What You'll Need to Ship Your Car Abroad: Documents Checklist
Honest answer: nothing. Not to get a quote.
You do not need a single document to find out what shipping your car costs. Route, vehicle, rough timing. That's it. Everything below only matters once you've picked a quote and want the car to actually move.
We're writing it down because nobody else does, and because the surprises are what cost people money. A car turned away at the port compound still gets charged for the transport that took it there.
The short version
- To get a quote: nothing. No documents, no ID, no uploads.
- The V5C is the main one. It proves the car is yours to send.
- Outstanding finance stops a shipment. Until it's settled, the lender owns the car, not you. This is the single most common blocker.
- Photo ID and proof of address get asked for at booking, not at enquiry.
- Name the person collecting it abroad early. They go on the shipping paperwork and it is awkward to change later.
- Photograph everything before handover. A signed condition report is your only real protection against a damage dispute.
- Your shipper files the customs declaration. You supply the facts, they do the form.
The V5C, and why it matters more than anything else
Your V5C is the logbook. It names the registered keeper. It is how a shipping company satisfies itself that the car is yours to send abroad.
You'll be asked for the document reference number and the keeper name. If the name on the V5C isn't yours, say so at quote stage rather than at the port. It is a normal situation with a normal answer, usually a letter of authority from the owner, or the finance company, or the company that owns the fleet vehicle.
Keep the V5C safe. You need most of it at the far end to register the car in the new country. Only one part gets sent away, which we'll come to.
Buying a car specifically to export it? Tell your shipper before you buy. Ownership needs to be clean and documented before it sails, and a purchase invoice plus the V5C in your name is a much easier position than a handshake and a bank transfer.
Outstanding finance: the one that actually stops shipments
If your car is on HP, PCP, or a loan secured against the vehicle, you do not own it yet. The lender does, until the agreement is settled.
Sending a financed car abroad without the lender's agreement is not a paperwork slip. The car isn't yours to export. Reputable shipping companies check, and the ones who don't are not the ones you want handling your car.
The fix is straightforward. Ask your lender for a settlement figure, settle it, and keep the settlement letter. Then you own the car and it can go.
Two things worth knowing. A PCP that still has a balloon payment outstanding counts as finance. And "I think I paid that off" is worth checking properly, because the paperwork catches it either way and finding out at the port is expensive.
Proving who you are
At booking, expect to be asked for photo ID, usually a passport or a UK driving licence, and something confirming your address if it differs from the V5C.
This is not us being difficult. Freight companies are expected to know who is shipping and who is receiving, and to check both against the UK sanctions list. That is set out in the government's guidance for the freight and shipping sector, which asks operators to verify the identities of the shipper and consignee.
For an ordinary person shipping an ordinary car to an ordinary destination, it is a five-minute formality. You'll never hear about the checks that pass.
Who collects the car at the other end
The consignee. The named person or company who takes delivery at the destination port.
Often that's you, flying out to meet it. Sometimes it's a relative, a buyer, or a clearing agent. Whoever it is goes on the Bill of Lading, and they will need their own ID to release the car from the destination compound.
Get this right early. Changing a consignee mid-voyage means amended paperwork, and some destinations charge for it.
One rule that saves grief: the name on the shipping paperwork must match the ID the person presents at the other end exactly. Not a shortened first name. Not a married name on one and a maiden name on the other. Exactly.
At collection: photograph everything
Before the car leaves you, there should be a condition report. Signed, dated, with photographs.
Take your own too. All four corners, the roof, the wheels, the interior, the dashboard showing the mileage. Timestamped. It takes four minutes.
Most shipments arrive exactly as they left. When something does go wrong, it is usually a scuff picked up during handover rather than anything at sea, and the argument is always about whether the mark was there before. Photographs end that argument in about ten seconds.
What can't travel in the car
On RoRo, the car normally travels empty beyond its factory kit. No boxes, no belongings, no spare parts in the boot.
In a container, personal effects are usually allowed, but they have to be declared and they become part of your customs entry at the far end. Undeclared contents are how a straightforward clearance turns into a held shipment.
Carriers also set rules on fuel level, and typically want the tank low rather than full. Gas cylinders, aerosols and anything pressurised are out. So are anything leaking and, on most lines, an unsecured aftermarket battery.
These rules vary by shipping line and by destination, so treat this as the shape of it rather than the final word. Your quote will tell you what your carrier requires.
The customs side: what we do, what you do
A car leaving the UK needs a customs export declaration. Your shipping company files it. That is part of what you're paying for.
What they need from you is accurate information: what the car is, what it's worth, where it's going, who's receiving it. Understating a value to save on duty at the other end is fraud, and it also means your marine insurance pays out at the understated figure if the ship sinks.
Keep evidence that you owned the car in the UK. A copy of the V5C, the bill of sale, or the purchase invoice all work, and gov.uk names exactly those as acceptable proof of previous ownership. You will want it if the car ever comes back.
Telling DVLA the car has gone
This one is yours to do, and it's easy to forget.
When a vehicle leaves the UK for twelve months or more, you fill in the permanent export section of the V5C, detach it, and post it to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BD. You keep the rest of the logbook, because you need it to register the car in its new country.
Do it and any vehicle tax refund you're owed usually arrives within four to six weeks, calculated from the date DVLA receives the slip. Don't do it and DVLA still has you down as the keeper of a car that isn't in the country. Full details are on gov.uk.
Moved house recently? Include a note with your new address when you send the export slip, or the refund goes to the old one.
The checklist, in order
| Stage | What's needed |
|---|---|
| Getting a quote | Nothing. Route, vehicle, rough timing. |
| Accepting a quote | V5C reference and keeper name. Finance settled, or a settlement letter. Photo ID. Consignee's full name and address. |
| Before collection | Signed condition report and your own photos. Keys and spares counted. Car emptied. Fuel low. |
| Once it sails | Bill of Lading from your shipper. V5C export slip posted to DVLA. Keep your ownership evidence. |
| At the far end | Consignee's ID, matching the paperwork exactly. Destination registration, using the V5C you kept. |
Destination countries add their own requirements on top, and some are strict about vehicle age or inspections before the car is even allowed to land. Those are route-specific, so check the guide for where you're sending it.
Quick answers
Do I need any documents to get a shipping quote?
No. A quote needs the route, the vehicle and roughly when you want it to go. No documents, no ID, no uploads. Paperwork only starts once you have chosen a quote and want to book.
Can I ship a car that still has finance on it?
Not until the finance is settled. On HP, PCP or a loan secured against the car, the lender owns the vehicle until the agreement is paid off, so it is not yours to send abroad. Ask your lender for a settlement figure, settle it, and keep the settlement letter. This is the most common reason a shipment gets stopped.
What ID will I be asked for?
Usually a passport or UK driving licence, plus proof of address if it differs from the one on your V5C. It is asked for at booking, never to get a quote. Freight companies are expected to know who is shipping and who is receiving, and to screen both against the UK sanctions list.
Do I send my whole logbook away?
No. You fill in and detach only the permanent export section and post that to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BD. Keep the rest of the V5C, because you need it to register the car in its new country. Any tax refund you are owed usually arrives within four to six weeks.
Can I put belongings in the car?
On RoRo, generally not, beyond the factory kit. In a container, usually yes, but everything has to be declared and it becomes part of your customs entry. Undeclared contents are a common cause of a shipment being held at the destination. Rules vary by line and destination, so confirm before you pack.
Who is the consignee?
The person or company collecting the car at the destination port. It might be you, a relative, a buyer or a clearing agent. Their name goes on the Bill of Lading and their ID has to match it exactly when they collect. Naming them early avoids amendment fees mid-voyage.
Tell us what you need. We'll price it.
Every shipment is different, so we don't publish a price list. Tell us the car and where it's going, and vetted UK specialists come back with itemised quotes within 24 hours. Free, no obligation.
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