Ship a Car from USA to Australia | Import Approval

Australians import American cars for the same reasons Americans import British ones: Mustangs, Camaros, Corvettes and classic pickups that were rare or never sold in right-hand drive, plus the cars that Australians and Americans bring with them when they move. The ocean leg is the easy part. Australia requires a federal import approval before a road vehicle is shipped, bans asbestos outright in any vehicle of any age, inspects every used car for biosecurity contamination, and from September to April requires cars shipped from the US to be treated against the brown marmorated stink bug. A car that arrives without meeting all four is held at the border, at the owner's cost.

AGF runs the US end from Glendale, close to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach: pickup anywhere in the country, the title presented to CBP and the export filing, cleaning and loading through partner facilities, and the booking. In Australia we work through a WCA partner agent and a partner customs broker — AGF has no office there — who lodge the import declaration and biosecurity documents, arrange the inspection and release the car to you. Before we book, we check that the import approval has been granted and that the asbestos question has an answer.

Last reviewed: October 2026

Shipping Cars & Classic Cars from USA to Australia

Cars ship in containers or by RoRo. A shared 40ft container with racking typically takes three or four cars and suits single cars joining a consolidation; a sole-use 20ft gives a classic its own sealed box; RoRo car carriers run from US ports to Port Kembla, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle on rotations that change month to month, so we confirm what sails from Los Angeles/Long Beach when you are ready. From Los Angeles/Long Beach, container services reach Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane in roughly 17–26 days port to port; Fremantle depends on whether the service calls direct.

The season changes the choice. Between 1 September and 30 April, cars shipped from the US must be treated against BMSB. RoRo cars count as break bulk and must be heat-treated or fumigated by an approved provider before loading; a sealed full container can be treated before loading or on arrival. Whatever the season, the car is steam-cleaned inside, outside and underneath before it ships, because Australia inspects used vehicles for soil, seeds and insects on arrival and re-cleans any that fail at the owner's cost.

Shared 40ft, typically three or four cars; sole-use 20ft for a classic
RoRo to Port Kembla, Melbourne, Brisbane or Fremantle when a sailing fits
Los Angeles/Long Beach to Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane: roughly 17–26 days
BMSB treatment 1 September–30 April; steam cleaning before every shipment
Pickup anywhere in the US; photos at pickup and loading

What Drives the Cost

Asbestos work: identifying, testing or replacing at-risk parts before shipping, with records — and border testing if the evidence is not enough
Taxes in Australia: 10% GST on the customs value, freight, insurance and any duty, plus luxury car tax on the part of the value above that year's threshold
Container or RoRo, shared or sole-use, and US inland transport to Los Angeles/Long Beach
BMSB treatment between September and April, and cleaning before export
Compliance work after arrival — modifications for a Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicle, or state roadworthiness and registration
Port storage if the car lands before its approval or paperwork is complete

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 and SUVs — Mustangs, Camaros, Corvettes, Jeeps	A car built in the US that meets the AUSFTA rules of origin enters free of Australian customs duty; a car built elsewhere takes the duty treatment of its country of manufacture. GST and, above the threshold, luxury car tax apply either way.
Customs Tariff Sch. 4, item 36	Concession for vehicles of an age of 30 years or more	Older classics can enter duty-free under this concession whatever their origin, but GST and luxury car tax still apply. The partner customs broker confirms eligibility from the build date.
8704.21 / 8704.31	Pickups and other goods vehicles — classic F-100s, C10s, modern full-size trucks	Classified as goods vehicles; the import pathway and state registration rules depend on the model and age, so check them before you buy. Luxury car tax is assessed on the vehicle's design.
8703.40–8703.80	Hybrid and electric cars	Same origin rules for duty. An EV or plug-in hybrid is Class 9 dangerous goods at sea and ships with carriers that accept it.
8711	Motorcycles — Harley-Davidson, Indian and classic American bikes	The same import approval, asbestos and biosecurity rules apply; US-built bikes that meet the AUSFTA rules of origin enter duty-free, with GST.

Regulations and Compliance

Import approval before the car ships

Under the Road Vehicle Standards Act, a road vehicle needs an import approval from the Department of Infrastructure, applied for online through ROVER, before it is shipped; importing without one is an offence, and the car is not released. The main routes for an American car are the older-vehicles criterion, for vehicles built at least 25 years before the application; the Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicles route, for newer models listed on the register and complied by a Registered Automotive Workshop; and the personal import route, for a car you have owned and used overseas for at least 12 months before moving. Approvals can carry conditions, so read yours before the car sails.

Asbestos: the owner must prove it is not there

Australia bans asbestos in imported goods at any level, and the ban applies to every vehicle whatever its age or value. Brake pads and shoes, clutch linings and gaskets are the usual finds, with seals, heat shields and insulation also at risk, and US trace-level tolerances are not accepted. The owner must have dealt with it before shipping: replace or test at-risk parts and keep records linked to the VIN. A letter from the seller or their mechanic saying the car is asbestos-free is not enough, and a car without sufficient evidence can be held for sampling by an asbestos professional at the owner's cost.

Biosecurity: cleaning, inspection and BMSB

Every used car is inspected by the Department of Agriculture on arrival and must be free of soil, seeds, plant material and insects, inside and underneath; a car that fails is re-cleaned at an approved site at the owner's cost. The United States is a BMSB target risk country, and vehicles are target high-risk goods: for the 2026–27 season, cars with a shipped-on-board date between 1 September 2026 and 30 April 2027 must be treated by heat or fumigation — RoRo cars before loading by an approved provider, containerized cars either before loading or on arrival at container level.

Duty, GST and luxury car tax

A US-built car that meets the AUSFTA rules of origin is free of Australian customs duty; no certificate of origin is needed, but the importer must hold evidence such as the title and build records. A car built elsewhere and bought in the US takes the treatment of its country of manufacture, and vehicles 30 years or older can use a separate duty concession. GST of 10% is charged on the customs value plus freight, insurance and any duty, and luxury car tax applies to the part of the value above the threshold for that financial year. Stamp duty and registration are state charges on top.

US export: the title and the EEI

The original US title (or a certified copy) and two copies must be presented to CBP at the port with the vehicle at least 72 hours before it is exported. A financed or leased car also needs a signed letter from the lienholder or owner authorizing export, so clear the lien before you book. Electronic Export Information is filed in AES for every used vehicle, whatever its value. Missing or late titles are the most common reason a car misses its sailing.

Registration and left-hand drive

Federal approval lets the car into Australia; registration is a state or territory decision. Each state sets its own rules on left-hand-drive vehicles, typically by age, by conversion to right-hand drive, or through club or historic registration schemes, and the rules differ more than buyers expect. Check with the registration authority in your state, or a Registered Automotive Workshop, before you buy.

Air-conditioning refrigerant

A car whose air-conditioning still holds refrigerant can need an import licence or an exemption under Australia's ozone and synthetic greenhouse gas law, administered by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Personal-use and low-volume exemptions exist, and the government's import guide lists removing the gas before shipping where necessary; check which applies before the car is loaded.

Door-to-Door Shipping Service

Before you buy, send us the car's details: we check the build date against the approval route, the asbestos risk and the shipping options, and quote door to port with the Australian taxes explained.

You apply for the import approval in ROVER; we book nothing until it is granted. Meanwhile, at-risk parts are tested or replaced with documented asbestos-free parts, and the air-conditioning gas is dealt with if needed.

We collect the car anywhere in the US and truck it to Los Angeles/Long Beach, present the title to CBP at least 72 hours before export and file the EEI.

The car is steam-cleaned inside, outside and underneath, treated for BMSB if it ships between September and April, photographed and loaded into a shared or sole-use container or booked RoRo.

On arrival in Sydney, Port Kembla, Melbourne, Brisbane or Fremantle, our partner customs broker in Australia lodges the import declaration, pays the duty, GST and any luxury car tax on your behalf, and arranges the biosecurity inspection.

Once cleared, the car is released to you or to your Registered Automotive Workshop for any compliance work, and then registered in your state.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can you import cars from the USA to Australia?

Yes, with a federal import approval granted before the car ships. Most American cars come in through the older-vehicles route (built at least 25 years before the application), the Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicles route for listed newer models complied by a Registered Automotive Workshop, or the personal import route for a car you have owned and used overseas for at least 12 months. The car must also be free of asbestos and clean on arrival.

How much does it cost to ship a car from the USA to Australia?

The freight depends on where the car is in the US, whether it shares a container, has its own or goes RoRo, and the season, because BMSB treatment applies from September to April. On top come asbestos checks before shipping and, in Australia, 10% GST, luxury car tax above the threshold, any customs duty, port charges and registration. We quote door to port with every exclusion listed.

Do I pay import duty on an American car in Australia?

Not if it was built in the US and meets the AUSFTA rules of origin — those cars enter free of customs duty. A car built elsewhere takes the treatment of its country of manufacture, and cars 30 years or older can use a duty concession. GST and, above the threshold, luxury car tax apply either way. The partner customs broker confirms the classification and taxes before the car arrives.

Can I import a classic car from the USA to Australia?

Yes — classics are the easiest American cars to import. A car built at least 25 years before you apply can use the older-vehicles route, and at 30 years or more it can also use the duty concession. The two things that catch classic importers are asbestos, common in original brakes, clutches and gaskets, and state registration rules for left-hand drive, so check both before you buy.

How long does it take to ship a car from the USA to Australia?

From Los Angeles/Long Beach, container services reach Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane in roughly 17–26 days port to port. Add time for the import approval, US pickup, the 72-hour title presentation to CBP and, between September and April, BMSB treatment. Clearance and the biosecurity inspection in Australia follow. We confirm the sailing and transit for each booking.

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.