Paris is a beautiful and exciting city to move to in France and can become quite expensive if you have to rent a car to drive where you need to go. Shipping your car to Paris will not only save you on driving expenses but can make the transition to a new country seem much more like home even quicker. Paris is the capital of France and is filled with beautiful architecture and scenery that makes driving oneself vital in order to enjoy all of the landmark beauty of the city. You will need to hire a reputable international auto shipper to take care of all of your shipping needs to assure your car will be delivered to Paris in a timely manner and in pristine condition. The shipping agent will require you to provide the company with documents prior to shipping the car. The documents they will need are:
- Driverโs License
- Social Security Card
- Signed Power of Attorney
- Auto Insurance Certificate
- Car Title and Registration
Your agent will provide you with all of the necessary paperwork that will need to be filled out as well as information on Customs requirements that you will need to adhere to for exporting your car out of the United States.
Requirements of Customs in Paris
You need to be aware of specific guidelines set forth by Customs in France before you have the vehicle shipped overseas. When importing a vehicle to Paris there are many regulations that need to be followed precisely. Some of those are:
You will first need to make sure that any modifications that need to do to your vehicle have been complete prior to shipping to Paris. Your car must meet all requirements in France in order to clear Customs. You must produce a registration for the vehicle that clearly shows your name and will also need a commercial invoice or the original bill of sale for the vehicle. Vehicles importing from the United States or Canada will require that a VAT (Value Added Tax) at the rate of 19.6% of the vehicle value must be paid prior Customs Clearance in Paris. Duties will be collected by the French Customs and Excise Service at the port of entry to France. If you have a Commercial Invoice the duty fee will be based on the amount listed on the invoice. If there is no Commercial Invoice then the value will be assessed by the agent based on Blue Book value as listed in the United States. You will also need to file for a T1 Declaration in order to use your vehicle on the roadways in Paris. Once your vehicle has cleared Customs, you will have to apply to register the car in Paris and receive a French domestic license plate in order to operate the vehicle while in Paris. This must be procured within 4 months of the vehicle arriving in Paris.
Before Your Vehicle Ships to Paris
Before your vehicle ships to Paris, you will need to work with the shipping agent to ensure that all paperwork and necessary documents are in order for shipping and Customs procedures. You will also need to discuss the cost of shipping as well as the ways that your car can be shipped. The cost will vary based on the Major Shipping Port that your car exports from and the distance to the location in France, the weight of your car and other details that the agent will go over with you. The agent will give you a quote showing the total amount due prior to shipping and once the vehicle arrives in Paris. There is one major port in Paris that receives vehicles that are imported and that port is the Le Havre Cruise Port. You can also ship by air to the Charles De Gaulle Airport that is located in Paris.
You can ship by RoRo Shipping or Container Shipping when shipping by sea. RoRo is the least expensive as well as the quickest way to ship by sea. Your vehicle will be driven onto the cargo ship in the United States, secured into place for the journey, and then driven off the ship when it reaches the port in Paris. Your vehicle must be emptied of all personal items and paperwork for RoRo Shipping. If you need to transport household goods and personal items with your vehicle, then shipping in a container is the best option. The shipping time will take a small amount of time longer than RoRo but is valuable when you need to ship your belongings with your car. You can also use Air Shipping and have your vehicle flown to Paris. Shipping by air cargo is the quickest way to have your car shipped internationally and is exceptionally valuable to those who need to have their personal vehicle in a short amount of time.
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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.
