Hey all. We are FINALLY pulling the trigger with a goal of leaving for Digos between Oct 31 and Dec 12th.
Before we make the decision to consolidate our lives to 16 Balikbayan and sell the rest at an Estate sale, I thought I'd check to see the actual cost of moving subsets of our household.
Over 15 years on expat forums, I don't recall more than 2-3 people who have ever really "moved anything" unless their employer or the military facilitated it. The conventional wisdom is to avoid import and VAT (Value Added Tax) fees on household goods and NEVER move anything with an engine.
However, I don't recall anyone saying just "How Expensive" (and crazy) it is to attempt. So, I'm going to get a quote from a premium moving company before I decide to get rid of everything.
I'm doing a virtual inventory tomorrow, and then I'll review it with a moving coordinator to esitmate the cost of moving different subsets of things... (Nothing, Key Furniture Only, Some Decor, Some Specalized Gym items, Some Electronics, No Electronics, etc).
I figured I'd just go with a premium moving company (Allied International) and work with one of their coordinator at Sirva Worldwide Relocation and Insights.
What I expect to hear is that:
1 Cargo container costs about $7000-12000 to move (regardless of weight.
Secure Storage (before delivery) is $300-400/month
Wostcase fee of 30% of value
Other things:
• Customer must be in the country before the shipment arrives
•All shipments coming in should be cleared within 7 days of shipment's arrival. Failure to do so will result in shipment being declared Abandoned and erased from the customs systems.
• Requests for extensions are allowed but not guaranteed
• Shipment must not arrive before visa is approved
• Shipment must arrive within 60 days of the owner’s arrival
• All shipments are subject to 100% inspection upon arrival
• All incoming shipments are subject to the payment of duties and taxes, except for the following duly approved visas, stamped on the original passport and ACR I CARD:
• Holders of 13G, 13A, SRRV, EO 226 visa – owners of the goods are entitled a full tax exemption; the application for the exemption should be submitted to the Department of Finance.
That sounds like a lot of very careful logistics to manage. Including delaying the shipment UNTIL the visa exists, but only within 7 days... and knowing the exact DAY it comes in... so you don't find out on day 8 and it's considered abandoned.
All that said -- let's find out how expensive and how bad of an idea it is. (Then sell everything, and forget all about it).
Before we make the decision to consolidate our lives to 16 Balikbayan and sell the rest at an Estate sale, I thought I'd check to see the actual cost of moving subsets of our household.
Over 15 years on expat forums, I don't recall more than 2-3 people who have ever really "moved anything" unless their employer or the military facilitated it. The conventional wisdom is to avoid import and VAT (Value Added Tax) fees on household goods and NEVER move anything with an engine.
However, I don't recall anyone saying just "How Expensive" (and crazy) it is to attempt. So, I'm going to get a quote from a premium moving company before I decide to get rid of everything.
I'm doing a virtual inventory tomorrow, and then I'll review it with a moving coordinator to esitmate the cost of moving different subsets of things... (Nothing, Key Furniture Only, Some Decor, Some Specalized Gym items, Some Electronics, No Electronics, etc).
I figured I'd just go with a premium moving company (Allied International) and work with one of their coordinator at Sirva Worldwide Relocation and Insights.
What I expect to hear is that:
1 Cargo container costs about $7000-12000 to move (regardless of weight.
Secure Storage (before delivery) is $300-400/month
Wostcase fee of 30% of value
Other things:
• Customer must be in the country before the shipment arrives
•All shipments coming in should be cleared within 7 days of shipment's arrival. Failure to do so will result in shipment being declared Abandoned and erased from the customs systems.
• Requests for extensions are allowed but not guaranteed
• Shipment must not arrive before visa is approved
• Shipment must arrive within 60 days of the owner’s arrival
• All shipments are subject to 100% inspection upon arrival
• All incoming shipments are subject to the payment of duties and taxes, except for the following duly approved visas, stamped on the original passport and ACR I CARD:
• Holders of 13G, 13A, SRRV, EO 226 visa – owners of the goods are entitled a full tax exemption; the application for the exemption should be submitted to the Department of Finance.
That sounds like a lot of very careful logistics to manage. Including delaying the shipment UNTIL the visa exists, but only within 7 days... and knowing the exact DAY it comes in... so you don't find out on day 8 and it's considered abandoned.
All that said -- let's find out how expensive and how bad of an idea it is. (Then sell everything, and forget all about it).
