Moving to Europe from Canada, Door to Door from Toronto

How a move from Toronto to Europe works

After a home or video survey, our crew packs your home in the GTA to export standard — cartons, paper, blankets, crates for art and fragile pieces — and builds the itemized inventory that European customs requires in the destination language where needed. The shipment is loaded into a dedicated container or consolidated with other Europe-bound groupage at our North York warehouse, drayed on our truck to the rail terminal, and railed to Montreal or Halifax for the Atlantic crossing.

At the European port our IAM partner agent takes over: files the customs entry with your transfer-of-residence documents, collects the container, and delivers to your new home — with unpacking and packing-material removal — whether that is a Berlin Altbau with no elevator, a Paris courtyard, or a farmhouse in the Algarve.

1. Free survey and fixed door-to-door quote
2. Customs document list for your specific destination country
3. Packing, crating and inventory at your home in the GTA
4. Loading into a dedicated container or European groupage at our warehouse
5. Rail to Montreal / Halifax and ocean sailing (10–25 days)
6. Customs clearance under transfer-of-residence relief by our EU agent
7. Delivery to your door with unpacking and debris removal

EU customs relief for household goods

Council Regulation (EC) 1186/2009 exempts personal property from import duty when you transfer your normal residence from outside the EU to a member state. The same conditions apply across the Union: you have lived outside the EU for at least 12 consecutive months, you have owned and used the goods for at least six months, you import them within 12 months of establishing residence, and you do not sell, lend or hire them out for 12 months after import. VAT relief follows the same conditions in each member state. Alcohol, tobacco, commercial vehicles and goods for a trade are excluded; a private car you have owned for six months is usually included but faces registration and, in some countries, registration tax after arrival.

What differs by country is the proof. Each customs administration wants its own evidence that you have actually moved: a registration certificate from the municipality, an employment contract, a lease or deed, and often a certificate from the Canadian consulate or a sworn declaration. That is why we give you a country-specific document list at the survey rather than a generic one.

Country notes for the destinations we handle most

Germany: relief is claimed on the customs declaration with proof of Anmeldung (municipal registration) at your new address and proof of residence abroad; an itemized inventory in German is expected. Delivery in cities often requires a Halteverbot (parking suspension) booked in advance.

France: personal effects enter free of duty and VAT with an inventory in French, a change-of-residence attestation and proof of residence abroad; the declaration is filed on the customs form for personal property. Vehicles need a certificate of conformity for registration.

Netherlands: the verhuisboedel (removal goods) relief is applied for with the Belastingdienst using proof of residence abroad and your new BSN registration; Rotterdam is the port, so deliveries are quick once cleared.

Italy and Spain: both require the inventory in the local language and proof of residence registration (residenza / empadronamiento); Spain requires the request within the timeframe after registration, so register promptly. Portugal: the Certificado de Bagagem from the Portuguese consulate in Canada is issued before departure and is the key document — apply early.

Poland and Romania: relief follows the EU regulation with local customs; Poland via Gdańsk/Gdynia or overland from Hamburg, Romania via Constanța or Rotterdam and truck. Ireland: transfer-of-residence relief is applied for with Revenue and follows the same 12-month / 6-month rules; sailings via Rotterdam or Liverpool with onward feeder or truck.

What it costs to move to Europe from the GTA

Volume first, then destination. Northern European ports — Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg, Le Havre — have the most frequent Canadian sailings and the lowest rates; Mediterranean and Eastern European destinations add transit time and an inland leg. A one-bedroom apartment ships as groupage; a three-bedroom home fills a 20′ container; a larger house takes a 40′ or high-cube. Our quote is door to door and itemizes packing, loading, drayage and rail, ocean freight, European port and customs charges, the inland delivery, unpacking and debris removal. Duty and VAT if relief is refused, and city delivery permits where required, are the items quoted separately.

Timelines and what to leave behind

Rail from the GTA to Montreal takes a day or two, to Halifax three or four. Ocean transit to Rotterdam, Antwerp or Hamburg is ten to sixteen days; to Valencia, Genoa or Constanța eighteen to twenty-five. Customs and delivery scheduling at destination add one to three weeks. A dedicated container typically reaches your European door five to nine weeks after packing; groupage seven to twelve.

Europe runs on 230 volts, so most Canadian appliances stay behind or run on a transformer. Beds and mattresses are different sizes; kitchen appliances rarely fit European kitchens. Prohibited and restricted items follow EU rules — firearms without permits, most meat and dairy, plants and soil, protected-species products — and each country adds its own list, which we send with the document checklist.

• 230 V mains: leave 110 V appliances or plan for transformers
• Different bed and mattress sizes across Europe
• Restricted: firearms, meat and dairy, plants, soil, endangered-species products
• Vehicles: eligible under relief at 6+ months' ownership; registration and conformity checks after arrival

Why families moving to Europe choose Metropolitan Logistics

We ship commercial containers to European ports every week, so the rail, port and carrier relationships behind your household move are the same ones our exporters rely on. The container is loaded in our Toronto warehouse by our own crews and photographed before sealing. Our IAM Core membership, IAMTrusted status and Receivable Protection Program coverage stand behind the partner agent who will clear and deliver your shipment in your new country — and who will speak the customs office's language when the questions come.