PSS are members of FIDI a world wide organisation for International movers.

PSS has achieved FAIM Accreditation which is recognised throughout the world as the highest benchmark in International moving.

PSS are also members of the Overseas Group section of the British Association of Removers and all our Clients are covered by the IMMI pre-payment guarantee scheme for complete financial security.

Removals to Canada
The first thing you need to do is to ask PSS to arrange for an estimator to visit you and survey the items you wish to take with you to Canada . This estimate should be carried out between 3 and 6 months prior to your intended moving date. The estimator will assess the packing requirements and the cubic volume. This enables PSS to send you a written estimate of the costs involved for a Door to Door removal from your home in the UK to your new home in Canada .

Don’t worry if you are not sure whether or not to take certain items PSS can give you a separate price for those.

Most people take the majority of their household furniture and personal possessions however, it is not normally worth taking electrical items as the supply in Canada is different from the UK and you will need to purchase a transformer to run these items.

The quality of the export wrapping materials used and the competence of the export packers in wrapping and stacking into the container are probably the most important aspects of the entire operation.

Your goods are shipped to Canada in 20’ and 40’ ocean containers, if you have a sufficient volume to fill 75% or more of a container then we will transport the container to your UK residence and after export packing and wrapping, we will load all your goods into the container and seal the container at your residence. It will then be shipped direct to Canada .

If you do not have sufficient volume for your own container we will export pack and wrap all your goods and return them to our depot for shipping in our share a container service.

The time it takes your goods to reach Canada depends on many things, seasonal trends, the area of Canada you are moving to and whether it is your own container or a shared container.

All containers are shipped to Halifax or Montreal and railed from there so transit times can sometimes be affected by freight congestion on the railways.

Very approximate transit times from UK residence to arrival Canada Customs terminal:

Montreal Toronto Calgary Vancouver
Sole use container (days) 12-20 14-22 22-30 25-35
Shared container (days) 25-45(Tor) 25-45 35-55(Van) 35-55

(Shared containers to all Canadian destinations undergo Customs clearance at Toronto or Vancouver and are then delivered to your destination the above estimates for shared are all to Toronto or Vancouver terminals)

Arriving in Canada
All immigrants must declare ‘goods to follow’ to Canadian Immigration at their first point of entry into Canada (normally when you arrive at the airport). You will need to present a packing list of the goods; PSS packers prepare a packing list for shipping purposes and will leave a copy with you. However, in certain circumstances this may not be sufficient (please see Customs clearance below).

Customs Clearance
This needs to be done promptly, the Canadian rail terminals can charge excessive demurrage charges if your goods are not Customs cleared and removed from the terminal quickly. Please ensure you get the Customs forms back to our destination office/agent very promptly.

It is becoming more common for Customs to ask for a detailed inventory of your goods which also shows the used market value of your items rather than the insured value. This is particularly common in Vancouver but may well become the norm everywhere in Canada . We recommend that you have the PSS packing list but also that you have your own list of items with their second-hand used value.

Normal Customs clearance requires the owner of the goods to attend a short meeting with the Customs Officer. In Toronto and Vancouver they operate a fast track system where a personal visit is not normally required however you have to get the original document back to them quickly as faxes and emails are not acceptable.

Duty
Used household and personal effects which were in your possession prior to your departure are normally admitted duty free. Alcohol is always subject to Duty.

PSS strongly advise you not to take Food; plants; animal items and motor vehicles, please see the PSS International Removals Canada Information brochure for more details. These items can cause considerable problems/delays and additional costs.

UK Head Office:
1-3 Pegasus Road, Croydon, Surrey CR9 4PS
Tel: 020 8686 7733
Fax: 020 8686 7799
Email: sales@p-s-s.co.uk