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Shipping a car to China: Costs and what you need to know

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Home  |  Car Transport   |   Shipping a car to China: Costs and what you need to know

If you are planning to ship a car to China, first, know if you can legally drive there. Getting a Chinese driver’s license and license plate is tough for most residents. In many cases, doing so is not even an option for visitors. If you are cleared to ship your car, start early to allow time for research, document gathering and payment. Here’s what you need to know.

Shipping costs

How much you pay to ship your car will depend on a few factors. These include mode of transport:

RORO or roll-on, roll-off is often least expensive. Cars are driven onto and transported via a large shipping vessel (boat or plane). Think of a large, floating or flying parking deck with cars parked closely and secured in place for the journey.

Container – container shipping offers more protection as your car travels in a large box. Container shipping costs more but may be worth it if you are shipping a custom or luxury car. One advantage is that you may be able to include personal items to be shipped along with the car.

Where you live also matters – if you do not live near a major port you will have to factor in the expense of getting your car to the nearest one. The same will be true on the other side.

Factor in modifications and fees – Be prepared to pay exorbitant duties and taxes, such as VAT or value added tax and consumption tax. Again, these are quite expensive – prohibitively so for most people. You will also need to be sure your car meets local requirements for road readiness. For example, only left driving vehicles are allowed in most cases.

In all you can expect to spend an average of $6,000. Again, that figure can be higher or lower depending on your car (size and value will impact shipping, fees and taxes on arrival), where you are shipping to and from and how you are shipping.

Gather your documents

You will need to:

  • Apply with the Customs Office for an Import Permit.
  • Obtain an Import Cargo Declaration.
  • Present your original purchase invoice.
  • Present your business license, Z visa and/or customs certificate.
  • Present your Chinese residency card.
  • Present authorization from the environmental board. Your car should be thoroughly cleaned to remove any biohazards prior to shipping.

Shipping your car to China can be tricky business. You will need to allow yourself plenty of time to learn the rules (discover workarounds when possible) and find an experienced shipper you can rely on for a smooth process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to Your Car Moving Questions

The hardest thing for people researching car moving companies to understand is that the prices they are getting are not hard and fast gaurantees, but rather ESTIMATES of what one company thinks it will take to get a vehicle moved promptly versus another company's opinion of what it will take. Don't be fooled, there are not carriers committed to take your vehicle at these quoted prices, the company you choose will still have to get to work getting a carrier to commit to move it at the price they quote you.

Your total price breaks down into two parts, the broker's fee (or 'deposit' as everyone calls it) and the carriers fee (your COD amount) Make no mistake about this, EVERYONE YOU ARE GETTING SALES CALLS FROM IS GOING TO BROKER YOUR MOVE. In this industry, there are brokers who try to fool you into thinking that they are the actual carriers and there are an equal amount of carriers who sell themselves on the fact that they have a truck or two but are not being honest about the fact that they broker out 90% of the orders they book. Here is a quick easy way to tell, if a company takes an up front fee, whether they call it a deposit or any other name, they are a broker. Carriers do not take any payment until the vehicle is delivered.

In our opinion, you are crazy to do so. Have you ever been paid up front for the work that you perform for your employer? Why would you pay a fee up front when there are reliable and trustworthy companies like ours that won't ask for it until we provide you with your carriers details?

The average transit time from pick up to delivery on any vehicle going coast to coast will be between one and two weeks. From there you can figure your transit time based on how far your vehicle is traveling, i.e. from either coast to the Midwest might average 3-7 days.

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