Quick Answer: With AB Group Shipping, moving household goods to Aruba costs from $3,730 for a consolidated 13 m³ load of boxes and furniture from Miami (October 2026 quote, port to port). Houston starts from $5,134 and Los Angeles from $5,567. Ocean transit from Miami to Barcadera Harbour runs 5-9 days.
- A consolidated 13 m³ load (roughly a 1-bedroom home) ships port to port from Miami from $3,730 in October 2026 — Houston from $5,134, Los Angeles from $5,567. Prices update monthly in the table under the opening answer.
- Miami and Port Everglades sail to Barcadera Harbour in 5-9 days; Houston runs 10-14 days and Los Angeles 18-25 days via transshipment.
- New residents with a DIMAS residence permit can import used household goods duty-free if the items were owned and used before the move and arrive inside the permitted window.
- Aruba charges import duty on CIF value plus BBO/BAZV/BAVP turnover taxes — vehicles are taxed on CIF value and engine size, not on what you paid at home.
Aruba sits 18 miles off the Venezuelan coast, which makes it a short hop from Florida and a long haul from the West Coast. That single geographic fact drives most of what you will read below — your gateway decides both your price and your calendar.
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Go to the calculator →Reference prices: moving from the USA to Aruba
| Departure port | Boxes |
|---|---|
| MiamiCheapest | $3,730 |
| Houston | $5,134 |
| Los Angeles | $5,567 |
| New Jersey | ≈ $5,150 |
Port to port to Oranjestad, in USD, quoted with our system on October 4, 2026. Includes freight and US export charges; excludes import taxes and destination charges. Boxes: consolidated, ≈13 m³. 2-bed: 20 ft container. 3+ bed: 40 ft HC container. The calculator on this page gives your exact price, with pickup and delivery. ≈ Approximate price: what our system quotes leaving from another port, or the median of the other ports for that shipment.
Shipping from another state? Which port to read
Each port in the table is the one that cargo from these states usually leaves through. Miami: Florida. Houston: Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Los Angeles: California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Hawaii. New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia and West Virginia ship through New York / New Jersey; Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama ship through Savannah; Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota ship through Chicago (rail); Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Alaska ship through Seattle / Tacoma: those ports are not in the table yet. We pick up in every state, and the calculator finds the best port from your city.
How much does it cost to move to Aruba from the United States?
Quick Answer: Moving to Aruba from the US costs from $3,730 for about 13 m³ of boxes and furniture shipped port to port from Miami, per our October 2026 quoting system. Houston starts from $5,134 and Los Angeles from $5,567. Your gateway, volume and service level set the final number.
Those three numbers all cover the same thing: roughly 13 cubic meters of consolidated boxes and some furniture, moved port to port. That volume matches a studio or a modest one-bedroom apartment. The price table under the opening answer refreshes itself, so always treat it as the live figure.
Port to port has a precise meaning here. You deliver the cargo to the departure port, and you collect it at Oranjestad. Door pickup, Barcadera destination handling, Aruban duties and local delivery sit outside that rate and are not ABGS freight.
Port-to-port rate for about 13 m³ of consolidated household goods to Oranjestad. Houston starts from $5,134 and Los Angeles from $5,567 for the same load. Prices move monthly.
Which gateway will your region use?
Your home state usually picks the port for you. The lane map is simple:
- Florida → Miami or Port Everglades, the fastest and cheapest route to Aruba
- Texas and the central states → Port Houston
- California and the Southwest → Los Angeles/Long Beach
- The Northeast → Port of New York and New Jersey
- The Southeast → Savannah
- The Midwest → rail to a coastal gateway, usually through Chicago
Cities we do not list price at the nearest listed origin. Atlanta ships approx. at the Miami rate out of Port Everglades. Dallas ships approx. at the Houston rate. Phoenix and Las Vegas ride the Los Angeles number.
MiamiUSMIA
OranjestadAWORJ
HoustonUSHOU
OranjestadAWORJ
Los AngelesUSLAX
OranjestadAWORJ
The moving to Aruba calculator on this page prices your exact ZIP, volume and mode in seconds. Our ocean rates change every month with carrier filings, which is why you will never see a price in our titles or FAQ answers. Independent surveys of international moving costs in 2026 show the same monthly drift across the industry.
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Go to the calculator →How does the moving to Aruba calculator work?
Quick Answer: The moving to Aruba calculator on this page asks for your origin city or ZIP, estimated volume in cubic meters or home size, mode (LCL, 20ft, 40ft or air) and whether you are adding a vehicle. It returns a live 2026 port-to-port rate in seconds — no email, no sales call.
Five inputs produce the number. Each one maps to a real cost driver in our rate file.
- Enter your origin city or ZIP. The tool routes you to the nearest sailing gateway.
- Pick your home size or type a volume in cubic meters.
- Choose the mode: LCL consolidation, a 20ft, a 40ft, or air freight.
- Add a vehicle if you are shipping one — it prices on its own line.
- Select port to port, or flag that you want a door delivery quote in Aruba.
How do I convert my home into cubic meters?
Most people have never measured cargo volume. Use these working averages instead:
- Studio apartment → 8-12 m³
- 1-bedroom → 12-18 m³
- 2-bedroom → 20-28 m³
- 3-bedroom → 30-40 m³
Our expat move budget calculator for USA to LatAm uses the same volume bands, so the two tools agree.
What does the quote include and exclude?
The output covers ocean freight, documentation and origin consolidation where the mode calls for it. It does not cover Aruban import duty, BBO/BAZV/BAVP turnover taxes, Barcadera destination handling or local trucking to your address. Those are charged in Aruba by Aruban parties.
Pro Tip
Round your volume estimate up by 10-15%. Shippers routinely forget the garage, the patio furniture and the closet tops. Re-measuring after the truck arrives is the most expensive correction in a household move.
Some cargo cannot be auto-priced. Breakbulk, boats on cradles, oversized RoRo units and dangerous goods route to a custom-quote form at the same anchor. A specialist answers those with a filed rate, not an algorithm. The same calculator runs on other lanes too — see the Moving to Argentina Calculator: Instant Quotes (2026) for a long-haul South American comparison.
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Go to the calculator →20ft vs 40ft vs LCL vs air freight to Aruba: which should you book?
Quick Answer: Under about 10-12 m³, LCL consolidation wins on cost per cubic meter for Aruba. Between 12 and 28 m³, a 20ft container usually beats LCL on total price and handling risk. Above 30 m³, book a 40ft. Air freight suits under 300 kg of urgent items only.
What is LCL shipping to Aruba?
LCL means your goods share a container with other shippers. We consolidate your load at origin, seal the box with other cargo, then deconsolidate it at a CFS warehouse near destination. You pay for the space you occupy, not for a whole container.
Capacity by shipping mode to Oranjestad
See the data
| Mode | Usable volume (m³) | Transit from Miami | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| LCL consolidated | 13 | 5-9 days + CFS time | Studio, 1-bed, partial loads |
| 20ft FCL | 33 | 5-9 days | 1-2 bedroom homes |
| 40ft FCL | 66 | 5-9 days | 3 bedroom homes |
| 40ft high-cube | 76 | 5-9 days | 4 bedroom homes + vehicle |
Source: ISO container internal dimensions and AB Group Shipping service schedule · October 2026
LCL consolidation
You pay per cubic meter and share the sailing. Weekly departures from Miami keep the schedule tight. The trade-off on an island lane is real: your cargo is handled at the origin CFS, at the destination CFS, and again on delivery. Every extra touch adds damage risk and a fee line.
Full container (FCL)
You book the whole box. Nobody else's cargo touches yours, and the seal stays closed until Aruban Customs opens it. For high-value furniture, art, or a piano, that exclusive use argument usually outweighs the price gap once you pass about 12-15 m³.
The island break-even shifts earlier
On mainland lanes, LCL stays competitive to roughly 10 CBM. Shipping to Aruba adds a second deconsolidation and a second set of destination handling charges at Barcadera. In practice, the point where a 20ft wins often lands closer to 12 m³ than 15 m³. Run both modes in the calculator before you decide.
When does air freight make sense?
Air freight into Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA) via Miami lands in 1-3 days. It prices on chargeable weight, which penalizes bulky furniture badly. Use it for documents, laptops, baby gear, medication and anything you need before the container clears. Parcel rate comparisons from the US to Aruba are a useful sanity check for very small loads.
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Go to the calculator →How long does a shipping container take to get to Aruba?
Quick Answer: A container from Miami or Port Everglades reaches Barcadera Harbour in Oranjestad in 5-9 days with weekly sailings. Houston runs 10-14 days, Jacksonville 7-11 days, New York/New Jersey 10-16 days and Los Angeles 18-25 days via transshipment. Rotterdam takes 16-24 days.
| Origin port | Sailing frequency | Transit days | Routing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami (USMIA) | Weekly | 5-9 | Direct feeder |
| Port Everglades (USPEF) | Weekly | 5-9 | Direct feeder |
| Jacksonville (USJAX) | Weekly | 7-11 | Direct or via Port Everglades |
| Houston (USHOU) | Bi-weekly | 10-14 | Often via Caucedo or Cartagena |
| New York/New Jersey (USNYC) | Weekly | 10-16 | Transshipment via Caucedo |
| Los Angeles (USLAX) | Weekly | 18-25 | Panama Canal + transshipment |
| Rotterdam (NLRTM) | Weekly | 16-24 | Direct or via Caucedo |
Carriers actually serving the lane include Maersk, CMA CGM, King Ocean and Seaboard Marine, mostly through Caribbean feeder rotations into Barcadera. Keep the port codes handy for paperwork: USMIA, USPEF, USHOU and AWORJ.
Cut-off time is not the vessel ETD
Shippers lose a week to this constantly. The port cargo cut-off typically falls 24-48 hours before departure, and the documentation cut-off runs 48-72 hours ahead of that. Miss either one on a weekly service and your container waits seven full days for the next sailing. Hand your B/L instructions to your forwarder early.
Add 10-20 days to any ocean transit when you plan your own flight. Packing, inland trucking to the gateway, and Aruban customs clearance all consume calendar days that the sailing schedule never shows.
Do I have to pay import duty on my furniture when I move to Aruba?
Quick Answer: No, not if you qualify as a new resident. Aruba grants a duty-free exemption on used household goods for immigrants and returning nationals who hold a DIMAS residence permit, owned and used the items before moving, and import them within the permitted window after arrival. New items pay full duty.
The exemption covers used personal effects and furniture you owned and used before the move. The benchmark most brokers apply is roughly six months of prior ownership, with the shipment arriving close to your registration date. Your DIMAS residence permit is the anchor document — without it, the exemption does not open.
What falls outside the exemption?
- New or boxed-unused goods still in retail packaging
- Commercial quantities of any single item
- Vehicles — taxed separately on CIF value and engine size
- Alcohol and tobacco
- Anything bought for resale
What taxes apply to non-exempt goods?
Two layers stack. First, import duty applied to the CIF value. Second, Aruba's turnover taxes — BBO, BAZV and BAVP — assessed at import. The combined turnover rate has sat around 7% in recent years, but confirm the current figure with a licensed Aruban broker before you budget.
Here is the math on a $6,000 CIF value at a sample 12% duty rate:
- Start with CIF: goods $4,800 + freight $1,000 + insurance $200 = $6,000.
- Apply duty at 12%: $6,000 × 0.12 = $720.
- Add duty to CIF for the tax base: $6,000 + $720 = $6,720.
- Apply combined turnover tax at 7%: $6,720 × 0.07 = $470.40.
- Total import charges: $720 + $470.40 = $1,190.40.
Swap in your own published duty rate and rerun it. Rates vary by HS code, so a sofa and a television do not land in the same band.
Vague packing lists sink exemptions
The single most common reason an exemption gets denied is a packing list reading "misc. household" with no values. Aruban Customs cannot verify what it cannot see. The shipment then sits at Barcadera accruing storage while you rebuild the list from memory. Itemize every carton and assign a used-value figure before the container seals.
File the exemption through a licensed Aruban customs broker. AB Group Shipping moves freight — we are not legal counsel, and duty classification is the broker's professional responsibility.
What is CIF value and how does Aruba Customs use it?
Quick Answer: CIF value is Cost, Insurance and Freight — the price you paid for the goods plus the ocean freight and insurance to Aruba. Aruba Customs applies duty percentages to that combined figure, not to the invoice alone. A low freight rate therefore lowers your duty bill as well.
FOB stops at the origin port rail and excludes freight and insurance. CIF carries both all the way to Oranjestad. That difference matters more than most movers realize — your freight rate gets taxed twice, once as a bill and once inside the duty base.
Booking from the right gateway therefore pays off at both ends. A Florida resident paying the Miami rate carries a smaller CIF base than the same household routed inefficiently through a distant port.
Which Incoterm fits a personal move?
- FOB — you take control at the origin port and arrange everything onward
- CIF — freight and insurance to Aruba are covered; duty and clearance are yours
- DAP — delivered to your Aruban address, duties unpaid by the shipper
- DDP — duties prepaid, with the shipper carrying import-side liability
Port to port (FOB/CIF)
You collect at Barcadera and appoint your own broker. The freight invoice is clean and predictable. You handle destination handling, duty and local trucking directly, which usually costs less in total but requires your attention on the island.
Door to door (DAP/DDP)
One provider coordinates pickup, sailing, clearance and delivery. Fewer phone calls, higher price. DDP looks tidy on paper but is risky for household goods: if Aruban Customs reassesses the value, the party who prepaid absorbs the difference. Few forwarders will hold that exposure on an island lane.
| Service level | What's included | Who files with customs | Who pays duty |
|---|---|---|---|
| FOB | Origin handling only | You or your broker | You |
| CIF | Freight + insurance to Oranjestad | Your Aruban broker | You |
| DAP | Freight + delivery to your address | Appointed broker | You |
| DDP | Everything including duty | Shipper's broker | Shipper (billed through) |
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Go to the calculator →What documents do I need to clear customs when moving to Aruba?
Quick Answer: You need a DIMAS residence permit or proof of application, a valid passport, the original bill of lading, a detailed packing list with values, the customs import declaration and a power of attorney for your Aruban customs broker. Vehicles add title, registration and purchase invoice.
What is a DIMAS residence permit?
DIMAS is Aruba's immigration department — Departamento di Integracion, Maneho y Admision di Stranhero. The permit it issues establishes you as a legal resident. That permit is what unlocks the duty-free household goods exemption, so start the application well before your container sails.
The full clearance checklist
- Valid passport (all travelers in the household)
- DIMAS residence permit or official application receipt
- Original bill of lading, or a telex release
- Itemized packing list in English with used values
- Customs import declaration
- Power of attorney for your licensed Aruban broker
- Proof of address in Aruba (lease or purchase contract)
- Marine insurance certificate
Shipping a vehicle adds the original title, current registration, bill of sale, and a clear photo of the VIN plate. Missing titles stop a car at the port, full stop.
Expats moving across the wider corridor will meet Spanish-language equivalents of these forms — Factura Comercial, Certificado de Origen, and Manifiesto de Carga. Aruban paperwork runs in Dutch and English, but a menaje de casa declaration (the Spanish term for household goods) still shows up in regional broker templates.
Send the document pack 7-10 days early
Email scans to your Aruban broker a week before vessel arrival. Barcadera free time is short, and storage charges start fast once it expires. Consolidated box shipments need special care with the inventory — the same discipline we describe in our Boxes to Haiti Shipping Calculator: 2026 Instant Quotes guide applies here.
Can I ship my car to Aruba and what does it cost?
Quick Answer: Yes. Cars move to Aruba by RoRo or inside a container, and the calculator prices them on the vehicle line — never on the general-cargo container rate. Aruban duty is assessed on CIF value and engine size, so a cheap car with a large engine can still carry a heavy tax bill.
What is RoRo vehicle shipping?
RoRo stands for roll-on/roll-off. Your car is driven onto a dedicated vessel deck and lashed down, with nothing loaded inside it. No crate, no container, no personal items in the trunk.
RoRo
Usually cheaper per unit and faster to load and discharge. The vehicle sits on an open vehicle deck, exposed to the ship's environment. Nothing may travel inside the cabin. Good for standard sedans, SUVs and pickups in running condition.
Container
Protects against weather and handling, and allows a limited number of boxed spares where Aruban rules permit. Costs more per vehicle alone, but two cars sharing a 40ft often beat two RoRo units. Required for non-running vehicles and classics.
The pricing rule is firm. A car shipped alone uses the vehicle line in the calculator. Two cars sharing a 40ft use the shared-container approximation per car, always written "approx." A general-cargo container rate never prices a vehicle — it carries no vehicle handling and no vehicle markup.
How is Aruban vehicle duty calculated?
Aruba taxes imported vehicles on CIF value combined with engine displacement bands. Larger engines sit in higher percentage brackets. Here is the method on a sample vehicle, using a sample published band rate:
- Establish CIF: vehicle $12,000 + freight $1,800 + insurance $150 = $13,950.
- Apply the engine-band duty rate, say 25% for a mid-size engine: $13,950 × 0.25 = $3,487.50.
- Add duty to the base: $13,950 + $3,487.50 = $17,437.50.
- Apply turnover taxes at 7%: $17,437.50 × 0.07 = $1,220.63.
- Total import charges: about $4,708.
Confirm your actual band with an Aruban broker before you commit. Age and condition restrictions also apply, and the island enforces them.
Prep rules carriers enforce
The fuel tank must be at or below quarter-full. The car must be clean inside and out for inspection — soil on the undercarriage triggers agricultural holds. Remove all personal items from RoRo units. Deactivate alarms and leave one working key with the carrier.
RVs, motorhomes, semi-trucks and heavy machinery do not fit in a container. They move on a flat rack or a RoRo vessel, and a specialist quotes them after the calculator captures the request. For comparison across neighboring lanes, see our Car Shipping to Panama Calculator: Instant Quotes 2026 and Car Shipping to Honduras Calculator: Instant Quotes (2026). Collector vehicles need enclosed handling — start with the Classic Car Shipping Calculator: 2026 Instant Quotes.
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Go to the calculator →What does it really cost by household size, and what extras should you budget?
Quick Answer: A studio moves in about 8-12 m³ and fits LCL. A 1-bedroom runs 12-18 m³, a 2-bedroom 20-28 m³ and fits a 20ft, and a 3-4 bedroom needs 30-55 m³ and a 40ft. Budget separately for destination handling, duty, taxes and local delivery.
Volume and mode by household size
| Home size | Estimated volume | Recommended mode | Reference price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 8-12 m³ | LCL consolidated | Below 13 m³ benchmark |
| 1-bedroom | 12-18 m³ | LCL or 20ft | Miami from $3,730 at 13 m³ · Oct 2026 |
| 2-bedroom | 20-28 m³ | 20ft FCL | Quote by volume in calculator |
| 3-bedroom | 30-40 m³ | 40ft FCL | Quote by volume in calculator |
| 4-bedroom | 45-55 m³ | 40ft high-cube | Quote by volume in calculator |
Source: AB Group Shipping quoting system, port-to-port to Oranjestad · October 2026
The $3,730 Miami figure, $5,134 Houston figure and $5,567 Los Angeles figure all apply to the 13 m³ consolidated benchmark only. Larger loads price by volume in the calculator.
Which extras are not ABGS freight?
- Barcadera destination handling charged by the local terminal
- Aruban customs broker fee
- Import duty plus BBO, BAZV and BAVP
- Port storage once free time expires
- Local trucking from Oranjestad to your address
We will not guess those numbers for you. Your Aruban broker quotes them against your actual manifest.
Do I need marine cargo insurance?
Yes, and the coverage level matters. All-risk beats total-loss-only on this lane, because transshipment through Caucedo or Cartagena adds crane cycles. Total-loss-only pays nothing if three boxes get crushed. A valued packing list is the document that makes any claim payable — vague inventories produce denied claims.
What about pets and restricted items?
Aruba requires a health certificate, current rabies vaccination and an import permit for dogs and cats. Apply through Aruba's veterinary authority well ahead of arrival. Firearms, certain plants, and agricultural products face restrictions or outright bans — check before you pack, not at the port.
Book 4-6 weeks ahead in peak season (May through September and December). Off-peak, 2-3 weeks works. Documentation cut-offs land days before vessel ETD, so early booking protects your sailing slot.
Budget beyond the freight. Aruba imports nearly everything, so groceries, utilities and rent run above US mainland averages. Experienced relocation guides — including comparisons like this breakdown of moving to Aruba and its shipping costs — stress planning the first three months of living costs alongside the container.
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Go to the calculator →Book your Aruba move with a real number in hand
Quick Answer: Run your origin, volume and mode through the moving to Aruba calculator on this page for a live port-to-port rate. It covers LCL, 20ft, 40ft, air freight and vehicles from any US or Canadian origin, and routes special cargo to a custom-quote form at the same anchor.
With thousands of shipments processed across the USA–Latin America and Caribbean corridor, we price this lane every week. The moving to Aruba calculator on this page gives you the same number our operations desk works from — no email required, no follow-up calls. Enter your ZIP, pick your volume, and compare modes side by side in seconds.
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AB Group Shipping is an NVOCC-licensed international moving company: packing, container or consolidated shipping and customs, priced in 60 seconds.
Miami and Port Everglades reach Barcadera Harbour in Oranjestad in 5-9 days on weekly sailings. Houston runs 10-14 days and Los Angeles 18-25 days through a transshipment hub. Add 10-20 days for packing, inland trucking to the gateway and Aruban customs clearance before you can unpack.
No, not if you qualify as a new resident. Aruba exempts used household goods for immigrants and returning nationals who hold a DIMAS residence permit, owned and used the items before moving, and import them within the permitted window. New or unused items pay full duty plus BBO, BAZV and BAVP turnover taxes on CIF value.
You need a DIMAS residence permit or proof of application, your passport, the original bill of lading, an itemized packing list with values, the customs import declaration and a power of attorney for a licensed Aruban customs broker. Vehicles also require the original title, registration and bill of sale.
Yes. Cars travel to Aruba by RoRo vessel or inside a container, and both options are priced on the vehicle line of the calculator rather than a general-cargo container rate. Aruban duty is assessed on CIF value and engine displacement, so request your figure from the calculator and confirm the tax with a local broker.
LCL is cheaper below about 10-12 cubic meters, where you only pay for the space you use. Above that, a 20ft container usually wins on total cost and reduces handling because the seal stays closed until customs opens it. The calculator on this page compares both for your exact volume.