By Dianne Alcaraz, Operations Manager, Enveo National & Worldwide Movers Inc. Dianne has 15+ years in logistics and international freight. Last updated October 2026.
Short answer: Enveo National & Worldwide Movers Inc., a mover based in Calgary, Alberta, ships household goods from Canada to Australia, door to door or door to port. Smaller moves go in a shared container (LCL, less than container load), from one pallet up. Full homes go in their own container (FCL, full container load). A recent door-to-door move of a full home in a 40 ft container, from Olds, Alberta to Adelaide, came to CA$19,650. Ocean moves take about 2 to 3 months door to door. We prepare your inventory and documents with you before your shipment leaves, and guide you through Australian customs and biosecurity clearance. Enveo is rated 5.0 stars from 96 Google reviews.
This guide covers how the price is built, which container fits your move, how long it takes, and the paperwork and biosecurity rules that hold shipments up.
At a glance
| Size | From 1 pallet (shared container) to a full home (your own 20 ft or 40 ft container) |
| Pickup | Across Canada. Our own crew in Calgary, partner movers in other cities |
| Service | Door to door, unloading included. Door to port if you’d rather collect at the port |
| Customs | We prepare the inventory and documents with you before your shipment leaves and guide you through clearance. You sign your own customs form (the B534) |
| Transit | About 2 to 3 months door to door. Estimates: sailings, weather and inspections can change them |
| Price | By volume and route. Shared-container moves are billed on your measured volume |
| Deposit | 30% of your estimate or CA$800, whichever is higher. Non-refundable, applied toward your total |
| Reviews | 5.0 stars from 96 Google reviews |
A real quote, line by line
This is a real estimate for a full home moving in a 40 ft container from Olds, Alberta to Adelaide, South Australia, door to door.
| Line | Amount (CAD) |
|---|---|
| Pick-up | $550 |
| Professional loading (3 movers) | $600 |
| Export documents | Included |
| Ocean freight, 40 ft container | $18,750 |
| Destination terminal handling charges | Included |
| Customs clearance agent (Australia) | Included |
| Delivery at destination | Included |
| Discount | −$250 |
| Total | $19,650 |
Most of the cost is the ocean freight. It’s an example, not a price list: your quote depends on your volume and route.
What’s extra, because it depends on you or the government: Australian duties and taxes if any apply, customs fees, Australian biosecurity inspection and treatment charges, storage if your goods wait for a sailing or your new home isn’t ready, and demurrage or detention (port and container charges when a container is held longer than planned).
Shared container or full container?
| Shared container (LCL) | Your own container (FCL) | |
|---|---|---|
| Good for | From 1 pallet up to part of a home | A full home |
| How it’s priced | By volume (cubic metres), measured at our warehouse | Per container, 20 ft or 40 ft |
| How it’s packed | Your goods are palletized and share a container with other shipments | Your goods are loaded into a container that’s only yours |
| Watch for | Between 1 September and 30 April, Australia checks the whole shared container for stink bugs before it’s unpacked. That can add time | Clean everything before it’s loaded. Inspection in Australia is charged by time |
We tell you which one fits your volume when we quote.
How the final price works: shared-container moves are priced by volume. Your estimate is based on what you show us. After pickup, your goods are palletized and measured at our warehouse. The final bill reflects your actual volume and is due within 3 days, before your shipment is released. You can pay the deposit by card. The final bill is paid by e-transfer or wire.
How long it takes
| Stage | Time |
|---|---|
| Booking | Many customers book 2 to 3 months before their move |
| Door to door, ocean freight | About 2 to 3 months |
| Australian clearance | Depends on your documents and on biosecurity inspection, which is charged by time |
Delays usually happen in two places: before sailing (missing documents) or at the Australian border (biosecurity). Both are mostly in your control, which is what the next sections are for.
Customs: the documents Australia asks for
- Passport, plus your Australian visa or proof of citizenship. We only ship household goods for people with the right status to move.
- Unaccompanied Personal Effects Statement (form B534), filled in and signed by you
- A packing list in English, every box numbered, with what’s in it and what it’s made of
- The bill of lading, which comes from the shipping side when your goods sail
The 12-month rule: anything you’ve owned for less than 12 months has to be declared on the B534 and is assessed for duty and taxes. So are alcohol, tobacco, vehicles and anything for sale.
The B534 is yours to sign. It’s a legal declaration, and there are penalties for false or misleading answers. It asks about weapons, medicines, cash of A$10,000 or more, food, plant material, wooden furniture and more. Answer every question honestly. Declaring an item is fine. Hiding one is the problem.
What we do: prepare the export documents in Canada, help you build the packing list, and arrange the customs clearance agent in Australia. You fill in and sign your own B534.
Biosecurity: the part that catches people out
Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry checks the B534 and packing list of every household shipment and often inspects the goods. Inspection is charged by time. Items with soil, plant or animal material can be cleaned, treated, sent back or destroyed, at your expense.
Before packing:
- Clean everything that’s been outside: bikes, garden tools, outdoor furniture, barbecues, lawnmowers, camping gear, sports gear, shoes and boots, kids’ outdoor toys. No soil, mud, grass or seeds.
- Empty and clean your vacuum cleaner and its bag, brooms and bins. Vacuum carpets and rugs.
- Drain and dry anything that’s held water: boats, wetsuits, fishing gear, fish tanks.
- Check wooden furniture for small holes or sawdust-like powder. Live timber pests mean treatment at your cost.
- Don’t use second-hand fruit, meat or egg boxes, and don’t use straw or wood shavings as packing.
Pack smart: keep the things inspectors look at (shoes, garden tools, wooden items, food) together in the same boxes, and say so on the packing list. “Box 14: misc” slows an inspection down. “Box 14: kitchen, wooden cutting boards, metal pots” doesn’t.
Stink bug season (1 September to 30 April): Canada is on Australia’s list of countries for brown marmorated stink bug measures. Household goods cleared under the B534 don’t need the mandatory treatment, but they get more inspection. Vehicles and motorbikes do need treatment in that season.
Don’t pack these
- Fresh food, opened dry food, herbs and spices, plants, seeds and soil
- Flammables: fireworks, aerosols, solvents and paint thinners
- Cash. A$10,000 or more has to be declared
Alcohol, tobacco, medicines, weapons and ammunition have to be declared on your B534. Tell us before you pack any of them.
Vehicles are a separate shipment and declared separately. We ship vehicles too: ask about yours when you quote.
Coverage
Enveo carries general liability insurance. For more protection, you can add Total Loss Coverage through our insurance provider. We explain the coverage options when we quote, and the full terms, limits, exclusions and deductibles are disclosed before you book. It’s also worth checking whether your home or tenant insurance covers belongings in transit.
How a move to Australia works with Enveo
- Tell us what you’re moving. Photos, a 30-minute video call, or an in-person survey in Calgary. A box count and a furniture list is enough to start.
- Get your estimate. Based on your volume and route, with every line written out, like the quote above.
- Book. A deposit of 30% of your estimate or CA$800, whichever is higher, secures your date. It’s applied toward your total. The deposit is non-refundable.
- Documents. We send your checklist and help you build the packing list. Everything is gathered before your shipment leaves.
- Pickup. Our own crew in Calgary, partner movers in other Canadian cities. Packing is available as an add-on.
- Measure and final bill. Shared-container shipments are palletized and measured at our warehouse. Final bill due within 3 days.
- Sailing. Your goods ship with their paperwork.
- Arrival and clearance. Our customs clearance agent in Australia handles the clearance with your signed B534.
- Delivery. We deliver and unload at your new home.
FAQ
How much does it cost to move from Canada to Australia?
It depends on your volume and route. A full home in a 40 ft container from Olds, Alberta to Adelaide recently came to CA$19,650 door to door. Smaller moves go in a shared container and are priced by volume.
How long does shipping household goods to Australia take?
About 2 to 3 months door to door by ocean freight. Sailings, weather and biosecurity inspection can change that, so we give you an estimate when we quote.
Do I pay duty on my household goods in Australia?
Anything you’ve owned for less than 12 months has to be declared on your B534 and is assessed for duty and taxes. Alcohol, tobacco and vehicles are declared too.
Should I choose a shared or full container?
It depends on your volume. A few pallets usually go in a shared container. A full home usually goes in its own 20 ft or 40 ft container. We tell you which fits when we quote.
What’s the smallest move you’ll take?
One pallet.
Can you pick up outside Calgary?
Yes. We pick up across Canada, with our own crew in Calgary and partner movers in other cities.
Do I fill in the customs form myself?
Yes. You fill in and sign your own B534, because the declaration is yours. We tell you what’s needed and help you build the packing list.
Do I need to be in Australia when my shipment arrives?
Plan on it. The B534 asks when you arrive in Australia, and the personal effects rules are for people arriving from overseas. You can name an agent on the form to clear the goods for you.
What’s the most common reason shipments get held up?
Biosecurity. Dirty outdoor gear, food, plant material and vague packing lists. Clean everything that’s been outside and label every box.
Can you ship my car to Australia?
We ship vehicles. A car is declared separately from your household goods, and between 1 September and 30 April it needs stink bug treatment. Ask about yours when you quote.
Get a quote
Tell us your pickup city in Canada, where you’re going in Australia, and what you’re moving. Photos are fine.
WhatsApp or call 587-358-2992, or request a quote at enveomoving.ca/contact.
Enveo National & Worldwide Movers Inc. · 11420 27 St SE Unit 201, Calgary, AB T2Z 3R6, Canada · 587-358-2992 · Long-distance, Canada–US cross-border and international moves.
Sources
- Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry: moving to Australia or importing personal effects and preparing your personal effects for shipment
- Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry: BMSB seasonal measures and household goods under the B534
- Australian Border Force: Unaccompanied Personal Effects Statement (B534)
- Enveo estimate, Olds AB → Adelaide, September 2026 (customer name removed)
- Google reviews, Enveo National & Worldwide Movers Inc., October 2026