International movers, compared: who gets your furniture to Portugal in one piece

The short answer

Shipping from the US and want it fully handled? International Van Lines publishes the clearest 2026 planning bands for Europe, 1 to 2 bedrooms at $3,500 to $7,000 and 3 to 4 bedrooms at $8,000 to $12,000 door-to-door, with binding estimates that lock the price if the scope does not change. Read the reviews first, though: a 3.9 Trustpilot score with more than a quarter of reviews at one star, mostly about late deliveries and damage claims, means the price guarantee is only as good as the crew.

Happy to pack the boxes yourself? Seven Seas Worldwide's MoveCube is a sole-use container delivered to your door, and its itemised online quote shows every charge before you book. It is the most honest pricing experience on this page, which is worth something in an industry built on vague estimates.

Moving a full house or relocating for work? Santa Fe Relocation and Crown Relocations are the established corporate-grade options, with in-house packing crews and global networks. You pay a premium over a freight forwarder for the same container, and in Crown's case the public reviews are mixed enough that you should get every promise in writing.

Want the customs side done properly? SDC International Shipping specialises in US-to-Portugal moves and publishes the clearest public guidance on the duty-free transfer paperwork. Schumacher Cargo Logistics does household goods and vehicles as sea freight since 1977, but its destination partner fees have surprised customers, so confirm those before you sign.

The rest of this page is the detail: every firm's pricing model, what each one actually handles at the Portugal end, and the industry tricks to watch for.

The seven movers, side by side

International Van Lines: clearest US pricing, check the reviews

International Van Lines is unusual in this industry for publishing planning ranges at all. Its 2026 figures put a one to two bedroom European move at $3,500 to $7,000 door-to-door, three to four bedrooms at $8,000 to $12,000, and five to six at $11,000 to $17,000. Port-to-port freight alone runs roughly $1,300 to $1,500 for a 20ft container and $1,400 to $1,800 for a 40ft, with shared-container space at about $500 to $700 per 100 cubic feet. The company issues binding estimates, which is the single most valuable thing a mover can offer: the price cannot move unless the scope does.

The other side of the record is less tidy. The Better Business Bureau gives IVL an A+ rating, but Trustpilot sits at 3.9 with 28 percent of reviews at one star, and the complaints repeat: late deliveries and damage claims. IVL can also ask for a deposit of up to 35 percent of the estimate, which is aggressive. Take the binding estimate, read the recent reviews for your specific route, and never hand over that deposit until the destination agent is named in writing.

Seven Seas Worldwide: the honest self-pack option

Seven Seas Worldwide built its name on the MoveCube, a sole-use container in several sizes that is delivered to your address for you to pack yourself. There is no single published price, because the cost depends on the route, the cube size and the services at each end, but the online quote tool breaks every charge down before you book, and reviewers consistently say the quote is what they paid. You pay a deposit when you book and the rest is spread across stages, which is gentler on cash flow than the pay-everything-up-front model most movers use.

The model has two honest costs. Destination charges can apply depending on the country and the customs requirements, so the itemised quote needs a careful read rather than a glance at the total. And storing the cube between legs is expensive, which matters if your Portuguese rental is not ready. Forbes Advisor named Seven Seas one of the best international moving companies in its 2026 review, and the online tracking is genuinely good. It is the right pick for people comfortable managing their own packing.

Santa Fe Relocation: the corporate-grade full service

Santa Fe Relocation has been moving households for about 60 years, with door-to-door removals to more than 100 countries covering packing, sea, air and road freight, customs clearance and storage. Quotes are free and survey-based, and reviewers praise the packing crews and the move coordinators by name. This is the kind of firm employers hire for executive relocations, and it shows in the process: a named coordinator, a virtual or in-home survey, and one company accountable from collection to delivery.

The trade-off is price. A full-service global mover costs more than a freight forwarder moving the same container, because you are paying for crews, coordination and accountability at both ends. For a straightforward two-bedroom move with no corporate budget, get Santa Fe's quote and then get a forwarder quote for the same volume, and decide whether the service layer is worth the difference.

Crown Relocations: big network, verify the quote

Crown Relocations has operated for more than 55 years and holds membership in the International Association of Movers, which is one of the credentials worth checking in this industry. It runs a genuine global network with its own offices in many markets, and it handles storage, insurance and vehicle shipping alongside household goods. Like the other premium firms, pricing is quote-based after a survey.

The honest reason Crown is not ranked higher here: public reviews are genuinely mixed, with some customers reporting long delays and unexpected surcharges on arrival. A big network means quality varies by office, so the move manager assigned to your shipment matters more than the brand on the boxes. Get every commitment in writing, especially the delivery window and which charges are included at the destination.

Schumacher Cargo Logistics: freight specialist, mind the destination fees

Schumacher Cargo Logistics has shipped household goods and vehicles internationally since 1977, and it is at its best as a sea-freight specialist: full containers, shared containers and car shipping from US ports, with online shipping quotes. If you are comfortable with a freight model rather than a white-glove moving service, the company knows this business.

The caution comes from customer reports of destination charges that were not clear at booking: fees from the overseas partner that only appear at delivery. This is the oldest trick in the freight game, and it is not unique to Schumacher, but it is the reason the catch column exists. Ask for the destination partner by name and its charges in writing before the container leaves the US.

SDC International Shipping: the Portugal paperwork specialists

SDC International Shipping is a US-based international mover that has made Portugal one of its specialty lanes. What earns it a place on this page is not the lowest price but the clearest public guidance on the Portuguese side of the move: its team walks customers through the transfer-of-residence paperwork, the baggage certificate and the document sequencing that decides whether a shipment clears customs duty-free. Portugal's customs process is fiddly enough that this expertise has real value.

It is a smaller firm than the van lines on this page, so treat its quote the same way you would treat any other: line by line, with the destination charges and the named Portugal agent spelled out. For moves where the paperwork is the worry rather than the price, the specialisation is worth the comparison.

Allied Van Lines: biggest network, agent-dependent quality

Allied Van Lines is one of the largest US moving brands, with a nationwide agent network and full international services including packing, storage and destination delivery. Quotes come from an in-home or virtual survey. For Americans who want a single recognisable brand from their doorstep to Lisbon, it is a natural first quote to get.

The network model is also the caveat. Your move is executed by a local agent, and the quality of that agent decides your experience more than the national brand does. Ask who the originating agent is, who the destination agent in Portugal is, and whether the estimate is binding before you compare its number with anyone else's.

Door-to-door vs port-to-port: the two different products

Almost every pricing confusion in international moving comes from mixing these two up. Port-to-port means the freight only: your container rides the ship from the origin port to Lisbon or Leixões, and everything else is your problem. Door-to-door means collection from your home, export packing, the ocean freight, Portuguese customs clearance and delivery to your new address.

The headline numbers look like this in 2026. Port-to-port from the US runs about $1,300 to $1,500 for a 20ft container and $1,400 to $1,800 for a 40ft; shared-container space runs roughly $500 to $700 per 100 cubic feet. Full door-to-door from the US East Coast runs 6 to 10 weeks all in, with 12 to 18 days of actual sailing and one to three weeks for customs and final delivery. Budget 25 to 40 percent above the base freight for port handling, customs clearance, inland delivery and insurance. From the UK, where road and short-sea routes apply, a 20ft container to Portugal averages about £1,339 and a 40ft about £1,810.

One money-saving fact the industry does not advertise: sailing prices swing with the season. Booking in February to March or September to October can cost 10 to 25 percent less than the summer peak. If your visa timeline allows it, the calendar is the easiest discount you will find.

Portugal customs: how used furniture enters duty-free

Portugal applies the EU Transfer of Residence relief to household goods arriving from outside the EU. Meet the conditions and your used furniture and personal effects enter with no customs duty and no Portuguese VAT, which is 23 percent on the mainland. Miss the paperwork and that VAT lands on your shipment's declared value.

The conditions are specific. You must have lived outside the EU for at least 12 consecutive months before the move. The goods must have been owned and used by you for at least 6 months before shipping. The shipment must arrive within 12 months of you establishing residence in Portugal, and you may not sell, lend or rent the goods for 12 months after import. Alcohol, tobacco, commercial vehicles and professional equipment are excluded outright. You will need a detailed inventory and proof of your new Portuguese residence, usually coordinated through the Portuguese consulate as a baggage certificate, and your customs agent must have all documents before the goods arrive: without them, clearance cannot be organised in time.

One detail that catches people out: time spent in another EU country counts against the 12 months. If you lived in France or Spain for part of the previous year, your eligibility needs a careful review with a customs broker before you ship. And note that broker fees apply even to duty-free shipments, calculated on the shipment value, so they belong in your budget whatever the mover quotes.

Insurance: the 3 to 4 percent you should not skip

Standard mover liability is effectively nothing: about $0.60 per pound per item, which values your sofa at the price of a sandwich. Full-value protection typically costs 3 to 4 percent of the shipment's declared value, and for a container crossing an ocean it is the cheapest peace of mind in the whole move. Declare honestly, because under-declaring to save on the premium is the classic way to discover the policy pays out on the declared number, not the real one. Photograph everything before the packers arrive: a timestamped photo set is what turns a damage claim from an argument into paperwork.

What movers do not do

A mover ships your boxes. It does not ship your dog. Everything else about the relocation is a different purchase. Visa paperwork, the NIF, the bank account, the fiscal representative and the rental contract are the admin half of the move, handled by relocation admin firms, not by the company driving the container. And the dog is a third purchase: pet transport is its own specialist business, with its own firms, price bands and EU import rules. Do not pay a mover for relocation support and expect visa help in return; do not pay a relocation firm and expect your furniture to arrive. Budget the three halves separately and none of them will surprise you.