Shipping a car from the USA

[NGFellow]

Just did the above and everything went very smoothly. It cost approximately $1700 to ship it RORO (Roll on Roll off). It took about 6 weeks. Once here, I used StarLight Shipping LLC (Mr. Nair) 971-4-3936500. They did an excellent job and delivered the car to my doorstep. They charge around AED 1000 for their services plus customs and other duty charges. I paid AED 2750 in total. Next step is inspection and registration (pending). Hope this helps.

[lowvaeater]

Thanks for the info!

Do they give you a temporary plate or something for driving to
RTA?

[NGFellow]

Well, I won't know until sometime next year if the car survives the harshest of the hot weather. I shipped it here mainly because it was fully paid off, and was sitting in a garage for the past 5 years as I was on an overseas assignment, thus sparingly used. I didn't want another car payment here, and I am OK with offloading it in 2 years. It is a second car, and the GCC spec (newer) car will be used for longer trips, and especially in the summer. This one is mainly for school drop offs, grocery runs, dogmobile etc.

Regarding registration. When it clears customs, they deliver it to you on a recovery truck but with no plates. You simply get a "Green Slip" called a VCC.
You then have to inspect and register the car but can't drive it there. You have to do it with a recovery truck again! Here is what I did.

1. Call and get insurance quotes first. You can't register without insurance. Get a policy delivered to you once the car is delivered to you. The insurance co. has to survey the car and get a copy of the green slip before they will insure it. They need the VIN(Chassis) number and engine number which must match the green slip. I used Juelemin Insurance brokers and Chartis and AXA were the best rates. (Around 1500 AED/yr).

2. Insurance company will offer "free service" of inspecting and registering your car but it's on their schedule and make take several days. They may inspect it one day and then register it some other day. I wanted it registered ASAP and used a guy to do all the dirty work. Here is the breakdown:
* Called Mohamed @0502288450 Noorussabah Registration Services.
* He comes to your home in his own car and a separate recovery truck.
* He leaves his car at your place and takes your car on the recovery truck.
* He does all the needful and drives your car back to your place, by 4PM. They picked up my car at 10AM.
* His charges were AED 350.
* Recovery truck charge AED 350
* Inspection AED 120
* Registration AED 435
* Typing fee AED 20
* Plate fixing AED 15
* Salik AED 100
* Petrol AED 50 (your car will be almost on empty when you get it).

3. You can save money by doing it yourself, but you will waste a whole day and all you will save is AED 350. It was money well spent in my opinion.

4. Hopefully your car will pass inspection, otherwise plan to spend more. Tires need to be less than 4 years old, I'm told, and bumper stickers need to be removed to pass inspection! Also you need to have a "ROAD HAZARD TRIANGLE" as per UAE law. U.S car don't always have them in the flat tire kit.
I just borrowed one from my GCC car and will pick one up later.

5. If you have a UAE license make sure you have no pending fines. You will have to pay them before you can register a new car. You can check online.

6. Documents you will need are a) copy of passport b) copy of residence visa c) copy of Emirates National ID d) Green Slip from customs e) insurance
f) SALIK details if you are adding a car to your account.
You will need to sign all the copies (self attestation).

7) US spec car radios won't play even freqs (ie. 92.0) etc and so you will need to buy a modulator chip somewhere in Sharjah or else experience irritation whilst listening to your even freq channels!

Hope this helps.

[Jetjock330]

Good effort. If only I had known two years ago about this guy who does it for you. We imported the wife's car, from USA and really no hassle other than the 5 hours running around in the Freeport of Dubai. We got an export sticker from the RTA and a two hour window to get the car to Abu Dhabi traffic police from Dubai, for inspection and registration, same afternoon. Ladies queue was open and all done in 30 minutes with registration. All for the same reasons and the car has done fine here for 2 Summers

[NGFellow]

Few points to add. You need to also provide a copy of your UAE DL (I forgot to mention that in my last post). You also pay a delivery order fee to the shipping company which is AED 300. You have to go to them with your passport and the usual set of documents. They will contact you a few days before your car arrives. Make sure you do all this as you don't want to pay storage fees and demurrage charges which can add up fast on a daily basis if the car is not cleared. Once the ship makes port, you should have your car within 2-3 days. I used CAREX International in the USA, and my car shipped from JAX.

[VegasHEAT]

Thanks for the tip!

Does it matter what make, model, year the car I am sending? Is this $1700 cost is for everything (from usa to uae). or this is just shipping cost. What shipping company did you use to ship it from USA.

[ManaAdaSystem]

You can't import a car that is more than five years old. Not sure if classic cars are allowed, though.

[Dubaian]

Classic Cars are permitted in UAE but I can't recall what the definition is...??? The OP may have been lucky to get his through the age barrier.

The main change to cope with the heat is a 'tropical' radiator - might be possible to have that retro-fitted? Most American vehicles already have adequate A/Cs for this region.

I believe also in UAE the tyres must be less than 3 years old at the time of testing. By the way, it's the side walls which suffer from the heat. The tread can look fine. Changing mine made a fantastic reduction in tyre noise. The car was less than 3 years old but the tyres were not. Naughty Volvo dealer.

[ruserious]

plenty of info on this at Gulf Petrolheads, the online pitstop for bike, car & motorsport enthusiasts in the Arabian Gulf - Index (http://www.gulfpetrolheads.com) if you do a quick search of the archives :ok:

[NGFellow]

To answer some of the questions asked.

1. I used CAREX international ( I googled the subject and found them). Their charges were $1700 and covered all costs (including pick up, insurance and customs fees) at the point of origin, in my case JAX. Just remember just because they pick your car up on a certain day, it may be a few weeks before it gets on a ship that's sailing to Jebel Ali, due to sail dates. I used the cheapest method of shipping (RO/RO). Car arrived with no damage whatsoever. It took about 6 weeks.

2. A few days before the ship made port, the handling agent here contacted me. I had to pay AED 300 for a delivery order. I then hired Starlight Freight LCC in Bur Dubai to clear the car because my shipping agent wanted a lot more money to clear it. Star Light charged me AED 1000 for their services plus I had to pay 5% duty on the value and nominal customs inspection fees. Total was AED 2750.

3. I then got it inspected and registered for AED 1435. I used an agent for that as well and it took about 6 hrs.

4. You can import an older car. My car is 8 years old, but with very low mileage.

[archer_737]

What about the way back? Is it possible to ship a car bought in the UAE to Europe?
I guess isn't interesting for US as the cars seems to be cheap there too, but difference in price between UAE and Europe seems to be around 30%.

[Dubaian]

Exporting to Europe and successful registration there depends on exact model and spec. All cars brought new into the UAE comply with GCC specifications. These may or may not match with those in force wherever you want to register the car in Europe.
I believe there are no great differences these days but expert advice will be needed to confirm.

[ManaAdaSystem]

Yes, you can, but the car is likely to be a Gulf Spec car, so your could get into problems when you want to get it on the road in your own country.
You can get around that problem if you buy a new car and order a car that has your own countrys specs. That car may or may not be suitable for the ME climate, so it's sort of a catch 22.
Then you also have to check if you need to pay any taxes when you bring it home.

[archer_737]

Well, not all the brands publish their prices in the website, but taking as example Porsche, who does, we can compare a porsche boxster (basic).

Boxster in Dubai: 196000AED--->41000€
The new Boxster - Boxster Overview - Models - Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG (http://www.porsche.com/middle-east/_dubai_/models/boxster/boxster/)

Boxster in Spain:54000€
El nuevo Boxster - Todos los Boxster - Modelos - Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG (http://www.porsche.com/spain/models/boxster/boxster/)

The price difference in this model is 13000€, that is a lot of money (24% less than the Spanish price)!

Edit: was writing at the same time as you guys. Are there any differences in the manufacturing of a car for the Gulf? I guess things like air filter (due to sand) etc... but, mechanically? Maybe different wheels for 4x4, specially designed for the dessert?

I realized that some cars does not exist in Europe (at least in Spain) like the Toyota Sequoia. In this case you may find problems because this car maybe was not authorized in Spain because of the big size (same as some Hummers). But, talking about same models which already exist in EU...

[pzu]

Early '70's

The 'exciting' trip home Drive from UAE to Europe - remember it was the Shah's Iran

Method 1 - By Dhow to Busheir having arranged Insurance Bond to cover Irani Duty's then drive to Turkey cross the Bosphorus and various options to final destination

Bond was essential as if vehicle was involved in accident and written off Import Duties had to be paid

Rumour had it that Insurance company would arrange for write off's to be crushed and exported from Iran but failing to reach Turkey to avoid said Duties

Method 2 - As above to Busheir then North to Russia - with the right contacts it was allegedly possible to get the 'correct paperwork' to transit from Iran into the then USSR!!!

Method 3 - The easy way - Fly using the then TMA to either Frankfurt or London, mate did it with a Datsun 240C (yes a C not a Z) cost him about £400 at that time!!!

I planned Method 1, but then found that my motor (Pontiac Acadian) was too old for the Insurance Bond!!!

PZULBA - Out of Africa (Retired)

[Airmann]

Unfortunately, due to the state of the world today its not possible but driving through Saudi into Egypt and across to Morocco and then Spain might have been an option. Could have been possible around 5 years ago.

[archer_737]

I was thinking more in a container and a ship ;)
Could be nice to cross the north of Africa and make a stop to say helllo to the guys in Benghazi :E

[Dubaian]

You could buy new RHD vehicles in Dubai. LandRovers were popuar. Keep it for at least year to avoid UK duty. Then for only £1,000 cash, Cargolux would put it in a 747 freighter. The owner + 3 pax could go 'upstairs' (bring your own booze and sarnies). Drop off at Stanstead. Nice little sideline for Cargolux who would otherwise have been going back empty.
Those were the days......my friends

[Dubaian]

A colleague of mine once bought an ex-Embassy owned RHD Vauxhall VX490 in Jeddah and drove it home to UK via Jordan, Syria, Turkey, etc.......
Rolled off the ferry at Dover c/w wife and young family, etc etc......

"Anything to declare, Sir?"
"No"
"What about the car, Sir?"


:=

[Easy Ryder]

Great info NG :ok:

Now to find out if I can import a hot rod....

[JerJack]

That is a really good price for U.S. to the Middle East, especially if it went off without a hitch. Just be careful of bait & switch pricing schemes, which seem more prevalent with overseas transport. I've done this twice, once with Ship Overseas and once with A-1 Auto Transport (https://www.a1autotransport.com/ship-car-to-abu-dhabi.php). Their prices were more or less the same, but Ship Overseas certainly made up for it with some additional fees along the way. Make sure you look for experience & professionalism--it can save you a lot of time, trouble and money.

[journeyman]

Further to archer_737's enquiry: Anybody have any info on exporting a GCC spec car to the US for personal use?

[Gulfstreamaviator]

Just completed. now on UK road.


Californian export to UAE then on to UK.....


Glf

[thrustidle74]

Hi Glf,

Can you give some details please?

Company you used, is it worth it, total cost, how it feels like driving on the wrong side etc

We might do the same before I sell the car here next month if its worth it.

Cheers

TI74

[Gulfstreamaviator]

Briefly, UK agent was ShipMyCar.com and they arranged pretty much everything.


UAE to UK plus all UK paperwork, and tax/MOT/plates/service was about £3300. Only thing you have to do is get the Car export test certificate in the UAE and fill it with all your stuff! (Contents will not be insured however)


They were very polite and did a great job, but the comms eg progress reports were a bit lacking.


Bottom line, well worth it overall and I'm driving my beloved Mustang again over here.

[thrustidle74]

Thanks Glf,

I also got a quote from the same company, mine came to 4000£ probably being an SUV.

I guess you'll be driving your Tang as a secondary car, mine will be the primary drive around car, in my case with the petrol and insurance it might not worth it.

Many thanks

TI74

[Gulfstreamaviator]

first is a SUPRA...................lol

[Reinhardt]

You can have good bargains from say Miami or Norfolk to DOHA, considering the market conditions. Just be careful of bait & switch pricing schemes, which seem more prevalent with overseas transport. We did this twice, once with Export Overseas and the other time with A-1 Auto Transport (https://www.a1autotransport.com/ship-car-to-abu-dhabi.php). They had equivalent prices, but Export Overseas did come along for the job with some additional fees along the way. Make sure you look for experience & professionalism--it's your car, and you don't want to recover it as a wreck in the DOHA harbour.
QR pilots have discounts ...