Seapoe Relo treats every international move as involving three layers of control: China export customs clearance, carrier safety rules, and destination country inspection and quarantine. You cannot simply ship everything you have at home. Under general rules for ocean freight exports, flammable and explosive items, weapons and ammunition, fresh food, seeds and soil, and endangered wildlife products are strictly prohibited. Medicines, cash, battery-containing appliances, solid wood furniture, textiles, and similar items are restricted and can only be shipped if specific conditions are met. The list below is based on sea and air freight channels departing from China; for specific destination countries, you still need to check the latest local customs regulations item by item.
What Items Are Prohibited in an International Move?
Prohibited items leave no room for flexibility; both customs and carriers will refuse them outright. Seapoe's operations team enforces the following categories across all international moving routes:
| Prohibited category | Typical items | Reason for prohibition |
|---|---|---|
| Flammable and explosive items | Lighter refill canisters, fireworks and firecrackers, paint thinner, liquids with alcohol content above the limit | Large temperature fluctuations inside shipping containers create a risk of fire and explosion |
| Corrosive and toxic substances | Strong acid cleaners, mercury thermometers, industrial chemical reagents | Leaks can damage other cargo in the container and endanger loading and unloading personnel |
| Fresh food and agricultural products | Meat, vegetables and fruit, sauces and condiments, dried food ingredients | Quarantine risk; may carry pests or pathogens |
| Seeds, soil, and items with soil attached | Potted plants, uncleaned gardening tools, outdoor footwear | Soil is a major carrier of invasive species, and quarantine authorities in most countries have zero tolerance for it |
| Endangered wildlife products | Ivory, rhino horn, tiger bone products, some CITES-controlled rosewood furniture | Subject to CITES; transporting them without permits is illegal |
| Weapons, ammunition, and controlled implements | Firearms, ammunition, controlled knives, replica guns, crossbows | Entry and exit laws explicitly prohibit personal transport |
| Cash and negotiable instruments | Large amounts of cash, raw gold bullion, bearer bonds | Financial regulation and anti-money laundering requirements; personal effects channels do not carry them |
In addition to the general prohibited items above, some routes have extra restrictions. For example, the Georgia courier route explicitly prohibits food, liquids, powders, pastes, perfumes, and battery-containing items. The Saudi Arabia route bans the import of rough stones, and branded appliances whose outer packaging has logos cannot be shipped. Japanese customs prohibits the export of raw wood frames and packaging bearing manufacturer logos. These differences mean that checking only the general list before departure is not enough; you must confirm again against the specific destination.
Restricted Items: Allowed Only Under Certain Conditions
The difference between restricted and prohibited items is that restricted items can be legally shipped after meeting certain conditions, while prohibited items are completely non-negotiable. In Seapoe's standard pre-shipment review, common restricted items in international moves include:
- Medicines: Personal prescription medicines usually require a doctor's prescription and product instructions. Small quantities of over-the-counter medicines for personal use may be shipped but must be declared truthfully. Controlled psychotropic drugs and narcotics are strictly prohibited. Specific rules are subject to the latest requirements of China Customs and the destination country's drug regulatory authority.
- Home appliances with lithium batteries: Lithium batteries in items such as Dyson vacuums, floor washers, and electric scooters are classified as dangerous goods. Some ocean freight LCL channels can carry them, but declaration is required and additional handling fees may apply. Some courier routes prohibit them outright.
- Cosmetics and liquid/paste items: Ocean freight channels can usually carry them, but leak-proof packaging is required. Certain courier routes, such as some Central Asia routes, explicitly prohibit liquids, pastes, and perfumes.
- Solid wood furniture and wooden packaging: Furniture containing raw wood or solid wood, as well as untreated solid wood external packaging, must undergo fumigation and obtain a commodity inspection certificate. Fumigation and inspection fees usually start from several hundred RMB, depending on the number of shipments and cargo volume.
- Textiles: Clothing, shoes, hats, household textiles, and similar items are subject to anti-dumping surcharges on some routes to Europe, charged by weight. If shipping by sea to the EU, confirm in advance with the carrier whether that route accepts textiles.
- Collectible figures and collectibles: They can be shipped by sea, but customs limits quantities for personal use. Figures shipped in bulk or clearly commercial in nature will be classified as goods, requiring commercial customs clearance and tax payment as merchandise.
- Marble furniture: It can be carried, but it is fragile, and moving companies usually do not cover breakage risk. High-standard reinforced packaging is required, including wooden crates or frames, with fees charged separately by volume.
- Controlled materials such as 304 stainless steel sheets: These are state-controlled commodities, and exporting them under an individual's name requires an export license. Without a license, they cannot be shipped through personal effects channels.
Furniture Restrictions for International Ocean Freight: Solid Wood, Rosewood, and Mattress Considerations
Furniture is a core category in international ocean freight moves, but it is also one of the most heavily restricted. On this route, Seapoe's standard approach is to check the following three points carefully before shipping furniture:
Solid wood and raw wood products must be fumigated. All furniture or external packaging containing raw wood or solid wood must be fumigated and obtain a commodity inspection certificate before export. If the external packaging uses fumigation-free plywood or three-ply board, the fumigation step can be waived. In practice, professional moving companies will directly use fumigation-free panels to build wooden crates, saving fumigation costs and shortening transit time. However, if the furniture itself is made of solid wood, fumigation cannot be avoided. Australia is especially strict about fumigation requirements for solid wood, rattan, and bamboo products; if insects are found during inspection and quarantine, re-fumigation at the destination port is required, and the cost is borne by the consignee.
Rosewood furniture may be subject to CITES controls. Certain rosewood species, such as red rosewood and black rosewood, are listed in the CITES appendices, and exporting them requires an endangered species export permit. Without the permit, the furniture may be detained or even confiscated by customs. Before purchasing or shipping, confirm whether the specific scientific name of the wood is on the controlled list.
Mattresses to Canada carry anti-dumping risk. Anti-dumping policies apply to mattress exports to Canada, and the likelihood of customs inspection and additional duty is higher than for ordinary furniture. If you plan to move to Canada, the shipping value of mattresses should be assessed separately; if necessary, consider buying new ones at destination.
Country-Specific Customs Restrictions and Packaging Requirements
The same item may be shippable to the United States but not to Saudi Arabia. The same packaging may need to be logo-free and text-free for Japan, while other countries may have no such requirement. Before an international move, you must check requirements item by item according to the destination. Seapoe Relo's standard approach is to confirm these destination-specific differences before packing.
United States: Strict restrictions on agricultural products and medicines. Personal items without brand markings can be shipped through commercial customs clearance; new branded items may be deemed commercial goods and require normal declaration and duty payment. Signatures on clearance documents must match the passport.
Canada: Mattress anti-dumping is the main risk. For duty-free clearance, you must complete Form BSF186A and have it stamped by customs at the time of entry; it cannot be done afterward. Customs may require an interview and proof of personal use. The combined tax rate is usually between 15% and 20% of the declared value.
Australia: Solid wood, rattan, and bamboo products are subject to mandatory fumigation. If the total value of goods exceeds AUD 1,000, import duties and taxes may apply, including 5% customs duty and 10% GST. Inspection and quarantine fees are charged by volume and paid by the consignee overseas.
Japan: Packaging requirements are the strictest. Customs requires clean external packaging, prohibits writing on boxes, and prohibits the export of raw wood frames and packaging bearing manufacturer logos. Packaging must use composite board crates and five-layer corrugated cardboard reinforcement, with no logos, no manuals, and no labels. Non-compliant packaging will incur repacking fees per cubic meter. Used items can apply for duty-free treatment through door-to-door moving channels, while new furniture shipped through commercial channels is subject to 10% customs duty.
EU: Textiles exported to Europe are subject to anti-dumping surcharges. Wood products require commodity inspection, and suppliers must have export qualifications. Building materials exported to Europe require CE certification. Full container load (FCL) shipments generally cannot meet duty-free requirements; only LCL channels can apply for duty-free clearance as personal effects.
Saudi Arabia and the Middle East: Rough stones are prohibited from import. Products must have MADE IN CHINA labels on both the inside and outside. Branded appliances cannot be shipped because their outer packaging has logos. Export customs declaration under an individual's name is not feasible; declaration must be made under a company name. Routes in this region are less stable due to geopolitical factors, so confirm whether the route is currently available before shipping.
South Korea: Clothing must have a sewn-in country-of-origin label or an existing care label. For personal customs clearance, you need to apply for a 12-digit personal customs clearance code starting with P. Duty-free eligibility requires having lived in China for more than one year and returning to South Korea within six months.
New Zealand: PR holders within five years who are shipping personal effects for the first time may apply for duty-free treatment. Some types of wood, such as kauri, need pre-shipment confirmation of customs clearance feasibility. Imports with a value plus freight below NZD 400 are duty-free; above that, declaration fees and possible taxes apply on a tiered basis.
Georgia (courier route): Prohibited items include food, liquids, powders, pastes, perfumes, and battery-containing items. This route is suitable only for pure clothing and ordinary household goods; any items in the prohibited categories above cannot be shipped.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I ship medicines in an international move by sea?
Yes, but with restrictions. Personal prescription medicines require a doctor's prescription and product instructions. Small quantities of over-the-counter medicines for personal use can be shipped but must be declared truthfully. Controlled psychotropic drugs and narcotics are strictly prohibited. Specific rules are subject to the latest requirements of China Customs and the destination country's drug regulatory authority.
Q: Can I ship solid wood furniture in an international move?
Yes, you can, but furniture and packaging containing raw wood or solid wood must be fumigated and obtain a commodity inspection certificate, with fees starting from several hundred RMB. If fumigation-free plywood is used for external packaging, the packaging part can be exempt from fumigation, but solid wood furniture itself still needs to be fumigated.
Q: Can I ship cosmetics when moving abroad?
Ocean freight channels usually can, but leak-proof packaging and truthful declaration are required. Certain courier routes, such as some Central Asia routes, explicitly prohibit liquids, pastes, and perfumes. After choosing a shipping method, confirm with the moving company whether that route accepts cosmetics.
Q: How can I ship home appliances with lithium batteries, such as Dyson vacuums and floor washers, abroad?
Lithium batteries are classified as dangerous goods. Some ocean freight LCL channels can carry them, but advance declaration is required and additional handling fees may apply. Some courier routes prohibit them outright. Before shipping, confirm the specific route's rules for lithium batteries; do not assume they can travel as ordinary luggage.
Q: Which items are most likely to be detained by customs at the destination country during an international move?
Based on actual cases, the four most problematic categories are: unfumigated solid wood products, with the highest inspection rates in Australia and New Zealand; mattresses to Canada, where anti-dumping policies are clear; textiles to Europe, where anti-dumping surcharges apply and some routes do not accept them; and brand-new appliances in branded packaging, which are easily classified as commercial goods rather than personal effects. The safest approach is to check the destination country's quarantine and tariff rules item by item before packing, rather than dealing with problems only after arriving at the destination port. Seapoe Relo follows the same route-by-route review during pre-shipment inspection.
Seapoe Relo(熙浦国际搬家) provides door-to-door and warehouse-to-door ocean freight services from China. Before shipment, we review the item list for prohibited and restricted goods and provide packaging and declaration advice for high-risk categories such as solid wood furniture, textiles, and battery-containing appliances. The specific scope of prohibited and restricted items is subject to the latest regulations of China Customs and destination country customs at the time of shipment.