Shipping Your Car to Germany? Car Shipping from the USA to Germany starts at a cost of $749 USD with an estimated turnaround time of 4-6 weeks, depending on the make and model of the car, the port of origin, and the method of shipment. Below, we explore everything you need to know about shipping your car to Germany in our 2023 guide.

Car Shipping to Germany Checklist

Vehicle Import Options

Vehicle Import Approval

Car Shipping to Germany Costs & Time Frame

Car Shipping to Germany Options

Additional Services

Ports Served in the US and Germany

Cleaning Your Vehicle of Biosecurity Concerns

Plating Your Vehicle in Germany

Other Germany/US Shipping Options

Are you ready to get started shipping a car from the USA to Germany?

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

More information on the process of shipping a vehicle overseas to Germany 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 whether you are eligible to ship your car to Germany from the USA. Your actual tax rate is based on these details.

You should never assume your scenario is the same as another one when shipping a car to Germany. Some vehicles such as used cars may have eligibility requirements that differ from those for newer vehicles for import into Germany. To obtain an estimate of the cost to ship a car to Germany, fill out our free quick quote form.

Upon arrival of your vehicle shipment to Germany, the vehicle must be declared in Customs.

You’ll need the following documentation to ship a car to Germany:

Things to Consider

Taxes & Duties for Car Shipping from USA to Germany

Prior to shipping a vehicle from US to Germany, verify your vehicle’s specifications and compliance with German requirements. The USA is not a member state of the European Union, therefore anyone shipping a car to Germany, which is an EU member state, needs to pay certain duties and taxes, such as the Import Turnover Tax.

If you are shipping a vehicle younger than 30 years to Germany from the USA, your car will be subject to local customs duties as well as a value-added tax or VAT of 19% levied by the German government on top of shipping costs. There is an exemption from the import duty in case your vehicle is in original shape and older than 30 years, your vehicle can then be considered as an old-timer. Please note that it will be the customs officers’ decision to waive the duties, we have no way to influence their decision.

However, in certain circumstances you might be able to gain exemption from paying customs duties and taxes when shipping a car to Germany.

The amount of taxes and import duties payable when shipping a car to Germany from the US will vary and depends on the details of your motor vehicle shipment.

To obtain an estimate of the cost to ship a car to Germany, fill out our free quick quote form.

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

Roll-On/Roll-Off – Using the RoRo shipping method to ship a car to Germany, vehicles are loaded into a vessel containing a large cargo area on an ocean freight ship that resembles a big parking garage. This option to ship a car overseas tends to be more affordable as other than shipping charges, the only charges that need to be paid are port charges and customs clearance charges.

If you decide to ship your car with this method, transits tend to be faster than with the shared container service as the containers depart on a weekly basis.

Shared Container Service –  With shared container shipping, one container will be used to transport multiple cars overseas. More fees are involved when you ship your car from the US to Germany than with the RoRo shipping method as the container will have to be processed; however, these fees are divided between the multiple vehicle owners shipping a car to Germany using the container. These fees include a terminal handling charge, a trucking charge, unloading charges for when the vehicle reaches a bonded warehouse, and standard customs clearance charges for importing a car (import duty, taxes, etc.).

One downside of this method is that shipping a vehicle overseas is only possible when there are enough vehicles to fill up the container, so there might be a wait if the requisite number has not been reached.

Full Container Load – This resembles the shared container service, except that each container is limited to one vehicle. Fees, which match those that must be paid for the shared container service, are similar except that they are not divided between several clients who are all shipping cars in the same freight container.

Container shipping offers a very high level of security among car shipments. Upon receipt of the car, photographs will be taken of the vehicle itself and the loading process, and the container door will be locked. The car will not be accessible by anyone until arrival at the final destination when the container is opened by one of our agents. Photographs will once again be taken to document the unloading process. As the vehicle remains completely secure throughout the entire process, items can also be loaded into the vehicle and transported along with it; however, it is advisable to pack and load all items securely as we will not be liable for any loss or damage when shipping a car to Germany.

This method of shipping a car to Germany from the USA tends to be faster as there are weekly departures for shipping containers, more than are possible with the roll-on/roll-off service.

We use only a steel loading system for added protection against loss and damage, unlike other shipping companies that use wood ramps for shipping containers.

Sourcing Vehicles – Vehicle owners wishing to sell their cars can benefit from our comprehensive list of car buyers, who source for and buy vehicles for clients located overseas for an additional fee or commission.

Other Services – Some of the auto shipping 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 car to Germany, the undercarriage must be cleaned and free of foreign soil to prevent the introduction of invasive plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms to Germany. 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 car as it can cause mold during transport. Vacuuming the interior is usually more than sufficient.

Vehicles shipped to Germany must be registered to operate on German roads. All shipped vehicles to Germany must pass a safety inspection (German TÜV) before they can be registered.

In case any homologation/conversion processes need to be done to the car to get it TÜV ready we can liaise you to our shipping services partner who is sitting right in the warehouse in Bremen. This way the car doesn’t need to be transported to another location as all can be done “in-house”. With offices in both Berlin and Bremen, Germany, one of our car shipping experts at CFR Classic can assist with vehicle inspections and other arrangements to ship your car to Germany.

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

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

This information was updated in January 2023. 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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