So you’ve gotten a great quote from us to ship your car overseas, you’ve set up the pickup date at your location, and payments are in place. Now you may be thinking about how to prepare your car for the trip. Perhaps you’ll clean it up a bit, vacuum out the inside and detail it, especially if this car was sold and the car is being picked up to go to the destination
port. But if you’re shipping your car overseas for your own personal use, you may be wondering whether you need to remove all your personal possessions from the vehicle.
As a general rule, you can pack personal goods into the vehicle if you plan to ship your vehicle in a shared container. However, while you may feel this is a great way to save space and luggage costs for your trip, keep in mind that these goods are sent at your own risk. They’re also not insured. On the other hand, if you choose an exclusive container, which means you ship your vehicle in a container on its own, you are free to pack the vehicle and the container as well with your belongings, which can be insured against loss only.
This can be a delicate balance, as any goods you fail to declare or disclose on the packing list may result in a fine not only at U.S. Customs but also Customs at the destination. Don’t forget to include an itemized packing list of the goods packed in each box, as well as a count of the boxes and their combined value when shipping personal goods in a container. In addition, you’ll need to include the last 6 digits of the vehicle’s vehicle identification number, or VIN. Attach the itemized list to the original Title of Ownership, then get it signed at the terminal upon delivery of the goods.
Now, as far as RoRo (roll on, roll off) shipping goes, you may not pack any personal possessions in your vehicle at all. We recommend removing your license plates and registration tags at vehicle dropoff at port or before the trucking company picks up your vehicle at your home. Don’t worry, you can always replace them when picking up your car at port. This is all for your peace of mind, even though it involves an extra step beforehand.
As your number one overseas car shipping company, in business over 26 years, we can help guide you in this process every step of the way. Our Better Business Bureau rating speaks for itself. Check it out!