Insurance and liability
How do I move jewellery, documents and other valuables?
The short answer
Carry them yourself. Jewellery, cash, passports, medications, critical documents, laptops, phones, small heirlooms and keys should travel with you, not on the truck. Anything of high value that genuinely cannot go with you must be declared in writing, because most valuation terms require it and an undeclared item is usually treated as ordinary goods.
The carry-with-you list
- Identity and legal documents: passports, birth certificates, wills, titles, insurance policies.
- Jewellery, watches, coins, and small collectables.
- Cash and financial instruments.
- Medication, and enough of it for longer than the move is supposed to take.
- Laptops, phones, chargers, external drives, and anything holding the only copy of something.
- Keys, including the new property's, and the garage remote.
- Chargers, a change of clothes, and the things you will need the first night.
If something valuable has to go on the truck
- Declare it in writing, on the inventory, before it is loaded.
- Photograph it from several angles, with any serial number and any existing damage, and date the photographs.
- Get an appraisal for anything genuinely valuable, before the move.
- Check whether your valuation choice covers it, and whether a separate declaration or premium is required.
Most moving companies exclude some categories entirely, and most will not carry hazardous materials, perishables or plants. Ask for their non-allowable list early, because some of it is genuinely surprising.
Also asked
Should I back up my computer before a move?
Yes, and not only for theft. Drives fail after being bounced in a truck across a continent, and the backup is the cheapest insurance in this whole subject. Do it before the packing starts, and keep the backup with you rather than on the truck.
The long version
Moving insurance and valuation without the jargon
Compare released value, full value protection, and separate insurance, including exclusions and questions to ask before moving day.
Read the guide →General information about moving and about hiring, not advice about your move. Interstate household-goods moving within the United States is federally regulated; local, intrastate and Canadian moving is regulated by each state or province, and the rules differ. The authority for your move is the one to check.