USA
Italy trade laneItaly has a real appetite for American cars: classic Mustangs, Corvettes and Cadillacs for collectors, American pickups and SUVs, and the cars that Italians and Americans relocating from the US bring with them. Since 1 July 2026 the EU has charged no import duty on US-origin industrial goods, cars included, which removes the 10% duty that used to apply to an American-built car — but import IVA, registration and the car's specification still decide whether it makes sense.
AGF handles the US side completely: collection from a dealer, auction or private seller, title submission to CBP, the export filing and the ocean booking. In Italy we work through WCA partner agents and licensed customs representatives who clear the car and hand it over for registration; AGF has no office in Italy.
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Shipping Cars & Classic Cars from USA to Italy
Cars ship in containers or by RoRo. A shared 40ft container with wooden racking typically takes three or four cars, which suits dealers and single cars joining a consolidation; a dedicated container gives a single classic its own sealed box; RoRo suits running vehicles where a scheduled service fits. Cars are photographed at pickup and loading, and classics are blocked and strapped without stressing the suspension.
The US export comes first. The original title — or salvage certificate — must reach CBP at the port at least 72 hours before export, and Electronic Export Information is filed for every used vehicle whatever its value. Transit depends on the carrier's rotation and on whether the box calls Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno or Salerno direct or is transshipped, so we confirm it for your sailing at booking; as a guide, the same crossing westbound, Genoa to New York, runs 9–22 days. From the West Coast, cars either sail via the Panama Canal or go by rail to an East Coast port first.
- Shared 40ft with racking for three or four cars; dedicated containers for single classics
- Title to CBP 72 hours before export; EEI filed for every used vehicle
- Photo documentation at pickup and loading
- Discharge at Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno or Salerno, nearest to delivery
What Drives the Cost
- US inland transport from the seller to the port — often the biggest swing
- Container or RoRo, and shared or dedicated container
- 22% Italian import IVA on the car's value plus freight — or the reduced rate for a qualifying collectors' item
- Whether the car is of US origin and duty-free, or built elsewhere and dutiable
- Homologation work to register a US-specification car: lighting, inspection and paperwork
- Italian registration taxes, and the superbollo surcharge on powerful cars, which tapers with age and ends at 20 years
HS Codes and Duty Notes
Classification guidance only — duty rates change and depend on your exact product. Codes are confirmed with the licensed customs representative at destination before you ship.
| HS Code | Products | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 8703.2x / 8703.3x | Petrol and diesel passenger cars | 0% EU duty since 1 July 2026 if the car is of US origin — built in the US. 22% import IVA applies either way. |
| 8703.40–8703.80 | Hybrid and electric passenger cars | The same US-origin rule. An EV or plug-in hybrid shipped by sea is Class 9 dangerous goods. |
| 9705.10 | Collectors' pieces — historic vehicles in original condition | Only for cars that meet strict criteria — broadly at least 30 years old, original and without substantial changes, of a model no longer made. Qualifying cars get Italy's reduced import IVA rate for collectors' items; restomods and heavily modified cars do not. |
| 8704 | Pickup trucks and other goods vehicles | Classified as goods vehicles, not cars, with their own registration rules in Italy — check them before you buy. US origin decides the duty here too. |
Regulations and Compliance
0% EU duty — for cars of US origin
Since 1 July 2026, under the EU regulation that implements the EU–US framework, cars of US origin enter the EU duty-free; the measure runs to the end of 2029 and can be suspended. Origin follows the EU's non-preferential rules: a car built in the US qualifies, but a German- or Japanese-built car bought in the US does not become American by being registered there, and pays the normal 10% EU duty. The customs representative will want evidence of where the car was built, which the VIN usually shows.
22% IVA, and the collectors' rate
Import IVA is charged at 22% on the customs value — purchase price plus freight and insurance to the EU — plus any duty. A car that qualifies as a collectors' piece of historical interest can instead be classified under heading 9705, which brings Italy's reduced import IVA rate for collectors' items. The criteria are applied strictly, so the classification is settled with the customs representative before shipping, with photos and documents.
US export: title and EEI
CBP requires the original title, or a salvage or junk certificate, and supporting documents at the port at least 72 hours before the car is exported, and an EEI filing for every used vehicle. A financed car needs the lienholder's release first. Missing or late titles are the most common reason a car misses its sailing.
Registering a US car in Italy
After clearance the car is registered — the nazionalizzazione — through the Motorizzazione Civile and the vehicle registry, usually by an agenzia di pratiche auto. A US-specification car has no EU certificate of conformity, so it generally needs an individual technical approval and an inspection, often with changes to lighting and indicators. Cost and difficulty vary widely by model, so get the agency's view before you buy.
Historic cars: the ASI and the certificate of historic interest
Cars at least 20 years old can be registered in Italy as vehicles of historic and collector interest, supported by a Certificato di Rilevanza Storica from a recognised register such as the Automotoclub Storico Italiano (ASI). For an imported classic, that certificate and an inspection are often the practical route to Italian plates, and historic status can also lower ongoing ownership costs. The register examines the car itself, so originality and documents — build sheets, restoration records — matter.
Moving to Italy with your car
If you are transferring your residence to Italy and have owned and used the car for at least six months, it may enter free of duty and IVA under the EU transfer-of-residence relief, together with your household goods. Registration and homologation still apply, and the car cannot be sold for 12 months without paying the duty and IVA.
Door-to-Door Shipping Service
Send us the car's location and details: we collect it from the dealer, auction or seller, truck it to the port, lodge the title with CBP and file the EEI, then load it in a shared or dedicated container or book it RoRo, photographing it at each stage.
In Italy, our WCA partner agent coordinates discharge and a licensed customs representative clears the car — confirming US origin for the 0% duty, or the collectors'-piece classification for a qualifying classic — and pays the IVA on your behalf. The car is then released to you or to your agenzia di pratiche auto for homologation and registration.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to ship a car from the USA to Italy?
Is there import duty on American cars in Italy?
How do I register an American car in Italy?
How long does it take to ship a car to Italy?
Cars & Classic Cars is just one example. AGF ships whatever your business moves — on this lane and beyond. If your commodity isn't covered by one of our guides, tell us what you ship and we'll build the logistics around it.
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