If you are looking to move to Europe, you may make the decision that your car is going to come with you. This is a big decision and it can change up the way that you approach this big move. Shipping a car from the United States to Europe is going to cost more, but it will also require more time to make sure you prepare the vehicle and find the right car shipping company.
How are you supposed to get all of this prepared and ready to go? First, you should visit A-1 Auto Transport for a price quote from several competing companies Let’s take a look at some of the steps that you can use when it is time to transport your vehicle to Europe.
Have the Documents Ready
You will need to have some documents ready to go when moving a car from the United States to Europe. You can ask the car transport company that you would like to use, but you will also need to know some of these rules on your own. If you miss some papers, then. You may not be able to get your car back when you get to Europe.
Some of the different documents that you will need to have prepared when sending your car overseas includes:
- Certificate of Title. You will need to have the original document as well as two copies of a notarized title to help prove that the car is yours.
- A notarized Bill of Sale
- Shipper Export Declaration that shows you plan to bring the car over.
- Certificate of Origin if you purchased the car new.
- Copy of your own U.S. passport to help prove who you are
- Declaration of Dangerous Goods if this is needed.
Each of these papers is unique so it is a good idea to talk with your selected shipper to make sure that you understand the documents and will be ready to go.
Preparing the Car for International Transport
There are a number of steps that you will be able to do to make sure your car is ready for its international auto transport. You need to do this long before the car shipper comes to pick it up. To make sure that the car is prepared and ready to go for this long journey, you can.
- Take the car in for a good service. This will make sure that the car is in good condition before you move to Europe.
- Remove any of your personal items, In some situations, you can leave non-hazardous goods inside of it, but it is better to keep things out of the car to be safe.
- Leave all of the standard car equipment that you usually have in there. This is going to include the tools, the emergency kit and the spare tire. You can leave your license plate inside of the car too.
- Clean the car off on the outside to make sure that it looks nice.
- Take some good pictures of the car. This is going to be your documentation of the car so you can check that everything is good when you get to Europe.
- Remove any of the external accessories of the car that are safe for you to remove.
- Make sure that the battery on the car is fully charged and will be good when you get to the new location.
- Do not fill up the fuel tank. This can be dangerous on the journey and can make the car weigh more than before.
- Check the tire pressure on the tires to see that they are good
- Disable the alarm system on the car
Understanding the Costs of Moving Your Car from the United States to Europe
The costs of moving your car will be a little difficult. You will have a few different expenses to keep track of and it is important to check on how the car shipping company is going to cover these and whether there are additional costs in there or not when you get the invoice.
You will first have the costs for the shipping company to take your car and move it. These will be the costs that you pay for the shipping company to do the actual movement of the car. The costs will vary based on the size of the car, whether you do individual shipping in a closed container or open container, and exactly how far the car will need to go.
You will also need to handle some of the additional fees that come with moving the car into a new country. When you ship the car, you may have to pay as much as 10% for the import duty and 20% for the VAT. If the car is older, these fees can be a little bit less, though they are often higher if you have a newer car.
You should check to see whether the shipping company is going to cover these costs or not. They should outline these exact costs and the cost of them moving your car on the invoice that they send to you, but not all of them do. Get all of the costs upfront when you choose a car shipping company so that there are no surprises later when you are ready to go.
Choosing the Right Shipping Company
While preparing the documents and having the car prepared will be important parts to the process, you also need to make sure that you choose the right shipping company to get the work done. This can give you the peace of mind that you need when shipping your car across the sea.
Make sure that you take a look at the car shipper to see what they offer. Not only is the price important, but the additional features and the level of protection that they are willing to give to you to make sure your car will make it over to your new home. Take some time to talk to more than one shipping company to see who is the best fit for your needs.
