Exporting Vehicles from the USA

US auction cars, classics and new American models are a large export trade, and this page compares the destinations AGF ships them to: Europe and France, Japan, the UAE, Georgia, Armenia and Kazakhstan. The US end is identical for all of them — the title presented to CBP at least 72 hours before export, Electronic Export Information filed for every used vehicle, and export-control and sanctions screening before the car is booked.

What differs is everything after the port. Europe has charged no duty on US-built cars since July 2026 but adds VAT and national approval; Japan charges no duty but a 10% consumption tax and its shaken inspection; the UAE is reached by sea, in a container or by RoRo; Georgia's Black Sea ports take containers of auction cars, and landlocked Armenia and Kazakhstan are reached through them; and the charges at destination — from the UAE's duty of about 5% to the EAEU duty, VAT and recycling fee in Kazakhstan — often decide whether a car is worth buying at all. Each row links to a detailed destination guide.

Compare destinations for vehicles

Destination	Transit	Rules at destination	Typical load
Vehicles to UAE	6–8 weeks door to port; ocean leg via Fujairah or Khor Fakkan, confirmed per booking	About 5% import duty on CIF value for passenger cars; left-hand drive admitted; GCC-spec differences affect resale, not customs	40ft: up to 4 sedans with racking, or RoRo for running vehicles
Vehicles & Household Goods to Armenia	Typically 8–10 weeks door to door via Poti or Batumi	EAEU rules: charges scale with engine size, age and value, with periodic changes to rates and emission requirements	40ft: three or four vehicles, consolidated
Vehicles to Georgia	6–9 weeks all-in; 5–7 weeks on the water to Poti or Batumi	Age- and engine-based import taxes that favor newer vehicles; right-hand-drive and emission rules confirmed at booking	40ft: 3–4 vehicles with wooden racking
Vehicles to Kazakhstan	8–13 weeks door to door via Georgia and the Caspian, confirmed per booking	EAEU duty, 16% Kazakh VAT and the recycling fee; an SBKTS certificate (generally Euro-5) before registration	40ft only, no RoRo: three to four vehicles with racking
Vehicles to Europe	Atlantic crossing by RoRo or container, confirmed per booking; West Coast cars via Panama or rail to the East Coast	No EU duty on US-built cars since 1 July 2026; import VAT at the destination country's rate; national individual approval and, in some countries, registration tax	RoRo for running cars from the East Coast; sole-use 20ft or shared 40ft with three or four cars on racking
Cars & Classic Cars to France	Roughly 9–16 days NY/NJ–Le Havre on the water, about two weeks from Savannah, 4–5 weeks from LA via Panama; confirmed per booking	0% EU duty on US-built cars since 1 July 2026; 20% TVA; qualifying 30-year-plus collector cars 0% duty and 5.5% TVA; RTI and malus at registration	40HC: three to four cars with racking; classics alone in a 20ft; RoRo where a service fits
Cars & Pickups to Japan	Roughly 12–18 days port to port Los Angeles/Long Beach to Tokyo or Yokohama	No import duty on cars; 10% consumption tax at import, then registration taxes; shaken inspection and lighting changes	20ft for one car; shared 40ft for three or four with racking
Cars & Classic Cars to Italy	Confirmed per sailing; Genoa–New York runs 9–22 days in the other direction as a guide	0% EU duty on US-origin cars since 1 July 2026; 22% IVA, with a reduced rate for qualifying collectors' cars	40ft: three or four cars with racking; dedicated container for a classic; RoRo where a service fits

Planning guidance only — rates, surcharges and transits change, and every shipment is quoted on its own facts.

Export rules that apply to every destination

Frequently Asked Questions