A Guide to Personal Effects and Household Goods Shipping

Please note that Argents Express does not handle personal effects deliveries or shipments via water air or land of any kind. We do however, offer Customs Clearance within any United States port of entry.
Below is a succinct guide to potential Importers of Personal effects and household goods that are relocating to the United States. This information is provided as a courtesy to help make your experience importing Personal Effects a less problematic one.

Before you ship:

• Choose a reliable shipping agent. This company usually will be responsible for packing your goods into the container and preparing all necessary documentation and export formalities from the origin country. They also negotiate and book the transportation from the origin to the destination countries. A listing of reliable companies can be found on the Household Goods Forwarders Association of America website. The association offers multiple resources for personal effects and Household goods shipping, including listings of companies that specialize in handling these shipments around the world.
• Become familiarized with all Documents. This is crucial to a successful shipment. Whereas companies hire professionals that handle shipping on a daily basis, household goods shippers are usually unfamiliar with the required documentation involved in the shipments. A list of such documents is offered below for your convenience.
  1. The Bill of Lading: This document is the proof of shipping. Much like the paper ticked on an international trip, this document includes all information pertinent to the cargo such as place of receipt, final destination. container numbers and size, description of goods, piece count and weight as well as shipper and consignee information, which in the case of Personal Effects should be the same party. The Bill of Lading is a binding contract between you and the shipping agent you chose. Ask the shipping company you hired for the Federal Maritime Commission's registration numbers, and make sure your agent is using an FMC registered bill of lading as this is your guarantee that this company is recognized and and can legally conduct business within the United States. Should there be any problems, the FMC has an Ombudsman service at the disposal of shippers and consignees to amicably resolve any issues.
  2. Packing List: This is a detailed list of everything contained in a particular shipment. It does not necessarily have to describe the values, however it is not a bad Idea to include such information. A typical Packing list template can be found on our Resources page under shipping documents; and usually lists the Shipper and Consignee's name and address and the description of the goods being shipped. This description should include quantities of each item, what they are and possibly their weight.
  3. Commercial Invoice: This document usually lists the values of the items described in the packing list for customs purposes. It follows the same format, and a template can also be found at our resources page. Should you decide to include the values of each item separately within the packing list, you can call the resulting document a Commercial Invoice/Packing List. U.S. Customs requires that the value of the entire shipment be listed in the commercial invoice and this document and/or the rated packing list must be presented at time of entry.

The above shipping documents are required by U.S. Customs, and must be submitted at the time of entry, up to Five business day prior to the vessel arrival into a United States ocean port. Ideally your shipping agent should provide you with Originals of the Bill of Lading upon departure of cargo. the remaining documents, if not provided by the agent, can and should be completed by you prior to the cargo's arrival.

In addition to the shipping documents above, U.S. Customs also requires the below forms and documentation to be submitted at the time of entry:

1. Customs Forms:
   • CBP 3299 - Declaration For Free Entry of Unaccompanied Goods
   • Supplemental Declaration - Available in our Resources page under the Documents tab.
2. Travel Documents:
   • Copy or Copies of the owner's Passport
   • Copies of the Boarding Passes from the arriving trip to the United States
   • Copy of the trip Itinerary

Your dedicated Argents representative can assist in completing the above mentioned customs forms, as well as file the Customs Entry for clearance of your personal and household goods. In order to expedite the clearance process and avoid costly, unnecessary delays, Argents must have all the documents at least 7 days prior to cargo's first arrival into the United States.

After the Shipment's Departure:

• Gather all Documents: The shipping agent you have hired should be able to provide you with the Original Bills of Lading within five days of the cargo departure. Ideally you should carry this document with you to avoid costly international courier charges. At this time you should also have been provideD with or completed the remaining shipping documents. It is important that you have the Original Bill of Lading in hands prior to the cargo's arrival into the United States as this document must be presented to a destination agent in the U.S. prior to the commercial release of the goods.
• Payment of Charges: In order to expedite the release all charges should be paid at the time of departure, and the only outstanding fees should be those for Customs Clearance, Estimated Duty and Terminal Handling. This last fee is standard to all shipments and is charged by the receiving U.S. terminal. All of the charges must be paid in order for cargo to be released.

Cargo Arrival

If all the above requirements have been fulfilled and your customs entry was filled in advance, your cargo should arrive pre-cleared and ready for delivery, granted that U.S. Customs has not determined an Exam is needed. Exams are routinely performed in Incoming cargo, and are used to diminish potential threats posed by unwanted/dangerous cargo arriving into the United States. These exams are also used to make sure that the cargo actually shipped matches the documents provided to U.S. Customs, thus the importance of carefully preparing and reviewing your documentation. Exams can take a long time and all charges resulting from it are billed to you and must be paid prior to cargo release.
Once cargo is fully released it can be delivered immediately. If you have contracted a door-to-door move at origin, the Ocean Carrier will deliver the cargo to your residence. This must be specified in the Bill of Lading, and you must verify that your agent has contracted the Carrier to a Residential Delivery prior to shipping. Most carriers have surcharges in place for residential deliveries. If you did not contract a door delivery, you will have to hire a company to deliver your cargo. Listings of such companies can also be found at the Household Goods Forwarders Association of America website.
Argents Express Does not deliver or forward Personal Effects and Household Goods.
We hope this information will help you have a successful, hassle free shipment of your household goods. Please contact us if you would Like one of our Import Specialists to assist and clear your shipment with U.S. Customs.
Thank You,

The Argents Team