What You Cannot Ship in an International Move: The Complete List

Almost every moving guide tells you what to take. Very few tell you precisely what cannot go. And it is exactly that list that prevents the expensive problems: a held container, a fine, an inspected shipment, or a loss the insurance will not cover. Here it is, sorted into four categories, because not everything that “cannot go” is barred for the same reason.

1. Prohibited: never travels, on any route

These items are barred by the nature of ocean or air transport, not by the destination country. A container spends weeks sealed, with heat, humidity, and movement. None of this is negotiable.

1. Flammables and fuels. Gasoline, diesel, kerosene, methylated spirits, lighters and refills, lighter fluid.
2. Compressed gases. Propane, butane, and oxygen tanks, fire extinguishers, charged scuba cylinders.
3. Explosives and pyrotechnics. Fireworks, flares, ammunition, gunpowder, primers.
4. Corrosives and toxics. Acids, caustic soda, concentrated bleach, pesticides, herbicides, mercury.
5. Pressurized aerosols. Insecticides, spray paints, lacquers, large aerosol deodorants.
6. Paints, solvents, and workshop chemicals. Thinner, varnishes, contact adhesives, resins.
7. Loose or damaged lithium batteries. Those built into a device are usually handled under specific rules; loose, swollen, or damaged ones do not travel.
8. Radioactive or laboratory material.

And a practical rule covering anything not on the list: if the container has a hazard pictogram — flame, skull, explosion, corrosion — it does not go in the container. Empty it, donate it, or dispose of it in the country of origin.

2. Restricted: depends on the country and the permit

This category causes the most trouble, because it is not an absolute no: it is a “only with paperwork.” And people assume their origin-country paperwork works at destination, which it almost never does.

1. Food. Perishables, meat, dairy, eggs, fresh produce. Many countries ban entry outright; others allow dry, sealed foods.
2. Plants, seeds, soil, and plant material. Includes pots with soil, cuttings, and dried flowers. It is the most frequent cause of fumigation or destruction at destination.
3. Untreated wood. Rustic furniture, handicrafts, carvings, pallets. Several countries require certified phytosanitary treatment.
4. Animal products. Untanned leather, feathers, ivory, shells, taxidermy, coral. Some also fall under CITES.
5. Firearms, replicas, and collectible bladed weapons. They require specific export and import licenses. No local license is sufficient on its own.
6. Medication in quantity. A personal first-aid kit is one thing; a box of controlled drugs is another, and several countries treat it as a pharmaceutical import.
7. Alcohol and tobacco. Almost always outside the household goods allowance: taxed separately and sometimes requiring a permit.
8. Cultural property and antiques. Archaeological pieces, works by protected national artists, items of heritage value. They may require an export permit from the country of origin.
9. Electronics in non-domestic quantities. Five identical laptops stop looking like household goods and start looking like merchandise.

Each corridor has its own level of scrutiny. Australia and New Zealand are especially strict on biosecurity and inspect personal effects looking for soil, untreated wood, and organic residue; you can see the corridor detail at moving from Panama to Australia. Determining what applies at your specific destination is part of our customs clearance management.

3. Uninsurable: it can go, but without a safety net

This group is different and rarely explained. These are items that physically can travel, but that no moving policy covers on reasonable terms. Shipping them is a decision you take assuming the entire risk.

1. Cash, checks, securities, shares, and precious metal bullion.
2. High-value jewelry and collectible watches.
3. Irreplaceable documents. Passports, birth and marriage certificates, diplomas, medical records, property deeds.
4. Unique data and backups. The hard drive with the only copies of twenty years of your photos.
5. Items of purely sentimental value. Insurance replaces market value, not meaning.

The rule is simple and has no sensible exception: all of this travels with you, in your carry-on. A container can take weeks; you are going to need your documents long before that. How coverage is sized for everything else is explained at international moving insurance.

4. Neither prohibited nor restricted: just not worth it

The last category is imposed by no authority. It is imposed by common sense and the freight invoice.

1. Incompatible appliances. Differences in voltage (110V vs 220V), frequency, and plug type turn a washing machine into an expensive piece of furniture to move.
2. Bulky, cheap furniture. It takes up cubic meters you pay for and is replaced for less than it costs to move.
3. Non-hazardous household liquids. Detergents, cooking oils, opened bottles. Not prohibited, but they spill and ruin whatever is around them.
4. Candles and anything that deforms in heat. The inside of a container reaches high temperatures.
5. Your pet. It is not cargo and never travels in the container: it has its own veterinary, documentary, and flight protocol, which we handle separately at international pet relocation.

5. What happens if something prohibited slips through

The consequences are worth knowing, because they tend to be underestimated.

• Physical inspection of the container. It gets opened, unloaded, and examined. That is time at the port, and ports charge for storage.
• Detention of the entire shipment, not just the problem item. Your whole house held up over one aerosol can.
• Seizure or destruction of the item, at your cost under many regimes.
• Fines for the declarant and a mark on the file.
• Loss of insurance coverage for the event, if the loss is connected to the undeclared goods.

None of these consequences is triggered by bad faith. They are triggered, almost always, because nobody checked the garage before packing.

6. How to avoid it in practice

1. Empty the garage and the utility closet first. That is where 90% of the prohibited items in a normal house live.
2. Declare everything on the inventory. A declared restricted item is a formality; an undeclared one is an offense.
3. Ask about your specific destination, not about “the general rule.” The differences between countries are large.
4. Physically separate your carry-on before the packing crew arrives, so nothing from category 3 ends up in a box by accident.

In short

What you cannot move splits into four distinct groups, and confusing them is the underlying mistake: the prohibited (hazardous, never travels), the restricted (depends on the country and the permit), the uninsurable (it can go, but without a net, so it goes with you), and the not worth it (legal, but not worth the freight). The item that ruins a move is almost never exotic: it is a propane tank forgotten in the garage or a pot with soil in it. Check those two areas before any others.

Not sure whether something in your house can travel? Request your free quote and your coordinator will confirm the exact restrictions for your destination, or go through our international moving checklist first.