines is our pick for the best international moving company. However, every company we’ve looked at brings something valuable to the table:
- American Van Lines charges a single upfront rate based on the distance you're moving and the weight of your belongings, which can save you money for an international move.
- United Van Lines. We love that United lets you mix and match international services to fit your budget.
- Allied Van Lines. No company services more international moving locations than Allied. We love its widespread availability.
- North American Van Lines. Has great customer service availability and can do everything you need for an international move.
- Mayflower has over 95 years of experience and provides custom moving packages.
While these great full-service moving companies have services to Canada, our #1 ranked moving container company PODS can also help you move there. If you’re planning a storage container move to Canada, get a quote from PODS.
Endnotes
Star ratings: Star ratings reflect the editorial assessment of each company for the purposes of this particular article (e.g. Best Moving Companies for Military Moves, Best Cheap Moving Companies, etc.). These ratings may be different from star ratings found on other articles, such as Best Long-Distance Moving Companies, Best Moving Container Companies, etc.).