Rotterdam is one of the largest shopping centers in all of the Netherlands making it one of the perfect locations to have a car shipped to. Whether you have located to Rotterdam for work, school or just to be able to live in a beautiful city, youโll realize that having your own car to drive is not only convenient, but it can quite well be a necessity for reliable transportation when you need to get somewhere quickly. As with shipping or traveling anywhere internationally, there are rules and regulations with shipping a car overseas and you will need to supply specific documents to the auto transport company as well as to customs officials when the car reaches Rotterdam. For the shipping company, you will need to provide your photo identification, insurance paperwork, social security number and a signed Power of Attorney form. You will also need to provide them with a copy of your title or registration to your car. Your shipping agent will detail fully what paperwork is necessary.
Importing Regulations for Rotterdam
You will need to know the importation rules for the Netherlands when having your personal vehicle shipped to Rotterdam. Customs officials will need to see your Passport, Driverโs License. Car Title and Insurance Paperwork at the customs checkpoint. If you have moved to Rotterdam and are a permanent resident you will need to have your car registered at your local RDW office and must have local license plates and vehicle registration for the car when driving. If you are just visiting Rotterdam for a short time period you will be able to keep your license plate and registration from the United States while you and your vehicle are visiting. Permanent residents who have lived in Rotterdam for at least one year are eligible to apply with the local customs office for exemption from paying the import duties and taxes on importing a personal vehicle. If you are not a permanent resident however, you will need to pay import duties, taxes on the value of your car as well as a green tax for emissions. In order to import your car to Rotterdam you must have owned the car for at least a time period of six months or longer prior to the date of import. The Netherlands Embassy in Washington, DC can fill you in on import regulations concerning vehicles as well as personal items that you may need to have imported as well.
Available Shipping Transport Methods
While it would be nice to simply be able to drive a vehicle over a bridge to any country of choice, it just is not possible. You must choose a method of shipping your vehicle overseas to Rotterdam. These are the available shipping transport methods for shipping your personal vehicle to Rotterdam:
RoRo Shipping- This method allows your personal vehicle to be shipped easily and quite efficiently internationally in the quickest time possible for sea travel to Rotterdam from the United States. Your car will be emptied of anything personal from the interior and may also need exterior items that could possibly come off during shipping such as ground lights or antennas to be removed in preparation for the shipment.
Cargo Container- Shipping your personal vehicle inside of a shipping container is preferred by many who have relocated to Rotterdam to live permanently as containers make it possible to have household goods shipped at the same time the vehicle is shipped. Your agent will go over the container sizes available and will help you choose the one that is right for your shipment needs.
Air Shipping- Many people who have classic vehicles want to know that their pride and joy will be with them in Rotterdam in a short amount of time. Shipping by air instead of by sea is the fastest way to ship a vehicle internationally to Rotterdam.
For more great information on international shipping, you can check this article that is filled with valuable insights to cost and ways to ship.
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.
