Shipping from Europe to the USA
Trusted Europe to USA shipping with transparent door-to-door quotes
US imports from the European Union were about $633 billion, and they do not come from one country or through one port. A typical European buying programme mixes German machinery, Italian tile or wine, Spanish olive oil and French cosmetics, shipped from whichever gateway serves each supplier best — Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Le Havre, Valencia or Genoa. This page covers what the individual country pages cannot: choosing the gateway, combining goods from several EU countries into one container and one US entry, the US tariff treatment that applies across all 27 member states, the European calendar, and the air hubs. The country lanes linked below go deeper on each origin.
Last reviewed:
Offices and representative on this lane:
Glendale, USA
Glendale, USAServices Available on This Route
AGF Advantage on This Lane
We are straightforward about how this lane works. AGF has no office in Europe: we work through WCA partner agents in the EU country your goods ship from, who arrange pickups, EU export declarations and CFS consolidation, while AGF books the ocean or air freight as an FMC-licensed NVOCC (OTI #031665NF) and runs the US end from Glendale, California. The US end is where most of the risk on a European shipment sits — the ISF filed before the container is loaded, the country of origin declared and marked line by line, and the entry filed by our licensed customs brokers — followed by drayage and delivery through partner truckers anywhere in the country. We quote door to door, with exclusions listed up front.
Key Ports & Airports
Origin (Europe)
- Rotterdam
- Antwerp-Bruges
- Hamburg / Bremerhaven
- Le Havre
- Valencia / Barcelona / Algeciras
- Genoa / La Spezia
- Gdańsk / Gdynia
- Frankfurt (FRA), Amsterdam (AMS), Paris (CDG), Liège (LGG) — air
Destination (USA)
- New York / New Jersey
- Savannah
- Charleston
- Norfolk
- Baltimore
- Houston
- Los Angeles / Long Beach
- Chicago (rail)
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does shipping from Europe to the USA take?
On direct services, the North Range ports — Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg, Bremerhaven — reach the US East Coast in roughly 10–14 days, Le Havre to New York runs about 9–16 days and Spanish ports about 10–16. Genoa to New York ranges from about 9 to 22 days depending on whether the service is direct or transshipped, and Genoa to Savannah takes about three weeks. The West Coast, through the Panama Canal, runs roughly 20–36 days depending on the European port. Air freight from Frankfurt, Amsterdam or Paris reaches major US cities in 1–3 days. For door to door, add origin trucking, CFS cut-offs and US clearance; we confirm the transit for each booking.
Which European port should I ship from to the USA?
The one with the best sailing for your cargo, which is not always the nearest. The North Range — Rotterdam, Antwerp-Bruges, Hamburg, Bremerhaven and Le Havre — has the widest choice of direct transatlantic services and serves Germany, the Benelux, northern France, Switzerland, Austria and Czechia by truck, rail or barge. The Atlantic ports — Bilbao, Leixões and Lisbon — suit northern Spain and Portugal. The Mediterranean — Valencia, Barcelona, Algeciras, Genoa, La Spezia, Marseille-Fos, Trieste and Piraeus — serves Italy, Spain, southern France and Greece, with direct sailings to the US East and Gulf Coasts. Baltic and Nordic cargo from Gdańsk, Gdynia, Gothenburg or Aarhus often moves on a feeder to Hamburg, Bremerhaven or Rotterdam, so we compare the feeder with trucking to a North Range port. Goods move between EU countries without customs formalities, so trucking a Bavarian load to Genoa, or a Lombardy load to Rotterdam, is a routine choice when the sailing is better.
Can I combine Italian and German goods in one container?
Yes. Each supplier delivers to a container freight station (CFS) run by our partner agent at a hub such as Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg or Genoa, or a groupage truck collects from each factory. Each supplier's consignment leaves the EU on its own export declaration, and the goods sail together in one container under one house bill of lading, with one ISF that lists every manufacturer, its country of origin and the CFS as the stuffing location, and one US entry with the country of origin declared line by line. Duty is assessed per line by origin: Italian and German lines both get the EU treatment, while a Chinese-made item bought from a German distributor is still Chinese. If you are not filling a container, the same CFS ships your goods LCL.
Is "Made in EU" acceptable country of origin marking in the USA?
No. US marking rules require each article, or its container, to be marked with the English name of the country where it was made — "Made in Italy", "Made in Germany" — and CBP does not accept "European Union" as a country of origin. The same applies to the entry, where origin is declared per line. On a consolidated container this is the most common European error: one supplier's cartons marked "Made in EU", or a mixed pallet without per-item marking. We check marking and the packing list against each invoice before the container is loaded, because re-marking after arrival happens under CBP supervision and at your cost.
What tariffs apply to imports from Europe to the USA?
The same rules apply to all 27 member states. Since 24 July 2026, most EU goods pay their normal duty topped up to 10% in total under a Section 301 measure; goods whose normal duty is already 10% or more pay nothing extra. Section 232 goods follow their own rules: EU cars, auto parts, upholstered wooden furniture and kitchen cabinets are capped at 15% all-in, while steel and aluminum products carry their own rates. Origin is the country where the goods were made, not the port they sail from — Chinese goods shipped from Rotterdam are still Chinese — and the UK, Switzerland and Norway are outside the EU and assessed separately. Wine, spirits and some foods have their own trade-dispute history, so check them line by line. Rates change, so our licensed customs brokers confirm the total for each HS code at quoting.
What does each European country ship to the USA?
Germany ships machinery, auto parts and cars, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and kitchens, mostly through Hamburg and Bremerhaven. Italy ships wine, olive oil and foods, machinery, porcelain tile and marble, furniture and lighting, and classic cars, through Genoa, La Spezia and Livorno. France ships wine and champagne, cognac and other spirits, cosmetics and perfume, aerospace parts and cheese, through Le Havre and Marseille-Fos. Spain ships olive oil, wine, ceramic tile, natural stone and preserved foods through Valencia, Barcelona and Algeciras. Belgium ships pharmaceuticals, chemicals, chocolate and beer through Antwerp. Poland and the Baltic states ship furniture and wood products, and Portugal cork, wine and ceramics. The country lanes linked below cover the commodities, ports and rules for each origin in detail.
Can I import a car from Europe to the USA?
Yes, within the US rules. A car built for the European market generally has to be 25 years old or more, counted to the month of manufacture, to enter without meeting US safety standards, and every car is entered on EPA and DOT declarations under the right exemption. Modern EU cars pay 15% all-in under Section 232; classics 25 years or older fall outside it and pay the base rate plus the current surcharge on EU goods, verified at quoting. Cars ship by RoRo from Bremerhaven, Antwerp or Zeebrugge, or in a sole-use or shared container, which most collectors prefer. Check the build date before you pay a deposit.
When is the worst time to ship from Europe?
August. Much of Italian, French and Spanish industry closes for two to four weeks around Ferragosto in mid-August, so orders placed in July often ship in September, and July bookings tighten as everyone tries to beat the shutdown. Heat is the second constraint: from June to September, containers standing on southern European terminals get hot enough to damage wine, chocolate, cosmetics and some pharmaceuticals, so those move in reefers or with thermal liners. The Christmas–New Year fortnight and Easter also slow pickups, and port or rail strikes, usually announced in advance, are worth watching — we reroute through another gateway when one is available.
Which European airports do you use for air freight to the USA?
The main cargo hubs: Frankfurt (FRA), Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS), Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Liège (LGG), Brussels (BRU), Leipzig/Halle (LEJ) and Luxembourg (LUX) in the north, and Milan Malpensa (MXP) and Madrid (MAD) in the south. Cargo is usually trucked to whichever hub has the best capacity to your US gateway that week rather than flown from the nearest airport. Air suits samples, spare parts, pharmaceuticals and high-value goods, and arrives in 1–3 days; air shipments need no ISF, but the entry, origin and marking rules are the same as for ocean cargo.
Do you have an office in Europe?
No. AGF's offices are in Glendale, California, and Foshan, China. In Europe we work through WCA partner agents in the country your goods ship from: they collect from your suppliers, file the EU export declarations, run the CFS and load the container. AGF books the freight, files the ISF and coordinates the US entry, which is filed by our licensed customs brokers. You deal with one point of contact in the USA, and we tell you who is handling your cargo at the European end.
How much does it cost to ship a container from Europe to the USA?
It depends less on the ocean rate than most buyers expect. The main drivers are the gateway and sailing, trucking from each supplier to the port or CFS, whether your goods fill a container or move LCL, the season — the run-up to August and to Christmas is tighter — and the US end: duty, clearance and delivery inland. A 20ft suits heavy goods such as tile, stone and machinery; a 40ft or 40HC suits furniture and mixed consolidations. We quote door to door, with exclusions listed up front, against your actual suppliers and delivery address rather than a published rate.
Related Trade Lanes
Germany
Belgium
Spain
China
Italy
FranceGet a Quote for Europe-USA Shipping
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