International Movers Texas: Everything You Need to Know

Quick Answer: With AB Group Shipping, a household move from Texas through Houston starts at $2,600 port to port for a 2-bedroom 20 ft container to Cartagena (September 2026 quote), with transit from 3 days to Puerto Cortes up to 34 days to Paranagua. Pickup anywhere in Texas is added separately.

The price table under the opening answer updates itself every month, so the numbers you see there are the live ones. This guide explains what sits behind them: ports, paperwork, container sizes, service levels and the destination charges nobody quotes up front.

What Do International Movers in Texas Actually Do?

Quick Answer: International movers in Texas manage an overseas household move end to end: pre-move survey, export packing and crating, pickup anywhere in the state, drayage to the Port of Houston, ocean or air freight, export filings, destination customs clearance, delivery and debris removal. Some handle only part of that chain.

The word "mover" covers three very different businesses. Knowing which one you hired decides who answers the phone when your container sits at Cartagena.

The full chain, step by step

1. Survey your home, in person or by video, and convert rooms into cubic meters.
2. Pack and crate with export-grade cartons, double-wall boxes and custom wood crates for fragile items.
3. Inventory every carton with a declared value — this document drives your insurance claim.
4. Collect from your Texas address with a truck for household goods or a car carrier for vehicles.
5. Drayage moves the loaded container to Barbours Cut or Bayport terminal at the Port of Houston.
6. File the Electronic Export Information in AES and issue the Bill of Lading.
7. Sail on the booked vessel after the terminal cut-off closes.
8. Clear at destination through a local customs broker using your entitlement forms.
9. Deliver, unpack and remove debris at your new address, where the service level includes it.

Moving company, freight forwarder or NVOCC?

An international moving company sells the whole relocation service, including packing crews and destination delivery. A freight forwarder books and documents the transport but does not wrap your sofa. An NVOCC issues its own Bill of Lading and contracts space directly with ocean carriers like Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd.

AB Group Shipping operates as forwarder and NVOCC. That matters because the party issuing the B/L is the party legally responsible for your cargo on the water.

What a Texas mover cannot do

No US mover clears your goods at destination alone. Clearance follows each destination country's own rules, including whether you must use a local customs broker. In Colombia, for example, a customs agency is not mandatory by law: you may deal with DIAN directly, and any agency you use must be authorized by DIAN (Decreto 1165 de 2019). Confirm the rules for Peru or Argentina with a licensed customs agent or the consulate before shipping. No mover can waive the destination country's duty-free entitlement rules either — those depend on each country's own rules and your personal situation.

Planning the wider move, not just the freight? Read our Moving Abroad From the USA: Complete Guide for visas, timing and the full checklist.

Which Port Do International Movers in Texas Ship From?

Quick Answer: The Port of Houston handles the large majority of international household moves from Texas. Its container terminals at Barbours Cut and Bayport carry the weekly Latin America, Europe and Middle East services. Port Freeport, Galveston, Corpus Christi and Port Arthur mostly serve bulk, energy and RoRo cargo.

Houston is the container gateway for a huge inland region. Shippers in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska usually route through it too. That volume is why Houston holds weekly sailings to Latin America rather than fortnightly ones.

When your shipment leaves from somewhere else

Geography sometimes beats habit. An El Paso or Lubbock move can price better through Los Angeles/Long Beach for Pacific destinations, because the inland leg is shorter and the ocean leg is direct. The calculator on this page prices your actual pickup city and selects the cheaper routing automatically.

Cut-off time is not the sailing date

Two deadlines control whether your container makes the vessel. The terminal cut-off closes gate receipt some time before departure; your booking confirmation gives the exact cut-off. The vessel ETD is when the ship actually leaves. Miss the cut-off by two hours and your container waits for the next sailing — often a full week, sometimes more during Gulf Coast peak season.

How Much Does It Cost to Move Overseas From Texas?

Quick Answer: Cost depends on volume, destination and service level. Port to port from Houston with AB Group Shipping, a 2-bedroom 20 ft container to Cartagena started at $2,600 and a 3+ bedroom 40 ft HC at $2,800 in September 2026. Pickup from your Texas address is priced separately by the calculator.

Ocean freight is only one line on the invoice. Treat the price table under the opening answer as your live freight baseline, then budget the rest of the chain around it.

FCL 20 ft

HoustonUSHOU

→

CartagenaCOCTG

from · Sep 2026 USD$2,600 Quote this route →

FCL 20 ft

HoustonUSHOU

→

CallaoPECLL

from · Sep 2026 USD$3,225 Quote this route →

FCL 40 ft HC

HoustonUSHOU

→

AcajutlaSVAQJ

from · Sep 2026 USD$4,734 Quote this route →

What the total actually contains

• Ocean freight — the port-to-port number in the table on this page.
• Export packing and crating — labor, materials, custom crates for art, marble and pianos.
• Texas pickup and drayage — priced from your own city by the calculator.
• Origin terminal handling — gate, lift and documentation fees at Houston.
• Destination THC and clearance — charged in the destination country, not by ABGS.
• Delivery, stair or shuttle charges — set by the local agent at your new address.
• Demurrage and detention — avoidable, and brutal if your paperwork stalls past free time.

The two costs people underestimate

First, marine insurance. All-risk coverage prices as a percentage of your declared value, so a $60,000 inventory costs real money to insure. Second, destination charges. They are not part of any port-to-port freight quote, and they vary by country, port and even by the broker handling the file.

Trimming volume is the single most effective saving. Our guide to affordable international moving in 2026 lists twelve practical ways to cut the bill without cutting the service.

How Long Does Shipping Take From Houston to Europe and Beyond?

Quick Answer: Port to port from Houston, AB Group Shipping sails 3 days to Puerto Cortes, 6 days to Santo Tomas de Castilla, 10 days to Cartagena, 14 days to Rodman, 27 days to Callao, 29 days to Buenos Aires, 31 days to Acajutla and 34 days to Paranagua. Add pickup, loading and destination clearance.

The three time blocks nobody quotes

Port-to-port days are the middle of the story, not the whole one. Budget 3 to 7 days for packing and pickup in Texas, depending on home size and crew availability. Then add the gap between the terminal cut-off and the vessel ETD, which can be another 2 to 5 days.

At the other end, clearance and delivery typically take 5 to 15 days. Inspection, a missing entitlement form or a public holiday stretches that further.

Transshipment adds days the schedule hides

Many Caribbean and South American routings are not direct. Boxes transfer at Caucedo, Kingston or Cartagena onto a feeder vessel. Each transfer adds dwell time at the hub. A quote showing "direct service" may still involve a relay leg, so ask which vessel and which hub before you commit.

Our customers in Texas most often ship to El Salvador, Peru, Colombia and Argentina. Those four lanes run weekly out of Houston, which keeps waiting time between bookings short.

LCL vs 20 ft vs 40 ft: Which Container Size Fits Your Home?

Quick Answer: A 20 ft container holds a typical 2-bedroom home, about 33 CBM of usable space. A 40 ft high cube holds a 3+ bedroom home, about 76 CBM. Below roughly 10 CBM, a shared container (LCL) usually costs less per cubic meter than booking a 20 ft alone.

LCL means your goods share a box with other shippers. The consolidator loads several customers' cargo at a CFS warehouse in Houston, then a destination CFS deconsolidates it. More handling means more touch points, more paperwork and a longer door-to-door clock.

Why LCL clears slower than FCL

An FCL container moves under one Bill of Lading to one consignee. An LCL container carries several consignees, and customs may hold the whole box while one shipper's paperwork is fixed. Handling at a bonded CFS keeps goods under customs control until clearance; a non-bonded warehouse means clearance must finish before release. Either way, expect LCL clearance to take longer than FCL at the same port.

Packing that survives the Gulf and the Atlantic

• Export-grade double-wall cartons, not supermarket boxes — ocean containers sweat.
• Custom wood crates for marble tops, framed art, mirrors and pianos.
• A valued inventory listing every carton and its declared value — no inventory, no insurance claim.
• Moisture absorbers inside the container for long lanes like Houston to Paranagua at 34 days.

What Documents Do I Need to Move Internationally From Texas?

Quick Answer: You need a passport and destination visa, CBP Form 4457 for valuables leaving the country, a valued packing inventory, an Electronic Export Information filing in AES, and the Bill of Lading. Destination countries add their own entitlement forms.

The US side

• CBP Form 3299 — not an export form: it claims duty-free entry for personal and household effects coming into the United States, so it plays no part in a move out of Texas.
• CBP Form 4457 — registers foreign-made valuables (cameras, watches, laptops) before they leave, so you can prove ownership on return.
• EEI filing in AES through ACE — required above the value threshold, and for every used vehicle regardless of value, per CBP's export rules.
• Schedule B / HS codes where an EEI filing is required — Schedule B is the default commodity code in AES, and a valid HTS code is generally accepted.
• Bill of Lading — issued by the carrier or NVOCC moving your cargo.

The destination side

Every country runs its own duty-free entitlement scheme. The UK uses ToR1, Australia B534, Canada BSF186, and Mexico the menaje de casa with consular steps. The UAE ties clearance to your residency visa.

For Latin America, requirements vary by country. In Colombia, for example, the commercial invoice does not have to be in Spanish (customs may ask for a translation), proof of origin depends on each trade agreement, and people importing under the menaje regime do not have to register in the RUT (DIAN). DIAN, SUNAT, SAT and AFIP each publish their own menaje requirements; confirm yours with a licensed customs agent or the consulate before shipping.

Duty-free entitlement, where a country offers it, depends on that country's own rules and your situation. Confirm it with a licensed customs broker at destination before you pack. AB Group Shipping is a freight forwarder, not legal counsel, and entitlement rulings sit with the local authority.

Employment-related relocations have their own compliance layer. If your move is tied to a job change, the EEOC's guidance on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and its Know Your Rights workplace poster set out federal protections that apply while you plan an overseas posting.

Door-to-Door, Door-to-Port or Port-to-Port: Which Service Level?

Quick Answer: Port to port covers only the ocean leg between Houston and the destination port. Door to port adds Texas pickup, packing and export handling. Door to door adds destination clearance and delivery to your new address. The service level you choose decides who pays destination charges.

Every ABGS price in this article is a port-to-port baseline from Houston. That is deliberate: it is the one number we control precisely. Pickup from your Texas city is added by the calculator, and destination services are quoted by the local agent.

Destination charges you should expect

• Destination terminal handling (DTHC) at the arrival port.
• Port storage once free time expires — the clock starts on discharge.
• Customs inspection fees if the container is selected for exam.
• Local delivery, stair carry or shuttle where a truck cannot reach your door.

None of those are ABGS freight charges, so we never quote a figure for them. Your destination agent does, in writing, before delivery.

Comparing gateways? Our breakdown of international movers in New York shows how the Northeast corridor differs from Houston on sailing frequency and drayage cost.

How Do I Know if a Texas International Moving Company Is Licensed?

Quick Answer: Check the Federal Maritime Commission's online list of licensed Ocean Transportation Intermediaries. A legitimate international mover holds an FMC OTI license as an NVOCC or ocean freight forwarder, carries a surety bond, and shows a USDOT number for domestic trucking. Accreditation through FIDI-FAIM or IAM is a further quality signal.

Verify in five steps

1. Search the FMC OTI list by company name and confirm the license is active.
2. Confirm the surety bond is in force — an OTI license with a lapsed bond is effectively invalid.
3. Check the USDOT number for the domestic trucking leg inside Texas.
4. Look for FIDI-FAIM accreditation or IAM membership, the two recognized quality marks in household goods.
5. Read the review history and complaint record, not just the star rating.

Insurance and valuation are not the same thing

Ocean carrier liability under a bill of lading is capped by US law at about $500 per package, which is almost worthless for a fragile, high-value household. All-risk marine coverage prices as a percentage of declared value and pays replacement cost. Either way, the valued inventory is the document an adjuster reads first.

What a real written quote itemizes

• Ocean freight, with the container size and destination port named.
• Origin services: packing, materials, crating, pickup and drayage.
• Destination charges, or a clear statement that they are excluded.
• Insurance basis and premium rate.
• Exclusions in plain language — storage, shuttle, stair carry, demurrage.

Moving Abroad From Texas: Vehicles, Pets and a 12-Week Timeline

Quick Answer: Vehicles ship from Houston by RoRo or inside a container, and CBP needs the original title at the port at least 72 hours before export. Pets clear through IAH or DFW under USDA-APHIS rules. A realistic international move from Texas needs about 12 weeks of planning.

Exporting a vehicle from Houston

According to CBP's Exporting a Motor Vehicle rules, you must present the original title — or a certified copy plus two copies — at the port at least 72 hours before export. A financed or leased car also needs a letter from the lienholder. An EEI filing in AES is mandatory for every used vehicle, whatever its value.

Texas adds one wrinkle. When a lender holds your title electronically (ELT), TxDMV removes the lienholder once the lien is released and mails a paper title to the owner. TxDMV states that a printed title is required when the vehicle moves out of state. Confirm anything beyond that with the Texas DMV directly.

Vehicle · RoRo

HoustonUSHOU

→

RodmanPAROD

approx. · Sep 2026 USD$3,100 aprox. Quote this route →

Shared 40 ft · per car

HoustonUSHOU

→

Santo TomasGTSTC

approx. · Sep 2026 USD$2,750 aprox. Quote this route →

Two cars often share a 40 ft high cube, which splits the box cost. RVs, motorhomes, semi-trucks, heavy machinery and aircraft never fit a container. They move on a flat rack or a RoRo vessel, and a specialist prices them after the calculator takes your request.

Pets from IAH and DFW

• USDA-APHIS endorsed health certificate, issued within the destination's time window.
• ISO microchip implanted before the rabies vaccination, not after.
• Rabies titer test where the destination requires it — Japan does, with a waiting period; the UK and the EU do not ask for one for pets coming from the US.
• IATA-compliant crate sized to the animal — summer heat embargoes can affect Texas departures in the hot months; check your airline's dates.

Your 12-week timeline

1. Week 12 — book the survey and get a written volume-based quote.
2. Week 10 — book the sailing and start destination paperwork.
3. Week 6 — file entitlement forms and confirm your visa status.
4. Week 3 — pack and load at your Texas address.
5. Week 2 — drayage to Houston and terminal cut-off.
6. Week 0 — vessel sails; destination clearance follows on arrival.

Texas moves we handle most

Houston Energy Corridor postings to the Middle East. Austin tech relocations to Europe and Asia. DFW corporate transfers. Military PCS moves from Fort Cavazos, Lackland and JBSA. We pick up anywhere in Texas — Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, Lubbock and Corpus Christi — with a truck for household goods and a car carrier for vehicles.

Heading to Central or South America? Price your lane directly with our Moving to Panama Cost Calculator or the Moving to Chile Cost Calculator.

Price Your Texas Move in Seconds

Quick Answer: Enter your Texas pickup city, your destination country and your home size in the calculator on this page. It prices the pickup from your own address, selects the cheapest US gateway, and returns a port-to-port or door-to-port figure immediately — with no email and no sales call required.

With thousands of shipments processed across the USA–Latin America corridor, AB Group Shipping books space as an NVOCC with Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd out of Houston. That means one Bill of Lading, one point of accountability and weekly sailings on the lanes Texas families use most.

Stop guessing at cubic feet and sight-unseen estimates. Use the calculator on this page to price your exact city, container size and destination port, then compare it against every other quote you hold.