Shipping a Car from China

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International Car Shipping

International car shipping companies in China transport cars in large specialized car carriers. You can import a car from China in a 20’ or 40’ container along with your other household goods and personal items. Or, you can have your car transported in a Roll on Roll off (RoRo) carrier, in which your car is driven on board the ship to a specific parking spot, transported to its destination, and driven off the ship to your new destination.

Documents Needed to Ship a Car

Before accepting your car for shipment to the US, your car shipping company will require you to provide them with a copy of your vehicle registration, title, license and a no-objection certificate showing that the car is approved for export from China. When you ship a car from China, make sure to ask the car carrier for a copy of the bill of lading and the exact date on which the car will arrive at your U.S. destination, because you will require both to clear your car through U.S. customs.

Customs Duties

You will need the bill of lading, the foreign registration, vehicle title, and original bill of sale in order to import a car from China. Cars imported from China will be assessed an import duty of 2.5 percent if you are bringing the car into the country on a permanent basis. You can ship a car from China duty free if you plan on staying in the U.S. for one year or less and do not sell the vehicle in the U.S.

Safety and Emissions Tests

If the vehicle you are importing from China was not manufactured specifically for use in North America, it will be subject to a set of stringent safety and emissions tests. The emissions tests by the Environmental Protection Agency can last up to 14 hours and cost you up to $1,000 to get done. The safety tests, meanwhile, will be performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The tests are designed to verify if your car’s bumpers, safety restraints, headlights and other components meet specified U.S. standards.

Items to Remember When Importing a Car

When shipping a car from China to the US, there are a few other details that you need to keep in mind.

• You will need to arrive in the country before your vehicle does in order to clear it through customs.
• If you cannot be in the country personally, you can ask the shipping company to forward your car to a bonded customs warehouse from where you can later clear customs formalities.
• The U.S Department of Agriculture requires you to thoroughly clean the undercarriage of your vehicle to ensure that your car is pest free before it is brought into the country.

Importing a car from China is costly and complicated, and, unless you have done it before, it may be best to have a company that specializes in importing goods from China to do it for you.