Moving Overseas? How to Get Your Car There

Don’t know how to find the best car shipping company to help you with your move? Most people struggle with transporting their vehicles, especially if it’s overseas. Luckily, this guide will teach you everything you need to know about how to get your car to your new location.

The process of overseas auto shipping can be made using five steps:

 

Step 1: Research Car Shippers

There are over a dozen international auto transporters on the market. To make your search easier, whittle down to your top five choices.

You can check online reviews and ratings to see what other customers think about your prospective company’s services. Get in touch with some of the customers via the comments section and get more details about their experience with the company. Once you have enough data, you can start reaching out to prospective companies and ask them about their shipping experience.

The right shipping company will have handled transactions that are similar to yours.

Step 2: Ask for Quotes

After running a background check on your prospective companies, ask each one for estimates for services. Next, compare each company’s offer and see which one benefits you most. Don’t just focus on the price—look at the services, equipment, and add-ons that they provide, too. The best companies won’t hesitate to give you high-quality services at highly competitive rates.

Step 3: Choose a Shipping Method

Your shipping method will largely influence the shipping rates you receive. It’s important that you choose the right one so you don’t end up spending more than what you need. There are three different ways to ship your car overseas:

Consolidated Vehicle Shipping

This method is the most popular due to its affordability and efficiency. With consolidated shipping, your car is grouped in a single container with other vehicles bound for the same destination. Although it can save you thousands of dollars, consolidated shipping can take longer than the other shipping methods. Auto shippers need to find enough vehicles to fill the container; otherwise, they can’t leave the port.

Sole Container Shipping

If you choose sole container shipping, it basically means you’ll be the sole occupant of a single 20-foot-long container. It’s more expensive than other shipping methods, but it also ships much faster and is more secure than other options.

Ro-Ro (Roll-on Roll-off) Shipping

With Ro-Ro shipping, your vehicle is stored inside the belly of the vessel. There are no container vans; there would be just braces holding your car down to the vessel floor. This leaves your car vulnerable to moisture and seawater, increasing its risk of damage and wear. While Ro-Ro shipping doesn’t take as long to ship as other methods, it can still take a while due to the routes that it normally follows.

Ro-Ro shipping is the cheapest among all the methods. It’s a great option if you’re on a budget.

Step 4: Secure Shipping Documents

Once you’ve selected a shipping method, you can start collecting your shipping documents. The paperwork needed will vary between companies. However, you’ll generally be required to provide the following:

• Vehicle title and registration
• Driver’s license or ID
• Auto insurance details
• Copy of your passport

Some companies may ask for additional documentation. You can ask for a detailed list so you can gather what you need.

Step 5: Conduct a Vehicle Inspection

Finally, you want to conduct a complete inspection of your vehicle. Check for pre-existing damages and issues that might affect your insurance claim later. Take close-up pictures of your car at different angles and distances. Make copies of each one and remember to store them in a secure folder so you know exactly where to find them when necessary.

Conclusion

And that’s how you get our car shipped overseas. The process can look intimidating and confusing at the start. Yet, it shouldn’t take long for you to get the hang of it. Hopefully, this guide helps you stay on track. Good luck!

For more interesting tips when relocating, read the infographic below!

 

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