Ship Car To Dubai

United Arab Emirates (AE)

What's in this article?

Car Shipping Dubai
Shipping A Car To Dubai
General Information
Cost Considerations
Required Documents For Shipping A Car To Dubai
Upon Arrival
Duties When Shipping A Vehicle To Dubai
Additional Paperwork Requirements
Regulations When Shipping A Vehicle To Dubai
Shipping Options For Motorcycles
Shipping Options For Recreational Vehicles
Sources

Car Shipping Dubai

Shipping A Car To Dubai

Typical Shipping Prices – How Much Does It Cost?

From the United States, the majority of car shipping delivers to Dubai can be made for $3,000 to $7,000.
The best ways to minimize the cost are to ship your vehicle in a transport container, which can be split with another party to further reduce the total cost.

The Information you need when exporting your vehicle from the U.S. to Dubai (one of the seven United Arab Emirates)

General Information.

One of the most important things you can do when importing your vehicle to Dubai is to choose the right international shipper. This should be a company with a great deal of experience in shipping to Dubai, and well aware of all the requirements both at the port of origin and the port of destination. A knowledgeable company that anticipates problems before they occur could mean the difference between a smooth transport and a long hang-up. You can gain an understanding of the relevant regulations yourself by browsing through Dubai Shipping Customs Regulations.

There are several ports in the south from which your vehicle might depart, including Port Everglades, Miami, Houston, or Galveston, or several on the eastern and western coasts. To determine which port would be closest to your home, you can check a map of U.S. Ports. This will be important in figuring whether you need to have your vehicle shipped door-to-port (picked up at your home) or port-to-port (you drive it to the shipping port). There are two main ports in Dubai which could serve as the destination port, Port Rashid, and Jebel Ali, both of which are operated under the auspices of the Dubai Ports Authority.

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Cost Considerations.

There are several things that will affect the cost of transporting your vehicle to Dubai. One of those was mentioned above, the door-to-port vs. port-to-port plan for getting the vehicle to its point of origin. The next thing to determine is whether it will be shipped in an exclusive container (the most expensive option), a shared container (slightly less expensive), or shipped via RORO, which stands for ‘roll-on/roll-off’, and means your car will be driven on and off the ship and will be exposed during transport.

Other factors affecting cost will be the amount of insurance purchased if any, the size of your vehicle, and possibly the time of year if it’s at a time when fewer departures are scheduled. Don’t forget to include taxes and any other port-imposed tariffs which might be levied. Your shipping carrier will probably be aware of all these and can help you plan for them.

Once you know all these, your shipping carrier will be able to give you a fairly accurate quote for the entire operation.

Required Documents For Shipping A Car To Dubai

In many cases, your shipping carrier will be able to advise you on all the necessary paperwork required end-to-end for a hassle-free transport to Dubai, but you may want to make yourself aware of these issues as well, so as to avoid any snags in the process.

Certificate of origin or title.
Invoice with shipper's information.
Bill of lading.
Order of delivery (from shipper).
Passport & Visa (or residence permit).
Value estimate.

Eligibility. Make sure your vehicle is eligible to be shipped to another country. The exact laws governing eligibility are listed in Title 19 of the U.S. File with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. This is one of those areas that may be handled by your shipper, but be sure and confirm this. Documentation must be submitted to this agency at least 72 hours before the vehicle can be exported, and it is advisable to allow even more time.

Upon Arrival

Retrieving the vehicle. If anyone other than the registered owner is picking up the vehicle at the destination port, written authorization is necessary to avoid complications regarding identity.
Title transfer. After the vehicle has been successfully shipped and retrieved, it will be necessary to transfer the title over to follow the required Dubai standards. You may also have to get the vehicle inspected and pay additional taxes.

Vehicle registration process in Dubai.

Duties When Shipping a Vehicle To Dubai

Duty exemption doesn’t appear to be available, when shipping a vehicle to Dubai. Customs charges import duty of 5% on all vehicles during processing, plus it seems value-added tax (VAT) of 5% will also be imposed. A $300 fee is also levied on vehicle shipments that don’t include the original documentation required by customs (1).

Additional Paperwork Requirements

In addition to the paperwork required to import a vehicle covered above, you must acquire a Vehicle Clearance Certificate (usually provided two to three days after processing). The traffic department requires this document after your vehicle enters the United Arab Emirates. Also, customs mandates that you list the engine number, gross weight, year, chassis number, color and model number on your import paperwork (2).

Regulations When Shipping a Vehicle To Dubai

Customs doesn’t permit left-hand drive vehicles to be imported. If your vehicle has tinted glass, it’s also not eligible to be shipped to Dubai. Special permission from the agent in the local office processing your shipment is required, if you wish to import a vehicle manufactured more than 10 years ago (3). In addition, be aware that a UAE Residence Visa is not only mandatory to clear your vehicle through customs - you can’t register it in the country without this document (4).

Shipping Options For Motorcycles

When transporting a motorcycle overseas to Dubai, you can choose crated, container or roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) shipping. Crated shipping provides an extra layer of protection - which is especially appealing if your bike is an expensive or classic model. Container shipping also offers full protection from other cargo and the elements, but you will have to carefully secure the bike with wheel chocks and tie-down straps. With their much larger size, containers also allow you to move other items along with your bike, such as household belongings. Finally, RoRo shipping is a common and often economical choice.

Shipping Options For Recreational Vehicles

Since crated or container shipping isn’t workable for RVs (due to their large size), you can choose between RoRo, flat rack and LoLo (lift-on/lift-off) shipping. RoRo shipping makes the unloading process straightforward - which is especially helpful if you plan to drive the RV directly out of port.

Flat rack shipping utilizes an open container, which has no roof or sides. The vehicle is placed on the open platform, and lifted by crane onto the ship. Flat rack shipping is often used for overweight machinery and other heavy loads - so the weight of any RV should be accommodated without issue. However, there are size constraints, as the vehicle’s wheelbase must rest firmly on the platform.

Your last option is shipping on a LoLo vessel, which is equipped with its own crane and usually offers configurable deck space. This enables it to handle oversized vehicles with ease, such as large Class A RVs. A primary benefit of LoLo ships is their ability to dock at many more ports than RoRo vessels (which have more restrictive docking requirements).