Ship a car or classic from the USA to Germany

It depends on the US pickup location, the German port, and above all the container arrangement. A shared container is cheapest, a sole-use container costs more, and an enclosed arrangement 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. Get a free quote in 24 to 48 hours.

Sharing a container is the cheapest route on paper, and on an ordinary modern car it is a reasonable choice. On an original or restored classic it rarely is, because your vehicle is loaded alongside cargo you did not choose and handled more often. The sensible middle ground for a valuable car is a sole-use 20ft container.

RoRo often looks cheaper and it is the wrong choice for most cars going to Germany, because German buyers are usually buying condition. The vehicle is driven on, parked on an open deck and exposed for the crossing. For a work truck that is fine. For anything where paint matters it is a false economy.

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 like for like.

It scales with 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 wherever it happens to be rather than somewhere convenient. We include the figure in your quote.

Import duty, VAT, port handling, your customs agent's fee, inland transport, and the technical inspection and registration process. These are set and charged in Germany. Where the vehicle qualifies as a collectors' item the customs treatment differs substantially, which is why establishing that status early is worth real money.

Under the EU Combined Nomenclature, collectors' motor vehicles fall under heading 9705. The conditions, as set out by EU member state customs authorities, are that the vehicle is in its original state without substantial changes to the chassis, steering, braking, transmission or suspension system, is at least thirty years old, and is of a model or type no longer in production.

No. Repairing and restoring is allowed, and broken or worn-out parts, accessories and units can be replaced, provided the vehicle is preserved and maintained in its historically correct condition. What falls outside the classification is substantial modification. A sympathetic restoration is fine. A modernised drivetrain is a different matter.

Generally no. Modernised, hot-rodded and substantially modified vehicles are excluded from the collectors' classification, because the criteria turn on the vehicle being in its original state without substantial changes to major systems. If the car has a modern engine, brakes or suspension swapped in, expect it to be treated as an ordinary vehicle.

Customs authorities look for documentation establishing the year of manufacture and the vehicle's originality. That can include reference books, specialist literature, photographs, purchase documents, official vehicle documents, or the opinion of an independent inspection and valuation professional. Gather this before shipping rather than after the container arrives.

Possibly, and it is worth doing the arithmetic before you buy rather than after. The threshold is at least thirty years, and the difference in customs treatment either side of that line can exceed the entire cost of shipping on a modest car. Check the build date rather than the model year, since they are not always the same.

Parts and accessories for motor vehicles can be classified under the same heading provided they are original parts or accessories, are at least thirty years old, and are no longer in production. That matters if you are shipping a car with a crate of spares, since the spares may be classifiable separately from the vehicle.

Yes. The same requirements apply to motorcycles as to cars under the collectors' classification. American motorcycles also consolidate efficiently, since several fit the space of one car, so if you are moving more than one it is worth asking about a shared or sole-use container for the group.

For a valuable, restored or original car, sole-use or enclosed is the right answer. The vehicle is loaded once, secured properly, and not handled again until your port. Shared space is cheaper but means more handling and less control over timing. German buyers are typically buying condition, and condition is what container choice protects.

Loaded on 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. Where the straps attach is the detail that matters. Strapping over the body or through the chassis on an original car is how paint and underside damage happens.

Yes. A 40ft container takes two comfortably on most classic footprints, and shipping them together roughly halves the ocean cost per car. Racking allows more in some cases, though on valuable cars we usually prefer to keep the loading simple rather than maximise the count.

Yes, and it is often the efficient thing to do since spares travel far more cheaply alongside the vehicle than shipped separately. Everything must be declared on the export filing, and original parts over thirty years old may be classifiable differently from modern ones. Send us the full inventory rather than adding items at loading.

Bremerhaven is Europe's principal vehicle handling port and the most common destination for American cars. Hamburg is the larger container port and often suits containerised vehicles moving inland. Which one is better depends on where the car is going after it lands rather than which looks closer on a map.

Yes, and it is frequently the better routing. The Benelux ports have very high sailing frequency from the US East Coast, and the inland leg into western Germany can be short. Tell us the delivery address rather than the port and we will suggest the routing that actually gets the car there soonest.

Most commonly our East Coast warehouses in New Jersey, Savannah and Baltimore, since the North Europe services run heavily from there. Houston is available where the vehicle is bought in the south or west. The loading point affects both cost and transit time, so we choose it around where you actually buy.

Yes. Landlocked destinations in central Europe are normally served through the North Sea ports with an inland leg. We deliver to the port of discharge and your agent handles the movement onward. Tell us the final destination and we will route the ocean leg accordingly.

Standard carrier liability is not the same 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.

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

You claim, and the strength of the claim rests entirely on the condition evidence gathered before loading. This is the single most neglected step in shipping a valuable car and the one that decides whether a claim succeeds or becomes an argument. Photograph thoroughly and keep the record.

We handle the US side, including the filing in the Automated Export System, known as AES or EEI. You provide the title or equivalent ownership document and the bill of sale. German import duty, VAT and clearance are handled at destination by your customs agent, and we supply the documentation they need.

No. Destination clearance is done by a licensed customs agent in Germany, and registration is a separate process involving technical inspection. We are the ocean carrier, we deliver to the port of discharge, and we provide the paperwork your agent needs. Be cautious with any company claiming to clear customs everywhere.

Vehicles under thirty years old face the standard technical approval process, and US-specification cars sometimes need work on lighting or other details before registration. Older vehicles registered as historic are generally assessed differently. This is a destination question for your inspector, but it is worth researching before you bid.

The North Europe lane from the US East Coast is one of the more frequent services we run, so transit is generally predictable, though it depends on the loading port, carrier schedule and any transshipment. In practice the paperwork more often extends the timeline than the sailing does. We give a concrete schedule with the quote.

Within 24 to 48 hours in normal cases. Send the vehicle details including the VIN and build year, the US pickup location, and your German destination. On a classic, tell us whether it is original or modified, because that affects the advice we give as much as the freight. Request a quote

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 number is public and verifiable with the Federal Maritime Commission. On a car worth serious money, check the licence of whoever you hand it to.