
What is the San Francisco International Car Shipping Services?
If you’re shipping a car internationally from the Far East, Australia, New Zealand, or Latin America, the Port of San Francisco is one of your best options. Once one of the busiest ports on the West Coast, the Port of San Francisco has since been surpassed by other major ports such as Los Angeles/Long Beach and Oakland. Due to the limited amount of size available along the peninsula, San Francisco does not handle as much containerized cargo as its neighboring port across the Bay in Oakland.
Since there is limited availability of containerized cargo in San Francisco, the predominant method of international auto transport uses the roll-on, roll-off method, also known as “RORO.” This is an affordable method of shipping a vehicle to another country and is relatively hassle-free as far as the process goes. Your car is driven onto a ship and securely stored and then simply driven off when it reaches its destination.
Shipping a car in a container is more suited to people who need to ship other items as well: clothes, furniture, personal items, etc. A moving container is a great option if you are relocating to another country, either permanently or temporarily.
If you’re considering shipping a car from San Francisco to another country, call us today to find out how we can help! We offer FREE price quotes and are happy to answer your questions over the phone or by email!

Shipping A Vehicle Overseas From the Bay Area
Ask Questions - The number of companies offering services for international auto transport can be a little overwhelming. Some companies are shippers, some are brokers, some are freight forwarders, and some are a combination of the three. When you contact a company to get a cost estimate, ask them about their role in the process and any other questions or concerns you may have. This is an important part of both learning what’s involved and assessing the quality of a company’s customer service and professionalism.
Organize Documents - One of the questions you should ask the companies you contact (and have researched yourself, hopefully) is what documents are required for sending a car to another country. We cover some basics here, but some countries require more than others. It’s generally a good idea to contact either the U.S. Embassy or the government body in charge of imports to where you’re considering shipping.
Get It In Writing - In so far as it relates to dispatching a vehicle, do not accept anything as contractually binding unless it is in writing. You are hiring someone to do a service, so no promises made over the phone or on a website matter if they’re not clearly spelled out in the shipping contract. You should not make any type of payment until you have seen and agreed upon a contract with a shipper.
