How to ship a classic car from the USA to Europe

It depends on the US pickup location, the European port, and above all the container type. A shared container is the cheapest option, a standard sole-use container costs more, and an enclosed or dedicated container for a high-value car costs more again. Because we are a direct NVOCC rather than a broker, the figure you get is the carrier rate without a resale margin on top. Get a free quote in 24 to 48 hours.

Sharing a container is the cheapest route, but on a valuable or original car the saving is rarely worth it, because your vehicle is loaded alongside cargo you did not choose. The sensible middle ground is a sole-use 20ft container, which keeps the car alone without paying for enclosed handling. On a genuinely valuable car, spend the money.

RoRo is often cheaper on paper and it is the wrong choice for most classics. The car is driven on and parked on an open vehicle deck, handled by people who have never seen it before, exposed to salt air for the crossing. For a modern runabout that is fine. For an original or restored car it is a false economy, and it is why our classic work is containerized.

Usually because they are broker quotes that move once booked, or they exclude pickup, loading, and export filing, or they are quoting RoRo against our container price without saying so. Ask what container type is included and what is excluded, then compare on the same basis.

It scales with the distance from the seller or auction to our loading warehouse in New Jersey, Savannah, Houston, or Baltimore. On classics this matters more than usual, because the car is often bought from a private seller in a location chosen by chance rather than convenience. We include the figure in the quote rather than adding it later.

Import duty and VAT, port handling, your customs agent's fee, and inland delivery. These are set by the destination country and paid at that end. Classic cars over a certain age qualify for reduced rates in several European jurisdictions, which is worth asking your customs agent about before you ship, because the saving can be substantial.

For a valuable, restored, or original car, enclosed or sole-use is the right answer. The vehicle is loaded once, secured properly, and not handled again until it reaches your port. Shared container space is cheaper but your car travels alongside other cargo and is subject to more handling. On a car you cannot replace, the container is not where you economize.

A sole-use container carries only your vehicle, so nothing else is loaded or unloaded around it and no one else's schedule affects yours. A shared container splits the cost between shipments, which is cheaper but means more handling and less control over timing. For classics we generally recommend sole-use.

Properly done, the car is loaded onto its own wheels, braced with wheel chocks and soft straps at the suspension or wheels rather than the bodywork, and blocked so it cannot move in transit. The detail that matters is where the straps attach. Strapping over the body or through the chassis on an original car is how paint and underside damage happens.

Yes, and a 40ft container holds two comfortably with room to spare on most classic footprints. If you are buying more than one, shipping them together roughly halves the ocean cost per car. Racking systems allow more in some cases, though on valuable cars we usually prefer to keep the loading simple.

Requirements vary with the carrier and the routing, and there are rules on fuel levels for containerized vehicles. Disconnecting the battery is generally sensible regardless. We tell you the specific requirements for your booking rather than giving a blanket answer, because getting this wrong can mean the container is refused at loading.

You need the title or equivalent ownership document and the bill of sale. We handle the US export filing in the Automated Export System, known as AES or EEI. US Customs requires the documentation in advance of sailing, so late paperwork means a missed vessel rather than a delayed one.

Typically yes, and it is worth preparing before you ship rather than after. Many European regimes treat vehicles over a certain age differently for duty purposes, and the evidence usually needs to show the year of manufacture rather than the year of registration. Your customs agent at destination will tell you exactly what form that evidence must take.

This happens on older vehicles, particularly cars that have sat for decades, and the answer depends on the state and the vehicle's age. Some states issue titles for older cars differently or not at all. Send us what you actually hold and we will tell you whether it is exportable rather than guessing from a description.

Yes, and it is more common than people think. A partially dismantled car may ship with its removed components crated alongside it in the same container. The paperwork needs to describe what is actually in the box, because a declaration that says one car and a container holding a shell plus six crates is where problems start.

We ship to the major European container ports across the north and the Mediterranean, including the Benelux and German ports serving northern Europe and the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese ports serving the south. Which one suits you depends on where the car is going after it lands, not just which is nearest on a map. See our Italy guide.

Usually the one with the best onward connection to your final address, which is not always the nearest. A larger port with more frequent sailings can mean a shorter total time even if the inland leg is longer. Tell us the delivery address rather than the port and we will suggest the routing.

Yes. The Mediterranean lanes are active for classic cars and Italy in particular has strong and long-standing demand for American vehicles, from muscle cars to fifties cruisers. Genoa, Livorno, La Spezia and Civitavecchia all handle vehicle cargo, and the Iberian ports of Barcelona, Valencia, Lisbon and Leixoes serve the western end. We have detailed guides for both markets. See the Spain and Portugal guide.

Yes. Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland are all served through Gothenburg, Oslo, Copenhagen, Helsinki and Reykjavik. The Nordic market has an unusually strong enthusiasm for American classics relative to its size, and it is one of our established European lanes. Winter scheduling is worth discussing, since northern routings can be affected in the coldest months. See the Scandinavia guide.

Standard carrier liability is not the same thing as insuring your car for its value, and this is where owners of valuable vehicles get an unpleasant surprise. Carrier liability is limited by convention and is not calculated on what your car is worth. If the vehicle is valuable, arrange marine cargo insurance for its actual value. Ask us and we will point you at how that is done.

You claim, and the strength of your claim depends entirely on the condition evidence gathered before loading. Photograph the car thoroughly at collection and at loading, and keep the record. A documented pre-shipment condition report is the difference between a claim that succeeds and one that becomes an argument.

Detailed photographs at collection and again at loading, covering the paint, the underside, the interior and the engine bay, with dates. We can provide a condition note on receipt at our warehouse. For a high-value car it is worth commissioning an independent inspection report. It costs little against the value and it settles disputes before they start.

The stages are collection, loading and export filing, then ocean transit, then clearance at your end. Transit varies by port pairing, carrier schedule and any transshipment. Realistically the variable that most often extends the timeline is paperwork rather than sailing time. We give you a concrete schedule with your quote.

Yes. A good share of classic work comes from private sales, estate sales and specialist dealers rather than auctions. We offer nationwide vehicle pickup and towing from any state in the USA, and for non-running or fragile cars we arrange appropriate equipment rather than a standard hook.

Yes, and many classics do not. A non-running car needs winching rather than driving and that changes the equipment at both collection and loading. It is entirely routine as long as we know in advance. A car described as running that turns out to be seized is what causes delays on the loading day.

No, and be cautious with anyone who claims to clear customs everywhere. Destination clearance is done by a licensed customs agent in that country. We are the ocean carrier, we deliver to the port of discharge, and we provide the documentation your agent needs. That boundary is worth understanding before you book, not after.

We are the NVOCC. Cassandra Logistics is a federally licensed Ocean Transportation Intermediary under FMC license OTI No. 025125NF, legally Royal Port Container Lines, Inc. DBA Cassandra Logistics. The licence is public and verifiable with the Federal Maritime Commission, and on a car worth serious money you should check the licence of whoever you hand it to.

On a car whose value runs into six figures, yes, without much hesitation. The extra cost of a sole-use or enclosed container is small measured against the value at risk, and it removes the main variable, which is other people handling cargo next to your vehicle. The question to ask is not what the container costs but what a repaint or a panel repair would cost at the other end.

Yes, and a good share of classic cars now come from US auctions rather than private sellers. The process is the same, with the addition that auction stock often has title timing to manage and sometimes needs winching because it has not run in years. Tell us the auction and lot at quote stage. See the auction export guide.

Yes. Classic motorcycles, small commercial vehicles and other collector machines all ship containerized, and motorcycles in particular consolidate well because several fit the space of one car. If you are moving a collection rather than a single vehicle, tell us the full list and we will work out the most efficient loading rather than pricing each one separately.