Car Shipping from Portugal to USA

Shipping Your Car from Portugal to the USA? Car Shipping from Portugal to USA starts at a cost of $2,595 USD, depending on make and model of the vehicle and whether the destination in the USA is on the east or west coast. Below, our 2024 guide will explore everything you need to know about car shipping from Portugal to the USA.

Portugal to US Vehicle Shipping Checklist

Determining Vehicle Eligibility for Shipping to the USA

Conforming vs. Nonconforming Vehicles

Portugal to US Car Shipping Costs & Time Frame

Portugal to US Vehicle Shipping Options

Additional Services

Ports Served in the US and Portugal

Cleaning Your Vehicle’s Undercarriage

Driving Your Vehicle in the United States

Other Portugal/US Shipping Options

Are you ready to get started with Portugal car shipping to the USA?

Here’s a rough breakdown of the process you’ll need to go through to ship your vehicle to the United States.

More information on the process of shipping a vehicle to the United States can be found here.

As you engage in the car shipping process, some of the most important questions to consider include:

These questions and more will determine the costs to ship the vehicle from Portugal to the US, whether your car is eligible for shipping from Portugal to the United States, and finally, whether you will need to go through additional steps to make your vehicle eligible for shipping. In some cases, such as temporary import for racing or other purposes, the usual standards may not apply. CFR Classic can help you through the process of determining what will be required to import your vehicle.

Generally, if a vehicle already meets the requirements for shipping from Portugal to the United States, it is because that model was originally designed for export and sale in the United States, or was manufactured in the United States for domestic sale. As such, nonconforming vehicles are required to be modified to meet all applicable FMVSS and EPA emissions standards.

Things to Consider

If your vehicle conforms to these standards, it will bear a manufacturer’s label on the engine compartment attesting to its compliance to emissions standards in English, as well as a certification label near the driver’s side door confirming that it complies to safety, bumper and theft prevention standards. You will need to complete EPA form 3520-1 and DOT form HS-7 attesting to your vehicle’s compliance. Additionally, you will need the shipper’s or carrier’s original bill of lading, bill of sale, foreign registration, and other documents covering the vehicle, to be provided to your Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) inspector.

If your vehicle is nonconforming, it may still be eligible for import with modifications by a DOT-registered importer, who modifies the vehicle and certifies that it conforms to all applicable FMVSS and emissions standards. Additionally, the importer must post a bond equivalent to one and a half times the dutiable value of the vehicle (in addition to the normal CBP entry bond). A copy of the bond must be provided with the HS-7 form. The same is applicable for EPA, the list is here: EPA Independent Commercial Importers.

A nonconforming car may be shipped from Portugal to the United States under certain conditions, such as re-importing a previously exported vehicle, shipping a vehicle for personal use not exceeding one year, shipping a vehicle as a member of foreign armed forces, diplomatic personnel, or other exceptions authorized by the US State Department, bringing a vehicle into the country for testing, demonstration, or competition, or other special circumstances. CFR Classic can help you identify if your vehicle falls into one of these categories for international car shipping from Portugal to USA.

Duties are levied by Customs and Border Patrol before your vehicle is delivered; if you are staying in United States and the vehicle is imported concurrently with your arrival in the country, you are permitted to import a car for up to 12 months without having to pay duties.

Taxes & Duties for Shipping Cars from Portugal to the United States

Generally, foreign-made vehicles imported for personal use or sale are dutiable at the following rates:

• Auto: 2.5%
• Trucks: 25%
• Motorcycles: free or 2.4%

Duty rates are based on price paid or payable, and most Canadian-manufactured vehicles are duty-free. If you are a resident of the United States returning to the country from travel, work, or study abroad, you may apply your $800 CBP exemption, and those of accompanying family members, towards the value of the vehicle under the following circumstances:

To obtain an estimate of the cost to ship a car from Portugal to the United States, fill out our free quick quote form. We guarantee a response within 24 hours.

Car shipping services from Portugal to USA can be performed using a shared container, a sole container or a roll-on/roll-off service.

Roll-On/Roll-Off – This car shipping option tends to be one of the more affordable ones as you only must pay port charges and customs clearance charges in addition to the vehicle shipping charge. Your vehicle will be loaded into the holding area of a large vessel, one which resembles a big parking garage. This method is suitable for shipping and handling bulkier vehicles like work trucks.

Transits tend to be faster than with the roll-on/roll-off service as the containers depart on a weekly basis.

Shared Container Service –  With shared container shipping, Several vehicles are shipped using one single container. The container must be processed, so more fees are involved than with the roll-on/roll-off method, however they are shared between several clients. Fees include customs clearance, trucking charge, terminal handling charge and a charge for unloading the vehicles at a warehouse.

You may be required to wait for a longer period before your shipping your vehicle overseas as the container can only depart with a full load thanks to other clients.

Full Container Load – This international car shipping method is the same as the shared container load, except that one or more of your vehicle(s) occupies the entire container, and the fees, which are similar to those for shared container shipping, are borne by you alone.

Container loading offers the benefit of added security. When the vehicle is received, photographs and a condition report are taken of the car itself as well as the loading process. Once the container arrives at the destination, our warehouse will take photos of the unloading process and of the vehicle itself. The vehicle is kept secure throughout the process, so clients may transport other items inside the vehicle, although they are advised to pack with care as we are not liable for any loss or damages sustained.

Our shipping company chooses not to use wood ramps like other companies but instead employ a steel loading system, which is more effective in preventing loss and damage.

Sourcing Vehicles – Our long list of car buyers enables us to find and buy vehicles for purchasers located overseas for a commission or additional fee to be paid to the car buyer.

Other Services – Some of the auto transport services we offer in overseas territories include domestic pickup, vehicle import assistance, tracking of your shipment, customs clearance in the USA and a full vehicle inspection report.

Before shipping your vehicle to the United States from Portugal, the undercarriage must be cleaned and free of foreign soil to prevent the introduction of invasive plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms. This can be accomplished through steam cleaning or other thorough cleaning methods.

CFR Classic can assist with finding an appropriate cleaner to help ensure you comply with this requirement.

We do not recommend washing the interior of the vehicle as it can cause mold during transport. Vacuuming the interior is usually more than sufficient.

Before driving your vehicle in the United States, ensure that both you and your vehicle comply with US licensing and registration laws. Requirements differ based on your citizenship status and the length of your stay in the United States.

Your imported vehicle should bear the International Registration Marker, and you may wish to consider acquiring an International Driving Permit (IDP) if you are a foreign national. Portugal is a party to the Convention on International Road Traffic of 1949, meaning that Portuguese citizens can acquire an IDP and use their driver’s license in the United States.

• If you are a US resident, you should contact the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in your state or territory of residence, inquire about temporary license plates, and determine what documents and certifications the DMV requires from CBP to register the vehicle.
• If you are a national of a Central or South American country that has ratified the Inter-American Convention of 1943, you may drive your vehicle in the US for touring purposes for one year or for the period of the validity of the documents, whichever is shorter, without US license plates or US driver’s permits, provided the car carries the International Registration Marker and registration card, and the driver has the International Driving Permit.
• If you are a motorist visiting the United States as a tourist from a country that has ratified the Convention on International Road Traffic of 1949 (Portugal has), you may drive in the US for one year with your own national license plates (registration tags) on your vehicle and with your own personal drivers’ license.
• If you are a motorist from Canada or Mexico, you are permitted to tour in the US without US license plates or US driver’s permits, under agreements between the United States and these countries.
• If you are a motorist from a country not a party to any of the above agreement, you must secure a driving permit in the US after taking an examination.
• If you are a foreign national employed in the US, you may use your foreign license tags from the port of entry to your destination in the US.

To obtain an estimate of the cost for car shipping from USA to Portugal and other shipping services to Portugal, fill out our free quick quote form.

Importing a Car from the US to Portugal
Importing a Car from Portugal to the US
Car Shipping from USA to Portugal
Car Shipping from Portugal to USA
Cargo Shipping from the US to Portugal
Cargo Shipping from Portugal to the US
Moving Household Goods from the US to Portugal
Moving Household Goods from Portugal to the US

This information was updated in January 2024. All information, time frames, pricing, and regulations are subject to change. Please contact a sales representative for the most current rates and information.

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