Service area

What are the precise steps in a move? What do I have to bear in mind? How do I pack boxes correctly? When should I start preparations?

Frequently asked questions

We have briefly summarised the individual steps of your move:

  1. Enquiry
  2. Inspection appointment on site
  3. Offer
  4. You award the contract
  5. Arranging of an appointment
  6. Consultation with regard to the necessary customs documents, loading & unloading addresses
  7. Taking out the required transport insurance
  8. Delivery of the packing material
  9. Packaging of the moving items
  10. Loading
  11. Carrying out of the truck, container or air cargo transport
  12. Delivery of the moving items
  13. Unloading
  14. Unpacking
  15. Moving of the empty material

The duration of the move is dependent on various things: How many items are being moved? How big are they? How many people live in the household? Where are you moving to? These are just some of the relevant questions.

In addition, the moving includes more than the actual moving date - it includes lots of preparatory work and planning and also depends on your individual requirements.


You should start the preparations around eight weeks before your planned move: Think about what you want to take with you and contact Sobolak International for an inspection appointment.

Do not forget the living areas that are perhaps not in direct use every day: cellar, garage, attic and garden.


A joint inspection is important in order to be able to give you a customised offer including an estimate of the time required. In the process, you discuss together with our experts what furniture and items have to be moved, whether and how many boxes you require and whether the items should be packed by us.

The inspection can be done in person at your home on site or online.


Here are a few tips for packing your worldly goods:

  • Mark your furniture and items depending on requirements with air cargo, sea cargo, truck freight and storage, if applicable.
  • Place important things to one side so that you have them immediately at hand and they do not disappear into a box: visa, passport, documents, air tickets, keys, etc.
  • Also remember to use up food and drinks in good time. We will be pleased to inform you about all the things and food that are not permitted in the destination country.

Also ensure that the freezer has been defrosted, is empty and thus ready for transport.


Do you want to pack your worldly goods for the moving within the EU yourself? Our experts would be pleased to assist and advise you.
With a relocation outside of the EU, however, we advise that you leave the packing to our experienced specialists for customs and insurance reasons.

Here are a few tips for packing the boxes:

Please be sure to pack heavy items at the bottom and to cover them with lighter ones. The items should move as little as possible during transport. You can wrap the items in tissue paper to protect them. You also need a strong adhesive tape to close the boxes and a waterproof felt-tip pen for labelling them.

Please note the size of the boxes - depending on the area of use, we offer 17 different types of boxes: book boxes are smaller and ideal for heavy loads. Clothing boxes, however, are larger because clothes are considerably lighter.

Do you need sturdy boxes? We would be pleased to assist you!


We guarantee an efficient and rapid handling of the customs as we have a direct link to the customs office and can handle customs matters directly at our company. As the first relocation forwarding agent in Austria to do so, Sobolak International is the proud bearer of the AEO certificate which has since become part of us just as much as the high quality of our relocations.

Through the mutual recognition of the status by third countries such as Switzerland, Norway, the US or the latest member Japan, we can also clear goods through customs here more quickly, more efficiently and more reliably. We thus remain an important partner for all relocation forwarding agents worldwide.

Our experts would be pleased to take over the coordination and clarify detailed questions for you.


As a general rule, it is not necessary to be present for the entire duration of the packing. However, you should be present at the start and at the end in order to rule out any unclear issues. In general, a person of trust is important for us in order to document any prior damage or to give instructions in the event of anything being unclear.


The regulations can vary, depending on the type of transport and the target destination. Our moving experts would be pleased to advise you.


We would be pleased to assist you in the planning beforehand and will sound out for you the provisions in the destination country in order to thus save you cost and effort.


Valuable and filigree furniture will be transported in special bespoke boxes. Where possible, you should take jewellery and important documents in your personal luggage. Our relocation consultants will be pleased to assist you in finding the best solution for your valuable items.


Transport insurance

Under this link you can download the terms and conditions of insurance of the transport insurance as a PDF file.

Download terms and conditions of insurance

I had not thought that a move could be accomplished in such a smooth and uncomplicated manner.

Michael Z., Singapore