Table of Contents

Taxes & Duties When Shipping A Vehicle To Germany
Typical Shipping Prices – How Much Does It Cost?
Cost & Time Examples For Shipping a Car to Germany
Popular Germany Shipping Destinations:
Required Documents For Shipping A Vehicle To Germany
Germany Auto Transport Resources
Shipping Of Heavy Equipment & Oversized Cargo To Germany
Other Services
Related Information & FAQs

Taxes & Duties When Shipping A Vehicle To Germany

Shipping A Car To Germany.

Typical Shipping Prices – How Much Does It Cost?

The typical shipping costs for a car from the U.S. to Germany are $1,800 to $3,900, with much of the cost depending on which part of the U.S. you’re shipping from.

Both container and RORO shipping are generally available to Germany within the price range mentioned above.

Cost & Time Examples For Shipping a Car to Germany

To/From	Ground	Ocean	Days
San Jose, CA to (California port) to Bremerhaven	$200	$3,000	5+30
Denver, CO to (California port) to Bremerhaven	$775	$3,000	7+30
Boston, MA to (New York port) to Bremerhaven	$400	$2,100	5+12
Portland, OR to (California port) to Bremerhaven	$475	$3,000	6+30
Phoenix, AZ to (California port) to Bremerhaven	$550	$3,000	6+30
Detroit, MI to (New York port) to Bremerhaven	$575	$2,100	6+12
Chicago, IL to (New York port) to Bremerhaven	$675	$2,100	6+12
Los Angeles to (California port) to Bremerhaven	$350	$3,000	5+30
Memphis, TN to (New York port) to Bremerhaven	$800	$2,100	6+12
Miami, FL to (New York port) to Bremerhaven	$925	$2,100	7+12

*Prices and times are estimated. They can vary depending on the season and the type of vehicle.

*Save the ground transport cost by delivering the vehicle to the nearest port.

*Allow an additional 10 days to process the documents.

*Prices are for 1 car in a dedicated 20ft container. This is the safest and most reliable way to transport a vehicle internationally. Other items may be included in the container to help save you money when moving.

*Using the RoRo (roll on, roll off) method is less expensive and shipments can be completed in fewer days. Contact us now for a free RoRo quote.

It can be complicated to ship a vehicle internationally, but the import and export laws of Germany are more or less consistent with the United States, which makes the process a little easier than it would be from some other parts of the world. As a general rule, the duty on imported autos in Germany is 10% and there’s also a value added tax (VAT) of 20%. For motorcycles, the duty is usually between 6% and 8%. For more information about the value-added tax in Germany, this resource has a good explanation.

*Note that the value added percentages on vehicle imports can fluctuate slightly depending on a number of factors.

Germany has strict environmental standards, which can cause an unexpected expense for people that are having a car shipped to the country. There are also restrictive environmental zones in the country, which require a sticket if you’re going to operate a vehicle in the area.

If you’re becoming a permanent resident of Germany and forfeiting residence in the U.S., you may be able to import a vehicle without paying duties. This is contingent on being a new resident and having been outside of the country for 12 months consecutively.

Something that shouldn’t be overlooked when transporting a vehicle to Germany is that many of the roads are smaller and narrower than in the U.S., which can make it difficult to navigate with the larger, wider vehicles that are more common in the States.

Popular Germany Shipping Destinations:

A-1 Auto Transport ships vehicles worldwide. Click Here or call 1-800-518-8708 to get a free, no obligation to buy price quote to ship your car.

Required Documents For Shipping A Vehicle To Germany

The paperwork needed to ship a car to Germany is pretty standard as far as import and export laws for vehicles. Here’s what you’ll need to make sure everything goes smoothly when moving your car, truck or motorcycle to the country.

Original title & registration.
Passport.
Export permit (from U.S.)
Proof of insurance.
Bill of lading.
German driver's license.
Proof of ownership.
German registration (Anmeldebestatigung)

If you have questions about required forms or documents before shipping a car to Germany, your auto transport company should be able to explain the details and give you any assistance you might need along the way, including forms, documents, laws, duties, permits, licensing and taxation.

How to register your vehicle in Germany.

Germany Auto Transport Resources

U.S. Embassy In Germany - Information and resources for U.S. citizens in Germany, including citizenship, visas, security and general assistance with living in Germany for residents of the United States.

Getting Around In Germany - Learn the rules of the road for Germany, including right-of-way, licensing, legal and parking issues, traffic regulations and other resources for driving in the country.

Shipping Of Heavy Equipment & Oversized Cargo To Germany

Shipping heavy equipment or oversized cargo to Germany requires precision and a logistical aptitude that come with decades of overseas shipping. At A-1 Auto Transport, we have that experience to get your cargo to Germany and help you through all the permitting and regulatory processes along the way. Depending on what your shipping, there are going to be different procedures to get it there. Size, weight, and industry all play a part in the process and we are happy to have a wide array of successful transports in our history. Just in recent experience we have shipped:

Pile drivers
Pavers
Cranes
Large trucks and heavy vehicles
Engineering equipment
Agricultural equipment & machinery
Forklifts
Hydraulic equipment
Engines
Tractors, combines & other farm equipment
Backhoes and excavators
RVs and motorhomes
Industrial equipment

There are several ways to ship your oversized cargo and/or heavy equipment to Germany. The following methods are the most popular, yet we are open to special cases and welcome a call concerning those.

Lift On/Lift Off (LoLo) is a common form of transport for inoperable cargo like boats, crated equipment, or machinery. A bit more expensive than container and RoRo shipping due to the use of a crane and the precision involved.
Roll On/Roll Off, also known as RoRo Shipping is the most inexpensive way to transport heavy equipment or oversized cargo overseas. Given that your cargo is wheeled and operable, it will be stored within the ship’s hull. This shipping method requires the use of a ship’s ramp and there are height restrictions depending on the vessel and hull size.
Flat Rack shipping is a form of international transport that allows the most flexibility when it comes to your oversized cargo. Comes in variations of a flat rack, or a shipping container sans walls to allow your cargo to be attached to the corner points of the container frame. Your heavy cargo will be secured and then placed on the back of the ship. Since this type of shipping exposes your cargo to the elements you may want to consider having it shrink wrapped.
Container shipping is what most people are familiar with as it’s easy to see ships stacked high with shipping containers. As far as oversized cargo is concerned, 40ft shipping containers may be too small for your purposes. This is the most expensive and secure form of shipping we have available. It will protect your cargo from the outdoor elements.

Other Services

Related Information & FAQs

Written By:Joe Webster

Joe Webster began his journey in the auto transport field by attending the University of Southern California (USC), where he graduated with a Bachelor of Business Marketing.

After college, he started his career in the auto transport industry from the bottom up and has done virtually every job there is to do at A-1 Auto Transport, including but not limited to: Truck Driver, Dispatch, Sales, PR, Bookkeeping, Transport Planner, Transport Manager, International Transport Manager, Brokering, Customer Service, and Marketing. Working with his mentor Tony Taylor, Joe Webster has learned the ins and outs of this industry which is largely misunderstood.

With over 30 years experience in the industry, we've been helping people ship their vehicles, motorcycles, RV's, heavy equipment, household goods and more across the country or overseas without a hitch. Ask us anything.

Table of Contents

Taxes & Duties When Shipping A Vehicle To Germany
Typical Shipping Prices – How Much Does It Cost?
Cost & Time Examples For Shipping a Car to Germany
Popular Germany Shipping Destinations:
Required Documents For Shipping A Vehicle To Germany
Germany Auto Transport Resources
Shipping Of Heavy Equipment & Oversized Cargo To Germany
Other Services
Related Information & FAQs

Satisfied Customers

“The only thing I can say about A1 Auto Transport and Joe is they’re the only transport company you’ll ever need. They moved our vehicle to Virginia in February and the car got there on the exact day they promised. The driver notified us all throughout the transport. After a couple months, we had to go back to Rhode Island thanks to work. I found someone cheaper and figured I’d save a couple bucks. Big mistake. The driver was 10 hours late. He arrived at 2 am, woke up our kids, then yelled at us for complaining about it. I showed him the finger and he took off, leaving our cars stuck in the driveway. We had to catch a flight in 4 days. I called Joe. He was on vacation, and he still made it 1 day before our flight to pick up our cars. The driver was excellent, professional, and super friendly. Transportation went smoothly and we got our vehicles back 6 hours early. We met Joe once more when picking them up, and it was just perfect. As far as we’re concerned, they’re the perfect company.”

Perfect company

★★★★★

“Dear Mark, Thank you so much for your help in getting our classic car to us in record time. It was a bit unnerving at first as we bought the car on Ebay and then not knowing for sure where the car was being stored while waiting for delievery. We were assured that the car was being stored in at you facility out of the sun's damaging rays. We appreicate that. We were told that the car would be picked up on Aug 8th and we thought that was a bit longer than agreed upon however, the car was picked up on August 4th and delievered to us in Arkansas on the 9th. I might add it was transported in a wonderful fashion and your drivers were absolutley wonderful with the car. Thanks again. We would use your company again without a question. ”

Ron Van P.

★★★★★

“I took a photo of my Mazda sedan and sent it to Kansas using A1 Auto Transport. My car arrived in the same condition according to my sister. She told me the staff was very friendly. They even waited for my sister to send me the photos of my car with them. Such a reliable transport company!”

Such a reliable transport company!

★★★★★

“My experience with A1 auto transport was pretty great. Joe makes it so simple. If I had to note a couple things, it would be: A1 auto transport isn’t a broker, so you’ll get a better price than usual. Read some of the articles to get a feeling for this transportation business. Finally, you’re going to love it! Joe is on point. If you’ve got problems, don’t hesitate to call him. The faster you do it, the sooner it’ll get fixed. By the way, I called them to transport my car from Texas to North Carolina. It arrived on time and without a scratch.”

Transporting my car from Texas to North Carolina

★★★★★

“We were going back to Ohio after a job opportunity didn’t work out. The whole family was tired, and we just wanted to get back home and start over. I used A1 Auto Transport to transport my car when I first moved, and they did a good job, so I called them again. I explained to Joe my situation, and he was very understanding. I was not in the mood for any drawn out discussions. He picked up on that and went straight to the point. He suggested we use the same arrangements we had when I first used their services, and I agreed immediately. The car was moved using the same open trailer and driver as before. This was reassuring, as I knew the man was good at his job, and everything went well the last time. Nothing unfortunate happened this time either, and the car was delivered in 4 days. It was in good condition. They informed me each day of its location, but I didn’t bother replying because moving my family and all my belongings took all my time. I’m better now and would like to thank Joe and his team sincerely for all they’ve done! I’ll gladly recommend you to my friends.”

We were going back to Ohio after a job opportunity didn’t work out.

★★★★★