Overview of services
Moving to Japan
We can offer household-moving services that are tailored to your budget and circumstances.
Heartliner
This is the standard overseas household-moving service of Nippon Express Australia.
In the case of our “omakase service,” Nippon Express staff members pack all of your baggage for you at your home. We can provide cardboard boxes, etc. to you in advance if you request them.
In the case of our “standard service,” we provide cardboard boxes, etc. in advance, and ask for you to pack your books, clothing, and so on into the cardboard boxes.
When delivering baggage in Japan, our service includes taking cartons to their designated rooms, and the onsite unpacking and installing of large items such as furniture.
In the case of the Heartliner air-freight service, we deliver baggage to the front entranceway of your home.
If you will be purchasing cargo insurance from another company, please let us know in advance.
Small packages
This is a package service for the separate shipment of items, and we recommend it for persons moving alone and persons without much baggage.
In the case of this product, the packing of items into cardboard boxes is carried out by the customer.
- Sea freight: sea-pack/mini-pack
- This is a service for the separate shipment of items by sea freight, and it is for persons returning to Japan.
- In the case sea-pack, it is possible to send baggage with a volume of 0.8 m3, and this is 0.4 m3 in the case of mini-pack.
- We can provide packing materials such as specialized cardboard boxes and tape.
Service comparison chart: sea freight
| Service content | Heartliner Omakase | Heartliner Standard | Sea-pack | Mini-pack | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fee | Estimate after preliminary inspection | A$650～ See here for details |
A$460～ See here for details |
||
| Handled regions | All of Japan | All of Japan | All of Japan | ||
| Required number of days | 40～50 | ||||
| Approximate volume of baggage (number of boxes) | 9 or more M boxes | 5 to 8 M boxes | 2 to 4 M boxes | ||
| Actual capacity (m3) | 0.8M3～ | 0.4M3～0.8M3 | ～0.4M3 | ||
| Actual capacity (ft3) | 29CFT～ | 14CFT～28CFT | ～14CFT | ||
| Weight | No limit | 100kg～200kg | 40kg～100kg | ||
|
Operations in Australia |
Preliminary inspection & initial meeting | ○ | ○ | - | - |
| Delivery of packing materials | △ | ○ | ○ | ○ | |
| Packing of furniture, dishware, fragile items, etc. | ○ | ○ | - | - | |
| Packing of items other than furniture, dishware, and fragile items | ○ | △ | - | - | |
| Collection | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | |
| Exterior packaging for exporting | ○ | ○ | - | - | |
| Cargo insurance | △ | △ | ○ | ○ | |
| Preparation of customs-clearance documents | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | |
| Customs-clearance procedures for exporting | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | |
| Loading | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | |
| Transport method | Sea | Sea | Sea | Sea | |
| Operations in Japan |
Unloading/temporary storage | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
| Customs-clearance procedures/inspections for importing | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | |
| Delivery of baggage | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | |
| Placement in rooms | ○ | ○ | - | - | |
| Unpacking and installation of furniture, etc. | ○ | ○ | - | - | |
| Unpacking of dishware & fragile items | ＊ | ＊ | - | - | |
| Unpacking of items other than furniture & dishware | ＊ | ＊ | - | - | |
| Collection of unneeded materials | ＊ | ＊ | - | - | |
*The asterisk marks indicate “offered as optional service.” (This may not be available in some regions.)
Service comparison chart: air freight
| Service content | Heartliner Omakase | Heartliner Standard | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee | Estimate after preliminary inspection | ||
| Handled regions | All of Japan | ||
| Required number of days | 7～10 | ||
| Approximate volume of baggage (number of boxes) | 1 or more M boxes | ||
| Actual capacity (m3) | 0M3～ | ||
| Actual capacity (ft3) | 0CFT～ | ||
| Weight | No limit | ||
| Operations in Australia |
Preliminary inspection & initial meeting | ○ | ○ |
| Delivery of packing materials | △ | ○ | |
| Packing of furniture, dishware, fragile items, etc. | ○ | ○ | |
| Packing of items other than furniture, dishware, and fragile items | ○ | △ | |
| Collection | ○ | ○ | |
| Exterior packaging for exporting | - | - | |
| Cargo insurance | △ | △ | |
| Preparation of customs-clearance documents | ○ | ○ | |
| Customs-clearance procedures for exporting | ○ | ○ | |
| Loading | ○ | ○ | |
| Transport method | Air | Air | |
| Operations in Japan | Unloading/temporary storage | ○ | ○ |
| Customs-clearance procedures/inspections for importing | ○ | ○ | |
| Delivery of baggage | ○ | ○ | |
| Placement in rooms | - | - | |
| Unpacking and installation of furniture, etc. | - | - | |
| Unpacking of dishware & fragile items | - | - | |
| Unpacking of items other than furniture & dishware | - | - | |
| Collection of unneeded materials | - | - | |
Points to note
Special operations such as assembling newly purchased furniture, wiring and installing household electronics, transporting and tuning pianos, and carrying in items by hoisting are not included in the standard operations, so additional fees are charged for these.
Furthermore, there are some elements of operations that our company is unable to perform, so please consult with one of our sales supervisors in advance.
As for the calculated weight of air freight, the heavier of the following two is applied: the actual weight, or the volume weight (length [cm] × width [cm] × height [cm] ÷ 6,000).
1 m3 is approximately 35 ft3. The air-freight volume weight is 167 kg.
Before household moving…
1. It is important to have a household-moving plan for the smooth relocation of the place where you are living.
In order to smoothly begin living in Japan, it is essential to set a schedule ahead of time based on your planned date of returning to Japan and your planned date of moving into your new place of residence. This schedule should include transport by sea freight and air freight, the delivery of baggage that remained in Japan, and so on.
2. It is necessary to confirm your baggage and its volume.
When transporting baggage, it is important to confirm in advance whether the cost will be within your budget, and whether you will be able to stay within the regulations of your place of work.
3. Sometimes taxes are levied, and sometimes the importing of certain items is prohibited.
Even though what is being transported is household-moving baggage, taxes are levied on items such as souvenirs, and goods that have been purchased just before returning to Japan. Also, please note that even items that have been purchased duty free will not be duty free in Japan. Furthermore, it is necessary to note that there may be some items that you own and have been using in Australia that are prohibited from importing according to the laws of Japan.
4. It is necessary to pack in the optimal way taking into consideration the safety of the baggage.
The baggage will be transported over a long distance by boats, aircraft, trucks, railways, and so on. During transport it will be subject to vibrations, impacts, and significant changes in temperature and humidity due to the weather and climate, and there is sometimes also a risk of theft. Therefore, it is necessary to pack in the optimal way taking into consideration the safety of the baggage.
5. It is important to purchase insurance to cover the baggage.
In the case of overseas-household moving, many people are involved in the transporting of baggage, so there is inevitably a risk of an accident occurring. Nevertheless, compensation for damages caused by transport-business operators is limited by transportation agreements, so it is important to purchase cargo insurance.
6. The “Declaration of Accompanied Articles and Unaccompanied Articles” is an important document for customs clearance when importing.
In order to import baggage that has arrived in Japan, you need to have all of the necessary documents and undergo a customs inspection. During this process, one essential document is the “Declaration of Accompanied Articles and Unaccompanied Articles,” so please do not forget to prepare this.
Process of household moving to Japan
For more details, please take a look at the section of the Nippon Express website regarding the Heartliner overseas-household moving service.
Household moving to foreign countries
We at Nippon Express provide support for the household moving of customers by utilizing our unique global network, which includes bases in cities in countries and regions worldwide. While some countries require a visa and work permit for the importing of household-moving baggage, our local bases in various countries understand the latest customs-clearance conditions, so customers can order our household-moving services with peace of mind.
We are also able to arrange various other services. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like more detailed information, and please share with us your requests and opinions.