We move households from Detroit to Toronto, and from Toronto back to Detroit, with the customs paperwork prepared on both sides. About 388 km by road.
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Moving between Detroit and Toronto means declaring your household goods to the Canada Border Services Agency at the port of entry, usually the Ambassador Bridge, and settling Ontario basics such as your driver’s licence and health coverage. Your goods are listed on customs forms, and we prepare them with you before the truck leaves.
Household goods entering Canada are declared on the BSF186, the Personal Effects Accounting Document, and listed on the BSF186A list of imported goods, which covers both what you bring with you and any goods to follow. Both are filed with the Canada Border Services Agency at the port of entry. Motion prepares the forms from your inventory so the filing matches what is on the truck.
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.
A single Motion truck carries your goods from Detroit to Toronto, crossing the Ambassador Bridge and continuing on Highway 401. There is no transfer to a second carrier at the border. Because we also run the corridor from Toronto to Detroit, return-leg space keeps loads efficient.
Ontario sets its own deadlines for exchanging a US driver’s licence and registering for provincial health coverage, so check current rules with ServiceOntario before you move. A vehicle is handled separately from household goods and follows its own import requirements.
Use the quote form at the top of this page to book a video call and get your Detroit and Toronto quote.
Get my free quoteRoad distances to Toronto
388 km
Detroit ↔ Toronto
379 km
Warren ↔ Toronto
371 km
Sterling Heights ↔ Toronto
441 km
Ann Arbor ↔ Toronto
To move from Detroit to Toronto with Motion, you share your details, size the move on a video call, build your customs inventory with Motion, and the goods are picked up at your door in Detroit and delivered to your new door in Ontario. The rate is locked in writing, and your goods are covered by cargo-liability insurance.
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Tell Motion your origin, destination and rough timeline. A specialist texts you back within five minutes, Monday to Sunday, 9am to 7pm ET, so you can start your Detroit to Toronto move right away.
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Your move is sized on a video call, so nobody needs to visit your home. Once the size is clear, the rate is locked in writing. Klarna is available on deposits of $500 or more.
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Motion prepares the customs forms with you from your inventory before the truck leaves, so the filing matches what is on the truck. Your list should include value, make, model and serial number where applicable.
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Your goods are collected at your door in Detroit. They are covered by cargo-liability insurance while in transit, and the inventory you built is what the paperwork is based on.
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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. Give the officer your BSF186A list of goods, and keep your original BSF186.
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Your goods are delivered to your new door in Ontario. The balance is due after delivery, before offloading. If you need time before moving in, storage is available at Motion's Toronto hub.
Motion handles the sizing, the written rate, pickup at your door, delivery to your new door, cargo-liability insurance and the preparation of your customs forms with you. You handle the details only you know: your inventory, including value, make, model and serial number where applicable, and presenting your list of goods to the border services officer at your first point of entry in Canada. You also keep your original BSF186 safe.
At your first point of arrival in Canada, you declare your household goods to the Canada Border Services Agency on Form BSF186, the Personal Effects Accounting Document. You give the officer your BSF186A, the list of imported goods, which covers what you bring and any goods to follow. You must do this even if you arrive with no goods. Motion prepares the forms with you beforehand so the filing matches what is on the truck.
On moving day, your goods are picked up at your door in Detroit, based on the move sized on your video call and the inventory you built with Motion. The customs forms are prepared before the truck leaves. Your goods are insured for cargo liability and delivered to your new door in Ontario. The balance is due after delivery, before offloading.
Your customs list for a move to Toronto should give the value, make, model and serial number, where applicable, of all your goods. The BSF186A lists both what 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 include everything you plan to bring.
Moving from Detroit or a nearby city to Toronto? We pick up across the Detroit area and the rest of Michigan and deliver to Toronto, the GTA, Ottawa, Hamilton, London and the rest of Ontario, 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.
The run from Detroit to Toronto is roughly 390 km: I-94 or I-75 to the Ambassador Bridge at Windsor, then Highway 401 east through Chatham, London and Kitchener into the GTA. One Motion truck takes your load from your Michigan door to your Ontario door, with no transfer to a second carrier at the border. We prepare the customs paperwork for the Canada Border Services Agency, so the crossing is a filing and not a handoff.
Because Motion runs Detroit and Toronto in both directions, the truck that brings a Toronto household into Michigan can carry yours back on the return leg, so space is not wasted on a one-way run. That is why it is worth asking about a Detroit to Toronto booking even when your dates have some give.
Plan for lake-effect weather. Winter snow squalls can slow I-94 and Highway 401 near London. If your date is flexible, a buffer on either side of the crossing keeps the schedule from depending on one day.
Book the elevator early. Many Toronto condo buildings require reserved elevator time and a certificate of insurance. Ask your building before you fix a delivery date, since Detroit houses rarely have that constraint.
List every item before loading. Customs needs an itemized household list in the BSF186 and BSF186A forms. A room by room inventory, built before the truck arrives, keeps the border filing accurate and quick.
Sort your licence and vehicle separately. Ontario sets its own window for exchanging a US driver’s licence, and a vehicle follows separate import rules. Check current terms with ServiceOntario; neither belongs on the household inventory.
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 Michigan and unloads in Ontario, with no transfer to a second carrier at the border.
We prepare the BSF186 and BSF186A filings for the Canada Border Services Agency so you are not doing it alone.
We help you build the itemized household list that customs needs, before the truck is loaded in Michigan.
Because we run both directions, your move can ride a truck already heading between Detroit and Toronto.
A short video call replaces guesswork, so the quote reflects your actual rooms, stairs and access.
“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 drive is only about 390 km, but actual timing depends on the fulfilment partner, your loading date and the wait at the Ambassador Bridge, so treat any figure as a ballpark and not a promise.
Generally not on used personal and household effects when relocating. 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.
Two forms are standard: the BSF186 Personal Effects Accounting Document, which is your declaration, and the BSF186A list of imported goods, which lists both the goods you bring with you and any goods to follow. Both are filed with the Canada Border Services Agency at the port of entry. Motion prepares them with you from your inventory.
Usually, since it is the direct crossing from Detroit to Windsor and onto Highway 401. Routing can change on the day, for example to the Blue Water Bridge at Port Huron, depending on conditions and where your load is collected.
Yes. We run the corridor in both directions with one carrier end to end. We confirm them with you on the video call.
Book a short video call and we will quote your Detroit and Toronto move.
