Car Shipping to Australia from USA

01/10/2017 | How Import Your Car

Shipping Cars to Australia from the USA

When shipping a car to Australia, it’s important to first determine whether or not your vehicle is eligible before you begin researching international car shippers, obtaining quotes and making travel arrangements.

Here are some questions that you should consider before you ship a car to Australia.

• Are you importing your car permanently or temporarily?
• Was your car made before or after January 1989?
• Have you owned it for more than 12 months?

These are just a few of the questions that will determine the eligibility and import category when applying for a vehicle import approval. Not every scenario will be the same. For example those shipping classic cars to Australia may have different eligibility requirements than for a newer car.

Without supplying Australian customs with the import approval, it can result in your car being held in quarantine or worse… being sent back to the US.

That’s why it’s important to use an experienced international car shipping company when transporting a car to Australia. This eliminates any surprise you may encounter upon arrival.

With over 20 years experience shipping cars to Australia and assisting clients with customs clearance and documentation, we’ll make sure the entire process goes smoothly whether you want to ship vehicles via air, containers or roll on roll off.

Our overseas auto transport services offer:

• Domestic pickup
• Shipment tracking
• Vehicle import assistance**
• US customs clearance
• Full vehicle inspection report

Shipping Cars to Australia from the USA

US Departures

• Miami, FL
• Houston, TX
• Los Angeles/Long Beach
• New York/New Jersey
• Savannah, GA

Which location you use will depend on the method of car shipping to Australia, the location of your vehicle, budget and which services are offered at the nearest port. Below is a table of the different territories in Australia with their respective ports for entry that we service.

Rates will depend on your destination, departure and vehicle information.

The roll-on roll-off method is an alternative option when moving vehicles overseas. Not all departure ports offer the service, so options may be slightly more limited.

This is an option when handling larger vehicles such as work trucks, which is common due to Australia’s mining industry.

The other way to ship a vehicle to Australia is via container. In some cases, this allows you to bring additional items inside your car. With ro-ro, nothing else is allowed inside the vehicle.

Importing Vehicles

For the reasons mentioned above, it is important and we advise that you don’t make any plans to ship your automobile, or purchase a new one, until approval has been issued.

To import vehicles to Australia, you must obtain an IMPORT APPROVAL, or VIA, prior to shipping your vehicle/s. For the reasons mentioned above, it is important and we advise that you don’t make any plans around shipping a car, or purchase a new one, until approval has been issued.

Also, all cars must meet all safety standards and emission levels required by Australia under its Motor Vehicles Standard Act of 1989.

Upon arrival of your vehicle, you will need quarantine clearance from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. For this step, one must have identification, proof of ownership, valid insurance and compliance with safety standards proof.

**Important Info**

1. The use of air conditioning emitting CFC gas is banned in Australia, so research your car before you ship.
2. Those on a tourist or temporary resident visa can import a car for a period of up to 12 months without paying customs duty.
3. There is a current situation whereby due to quarantine issues relating to a stink bug infestation, we have to fumigate all vehicles shipped from the USA to Australia and New Zealand. Please contact your salesperson for more information.

Taxes and Duties information

• Vehicles over 30 years old | Duty 0% | GST 10%|
• New and used vehicles up to 30 years old | Duty 10% | GST 10% |
• Four wheel drive off road or commercial vehicle | Duty 5% | GST 10% |

For further information or to find out how much it costs to ship your vehicle to Australia, Contact us or Ask a Car Quote

Car Shipping to New Zealand from USA

01/10/2017 | How Import Your Car

Shipping Cars to New Zealand from the USA

Shipping a car to New Zealand from USA involves many different steps and it is worth it to start the process early to consider the costs, time frame, travel arrangements and much more.

We’ve put together a brief overview of what to expect, how you can make it happen and when it makes sense.

If you are simply looking for the cost of shipping a car to New Zealand, then we’ll need a few things first including the location, the make and model and the final destination.

This will determine your ocean freight costs, as well as whether you’ll need transport to one of the departure locations (which are below in a different section). 

Does it Make Sense Shipping My Car to New Zealand?

This is probably the first question you should ask yourself and it depends on a few things. First things first, here are some questions to consider:

• Are you a returning citizen or immigrating to NZ?
• Does your car meet the New Zealand car compliance standards determined by the New Zealand Transport Agency?
• Is your car left hand drive, or over 20 years old?

The reason these are important is that they also factor into the cost to import a car to New Zealand and can make a huge difference. The ocean transport is only half of the process.

Generally, personal vehicles must be converted to right hand drive, which will make it very expensive.

If your car is over 20 years old, then you should be able to import it and drive without needing to convert it to a right hand drive (in most cases).

Fortunately, we handle everything on the export side here in the USA, meaning we take care of preparing documentation, customs, loading, drayage, inspection reports, etc.

Our company has over 20 years experience shipping vehicles to NZ including cars, motorcycles, classic automobiles and offers some of the best international car shipping rates.

Once your vehicle arrives in New Zealand, our partners will handle the import process so you won’t have to worry about a thing.

Departures and Arrivals: New Zealand Vehicle Shipping

Although we offer roll on roll off car shipping to New Zealand, our recommendation is via container.

Not only is it more flexible, but from experience it is a more secure overseas car shipping method, especially in the case of those moving to New Zealand with furniture and personal effects as well.

If you don’t live in one of the major metropolitan areas above we’ll be able to help coordinate inland transport if you don’t want to pick your vehicle up from our agent’s warehouse.

Importing a Car to New Zealand from the USA

As mentioned above, importing your car will depend on:

• The vehicle in question
• Your immigration status

If your vehicle is not over 20 years old, then it most cases it won’t make sense to ship it from the US, as the cost to convert will be high, especially if you plan on ever bringing it back to the USA.

However, if your car is more than 20 years old, or the auto that you want to ship is for off road use, then shipping your car won’t be a problem. Because of this, we ship classic cars to New Zealand quite often.

Immigration status will determine what the goods and service tax will be for your vehicle upon import.

The standard in NZ is a GST of 15% which is based not only on the value of the car but the ocean freight and insurance as well.

There are exceptions for returning residents, and new immigrants which allow you to import a car to New Zealand as long as you have owned and used the car for more than 12 months, and meet a few other criteria.

Shipping Car from New Zealand to the USA

Although not as frequent, as cars in NZ are right hand drive and therefore face the same issue in terms of frontal impact standards and LHD conversion, we do import cars to the US from New Zealand.

There is also an age cut off, meaning if your car is over 20 years old then it will be much easier to import.

We have a dedicated import specialist who can tell you exactly what needs to be done and whether or not it will be worthwhile.

For further information or to find out how much it costs to ship your vehicle to New Zealand, Contact us or Ask a Car Quote

Car Shipping to Netherlands from USA

01/9/2017 | How Import Your Car

Shipping Cars to Netherlands land from the USA

Shipping a car to Netherlands may be hard to imagine, but we havehas more than 20 years of experience in handling vehicle shipments. So whether you’re taking a road trip or are moving overseas to the Netherlands and want to ship your car, we can help.

The service we recommend most for transporting cars is using a shared container service. Not only do cars remain enclosed the entire journey but it also costs less.

Each and every car that’s loaded in a container is blocked and braced by professionals to ensure a secure transport. Our export specialists also handle customs clearance here in the U.S. to make things easier on you and our agents in Holland can assist with port clearance just as easy.

Rates will vary depending on what type of car is being shipped and its final destination. When we ship a car to Netherlands, our point of entry is Rotterdam.

Even though our agents assist with the paperwork and documents to transport a car to the Netherlands, it’s beneficial to look over information for taxes and duties.

Importing Vehicle into Netherlands from USA

Import duties and taxes when shipping a car to the Netherlands from the US depend on the circumstances pertaining to your import.

If you are moving to the Netherlands and plan to change residency, if you haven’t already, then you’re allowed a one-time vehicle import free of duties and VAT.

The exact requirements to qualify are listed below in a later section but as an overview: you must have paid sales tax on the car in the US, driven it longer than six months prior to import and have lived outside the EU for 12 months before shipping the vehicle.

If you have not owned the car for longer than six months or don’t meet any of the other requirements for exemption, you’ll be liable to pay the import duties and VAT.

Dutch Cities We Ship Cars to

We can reach just about any city or town in the country. The following is just a list of Netherlands’ larger cities that we ship cars to more regularly.

• Apeldoorn
• Breda
• Eindhoven
• Groningen
• Nijmegen
• Rotterdam
• s-Gravenhage
• Tilburg
• Utrecht

Steps when Shipping a Car

There are few steps when shipping a car to Netherlands, but as long as you review the requirements for customs and registration, there should be no roadblocks.

Step 1: In order to assist with customs clearance, we’ll need a few documents. These include:

• The bill of sale/invoice for the car
• Certificate of ownership or title
• Receipt to prove payment of sales tax (VAT equivalent)
• Certificate of insurance for at least the six months prior to import
• Proof of residency outside the EU for at least 12 months prior to relocation

If you meet certain requirements, you can ship a car to Netherlands as part of your household and personal effects. This allows the car to be exempt from duties and accompanying VAT.

The same applies for anyone shipping a motorcycle to the Netherlands as long as it is for personal use. If you meet the requirements, you must apply for the permit in advance.

Step 2: Registering Your Vehicle in Netherlands. What you’ll need:

• Proof of identity (passport or ID card)
• Conformiteitsverklaring, Dutch version of a certificate of conformity
• Proof of residence usually in the form of local community registration
• A customs clearance certificate (certificaat van inklaring)
• A copy of the title of the car

For further information or to find out how much it costs to ship your vehicle to Netherlands (Holland), Contact us or Ask a Car Quote

Car Shipping to Hawaii from USA

01/9/2017 | How Import Your Car

Shipping Cars to Hawaii from the USA

So you have decided to move to Hawaii and are debating transporting your vehicle across the Pacific.

Shipping a car to Hawaii from the mainland, or vice versa, can be one of the toughest decisions.

Fortunately, our shipping company has moved all types of vehicles to and from the Hawaiian Islands for more than 20 years and we’re continually striving to improve our transport services for clients and remain an industry leader.

We can ship your vehicle form one of our warehouse locations.

US Departures

• Miami, FL
• Houston, TX
• Los Angeles/Long Beach
• New York/New Jersey
• Savannah, GA

Auto Transport Services to Hawaii

Car Shipping Hawaii

Using our auto transport services to Hawaii, all running, drivable cars are shipped via Roll on Roll Off service.

**NO Items are allowed inside the vehicle when shipping RoRo to Hawaii

The selection for departure and arrival ports when shipping cars to the Hawaiian Islands are very specific with a slight variation in the process between international vehicle shipments and those from/to the mainland.

For all vehicles such as large trucks and oversized freight, we ask that you please call and speak to a representative so they can give you the best solution and method of transport for your items across the Pacific.

As part of our Hawaii car shipping services, we offer mainland pickup and transport to our warehouse if you are looking for a door to port service.

Additionally, we offer free enclosed storage for automobiles prior to the shipment, as well as condition reports and images if they are first delivered to our warehouse in Los Angeles.

The costs to ship a car to Hawaii will range depending on your vehicle’s size, departure port and whether you ship to Honolulu, Hilo or another Hawaiian port.

However, our rates are always competitive for the Hawaiian market.

We know that not everyone will live close enough to the departure locations to be able to drop the vehicle off but those that would like to deliver the car in person can do so as well.

Below, we’ve listed the port information as well as estimated transit times when shipping a car to Hawaii.

Hawaii car shipping

Transit Times

Shipping a Car to or from Honolulu:
It generally takes roughly 1.5 weeks from the time at which you drop off your vehicle at one of the west coast port locations.

This assumes that we receive all the necessary documents up front, the car is ready for departure, and it matches the RoRo vessel schedule.*

Shipping a Car to or from Kawaihae, Hilo, Kahului or Nawiliwili:
Assuming the same criteria as listed above, it takes 2.5 weeks from drop off at one of the west locations to or from the ports listed above.

Those relocating to Hawaii from New York or an east coast residence will first need to have their automobile transported to one of the ports on the west coast.

So the entire process of moving a vehicle to Hawaii from the east coast is much longer.

However, the ocean transit will remain the same. Domestic transport from the East coast to the West coast can take 10-14 days.

Preparing to Ship a Car to/from Hawaii

Some of the recommendations may seem trivial but they are all absolutely necessary in order for the car to be shipped as quickly as possible without any delays.

Vehicle Condition
First, do not fill your tank. This is quite common as clients may have the urge to save money, as gas is more expensive in Hawaii, and fill up pre-departure but we require that your tank be no more than 1/4 full.

You’ll also need to either disconnect your alarm system or the entire battery before your car is loaded.

Packing Additional Items
Unfortunately, those moving to Hawaii cannot ship household goods or pack additional personal belongings or boxes inside the vehicle including the trunk.

Drop Off
If you are one of multiple legal owners on the registration or title, all parties must be present at drop off.

In the scenario that one cannot be there, then he/she must provide a notarized letter stating that they authorize the shipment.

Delays
In some cases, vehicles may depart on a ship that is leaving later that the original sail date.

Factors such as weather and unforeseen issues are out of our control so we ask that you please understand.

Auto Information
Additionally, in order for us to be as accurate as possible in our inspections reports, we ask that vehicles be cleaned inside and out prior to the car delivery at our warehouse.

This is even more vital when shipping a vehicle from Hawaii to Tacoma, Washington as environmental and agricultural rules are stringent when it comes to external soil and dirt from outside the state.

If you have any questions for car shipping to or form Hawaii, Contact us or Ask a Car Quote

Car Shipping to Germany from USA

01/9/2017 | How Import Your Car

Shipping Cars to Germany from the USA

Deciding whether to ship a car to Germany as part of your relocation or for a temporary stay can be a tough choice to make. You have to consider the entire process as well as the costs.

However, whether you are a member of the military shipping a second vehicle or moving to Germany and bringing your personal automobile, it’s generally more cost effective than buying one once you get there.

As an auto shipping specialist, we ship cars to Germany on a regular basis and have been doing so for over three decades. Below is a quick guide of how it is done.

We can ship your vehicle form one of our warehouse locations.

US Departures

• Miami, FL
• Houston, TX
• Los Angeles/Long Beach
• New York/New Jersey
• Savannah, GA

Shipping a Vehicle to Germany

The two most used methods to ship a car from the USA to Germany are via container or roll on roll off. Although we offer an air freight services, most individuals elect one of the first two methods.

If you elect a container service, which we suggest, you can either ship your car in a 20ft sole use container, or take advantage of our specialized consolidated container shipping service in which your vehicle will be loaded with others into a 40ft.

With a roll on roll off car shipping service, the autos are driven into the belly of the large vessels where they are braced and secured.

As mentioned, containers are a better method because they offer additional protection from elements being that vehicles are inside a container and have better availability in terms of origin and destination services.

Car Shipping Costs to Germany

Determining how much it will cost to ship a car to Germany depends on multiple factors including:
1) Your vehicle
2) Your location and nearest US departure port
3) Shipping method and the
4) Availability and final destination

The most secure and cost effective method of shipping a car to Germany is using a shared container service as opposed to booking a single 20ft container. Generally, the difference in price will be hundreds of dollars if not thousands.

Another price to factor into the overall cost is the pickup/delivery rates. Not everyone can deliver their vehicle to one of our 5 US offices themselves.

However, we have our own in-house dispatch department that can orchestrate pickups from anywhere in the country. No matter where the vehicle is located.

Below, we’ve listed the port information as well as estimated transit times when shipping a car from the USA to Germany.

Major Destinations

How Long it Takes: See Transit Estimates

**These time frames are estimates for a port to port service. They assume all the necessary documents are given to us up front, the vehicle is ready for departure and that we have other vehicles to fill the container.

Some of the other destinations that we offer car shipping services to in Europe have multiple ports. However, in the case of Germany, the main port is Bremerhaven in the north.

Shipping car to Bremerhaven:
Bremerhaven is Germany’s primary ocean freight port and our container service sails every other week depending on which US departure port you select.

From Los Angeles, our west coast office, it takes between 4-5 weeks on the water. Please remember this is ocean transit only and does not consider the time it takes to book enough cars for a full container.

We recommend clients leave themselves at least 6-8 weeks for the entire process. However, it can take longer.

Individuals and families moving to Germany from the USA and shipping a car from the east coast will enjoy a shorter transit time of 2-3 weeks on the water port to port.

For those looking for inland transportation to a further city such as Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich or any other destination, our German partners can assist you.

Importing Cars to Germany: Taxes and Duties

Since the USA is not a member of the EU, anyone planning to import a vehicle to Germany will be subject to duties as well as the 19.6% value added tax.

There are a few exceptions to this. For those bringing a vehicle on holiday, or traveling through Germany to another final destination, only a deposit is required and after the car leaves Germany or is registered in your respective country, the money is refunded to you. The duration of the stay must not be longer than 12 months if you are staying temporarily.

Citizens needing to ship a car to Germany as part of an overseas move can import the vehicle as part of personal effects as long as it’s used and has been owned longer than 6 months.

This is a one time offer. If you meet the above requirements, you will not be liable for the VAT tax or duties.

EU citizens that have lived in the USA for more than a year AND have owned the vehicle longer than 6 months are allowed a one time tax free import.

As a suggestion, we advise all clients to contact the German embassy in addition due to the fact that taxes and duties can change without notice.

Car Shipping from Germany to the USA

Transporting cars to Germany is much more common than moving automobiles back to the US and is more limited in terms of the different services available.

You will also be dealing with different agencies and departments when importing vehicles back to the US from Germany. 

For any additional questions about car shipping to Germany, Contact us or Ask a Car Quote