We move households from Chicago to Vancouver, and from Vancouver back to Chicago, with the customs paperwork prepared on both sides. About 3,552 km by road.
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Moving between Chicago and Vancouver means crossing from Illinois into British Columbia, so the move involves a CBSA declaration, a BC driver’s licence and provincial health enrolment on the Canadian side. You list your goods on the BSF186 and BSF186A forms, and Motion prepares them. Your status, returning resident or settler, decides how duty is assessed.
Goods entering Canada are declared to the Canada Border Services Agency at the port of entry. A BSF186 Personal Effects Accounting Document is your declaration, and a BSF186A list of imported goods covers both the goods you bring with you and any goods to follow. For Chicago to Vancouver the port is normally Pacific Highway at Blaine and Surrey, and Motion prepares both forms as part of the move.
Used personal and household effects are generally duty-free when relocating to Canada. Returning residents must have owned and used the goods abroad for at least six months under tariff item 9805.00.00. Settlers bringing goods to Canada for the first time are assessed under different conditions, so confirm your status early.
The Chicago to Vancouver route runs about 3,550 km, mostly on I-90 and then I-5 north into Blaine. Trucks cross at Pacific Highway, the commercial crossing into the Vancouver area.
Motion runs this corridor in both directions and fills trucks on the return, so a Vancouver to Chicago move is a standard run. The same carrier loads in British Columbia and delivers in Illinois, with no transfer at the border and customs paperwork handled for you.
Fill in the quote form at the top of this page and the team will book your video call.
Get my free quoteRoad distances to Vancouver
3,552 km
Chicago ↔ Vancouver
3,534 km
Aurora ↔ Vancouver
3,548 km
Naperville ↔ Vancouver
3,538 km
Joliet ↔ Vancouver
To move from Chicago to Vancouver with Motion Transport, you request a quote, size your move on a video call, build a customs inventory with us, and we pick up at your door and deliver to your new door in British Columbia. Motion prepares the customs forms from your inventory before the truck leaves, so the filing matches what is on the truck.
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Tell us your origin, destination and rough timeline. A specialist texts you back within five minutes, Monday to Sunday, 9am to 7pm ET. Klarna is available on deposits of $500 or more.
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Your Chicago to Vancouver move is sized on a video call, with no in-person visit needed. Once the move is sized, the rate is locked in writing, so you know what you agreed to.
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We prepare the customs forms with you from your inventory before the truck leaves. For each item, note the value, make, model and serial number where applicable, so the filing matches what is on the truck.
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Your belongings are collected at your door in Chicago. Your move is cargo-liability insured. Storage is also available at Motion's Vancouver hub if your new home is not ready when your goods arrive.
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The Canada Border Services Agency asks you to declare your household goods on Form BSF186 at your first point of arrival. You give the border services officer your list of goods, the BSF186A, at your first point of entry.
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Your goods are delivered to your new door in British Columbia. The balance is due after delivery, before offloading. Keep your original BSF186, since it is needed if any goods to follow are released later.
Motion handles pickup at your door in Chicago, delivery to your new door in Vancouver, cargo-liability insurance, and preparing the customs forms with you from your inventory before the truck leaves. You handle the details only you know: the value, make, model and serial number of your goods, and presenting your list to the border services officer at your first point of entry in Canada. You also keep your original BSF186 safe after you arrive.
At your first point of arrival in Canada, you declare your household goods on Form BSF186, the Personal Effects Accounting Document, and give the border services officer your list of goods. Because Motion prepares the customs forms from your inventory before the truck leaves, the filing matches what is on the truck. You must hand over your list even if you arrive with no goods with you.
On moving day, your belongings are picked up at your door in Chicago, matching the inventory you built with Motion beforehand. Your rate was locked in writing after your video call, so there are no surprises about what was agreed. Your move is cargo-liability insured. The balance is not due until after delivery in Vancouver, before offloading begins.
List every item on your BSF186A, the list of imported goods, giving the value, make, model and serial number where applicable for all the goods. Include both the goods you bring with you and any goods to follow. Goods that arrive later qualify for duty- and tax-free importation only if they are on your original list, so be thorough before you cross.
Moving from Chicago or a nearby city to Vancouver? We pick up across the Chicago area and the rest of Illinois and deliver to Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, Richmond and the rest of British Columbia, or the other way round. Your move is assessed on a video call, the rate is locked in writing, and we help you prepare the customs paperwork before the truck reaches the border.
Moving from Chicago to Vancouver is roughly 3,550 km by road: west on I-90 through Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Washington, then north on I-5 to the Pacific Highway crossing at Blaine and Surrey. One carrier runs the whole move, with no transfer at the border, and Motion handles the customs paperwork for you. Expect a video call first, then a quote.
Winter changes this route more than most, because a truck crossing the northern Rockies meets Lookout Pass, Bozeman Pass and Snoqualmie Pass, and snow there can slow a departure.
Build two inventory lists. Before loading day, prepare a BSF186 Personal Effects Accounting Document and a BSF186A list of imported goods covering both the goods you bring with you and any goods to follow, with values and item descriptions, so the CBSA officer at the port of entry sees what arrives with you and what follows.
Dry out garage and basement items. Chicago winters leave salt and damp on items from garages and basements. Wipe and dry them before loading; the load will also meet cold mountain passes and wet coastal air in Vancouver.
Book the strata elevator early. Many Vancouver homes are strata condos with a booked move-in window and an elevator reservation. Ask your building manager for the slot early so the delivery date and the building’s rules line up.
Handle vehicles and licences separately. Treat a vehicle as its own import with its own rules, apart from household goods. Check ICBC requirements for a BC driver’s licence early, since licensing runs on its own clock after you become resident.
Sources: Canada Border Services Agency (Form BSF186, Memorandum D2-2-1) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP Form 3299). Rules depend on your situation; confirm yours with the border agency.
The same carrier loads in Illinois and delivers in British Columbia, with no hand-off to a second company at the border.
Motion prepares the BSF186 and BSF186A forms for CBSA at the port of entry, so you are not building them alone.
The truck crosses at Pacific Highway at Blaine and Surrey, the commercial crossing into the Vancouver area.
Because trucks run both directions, a Vancouver to Chicago move uses a truck already heading east, not an empty one.
A video call with the team sets the inventory and the quote, so the plan is based on what you actually own.
“I was helping my daughter to relocate from New Jersey to Toronto and we worried so much about the cross border move. … The pick up in New Jersey was made so smooth that we didn't need to worry about even the packing. The shipment arrived Toronto in 3 days, without needing us to clear the customs!”
ada choungNew Jersey → Toronto · July 2026
Read the full review on Google →“Moving from Montréal to Texas felt like a lot to handle at first. … His approach was different — his communication was on point, he was thorough, and everything he said matched the reviews I read. … The team worked hard, took care of my stuff, and made the whole thing way easier than I expected.”
André LavoieMontréal → Texas · December 2025
Read the full review on Google →“We are moving to the United States and so far Charles and Brent have made our movement swift and smooth. I am sure just as the stuff was picked up on time, it will be delivered on time . Thank you for promptly answering our calls always… wishing your company the very best.”
Shilpa ThackerMoving to the United States · November 2025
Read the full review on Google →Reviews quoted word for word from Motion Transport’s Google Business Profile (5.0 from 216 reviews); … marks a shortened review.
5.0 · over 200 Google reviews
Real customers. Real moves. A moving specialist personally answers every quote.
Read all reviews on GoogleThe road is roughly 3,550 km through the northern Rockies and across the Pacific Highway crossing, and winter snow on the mountain passes can add delay.
Yes. You report your goods to the Canada Border Services Agency at the port of entry, using a BSF186 Personal Effects Accounting Document and a BSF186A list of imported goods covering both the goods you bring with you and any goods to follow. Motion prepares these forms, and the officer reviews them when the truck crosses at Pacific Highway.
Usually not on used household effects, but it depends on your status. Returning residents must have owned and used the goods abroad for at least six months under tariff item 9805.00.00; settlers bringing goods in for the first time are assessed under different conditions. Confirm yours with the team.
Yes, Motion runs the corridor in both directions and fills trucks on the return, so a Vancouver to Chicago move is a normal run. One carrier carries it end to end, with customs paperwork handled for the border crossing into the United States.
BC has provincial steps beyond customs. New residents enrol in the Medical Services Plan, which has a waiting period, and apply for a BC driver’s licence through ICBC. Check current rules with the province before you arrive, because deadlines are set by BC, not Motion.
Book a video call and the team will scope your move and quote it in one conversation.
