UPTOURIST

There are many reasons why you can move to another country – work, education, love, pension, etc.

Whether you move abroad temporarily or permanently – you may want to take your car with you to your destination country.

Taking a car abroad is an important decision, as it is usually one of our most valuable assets. Even though your international shipping company will take care of almost everything for you, you must understand what your role will be in the process of delivering the car.

After all, transporting a car internationally is a complex operation that requires proper planning and careful preparation.

This complete guide on how to send your car abroad will break down the entire process and will give you all the vital information that you need to know.

Step 1: Choose a Shipping Method

The first step is the choice of delivery method. You can ship your car across the ocean by choosing a way that suits your budget and requirements. Here are the most popular options:

Roll-On, Roll-Off (RORO)

Although less common, RORO is a less expensive method of international vehicle delivery. RORO can be used when the vehicle is fully operational.

It is the cheapest way to send your vehicle abroad. Your vehicle enters the ship as if the deck or hold of a cargo ship is a large parking lot. Your vehicle is then secured and immobilized with ratchet belts, clamps, and other specialized fasteners.

RORO may be the cheapest way to send your vehicle abroad. However, it is not necessarily the best way.

Having a car outdoors, exposed to weather conditions and elements, is unlikely to give you the peace of mind that your expensive vehicle is safely going to a new country.

Freight containers

Using containers to transport your car has many advantages. Not only are they more economical and safer, but they are also supported by certain automated features that help ensure safe loading, transport, and unloading of vehicles.

Usually, it costs more than the Roll On, Roll Off method. Still, it provides much more robust safety, simply because your vehicle will be 100% protected inside a metal container throughout its journey across the ocean.

To reduce your transatlantic or Pacific shipping costs, you can choose to share a container with one or more vehicles. Ask your international transportation company if you can use a 40-foot shared container to reduce transportation costs. If you prefer your vehicle to be transported alone, ask for a single 20-foot container.

Airfreight

Of course, this is an option when your car is transported onboard a cargo plane. However, this mode of transport costs a fortune. Often more than the cost of the car itself.

Therefore, for most people, who do not own rare, exotic, or classic cars, air transportation of a car will not even be an option.

Step 2: Find the best car shipping company

One of the first steps in any purchase decision is to conduct a study. When sending a vehicle abroad, research is a significant step.

Company Research

First, I recommend you to gather a list of road carriers and shipping companies that you intend to use.

Check out the forums and reviews sites. These sites have made life easier for customers.

My personal lifehack for search reviews for pretty much anything is to google them on Reddit like that:

“site:reddit.com best moving companies.”

That way, you can ensure that you get less biased reviews from multiple users.

You can contact other shippers and ask them directly about their experience with different carriers. You can use online search engines to find these forums and reviews.

Browse each company’s credentials and certificates. Find out if the company is licensed and insured. If they are, they will not hide it. The licenses will also vary depending on the type of company you are dealing with. For example, forwarders will have an FMC license, and some may also have a special permit if they operate as NVOCC.

Cost Research

If you want to determine how much it costs to send a vehicle abroad, you will need to request an online quotation. The quotation will contain information about the departure/arrival port, total costs, and necessary documentation.

Some companies will list their total rate. Besides, tariffs change quite often with the cost of fuel and other surcharges. Therefore, online prices are not 100% accurate.

Another way to explore shipping costs is to visit several forums and see what others have paid for international car delivery. The price you will find will vary depending on the type of vehicle the company used, the delivery method used, and where they were sent to. Be sure to look at the answer date, as some forums may have answers five or even ten years old.

Step 3: Calculate car shipping costs and request a quote

When you’ve chosen a couple of companies that seem reliable and effective, you can calculate the full shipping cost.

Get your car delivered directly from service providers. That will help you get some information and provide you with some instant car delivery quotes. If one of these offers fits your schedule and budget, you can book the car from the shipping company right away.

The price will help you decide if it is worth sending your vehicle to another country at all.

In certain cases, it might be reasonable either to buy a new car in the destination country or not to use the car at all. That applies to cities that have a well-developed public transportation network.

Distance from home to a major seaport

If you want to ship the car abroad, but you live far from the sea terminal, then you can hire a local consignor car to transport your car from your home to the nearest shipping dock. Even better, you can have a foreign shipper to take care of this task for you.

The cost to have your car shipped to a sea terminal (freight transport) will depend on your specific location in the country. It can start from a few hundred dollars (if you live near a shipping dock) and go up to $1,000 or even more if you live in a midwestern state, for example.

More spacious or oversized vehicles will cost more if you transport from the state to the terminal (approximately $150-250).

Anyway, most shipping companies have convenient online calculators for shipping costs.

Distance to the destination country

In general, the cost of transporting a car starts at about $700 and can reach up to $4000 or more, depending on the specific circumstances.

Foreign taxes and fees

You should consider import duties and taxes, as well as unloading and delivery charges for your destination country. Your shipper should provide you with this vital information. Average charges for international shipping are around $550 per vehicle and are not usually included in the shipping fee.

Insurance for international road transport

You will need to buy insurance for the car you are transporting. In most cases, the global carrier you have hired will be able to offer you insurance to take the car abroad either through their insurance program or through the insurance company they work with.

International road transport insurance costs about 1.5%-2.5% of the estimated value of the car. (About $300-$500 for a car worth $20,000, or about $450-750 for a car worth $30,000.)

Size, weight, and condition of your car

As you can expect, the size and weight of your vehicle will also affect the cost of international shipping. Besides, if your vehicle is not working and is not operating, you will have additional charges for subsequent loading and unloading difficulties.

Step 4: Prepare the documents

The process of sending a car abroad involves a lot of paperwork. Fortunately, the international car delivery company that you have chosen as your partner will take care of this for you. They will collect the necessary documents and process them through customs.

When it comes to the delivery of cars abroad, your international car carrier will request the following documents from you:

• The original certificate of ownership of your car and two copies of the notarized certificate.
• A sales receipt or notarized sales receipt (depending on your port of origin);
• The original Certificate of Origin if you purchased a new car;
• Shipper’s export declaration;
• Declaration of dangerous goods;
• Copy of your passport.

Other additional documents and forms may be required at a particular seaport or destination country. For your information, notaries usually charge around $10 per signature.

To expedite the shipping process, contact your overseas shipping company and ask them which documents you should submit, and then send these documents to the company as soon as you can.

Step 5: Prepare your car for overseas shipping

Your vehicle should be ready to be picked up by your overseas road carrier or road transport company, which will only carry your vehicle to the sea terminal.

Follow these steps to prepare the vehicle for international delivery:

• Check and service your vehicle at an authorized service garage to make sure it will be in a good technical condition during your overseas trip.
• Remove all personal belongings from the interior of the car. Only a child seat and standard car equipment may be left inside as well as a spare wheel, emergency kit, hand tools, jack, etc. You must not remove any license plates.
• Clean the car from the inside.
• Remove all external car accessories that can be removed, such as antennas, spoilers, roof racks, etc.
• Carefully inspect the exterior of the vehicle. Photograph the current condition of the vehicle in case of any damage during transport. Also, take close-up pictures of any previous damage, like scratches, paint chips, dents, etc.
• Wash the vehicle.
• Make sure the vehicle battery is charged and well protected.
• Check the tire pressure.
• Make sure the emergency braking system is working correctly.
• There should be less than 1/4 fuel left in the tank.
• Disconnect or remove your car’s alarm system, if possible.
• Prepare an extra set of keys, because your international car delivery company may need a set.

Read more in-depth information about shipping your vehicle overseas on the website of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC).

Step 6: Plan and be careful with payments

Minimize the risks associated with transporting your car by knowing how to prepare. here is some advice:

Plan ahead and schedule

That will help you ensure your delivery is on time so that you can plan for it as early as possible.

Read the documents

You should read between the lines to know what you’re paying for. Sometimes you can pay for the whole cake when you only want one piece.

Reading the contract (duh) will also prevent you from making assumptions about their services and thus prevent you from having a bad experience.

Payment before delivery

Payment is an important step that you will have to consider before choosing a company. Do not pay the full amount in advance. The understanding is that the car company promises to deliver the product in the same condition as it was received, and therefore the customer pays a small amount in advance.

That will act as a guarantee for you when the car is not delivered in the same condition. However, some companies are so confident in their services that they will not ask you for an advance payment.

If your company does not have its warehouse or office abroad in your final destination city, it will most likely work with its partner companies or agents.

Make sure you ask their agents for information and contact them well in advance. They’ll be able to answer any questions that are relevant to your destination.

After all, many things may arise during this process, and more detailed information will help you in the end.

To sum it up

Delivering a car abroad doesn’t seem like a hopeless venture anymore if you follow these six simple steps.

Remember to do your homework and compare the shipping companies, start your listing with the company that suits you best.

In most cases, you will be given multiple rates for the instant delivery of vehicles. You can choose one of them and start working directly with your car carrier. From there, just book the date that works best for you.

Once you have considered these steps, you can sit back and relax while you wait for the safe delivery of your vehicle.

Cover photo by Markus Spiske