The ocean freight
What the vessel charges to carry the car between the origin and destination ports. It moves with the method, the port pair and the size of the vehicle, and it is the part most quotes lead with.
Vehicle export
How much it costs to ship a car overseas
A car crossing an ocean has no sticker price because it is an export, not a purchase. The number is quoted per vehicle and stacks three separate bills: the ocean freight itself, the import duty and tax the destination country charges, and the documentation work of the forwarder who arranges it. This page explains who does that work, how the vehicle rides the vessel, and where the customs sits, drawing on the Federal Maritime Commission's own definitions read on 2026-08-08. The quote comes from a person.
FMC wording citedRead 2026-08-08Priced by a person
Three bills, one car
Freight, destination duty and the forwarder's paperwork are separate lines. A single price hides all three.
Why the number arrives in three parts
Ask for a single figure and you will be quoted one part of three, usually the cheapest, and surprised by the rest. An overseas car is priced against the space it takes on a vessel between two ports, then the destination adds its own charges, then the forwarder bills the work of getting the paperwork right. Each part is set by a different party, which is why no checkout can print the total.
The destination charges
Import duty and tax assessed by the receiving country, often a meaningful share of the car's value, plus any compliance change needed before it can be registered. Set by the destination, not the shipper.
The forwarder's work
Preparing the export documentation, booking the space and handling the customs entry. It is the forwarder's own charge for that labor, and it is what keeps a car from sitting on a dock over a missing form.
Our own position sits underneath all of it. SMKlog sells United States domestic parcel labels at a checkout, and nothing in the calculator will price a car across an ocean. Vehicle and ocean requests go through freight review, where a person reads the lane and answers with what is possible. Everything below described as a requirement belongs to a regulator or a destination country, not to us.
Who you actually hire, and the register to check
A car going abroad is not booked with the road-transport broker who would move it between two US states. It is arranged by an ocean transportation intermediary, and the Federal Maritime Commission is the regulator that licenses them. Its own page, read 2026-08-08, defines the two kinds you will deal with and states plainly that both must be licensed.
| Question | Ocean freight forwarder | NVOCC |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A US company that arranges cargo movement abroad, books vessel space on behalf of shippers, and prepares the documentation | A common carrier that issues its own house bill of lading and does not operate the vessels |
| Whose paper the cargo moves on | The shipper's booking with the vessel operator | The NVOCC's own house bill of lading |
| License | Must obtain an FMC license under 46 CFR 515.3 | Must obtain an FMC license under 46 CFR 515.3 |
| Financial responsibility | Must submit proof of financial responsibility under 46 CFR Part 515 Subpart C | Same requirement |
| Regulator | Federal Maritime Commission, under the Shipping Act of 1984 | Federal Maritime Commission, under the Shipping Act of 1984 |
The practical use of that table is the same as checking a road carrier before a domestic move: confirm the company holds the license the law requires before any deposit clears. The difference is the register. A car moving between two states is handled under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which our cost to ship my car guide covers, while a car leaving the country falls under the Federal Maritime Commission instead. A company that cannot point to an FMC license is not the party that will put your car on a ship.
Roll-on/roll-off against a container
How the car rides the vessel is the biggest lever on the freight half of the bill, and there are two ways to do it. The choice is a trade between cost, protection and whether anything can travel with the car.
Roll-on/roll-off
The car is driven onto a dedicated vehicle deck and secured, then driven off at the far port. It is usually the lower-cost method and the simplest to book, and it suits a running, standard vehicle with nothing inside it.
A shared container
The car is loaded into a container with other vehicles or cargo. It costs more than roll-on/roll-off but encloses the car, and it opens the door to shipping a non-running vehicle that cannot be driven aboard.
A sole-use container
The car has a container to itself, the most protective and most expensive option, and the one that, depending on the destination's rules, may allow some personal belongings to travel with the vehicle.
A domestic sailing works differently again, and it is worth not confusing the two. A car to Hawaii travels under United States coastwise rules with no customs entry at the far end, which our vehicle to Hawaii guide sets out in full. An overseas car clears United States Customs on the way out and the destination country's customs on the way in, which is a different process and a different set of bills entirely.
Customs sits at both ends
Two customs desks touch an overseas car, and neither is optional. On the way out, United States export rules apply and the forwarder prepares the filing and presents the vehicle's title before it sails; the current requirements are published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and a reputable forwarder handles them as part of the job. On the way in, the destination country runs its own entry, assesses import duty and tax on the vehicle, and may require a compliance change before the car can be registered on local plates.
That second desk is where budgets break. Import duty on a vehicle can run to a large fraction of what the car is worth, it is set by the destination rather than negotiated, and it lands after the freight is already paid. The value thresholds and duty mechanics that govern cross-border shipments in general are laid out on our cross-border thresholds page, and a palletized parts shipment that travels separately from the car is a international pallet question. Price the whole move as freight plus destination charges plus the forwarder's work, never as one number, and start it through freight review.
Where these rules come from
- Federal Maritime Commission, Ocean Transportation Intermediaries — the definitions of an ocean freight forwarder and an NVOCC, the licensing requirement under 46 CFR 515.3, the proof of financial responsibility under 46 CFR Part 515 Subpart C, and the Shipping Act of 1984. Read 2026-08-08.
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Exporting a Motor Vehicle — the US export documentation and title presentation a forwarder handles. Listed as further reading; confirm the current requirements with your forwarder.
Federal requirements and destination-country import rules both change without warning. Treat the wording above as what the source published on the date shown, and read the current version, and your forwarder's, before you commit a vehicle.
Common questions
How much does it cost to ship a car overseas?
There is no list price, and this page prints none. An overseas car is an ocean export quoted per vehicle, per lane and per method, and the figure stacks three parts: the ocean freight, the destination country's import duty and tax, and the forwarder's documentation work. Send the vehicle details through freight review for a real quote.
Who arranges an overseas car shipment?
A licensed ocean transportation intermediary, not a road broker. The Federal Maritime Commission licenses ocean freight forwarders and non-vessel-operating common carriers under the Shipping Act of 1984, and both must hold an FMC license and proof of financial responsibility. Check that register before paying a deposit.
What is the difference between RoRo and container shipping?
How the car rides the vessel. Roll-on/roll-off means it is driven onto a dedicated vehicle deck, usually the lower-cost method; a container means it is loaded into a box that can be shared or booked whole, which adds protection and, depending on the destination, room for some belongings. The method is a large part of the price.
Are there customs charges at the destination?
Almost always. The destination country assesses import duty and tax on the vehicle, often a meaningful share of its value, and may require compliance changes before it can be registered. Those charges are separate from the ocean freight and are set by the destination, not the shipper.
Can SMKlog price or move a car overseas?
No. Our checkout sells United States domestic parcel labels, and a vehicle is neither a parcel nor a domestic move. Vehicle and ocean requests go through freight review, where a person reads the lane and answers with what is possible.