Your move from Brazil to Canada, from start to finish.
We are a Brazilian multinational international moving company, with our own teams and fleet — we do not outsource the care of your home.
Elected best in customer satisfaction at the MESC Award (Melhores Empresas em Satisfação do Cliente, by Instituto MESC in partnership with Google) in 2024 and 2025.
FIDI-FAIM certification, independently audited, and EcoVadis Gold rating — the only moving company in Latin America with this distinction.
We serve families, executives and expatriates in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Halifax, Calgary and Ottawa.
Changing country is already big enough — the hard part is ours.
Why choose One Moving for your move to Canada?
In-house team in Brazil carrying out packing, documentation and shipment, and accredited agents of our international network performing the customs clearance and delivery in Canada — with monitoring by our team at all stages.
We prepare the entry declaration before your flight
The Canadian rule is literal: goods that do not accompany you on arrival can only be classified under tariff item 9807.00.00 if they were reported by you at the time of arrival in Canada. Because the sea shipment on this route takes 50 to 70 days door-to-door, the relocation almost always arrives after the flight. We prepare your list of goods en route before shipment for you to present to the CBSA upon disembarkation. It is the most expensive mistake on the route and the easiest to avoid.
Customs clearance at both ends
We handle the export documentation in Brazil and follow the release with the CBSA at the port of entry, including the BSF186 form — the Personal Effects Accounting Document, formerly B4 — and the assessment of your classification as a settler. You do not need to worry about bureaucracy — we handle everything.
Door-to-door delivery throughout Canada
We deliver your move in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Halifax, Calgary, Ottawa and other cities in the country, with entry through the ports of Montreal, Vancouver or Halifax depending on the final destination. From your address in Brazil to the door of your new home in Canada, with unpacking and furniture assembly.
Specialized professional packaging
We pack your belongings with high-quality materials and professional techniques. Furniture, electronics, works of art — all protected with the utmost care.
Comprehensive international insurance
Your move travels covered by international insurance that covers the entire route — from collection in Brazil to delivery in Canada.
Free virtual pre-move survey
We carry out the pre-move survey of your belongings by video call, without the need for an in-person visit. Practical, fast and without obligation.
Real route transit times Brazil — Canada
Door-to-door transit times, from the moment of collection in Brazil until delivery with assembly in Canada.
| Origin | Destination | Maritime | Air |
|---|---|---|---|
| São Paulo (SP) | TorontoDoor-to-door transit time, with customs clearance at both ends | 50 to 70 days | 15 to 30 days |
| São Paulo (SP) | MontrealMontreal is the main port of entry on the east coast | 50 to 68 days | 15 to 30 days |
| Rio de Janeiro (RJ) | VancouverWest coast, with a longer crossing | 58 to 78 days | 15 to 30 days |
| Curitiba (PR) | HalifaxIncludes road transfer to the port of origin | 52 to 72 days | 15 to 30 days |
| Belo Horizonte (MG) | CalgaryIncludes road transfer at both ends | 58 to 78 days | 15 to 30 days |
Door-to-door transit time, with customs clearance at both ends
Montreal is the main port of entry on the east coast
West coast, with a longer crossing
Includes road transfer to the port of origin
Includes road transfer at both ends
We serve the entire country; contact us to find out the exact transit time for your city.
Estimated door-to-door transit times, subject to the shipping line's or airline's schedule. They include collection, packing, customs clearance at origin and destination, and final delivery. The transit time for your move is confirmed in the quote after the service and route are defined.
Customs framework for the route: In Canada, the move almost always arrives after your flight — and the CBSA rule is clear: goods that do not travel with you only retain the exemption if they are declared at the time of your entry into the country. We prepare this declaration prior to boarding.
What is included within this timeframe
The times above are door-to-door and include collection and packing at the origin residence, cargo consolidation, waiting for the ship’s departure window, the crossing, customs clearance at both ends and final delivery with furniture assembly. We publish it this way because it is the timeframe you actually experience. Port-to-port times published by carriers may seem shorter because they only cover sailing time, without customs, collection or delivery.
Required documentation at both ends
What Canadian and Brazilian customs require, with the name of each document and the responsible authority.
Departure from Brazil
Receita Federal do Brasil
- 1
Declaration of export of goods
Registration of the export of unaccompanied baggage, carried out by our in-house team in Brazil, with issuance of the bill of lading in the name of the owner of the goods. One Moving contracts and coordinates the customs broker and monitors the customs clearance end to end, for your convenience.
- 2
Inventory with value and description of each item
The CBSA requires the presentation of a list of goods at the time of arrival, and it must distinguish what arrives with you from what arrives later. We prepare the inventory in that format, volume by volume, with description, value and serial number of identifiable items. All preparation is done by our team during packing and is managed by One Moving for your convenience.
- 3
Proof of possession and prior use of the goods
The Canadian rule requires that the goods have been effectively possessed, owned by the settler and used abroad prior to arrival in Canada. Unlike Europe, there is no numeric six-month term: what is proven is prior ownership and use. We gather invoices and proof for higher-value items. We indicate exactly which documents to collect and organize the file: One Moving manages this stage for your convenience.
Entry into Canada
CBSA — Canada Border Services Agency
- 1
Form BSF186 — Personal Effects Accounting Document
It is the document that formalizes the list of your goods before the CBSA, previously known as Form B4. The agency cross-checks the traveler's immigration documents with this form, so the completion must exactly reflect your immigration status. The completion and submission of BSF186 are managed by One Moving together with our accredited agent, for your convenience.
- 2
Declaration of goods that will arrive later
If the move does not travel with you, the goods can only be classified under the tariff item when imported later if they were reported by you at the time of arrival in Canada. We prepare the list of goods en route before your flight so you can present it at entry. This preparation is entirely managed by One Moving for your convenience.
- 3
Immigration documents compatible with settler status
The CBSA checks whether you meet the legal definition of settler: a person who enters Canada to establish residence for the first time for a period not less than 12 months. Work permit, letter of offer and visas are reviewed in that assessment.
- 4
Vehicle documentation, when applicable
The vehicle requires proof of ownership prior to arrival, legal authorization to drive it abroad, actual use on public roads, licensing and insurance in your name, and eligibility under Transport Canada requirements. We advise on the required documentation and coordinate the process with the customs broker: One Moving manages this stage for your convenience.
If the move arrives after you, declare it at entry
This is the most decisive and least known rule on the Canada route. When goods do not accompany the settler on arrival, they can only be classified under tariff item 9807.00.00 if they were reported by you at the time of arrival in Canada. Because sea transit on this route takes 50 to 70 days door-to-door, the move almost always arrives after the flight. Those who disembark in Toronto or Montreal without declaring that a move is on the way lose the benefit, and the cargo is treated as a regular import. That is why we prepare your list of goods en route before your trip, not afterwards.
Employment of up to 36 months or study does not give the right to the benefit
The legal definition of settler expressly excludes those who enter Canada for employment for a period not exceeding 36 months and those who enter to study at an educational institution. It is a surprising distinction: a 2-year employment contract, by itself, does not qualify the move as settlers effects. The inverse reading also applies and is good news: someone who will work for more than 36 months is considered a settler from the first arrival, even if they are a temporary resident for immigration purposes. We assess your classification before structuring the operation, because it defines the tax regime of the shipment.
Extension of the work permit may create the right
There is a specific case that almost no moving company knows how to explain. Someone already in Canada as a temporary resident for work who has the work permit extended so that the continuous duration exceeds 36 months becomes a settler on the date of the extension. Only from that moment do goods that were already in the possession and use of the temporary resident before the date of the extension become eligible to be classified as settlers effects. For those in Canada who have just renewed the work permit, that date is the milestone that opens the possibility of bringing the move with the benefit.
There is no six-month possession period, but proof of use is required
Unlike the European Union and the United Kingdom, the Canadian tariff item does not set a numeric prior possession period. What it requires is that the goods have been effectively possessed, be owned by the settler and have been used abroad before arrival in Canada. This does not make the rule more permissive; it only shifts the discussion from the date to the proof. Goods bought new in a rush before shipment tend to be questioned. A formal exception exists for marriage: household goods acquired and reserved for use in the home are exempt from the requirement of use when the marriage occurred up to 3 months before arrival or will occur up to 3 months after, the same applying to wedding gifts received outside Canada.
The car must have been driven, not just purchased
The vehicle conditions are cumulative and the CBSA is literal on one of them. In addition to owning the vehicle abroad, the settler must have been legally licensed to drive it — for example, with a valid driver's license — and must have actually driven it on public roads for some distance before the date of arrival in Canada. The agency expressly records that a test drive with a dealership plate, or use restricted to the manufacturer's or dealer's lot, does not qualify. The vehicle also needs to have been licensed and insured in your name for use abroad and be eligible according to Transport Canada requirements.
Car purchased, rented or borrowed abroad cannot be imported
If the settler buys, leases, rents or borrows a vehicle while outside Canada, Transport Canada and customs legislation do not allow bringing it into the country for personal use, even temporarily, unless it meets all Transport Canada requirements and applicable duties and taxes are paid. There is also the manufacturing standard: vehicles made for markets outside the United States and Canada frequently do not meet Canadian safety standards and can only be imported when they are fifteen years old or older. We assess vehicle viability on a case-by-case basis before including it in the quote.
Selling or transferring the goods within 12 months voids the benefit
The definition of goods under the tariff item does not include those that are sold or otherwise disposed of within 12 months after importation. It is a restriction of destination, not of custody: the goods must remain with you and in domestic use during that period. Resale of appliances or furniture shortly after arrival is precisely the scenario the rule targets.
Alcohol, tobacco and clearance at the first point of entry
The tariff item allows, within the goods, wine up to 1.5 liters or any alcoholic beverages up to 1.14 liters, and tobacco up to 50 cigars, 200 cigarettes, 200 tobacco sticks and 200 grams of manufactured tobacco. It is also worth noting that settlers transporting their own goods in a personal or rented vehicle must clear customs at the first point of entry into Canada — a common situation for moves entering via the land border with the United States.
Sources: CBSA — Canada Border Services Agency, Memorandum D2-2-1, ‘Settlers’ Effects — Tariff Item No. 9807.00.00’, Ottawa; and Memorandum D2-1-1, temporary importation by non-residents. Legal basis: tariff item 9807.00.00 of the Customs Tariff, regulated by SOR/2005-257 (Definition of ‘Settler’ Regulations) and by SOR/90-225 (Tariff Item No. 9807.00.00 Exemption Order). Information verified in August 2026; we will confirm the conditions of your case before shipment.
Sea or air: how to choose
Both modalities serve the Brazil — Canada route. The choice depends on volume, urgency and the value of the goods.
Maritime Transport
Ideal for complete moves with large volume. Best cost-effectiveness to transport furniture, appliances and all your belongings.
- Exclusive or shared container
- Best cost-benefit
- Ideal for full moves
- Tracking throughout the entire journey
Air Transport
For those who need speed. Perfect for smaller volumes, urgent items, or partial moves that cannot wait.
- Door-to-door delivery in up to 20 days
- Ideal for smaller volumes
- Perfect for urgent items
- Real-time tracking
Stress-free move to Canada
We know that moving countries is an important decision. That is why we take care of all the logistics of your move so you can focus on what really matters: your new life in Canada.
Our team accompanies every step of the process, ensuring safety, organization and predictability.
FAQ Brazil — Canada
The most frequent doubts on the route, answered based on the official rule.
By sea transport, the timeframe is 50 to 70 days, and by air, 15 to 30 days. These timeframes are door-to-door: they include collection and packing at your residence in Brazil, cargo consolidation, waiting for the ship's departure window, the crossing, customs clearance at both ends and final delivery in Canada with furniture assembly. It is the longest route in our European and North American set, and west coast destinations, such as Vancouver, are at the higher end of the timeframe. They should not be compared with port-to-port transit times from carriers, which cover only the navigation.
Settler is the legal concept that gives access to the benefit. According to Canadian regulation, it is a person who enters Canada with the intention of establishing, for the first time, a residence for a period not less than 12 months. Those who enter for employment for a period not exceeding 36 months, those who enter to study at an educational institution and those who enter for pre-clearance activities on behalf of the United States government do not qualify. The classification defines whether your shipment enters under tariff item 9807.00.00 or as common importation, which is why it is the first thing we analyze.
In that scenario, yes: employment for a period not exceeding 36 months is expressly outside the definition of settler. But there are two paths that need examination. The first is the actual expected duration of the contract, because contracts over 36 months qualify already on first arrival, even with temporary resident immigration status. The second is extension: if the work permit is extended so that the continuous duration exceeds 36 months, you become a settler on the date of the extension. We analyze your documentation before determining the regime for the cargo.
No, provided you declare it on arrival. The rule is explicit: goods that do not accompany the settler can be classified under the tariff item when imported later only if they were reported by you at the time of arrival in Canada. In practice, almost every sea move arrives after the flight, so this entry declaration is mandatory in planning. We prepare the list of goods en route before your trip for you to present to the CBSA on disembarkation. It is the most expensive mistake on this route and is completely avoidable.
The BSF186 form, called the Personal Effects Accounting Document, formerly known as Form B4. It formalizes the list of your goods before the agency, and it is in this form that both items that arrive with you and those that arrive later are recorded. The CBSA cross-checks the traveler's immigration documents with this form, so the completion must be consistent with your immigration status. We prepare the document with you based on the move inventory.
No. This is a structural difference between Canada and the European Union and the United Kingdom: the Canadian tariff item does not set a numeric prior possession period. What it requires is that the goods have actually been possessed, be owned by the settler and have been used abroad before arrival in Canada. The discussion stops being the date and becomes proof of possession and use, which in practice means items bought new shortly before shipment tend to be questioned. Marriage goods have their own rule and are exempt from the requirement of use within a window of 3 months before or after arrival.
It is possible, but the conditions are cumulative and stricter than most people expect. The vehicle must have been owned by you prior to arrival in Canada, you must have been legally licensed to drive it abroad and have actually driven it on public roads for some distance before the arrival date — the CBSA records that a dealer test drive does not qualify —, the vehicle must have been licensed and insured in your name for use abroad and must be eligible according to Transport Canada requirements. Vehicles manufactured for markets outside the United States and Canada frequently do not meet Canadian standards and can only enter when they are fifteen years old or older.
Not within the first 12 months. The definition of goods under the tariff item does not include those that are sold or otherwise disposed of within 12 months after importation. The restriction exists to prevent the benefit from being used as a route for commercial importation, and it specifically targets the scenario of resale of appliances or furniture shortly after arrival. After that period, the disposition of the goods is unrestricted.
Yes. Transport of the animal is a process separate from the move of goods, with its own requirements for microchip, rabies vaccination and international veterinary certificate within the validity period, in addition to Canadian entry rules. Our pet department conducts this process in parallel to the move, with documentation synchronized to your flight dates. We have already transported more than 1,000 animals.
Collection, packing and exit documentation in Brazil are conducted by One Moving's in-house team, without intermediaries. In Canada, we work with accredited agents of our international network for customs clearance with the CBSA and delivery with assembly at your final address, in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Halifax or Calgary. The planning of the entry declaration and the classification as settler is done with you before shipment, because that is where the Canadian route is won or lost.
What our clients say
Thousands of families have already entrusted their international move to One Moving.
“One Moving took care of everything. From packing to delivery in Toronto. Everything arrived perfect, without any damage. True professionals.”
“No one had told me I needed to declare the move on arrival, even with the cargo still on the ship. They gave me the ready list before the flight and it was smooth at the border.”
“Serious and transparent company. The quote was exactly what I paid, no surprises. The virtual pre-move survey was very convenient.”
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