Moving From Ireland to the USA: Shipping Your Household

Moving from Ireland to the USA comes down to two jobs: sorting your right to live there, and getting your household across the Atlantic. We handle the second job. We ship household goods from Ireland to the USA by full container or by groupage, and we find a move to America goes best when one firm packs your home, ships it and stands over it until it reaches you.

That holds even when the job is not simple. In September 2024, Mary Kelly left us a review about her move. We packed her belongings in Ireland and shipped them to two different addresses in the US. She wrote that everything arrived in perfect condition. That is the kind of move this post is about.

Why one firm should handle the whole move

A move to the USA has a lot of hand-overs. Someone packs. Someone loads. Someone ships. Someone delivers at the far end. Every time your things pass from one set of hands to another, there is a new person who did not pack them and does not know what is in the boxes.

When you piece the move together yourself, you also become the person in the middle. If a box goes missing or a date slips, each firm can point at the next one. You end up making the phone calls, from a new country, in a new time zone.

When one firm takes the job from start to finish, there is one quote, one point of contact and one team that knows your inventory. We are family-run since 1982, and we treat your belongings like our own. On an international move, that means we stay with the job rather than handing it off and forgetting about it.

You can see how we run moves to America on our Dublin to USA removals page.

Full container or groupage?

Full container or groupage is the first real choice on a move to America, and we offer both to the USA.

Full container. Your household has a container to itself. Nothing else is loaded in with it. This suits a full house, or anyone who wants their goods kept on their own from loading to delivery.

Groupage. Your goods share container space with other people’s goods. You pay for the space your load takes up, not for a whole container. This suits smaller moves: a flat, a few rooms of furniture, or a set of boxes and a few pieces you can’t part with.

There is no single right answer. The best choice depends on how much you are bringing, your budget and your timing. When we quote, we look at what you are actually moving and talk you through what each option means for your move. Our quotes are clear, with no hidden fees.

Moving to two addresses in the US

Plenty of people moving to America do not land in one place. You might stay with family while you look for a home. You might have a partner starting work in one city while you settle in another. Some of your things might be going to a relative’s house for safe keeping.

A split delivery like Mary Kelly’s has to be planned from the start, not sorted out at the far end. That planning happens on packing day. Each box and each piece of furniture needs to be marked for the right address, and the inventory needs to show which items go where. If the split is decided before anything is wrapped, the delivery is far simpler.

So if your goods are going to more than one address, tell us when you ask for a quote. It changes how we pack and how we plan the load.

Packing for a long trip

A van ride across Dublin and a sea crossing to America are different jobs. Goods heading to the USA spend a long time packed. They are loaded, moved, stacked and unloaded more than once before they reach you.

That is why we offer a full packing service on international moves. Michal Bierestowski used our full packing service for his move from Ireland to Germany in December 2023. He wrote that there were no delays and no damage.

Our packing and unpacking service covers everything from the kitchen to the wardrobes. If you would rather pack some things yourself, that is fine too: tell us what you plan to pack and what you want us to take on, and we will quote for exactly that. We also move pianos, fine art, antiques and wine cellars, so the odd item that worries you is unlikely to worry us.

What to decide before you ask for a quote

You will get a better quote, and a smoother move, if you have thought through a few things first.

What is going. Walk through each room and decide what is crossing the Atlantic. A clear list makes the choice between container and groupage much easier.

What is staying, for now. Some people are not ready to let go of everything. They want a few pieces kept in Ireland until they know whether the move is for good. All our storage is our own, on site, for the short and long term, so those items can stay with us rather than with a stranger. You can read more about our storage.

What is not coming at all. Most homes have furniture and contents that are not worth shipping. We can clear what is left after the container goes. We hold a waste collection permit, NWCPO-25-13139-01, valid in all 26 counties, so nothing is dumped illegally. Usable furniture from our clearances is donated to Restore. Our house clearance page explains how that works.

Where it is going. One address or two, and roughly when you need your goods there. Tell us up front so we can plan around it.

What you need first. Think about the things you will want on your first night in the new home: bedding, a kettle, the children’s favourite things. We can pack and mark those boxes so they are easy to find when the goods arrive, rather than buried at the back of the load.

Your paperwork. Your visa and right to live in the US are for you to sort with the US authorities. We look after your belongings. Sorting the visa side first means you know your dates before your goods are packed.

Who you are trusting with your home

An international move puts your whole household in someone else’s hands for a long time. It is fair to ask who they are.

We are J Hanway Removals & Storage, run by the Hanway family across three generations since 1982. We are members of the International Association of Movers (IAM), the British removals trade association (BAR), FEDEMAC (the Federation of European Movers Associations) and the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA). We hold an International Road Haulage Licence. We are licensed, and we carry goods in transit insurance and public liability insurance.

More than 12,000 happy customers have moved with us. We have 4.8 stars from 42 Google reviews.

Our motto is: faith may move mountains, Hanway can move anything, anywhere. That includes a household bound for America.

Questions people ask

Is it easy for Irish people to move to the USA?

How easy it is for Irish people to move to the USA depends on your visa, which we can’t advise on. The US Embassy in Ireland sets out the routes. Once your visa is sorted and you know your dates, we can plan the move of your household around them.

Can you ship my things to more than one address in America?

Yes, we can ship your things to more than one address in America: we have shipped a customer’s belongings from Ireland to two different US addresses. Tell us when you ask for a quote, and we will plan the packing and the load around both.

Do you ship to America by container or groupage?

Yes, we ship to America by full container and by groupage. A full container gives your household a container to itself. Groupage shares container space with other loads, so you pay for the space you use. The right choice depends on how much you are bringing, your budget and your timing.

Get a free quote for your move to America

If you are moving from Ireland to the USA, start with a clear quote. Tell us what is going, where it is going and whether anything needs to be stored or cleared. During business hours, we reply to quote requests within one hour.

Get a free quote or ring us on +353 85 194 9801. You can also see more of our international work on our international removals page.