Frequently Asked Questions

Allied provides local, domestic and international removal services all year round to ensure that you can move when it is convenient for you. However, the busiest times for moving companies are during the summer months when many corporate and government organisations relocate their staff. When moving it is important to consider all the factors, including the cost, your family, work and school schedules, when deciding on the best time for you to move. It is important that you allow enough lead time to perform all pre-move activities as to allow Allied schedule your move around your specific requirements.

The length of time from the moment you pick up the telephone to call Allied or submit your online request for a quote until you can sit back and relax in your new home can vary considerably depending on your destination and when you are moving. During the busy summer months, it is realistic to add several weeks to any estimation of the length of the process. However, as a general rule, once a consultant has visited your home, taken an inventory, provided a quote and the quote has been accepted, the uplift and transportation of domestic consignments will be undertaken within two to six weeks.

The uplift and transportation of international consignments varies for each destination and your specialised International Move Coordinator will be able to give you more detailed information depending on your requirements.

Please note that customs and quarantine requirements in individual countries vary considerably and the time frames surrounding clearance are entirely up to the officials in those nations. Ensuring you have followed all rules regarding the importation of household goods will go some way towards expediting this process.

For local, country and international moves, Allied network of over 10 locations across New Zealand ensures you are dealing with one company for your move – no third parties. The Allied International Network encompasses Allied offices and preferred agents in over 200 countries, meaning your goods are in our possession from the moment they leave your old home until the moment they reach your new home.

Every member of the Allied International Network is required to abide by the requirements of the Allied Global Service Charter covering areas such as the presentation of employees and vehicles, communication standards, the condition of facilities, packing materials used, import procedures, customer surveys, claims and complaints. The Global Service Charter ensures that you will receive the same level of service at origin and destination, no matter where in the world you are.

For some children the prospect of a new school, new friends or even a new bedroom can be daunting. Talk to your children about your move and get them used to the idea well in advance. There are many good websites and many good books which touch on the best way to handle children during a move. Make sure to:

• Involve your children in the planning process.
• Help them learn about the new community where they will be living.
• Let them be honest with you about how they are feeling.
• Explain the concept of moving to young children by play-acting with dolls, boxes and a toy truck.

Above all, keep your children safe on the moving day and reassure them that you’re in this adventure into the unknown together.

No. Allied provides specially researched and designed wrapping and packing materials. Availability of certain materials varies by country but in general we have a number of specialised cartons for the common items such as books, toys and normal home contents. In addition, most locations have both flat and standing wardrobes for clothing. Allied also provide an “Essentials” carton which is the last carton packed and the first carton unpacked. This carton is usually used to pack the kettle, tea, coffee, mugs, remote controls, toilet paper and all those things you don’t want to be searching through cartons for when you first arrive at your new home.

Allied also provides specialist packing materials such as wine cartons with polystyrene inserts, painting or mirror cartons, flat screen television cartons, golf club cartons, bicycle cartons and wooden crating for larger items. On the day of your pre-removal survey, the consultant compiling your inventory will identify any items requiring this specialised packing and ensure it is provided on the day of packing.

No – Luckily since bubble wrap was invented over 50 years ago packaging solutions have evolved. Some bubble wrap is nothing more than 2 layers of polythene and “cells”. This type of product serves a purpose for extremely lightweight delicate fragile items such as bone china, fine glass and small porcelain ornaments however some items require a more durable product to best protect them during transport. Standard bubble varies in bubble diameter, bubble height and importantly varies in thickness (micron) of the plastic. The thicker the micron the stronger the bubble. Although Allied can offer and do utilise a number of different types and grades of bubble for small ornaments, artwork and electrical – when it comes to protecting furniture during transport we only use the highest grade material available.

Our “One Wrap” product offers the ultimate protection for your furniture items. One wrap consists of 3 layers of materials. The first layer is ‘Cellfoam’ which is made up of tiny air cells that allows the furniture items to breathe. The second layer is traditional bubble wrap which provides cushioning of the items against transit-related trauma. The third layer is a polywoven material which provides superior tear and puncture resistance.

The product has been independently tested against many standard industry bubble wrap materials and was significantly superior in its performance with regards to tear resistance, impact resistance and puncture force.

It is important to protect your personal clothing when in transit. Expensive clothing certainly should not just be packed inside ordinary cardboard boxes. You will run the risk of not only wrinkling your expensive attire but potentially ruining them.

Clothes you value need to remain on hangers and be neatly packed inside specially designed clothing boxes. Allied have two types of clothing boxes to ensure your precious attire is well cared for during your move.

The “Porta Robe” carton has been designed for suits, dresses, evening wear and clothing which should remain hung at all times and is normally used for all local and interstate moving. The second version is referred to as our “Mini Robe” which is a flat carton that still allows for the hanger to be left on the attire, however, the clothing is laid flat rather than hung up.

These have been purposely designed to maximise space when packing and are great for shirts, tops, jeans and other smaller clothing which would normally be hung up in a wardrobe. They are also more practical when shipping goods overseas due to the more subsequent movement of items during heavier ocean conditions.

Allied offers a wide range of services to make your move simple and stress free. These include:

• Door-to-door services to anywhere in the world
• Short-term and long-term storage
• Transit insurance with a variety of extensions including storage, mechanical and electrical derangement, pairs and sets, mould and mildew and packing & moving costs
• Special crating and casing for especially valuable items
• Special assistance for transportation of pets and vehicles
• Moving out or settling in services such as cleaning or handyman needs
• Optional relocation services such as home searches, school searches, spousal career counselling, cultural briefings and orientation.

As part of Allied’ removals services, during the delivery process we will position your furniture where you want it in your house and unpack all your cartons to bench top level (where the cartons were packed by Allied removalists). If any additional assistance is required such as stocking cupboards, making beds, connecting audio visual or IT equipment, or setting up a new kitchen, we can arrange this for you.

Allied can also arrange cleaners and general handyman assistance, depending on your requirements. Ask your Move Coordinator about what else we can do to ensure you settle into your new home as soon as possible.

Yes. Within New Zealand, Allied uses specialist vehicle relocation companies to make sure your car gets to your new location, even if you don’t want to drive it there.

Yes. Within New Zealand, Allied employs specialist partners to assist with pet transportation.

Most carriers have restrictions relating to safety and security. While countries differ, the prohibited and dangerous goods list may give you an idea of what sort of things are generally discouraged for shipment. This applies to goods packed by you or by Allied.View the Prohibited and Dangerous Goods List for more information.

Internationally, vehicle regulations vary from country to country and they are generally highly detailed in terms of paperwork, regulations and procedures. Before sending any vehicle overseas, be sure to check with your Allied Move Coordinator first on special requirements and points to consider. The Customs Department of the destination country will also be able to assist. It is a good idea on requesting the regulations in writing. If there are any doubts or concerns about what is or is not allowed, we can assist in checking at the destination with reliable sources.

Internationally, as with vehicles, the regulations vary greatly from country to country and the importation of pets or animals is carefully monitored at destination. Make sure you are aware of the rules before committing to transport your pet. Also be aware of requirements for inoculations and quarantine.

When sending personal effects overseas it is possible that your shipment will be inspected at the port in the Country of your destination. The likelihood varies from Country to Country – for example shipments to the USA are more likely to be examined by Customs Authorities than shipments to the UK as a consequence of heightened security in the USA. In the event of a request to inspect your shipment by the Customs Authorities in the Country of your destination, our service partners will monitor the progress very closely and ensure that everything is done to move your shipment through the destination port as quickly as possible.

As not every shipment moved by Allied is subjected to a Customs Inspections at destination then any associated cost savings will be passed onto the owner of the goods. Please consult your Moving Consultant or move Coordinator for more details once the shipment has arrived at the final destination as this will vary on a case-by-case basis.

It is inevitable that if you are moving newly purchased items or alcohol within your shipment then Duties and Taxes will be payable in your Country of destination. In most circumstances ‘normal’ personal and household effects are permitted to enter free of any tax or duty provided you have owned and used your personal possessions in the Country you are moving from for a confirmed period of time. This is not the rule for every Country around the world as the laws and regulations vary so please discuss the specific rules and regulations surrounding the payment of Duties and Taxes in your Country of destination with your Moving Consultant or move Coordinator to ensure you have the most updated information at hand.

As part of the international moving process Governments around the world will ensure that persons moving to their country are eligible to do so. Part of this process will involve the completion of at least one Customs Form along with the presentation of a number of items of proof of identity. The information on the Customs Forms is used to fulfil the Customs Clearance process in your Country of destination.

In advance of your shipment arriving at it’s destination our service partners will be working with us to ensure your shipment is moved through the destination port and subsequent clearance process as quickly and smoothly as possible. In many countries globally we are able to pre-clear your shipment, meaning that on arrival at the destination port (once the local port clearance formalities have been completed) your shipment can be moved direct from the destination port to your new home. In other countries your shipment will have to go through further clearance processes post arrival, meaning your shipment will have to be moved to our service partners warehouse pending approval to release your shipment from the local authorities. Once your shipment has been approved for release by the local authorities and you are ready to receive your belongings our service partners will arrange for a removal crew to deliver your shipment to your new home.

On arrival at your new home our service partners removal crew will place and unwrap all of your furniture items at your request on a room by room basis. Your personal possessions that were packed into removal cartons at the start of your move will be unpacked on to surfaces in your new home for you to place into cupboards, draws and wardrobes. At the completion of the delivery all of the used packing materials will be removed from your new home and recycled at our partners local facility.

Whilst Allied professionally wrap and prepare your items for their journey, there are external factors beyond our control during the move process. Your effects will ultimately exposed to many risks via external agencies, including quarantine, customs services and shipping companies. The other major risks associated with transporting your effects is that furniture is not designed to be moved and is subject to transit trauma as a result of moving the items into and out of containers and the various weather conditions whilst in transit that can effect the overall safety of your items. It is for these reasons we strongly recommend that you consider purchasing a comprehensive Transit Insurance cover to protect your personal effects in the unfortunate event of a major event occurring.

Allied are unique in our industry as we have our own Financial Services Licence* which ensures you are not dealing with any third party loss adjustors or agencies. We maintain control of the entire process where you have a dedicated case manager in the unfortunate event of a claim to ensure complete customer satisfaction throughout the entire move process and resolve any issues in a prompt and efficient manner.

Please speak to one of our Move Consultants in regards to Transit Insurance as it is important that you best choose the product which best suits your individual needs.
*Financial Services Licence #294595 is registered under the name of SIRVA Pty Ltd trading as Allied.

Setting up a new back account in your new country will vary depending on the rules and laws on each country. Some will allow you to set one up online before you enter the country and some will require you to be in the country to arrange this. It is best do some research on line and contact one of the major banks to discuss you banking requirements.

In regards to moving your currency to your new home country we have a partnership with award winning currency exchange specialist TorFX to assist our clients when transferring money overseas. TorFX have assisted our clients when relocating to destinations around the world including Australia, UK and Europe, USA, Canada and South East Asia. Their website can be found at:- http://www.torfx.com.au

Depending on what country you are moving to will depend on if you appliances will work. The below link will give you a list of countries and what voltage they use along with the type of plug required. If the voltage is the same but the plug is different consider an adaptor or consult a local licensed electrician who may be able to change over your plugs. There are also Step-up and Step-down transformers in the market place which will allow you to use your appliance with a difference voltage power source. Please note that this advice is of a general nature for advise on particular appliances it is always best to contact the manufacture for confirmation.
http://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plug-voltage-by-country/

It is recommended that your piano should have its own specialised crate made and will be crated in your home where practical before being moved. We would wrap the piano in our specially designed International wrapping material which will protect the piano. This will ensure that it will be handled with the up most care while being moved from your home and into an overseas shipping container. The crate then also allows our packing crews to maximise the space above the container without putting any stress on the piano. There are some regulations to be aware of with ivory key pianos being transported to certain cities / destinations which we are more than happy to further discuss when you are ready to plan your next move.

Fine china will be individually wrapped in our acid free tissue paper. We can also provide an optional tube wrapping service for higher value items to ensure that the rims of the items are fully protected at all times. Your items will only be packed with like items that are suitable to be transported together in a specialised packing carton. This is another way to ensure your china will arrive in the same condition as packed. Speak to you moving consultant to further learn on how Allied can best look after your overseas move.