SHIPPING CARS TO EUROPE AND THE U.K.:

Many people from other countries that go to the U.K. want to also take their car. There are a number of points to keep in mind. If you have already paid VAT in another EU country then you do not have to pay this again in the U.K. If you bring the car from the USA to the UK you do not have to pay any import duty or VAT as long as you have not lived in any Common Market country for at least one year. If you move to the UK as part of your job or business for a specific period you should have a letter from your company stating the period you will be in the U.K. If your stay in the U.K. is for a fixed period then you do not have to pay duty or VAT. However, if your stay if for more then six months you will need to register your car and pay the local road tax that at present is 140. pounds per year or 77. pounds for six months. If you do not meet the requirements and have to pay duty and VAT the rate will be 10% for import duty and 17.5 % for VAT. When in the U.K. you must have vehicle insurance. This can either be by extending your regular auto insurance cover for the time you are in the U.K. or by getting a local insurance cover note from any local auto insurance agent.

SHIPPING CARS FOR RESALE:

If you are shipping the vehicle for a commercial purpose such as for resale you should have already come to an agreement with your overseas customer about the price of the vehicle and who pays the cost of shipping. Most vehicles are required to be shipped on a PREPAID basis with most carriers and due to that you should build the cost of shipping the vehicle into your selling price to your customer. How you get paid is the most important matter and should be settled early. Do not wait to settle this point later on and cause yourself a lot of hassle at the last moment.

SHIPPING CARS WITH INLAND ORIGINS:

If you are for example located in Chicago or any other inland point and want to ship you vehicle directly from there. It is possible and it is just a question of cost and logistics. If you hope to ship using a Ro/Ro vessel that we outlines above it is possible to use one a many reliable auto carriers that ship cars on special trailers via the road to the port of loading. You can arrange this or your shipping agent or carrier can arrange it. Costs vary but are reasonable. There are also 'drive away' services that arrange to find some one to drive your car from point a to point b. This is much cheaper but is not very fast and some times not reliable. It is possible to have your vehicle loaded into a container at any inland location and have the container moved to the port by rail or truck. The arrangements to have the vehicle (assuming it will fit into a container) loaded into the container, blocked and braced and shipped to the port, can do made by you or your shipping agent. As mentioned before this can some times cost you more if US Customs want to make a physical inspection. Get advise and make your decision accordingly.