How To Ship a Car Overseas In 6 Steps

When exporting a vehicle from the United States, it's important not to overlook the destination charges. These fees encompass import duties, taxes, as well as unloading and delivery expenses. Since the costs vary widely depending on both the vehicle and the destination country, our team collaborates with local partners to tailor the rates for every import.

To obtain a detailed breakdown of the expenses awaiting at your vehicle's destination, your dedicated account manager is ready to assist. Simply respond to your confirmed quote with your vehicle's details, and we'll provide you with a personalized estimate of the import costs.

Once you've gotten the rates, it's time to proceed with sending your vehicle abroad. Kick things off by completing our digital shipping form. Here, you'll have the chance to specify if you require local pickup and insurance for your peace of mind.

To ensure a seamless overseas shipping experience for your vehicle, it's paramount that all required documentation is prepared and ready for the export process. Here’s a checklist of the necessary paperwork to expedite your car's export:

- Bill of Sale

- Original Vehicle Title

- A copy of your Passport or an EIN Letter if you're a US Citizen

- Power of Attorney (POA) Form

Please forward the original vehicle title directly to our office located in California. You have the flexibility to submit the remaining documents electronically via email. Important reminder: do not send the title abroad before the exportation of your car. The U.S. Customs department mandates the submission of the vehicle’s original title to authorize its departure from the country.

It’s important to note, however, that certain states have historically not issued titles for classic vehicles. The states that fall under this category include:

- Alabama

- Connecticut

- Georgia

- Maine

- New Hampshire

- New York

- Vermont

Should your classic car hail from any of these states and never had a title issued, a notarized bill of sale will be required in its stead. For further inquiries or clarifications, feel free to reach out to your designated account manager.

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

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.

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

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

Our focus is on ensuring the safe transport of your vehicle to its intended location. This encompasses the optional retrieval of your vehicle, the drafting of a detailed condition report both when the vehicle is collected and when it arrives at our premises, navigating through the paperwork required by US customs, and the secure loading of your automobile.