shipping household goods & social security number

[werblina 0]

my fiancé is scheduled for his Embassy interview on May 3rd. On April 26th, however, he needs to be out of his flat and will move in with a friend while he awaits visa approval. He's trying to ship his household items (about 8, 30kg boxes) with a shipping company (alliance shipping group, used by Voovit.com) now. the shipping company requires his social security number -- but he can't get one of those until he's arrived in the US with his visa. The US won't issue a social security number prior to his arrival. The shipping company won't ship without one. He suggested using *my* SSN and passport info. to ship, but the shipping company says no, it needs to be his.

does he really need to put his things in storage until he arrives in the US, gets a SSN and then arranges for shipping? this seems odd (though truthfully a lot of things on this journey have seemed odd!) surely this situation has arisen before with the shipping company? has anyone else been in a similar situation? any advice? He's just trying to be pro-active and get his things on their merry way to the USA.. seems like so much trouble....

thanks in advance for any help or info. you might have!

andi

[Krikit 1,166]

He won't be allowed to ship anything to the US until after he has entered on his visa. I would ask why the shipping company is requesting the SSN. They only require verification of the entry along with a few other documents. Doesn't sound to me like they are familiar with people moving to the US. Perhaps he needs to speak with a supervisor.

In my case, the moving company picked up my belongings and held them in storage until after I had entered the US and sent them the documentation they required. Here are some FAQ's about moving to the US and household goods:

CBP FAQ - Moving to the US

[awkwardsoul 20]

I recently shipping my things from Canada to US, unaccompanied, using a shipping company (upack.com).

I did not need to give them an SSN number. I just needed the customs form 3299 completed, copy of my Visa and I-94 and a copy of my passport ID page to be given to the driver before they crossed the border.

I did need to talk to another agent (dispatcher at their local office) with upack as they had no clue about K-1 visa process and what documents I needed.