Shipping, pets, cars and the logistics of the actual move
Shipping, pets, cars and the logistics of the actual move
The part of the process that is pure project management.
Most retirees ship far less than they expect to. A 20-foot container is expensive to fill, expensive to move and expensive to clear, and furniture that suits a U.S. house often does not suit a smaller European apartment. The common pattern is to sell almost everything and ship a few boxes of what is irreplaceable.
Several retirement programs include a one-time customs exemption on household goods, and sometimes on a vehicle. Panama, Costa Rica, Belize and the Dominican Republic all have versions of this. The exemptions are time-limited from the date residence is granted, so sequence the shipment against the residence approval rather than the visa approval.
Pets need their own project plan, started six to nine months out. Rabies vaccination timing, titre testing where required, microchip standard, an official health certificate endorsed by the USDA, and airline breed and temperature embargoes all interlock. Missing the titre window by a week can cost you months.
Importing a U.S. vehicle is usually a false economy outside the specific programs that waive the duty. Duties frequently exceed the value of the car, parts availability is poor, and left-hand-drive versus right-hand-drive matters in a few destinations.
Your U.S. driving licence is valid for a short window almost everywhere and then is not. Get an International Driving Permit before you leave, and find out early whether your destination will exchange a U.S. licence directly or require a full local test.
Questions about this
Should I ship a container?
Most people who do it regret it. A container is expensive to fill, move and clear, and furniture that suits a U.S. house often does not suit a smaller apartment abroad. The common pattern is to sell almost everything and ship a few boxes of what is genuinely irreplaceable.
How far ahead do I start with pets?
Six to nine months. Microchip standard, rabies timing, titre testing where required, a USDA-endorsed health certificate and airline breed and temperature embargoes all interlock, and missing the titre window by a week can cost months. Start with the USDA APHIS page for your destination, not with a forum.
Can I bring my car?
Usually a false economy outside the specific programmes that waive the duty, such as Panama, Costa Rica, Belize and the Dominican Republic. Elsewhere duties frequently exceed the value of the car. Note also the Mexican rule that permanent residents may not drive a foreign-plated vehicle, while temporary residents may.
Authoritative sources
Where anything here disagrees with one of these, the official source is right. Tell us and we will correct it.
- SSA: Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States
- SSA: Payments Abroad Screening Tool
- SSA: Totalization agreements
- Medicare: coverage outside the United States
- IRS: U.S. citizens and resident aliens abroad
- IRS: Foreign Earned Income Exclusion
- IRS: Foreign Tax Credit
- FinCEN: Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts
- IRS: United States income tax treaties A to Z
- Federal Voting Assistance Program
- Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)
- U.S. embassies and consulates directory
- European Commission: Entry/Exit System
- European Commission: ETIAS official site
- HCCH: Apostille Convention status table Which countries accept an apostille, and from what date.
- U.S. Department of State: Records and Authentications Federal document authentication, including the Office of Authentications.
- U.S. Department of State: country information Entry, exit, safety and local law, country by country.
Verified Sep 7, 2026 Primary sources: travel.state.gov, www.hcch.net
This resource is provided free by Federal Apostille as an educational tool. It is not legal, tax, immigration or financial advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by using it. Immigration rules, income thresholds, fees and processing times change frequently and often without notice, and consulates apply them differently. Always confirm current requirements with the official government source and the specific consulate that has jurisdiction over your U.S. state of residence before you act. Every figure on this site carries the date we last verified it and a link to the primary source.
