It takes a lot of paperwork to ship a car overseas, from the title of ownership to all the Customs documents in the U.S. and at the destination port. The process involves several steps, but rest assured, Ship Overseas can walk you through what to expect. Once you book with us, we will provide you with a detailed list of all the documents you will need to make the process go smoothly.
This not only makes the process less stressful on you, but failure to comply with requirements may result in delays or fees.
In general, you will need to provide the following information:
- Personal information: Two copies of government-issued ID (driver’s license or passport)
- Vehicle Information: Year, make, model, VIN #, estimated value
- Ownership information
- If owned: vehicle title – original plus one copy
- If recently purchased: vehicle title and bill of sale
- If financed: a notarized copy of the title and a notarized lien authorization
- Shipper and Consignee information: Name, address, phone number and email for the sender and receiver
- Depending on which Port the vehicle will sail from, you may need a Bill of Sale or a Notarized Bill of Sale.
- For some ports in Florida, you will need a Power of Attorney giving the clearing agents permission to clear your documents on your behalf.
If we handle the clearance for you in the USA, you will receive all documents back that you provided for U.S. Customs clearance. Those documents will be sent back to you after the vessel has sailed. You can choose to have them mailed to a U.S. address or sent via FedEx to a U.S. or overseas address. Please note, there is an additional charge if your documents are sent back via FedEx.
Important information
No car can leave the USA if it has a lien on it, which means the car must be paid in full. The only people who can ship a car overseas and still have a lien on the car are members of the U.S. military and government employees or contractors. They will need a letter of authorization from the lender in order to pass U.S. Customs. If not, the car may be considered stolen. Permission must be in the form of an Original Letter from the Lien holder together with three certified copies of the Certificate of Title.
If you are in the military, you may also have to show your military orders or a letter from the government or state authority and a copy of the Title Record History, which you can get from the Department of Motor Vehicles in the state where the vehicle is registered.
Payment
If delivering your vehicle yourself to a terminal or to the port, we must receive payment immediately after you have made the delivery. If you have requested the use of a trucker to come pick up your vehicle, you must make payment right after the vehicle has been picked up. You can make a payment in the form of a wire transfer, cashier’s check, credit card, and, in some cases, a personal check. Payments can be mailed to our offices in San Diego, CA.
Need Further Help?
The experts at Ship Overseas have extensive experience in making sure your international car shipping goes seamlessly. Contact us now to learn more and get a free quote.