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How To Ship a Car Overseas In 6 Steps

Ship your car overseas using our simple 6-step guide. The detailed step by step explanations cover everything from getting a quote on shipping a car, gathering the necessary documents, and preparing your vehicle for the journey overseas. 

Follow our how to shipping guide from the first step, or click on the links to jump to any specific chapter. Contact us if you have any question and a dedicated account manager will be happy to guide you through the car export process.

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1. GET A QUOTE

Before you start the shipping process you must receive a confirmed quote on export. A confirmed rate is valid for 30 days. If you need to calculate destination charges such as import duties for your countries proceed to step 2.

Request a Confirmed Rate:

Range of Services:
  • door to door service
  • loading into a container, or airplane
  • processing export documentation
  • marine insurance
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2. Calculate Destination Charges

When shipping a car from the United States you must also take into account the destination charges. They include import duties and taxes, unloading and delivery fees. Because destination charges are different for each vehicle and country, we work with local agents to calculate rates on each import.

Your account manager can help get a full breakdown on costs charged at the destination. Just reply to your confirmed quote and provide information on the vehicle to get a rate on import costs.

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3. Complete Shipping Form

Once you're equipped with the rates, you can proceed with shipping your vehicle overseas. To get started, you have to complete our online shipping form. On the shipping form you can specify if you require local collection and insurance.

SHIPPING FORM

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4. Prepare Your Documents

To avoid any delays in shipping your car overseas, ensure that your documentation is ready for export.

Documents Required to Export a Car:

  • Bill of Sale
  • Original Title
  • Copy of Passport or EIN Letter if US Citizen
  • Power of Attorney (POA) Form

The original title needs to be mailed to our office in California. Other documents may be submitted via email. Please do not mail the title overseas before the car is exported. US customs requires the original title to be submitted for them to allow the vehicle to leave the country.

However, there are some states which did not issue titles for classic cars. These states are:

  • Alabama
  • Connecticut
  • Georgia
  • Maine
  • New Hampshire
  • New York
  • Vermont

If your vehicle originates from any of the above states, and it was never issued a title you must provide a notarized bill of sale.

READ MORE ABOUT REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

If you have any questions you can contact your account manager.

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5. Prepare Your Car

Prepare your car for international shipping is a simple process. First of all, don't fill up your gas tank. Your car will arrive empty because we're required to only leave a minimal amount in the fuel tank. We don't charge you for pumping out the gas, just don't expect the gas to still be there when you receive the vehicle.

Vehicle Collection

We utilize a nationwide network of auto transporters to pickup your vehicle and deliver it to our export facility in either California or New York. We estimate that vehicles are collected anywhere between 1 to 5 days, depending on the location. Keep in mind that domestic transport is affected by the seasons and the weather. You can get estimated transit times by using our car shipping calculator. Please note if there is no direct shipping route to your destination, your container may be delayed during the journey. Click here to read more about transshipments and the associated delays in transit times.

If your car doesn't run and drive, that's okay.

Our transporters use a winch to ensure the car is safely loaded onto their truck without damage. We do not use regular forklifts to load or unload vehicles because they are known to cause damage to classic cars. We use wheel lifts, and only when we can ensure no damage will occur to the under body, or the wheels and tires.

If you have specific instructions on how to start your car please provide them to the driver or account manager. If your car doesn't have functional brakes, let us know!

Salvage Car Auctions

If you've purchased a car from a salvage car auction, the shipping company will require the Lot, Buyer, and VIN number in order to collect the vehicle. Keep in mind that salvage car auctions will charge you extra for storage if the vehicle is not collected in a timely manner. Read more about what you need to know when picking up cars from salvage car auctions

Parts & Pallets

Instead of shipping your extra parts, parcels, and household goods using Fedex, UPS, or USPS, you can instead have them shipped along with your car in a shipping container. And unlike RoRo shipping where you can't ship anything in the vehicle, you can place items inside the vehicle itself. 

Ship Parts Directly To Our Warehouse

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You can have extra parts delivered directly to our warehouse, or we can arrange their collection. Keep in mind that the US Department of Transportation forbids to have any extra packages inside of a vehicle during ground transport.

If you have a number of packages to ship overseas, we require a list of tracking numbers for all packages. Note that some vendors provide a single master tracking number, please ensure that you share a list of all tracking numbers for all packages. Also ensure that your name is on the package. Any missed tracking numbers and packages without names may be missed and not placed in your container because we would have no way of knowing they belong to you.

If you're shipping your car from our California location, ensure your packages are labeled like this:

[INSERT YOUR FULL NAME HERE] 1200 Wright Avenue Richmond, CA 94804

If you're shipping your car overseas from New Jersey, please have your packages delivered with a label like this:

[INSERT YOUR FULL NAME HERE] 1200 W. Blancke St. Linden, NJ 07036

Have Us Collect The Parts

We can also arrange the collection of your parts, packages, and household goods. Your goods are required to be placed on a pallet if you're organizing a truck to collect them. And don't forget that many trucks will require a forklift or loading dock, unless you specifically request a lift gate to be available on the truck collecting your goods. 

Pallets

A larger number of items can be placed on pallets at our facility for your convenience. Once we receive a list of tracking numbers for your parts and packages, we will place them on pallets and ship them along with your car. Each pallet can typically hold up to 40'L'x48'W'x60'H' of goods. Pallets are loaded into the same container as your vehicle. Please note that shipping pallets along with your vehicle are an added cost, and not included in the cost of shipping a car overseas.

What Cannot Be Shipped In A Container

Parts and items which cannot be shipped in a container include Hazmat items. 
Hazmat is used to describe dangerous goods which are considered a risk to ship. It's why your car is drained of fuel before going inside a container. Hazmat items can include:
  • Explosives
  • Gases
  • Flammable Liquids
  • Flammable Substances (Solids)
  • Substances that can emit flammable gases when exposed to water
  • Toxic substances
  • Corrosives
  • Oxidizing Substances that bring with them the risk of fire
  • Organic peroxides
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6. We Do The Rest

We now work on getting your vehicle to its destination safely . This includes collecting the vehicle if required, creating a condition report upon pickup and arrival at our facilities, clearing documentation with US customs, and safely loading the car.