Currently, with advances in the means of transport and communication that the globalization process has provided, people are finding it increasingly easier to carry out projects that were previously seen as distant, including changing countries, taking a tourist trip or even doing the export or import of a car, motorcycle or other vehicle.
Typically, customers who want to export or import used vehicles have many questions because they are not accustomed to the terminologies and procedures of foreign trade. We know that the world of comex is complex, as there are many actors and processes involved, which, consequently, leaves first-timers stunned by so many different terms, procedures, documents and situations.
With this in mind, Marco Polo, a qualified international transporter with a trained team, structured a service aimed at exports of vehicles.
Before entering the world of exports of vehicles, below are important details about Marco Polo and the reasons why it is prepared to carry out international vehicle transport.
Marco Polo has partnerships with several shipping companies, airlines and road transport companies, which makes it possible to carry out exports or imports anywhere in the world.
At the customs clearance, the Marco Polo team, supported by extensive knowledge, is able to carry out various types of operations, be it a process in its simplest form or more complex processes, such as temporary export, obtaining the Ticket Carnet in Douane (CPD) among other special processes.
Among other points, the reasons mentioned above attest to Marco Polo's qualification to carry out the international door-to-door transport of vehicles new and used, including motorcycles, cars, pickup trucks, trucks, vans, vans, campers It is motorhomes. So, if you intend to change countries, travel for tourism or make a export or importing a vehicle, but have questions, stay with us, as we will provide you with important information about international transport and customs clearance of vehicles.
How should a vehicle be prepared for international transport?
- Before sending a car, motorcycle, van or other used vehicle, have a complete inspection;
- Document the condition of the vehicle with photos and reports, including dents, scratches or other important details. This record will help clarify doubts about the integrity of the vehicle.
- Clean the vehicle inside and out. A clean vehicle looks better and makes it easier to detect existing damage.
- Make sure all vehicle accessories are tied down and secured. This includes floor mats, spare tires, hydraulic jack and assistance tools and any part of the vehicle that could be lost or cause an accident to those involved in the transport.
- Also make sure there are no fluids leaking from the vehicle. If leaks are found, the transporter may not accept the vehicle for boarding and all costs generated will be the responsibility of the owner.
- All personal belongings of the exporter must be removed from the vehicle. Clothes, appliances, electronics or any object that is not original to the vehicle must travel with the owner. However, vehicles such as motorhomes, campers and other vehicles that are manufactured with objects belonging to a house, may be authorized to travel with these objects inside.
- Keep the fuel level at a quarter tank and the battery in good condition. The vehicle must be delivered to the transporter with sufficient fuel for its own movement for loading and unloading, without the need for assistance from equipment such as trailers. In shipments carried out in RORO modes, fuel and batteries will not be removed for international transport. In the case of vehicles that will be transported in containers or in air modal, the fuel and batteries will be removed, and, in some types of shipments, the batteries will have their cables disconnected and isolated. Electric car shipments have different procedures in international transport. Electric car lithium-ion batteries are loads considered dangerous and transport requires care to avoid explosions and fires when exposed to certain temperature, handling or storage conditions. It is necessary that those involved in the export have knowledge and expertise to deal with this situation. An aggravating factor for shipments of used electric vehicles is the risk of breakdown or damage to the battery due to the owner's use of the vehicle. Due to this, many international carriers do not accept the shipment of used electric vehicles.
- If the car has unique features or special modifications (e.g., convertible tops, retractable antennas, or specialized equipment), make sure they are properly secured or prepared for transportation.
Who will be the exporter or importer in used vehicle shipments?
The international movement of people is normally facilitated due to the profit generated by tourism and international trade. The process of international transportation of used vehicles is complex, as, normally, in addition to not generating profit for the importing country, it needs to be coordinated in a agreement with the current legislation of each country, which ends up generating many doubts and interpretations.
All these processes and procedures require a lot of planning and monitoring from the customer who, upon shipping a vehicle, becomes an exporter or importer or even both, depending on the type of shipment that will be carried out. Another item to be observed is the door-to-door cost, as the exporter or importer often does not imagine how the process happens and, consequently, has no idea of the final cost of the operation. In the role of exporter or importer, the customer is responsible for all costs and situations generated by the shipment of the vehicle. Therefore, all procedures must be followed to avoid financial losses and also delays in transporting the vehicle.
But, after all, what is the cost of exporting or importing a used vehicle?
The cost of shipping a vehicle to another country can vary due to a number of factors. Some examples are the chosen mode of transport, the distance between countries, the type of vehicle, weight, dimensions, tax charges, country legislation, in short, there are a series of situations and procedures that impact the final price of the operation.
And, what are the key factors that affect the cost of international vehicle transport?
- Chosen mode of transport: the sea transport mode is usually more economical than the air transport mode, but, on the other hand, it may require more days of transport, impacting the vehicle's arrival at the final destination. Through these two modes of transport, we can ship vehicles to practically all countries. Although it does not predominate as much as the sea and air modes, there is also the road mode, generally considered for the collection or delivery of the vehicle.
- Distance: normally, we think that the greater the distance between the country of origin and destination, the greater the cost of the operation. Despite logic, the international sea transport and aerial don't always work that way. There are a range of factors that influence the final cost of the freight, such as congestion at ports and airports, fuel prices, wars, strikes, weather conditions and even pandemics, as was the case with the Covid 19 Pandemic, which resulted in an increase in freight rates around the world. Due to so many and varied factors, international transport costs are reported as estimates. Therefore, the exporter or importer must consider an average cost to evaluate your boarding, avoiding being negatively surprised..
- Vehicle Type: Vehicle size, weight, dimensions and special needs also affect shipping costs. An example is shipping motorcycles to other countries. Customers do not realize that motorcycles need to be very well packed to avoid damage, especially as they will be shipped and share space with other cargo inside the container or plane. Furthermore, there is also the road transport, whereby the motorcycle is collected and delivered at previously agreed points, as well as handling within the customs area of ports and airports. All this movement generates risks of accidents or breakdowns, which, if they occur, will result in major losses and delays. For this reason, all motorcycles must be packed in fumigated wooden boxes and correctly identified. Another example is large vehicles, such as motorhomes, pick-up with campers or vans, which can be loaded into its size is an impediment to shipments in containers. Alternatively, boarding can be carried out via international shipping, through special units called RORO (Roll on-Roll off) or Break Bulk.
- Routes and destinations: currently, many countries or regions face wars, conflicts, economic sanctions, climate problems, lack of logistical structure or congestion at ports or airports due to the high volume of shipments. For these reasons, changes in routes, increases in transit times or increases in logistics costs may surprise the international carrier, who may be able to pass on to customers (the exporter or importer) the results of the problems faced.
It is also important to clarify that, depending on the destination country to which the cargo is being shipped, the exporter must, in anticipation, make contact with its partners in the destination country and, in advance, organize the procedures for receiving the vehicle . Even if the carrier international is hired to a door-to-door service, the exporter or importer is responsible for knowing the nationalization requirements and vehicle authorization to travel in the destination country. - Taxes and customs fees: normally, there are no taxes on exports of used cars when the reason for boarding is a tourist trip or a change of address to another country. If the operation is configured as an export whose objective is sale, taxes may be charged on the export company. In the destination country, any type of shipment may incur taxes or customs fees. A type of “goods passport”, known by the names ATA Carnet It is Carnet de Passages in Douane (CPD)). These documents allow the export and import temporary service exempt from fees or taxes. The type of document required will depend largely on the country in which the dispatch will be carried out. customs of the vehicle. Depending on the country of destination, different taxes or fees may also be exempt. There is also the possibility of the destination country charging a type of deposit due to the temporary exemption from customs duties or taxes. This deposit will depend on the time the vehicle will be in the country, but this procedure, like the others mentioned above, depends exclusively on the country's legislation and also on the vehicle's shipping method (purchase and sale, tourist trip or change of address). . The taxes and fees that may be charged or the purchase price of the ATA Carnet or the CPD (Carnet de Passages in Douane), will normally have reference in the Invoice issued in the name of the exporter or also in the market value of the vehicle in the country of nationalization. So that the exporter or importer of the vehicle knows exactly what procedure the destination country will use to release the vehicle, he must have a contact in the destination country who can confirm the procedures for nationalization and traffic authorization of the vehicle. vehicle. Even if the carrier is hired to carry out door-to-door transport, the exporter will have the obligation to know the procedures at the destination, as many of the points of the operation are not part of a process of foreign trade and are not known to international carriers.
- Cost of international freight: due to the relevant number of variables involved, it is difficult to define an exact value for the cost of international transport of a vehicle in door-to-door mode. However, we can say that a Sea freight port to port costs approximately USD 2,500.00 for 01 20'SD container and USD 3,000.00 for 01 40'HC container. There are also consolidated transport modalities (LCL – Less Container Load), in which the freight value is charged per cubic meter or per ton of cargo (the larger measure is considered for freight composition). Normally, motorcycles can be shipped in LCL mode. The average value of international shipping for an already packaged motorcycle is around USD 1,000.00, however, it must be considered that the total process involves many other services, both at the origin and at the destination, the values of which will be added to the final cost of the transport.
Due to the needs of each shipment and customer, it is not possible to immediately present an operation cost, not even an approximate one. Therefore, the best option for the exporter is to collect all the shipment information and contact our commercial team so that the price can be quoted according to the exporter's needs and the type of shipment he will carry out.
How does the law apply to international vehicle transport?
There are many rules, laws and regulations that need to be followed so that your vehicle (car, motorcycle, motorhome, pickup, vans, among others) is shipped in Brazil. The first to be considered is: individuals cannot export a vehicle, considering the export modality as purchase and sale.
A Normative Instruction 1,984/20, which deals with accreditation to operate in foreign trade, mentions that individuals are permitted to act in their own name, internationally, in operations related to their professional activities, including as rural producers, artisans, artists or the like, who are for your own use and consumption or for your personal collections. Therefore, an individual can only export a vehicle considering the purchase and sale modality, if they hire a specialized company that will export the vehicle on their behalf and will provide the service in accordance with Brazilian legislation.
To better understand the above explanation, we can consider that the exports of vehicles involving individuals have three types.
First modality
definitive export carried out by a legal entity contracted by an individual. A legal entity is a specialized company that performs the role of exporter. This shipping category may have a commercial purpose, that is, the vehicle is sold to an importer and the vehicle does not return to Brazil. As the operation involves sales values for the vehicle, the legal entity receives the sales amount mentioned in the Invoice. In this modality, the vehicle must be deregistered from DETRAN in the state where the exporter is located, so that tax charges on the vehicle cease;
Second modality
definitive export carried out by an individual. This modality cannot have commercial purposes, as the vehicle does not return to Brazil, being categorized as a change of address by the vehicle owner. The vehicle must be deregistered from the DETRAN in the state where the exporter is located, so that tax charges on the vehicle cease;
Third modality
temporary export, made by an individual or legal entity. This modality is normally applied in cases of tourist travel, however, it can also be used by companies to board vehicles whose objective is to provide services for a specified period of time, returning to Brazil after completion. Both options must follow special procedures and require prior authorization for boarding in Brazil in order for the vehicle to be returned, without generating any risk of delays in the customs clearance process. import nor charging fines by government bodies that participate in the process. It is important to highlight that the deadline for carrying out the bureaucratic process of these exports It largely depends on the type of requirements and peculiarities of the operation, as well as the characteristics of the vehicle.
Considering the three modalities of exporting vehicles above, we can say that the legislation for shipping vehicles in Brazil follows a series of regulations, customs procedures and legal requirements that must be confirmed by the exporter in advance so that all procedures are met according to each modality.
What documents are required for the vehicle export process?
See below a summary of the main documents related to exports of vehicles required in Brazil:
– CRV or CRLV of the updated vehicle;
– Updated passport of the exporter;
– e-CPF or registration with GOV.BR of the vehicle exporter;
– Invoice;
– Packing List;
– Updated proof of address;
– Photographic report of the vehicle;
– Invoice issued in the name of the exporter;
– Power of attorney forwarding agent customs;
It is important to remember that the exporter must make sure that there are no tax problems or debts associated with the vehicle. Documents proof of this situation may be requested by government bodies in Brazil or abroad.
Considering everything presented above, it is clear that the export of vehicles in Brazil needs to comply with various procedures, documentary rites and legislation of the countries involved in the process. Furthermore, the operation is linked to deadlines and procedures that must be followed in order to reduce operational and financial risks, both for the exporter and the importer.
Having listed all operational and logistical aspects, inherent and extremely important for the success of the process, it is important to highlight that the work is also carried out with the notion that it is a personal asset, often with a sentimental nature. Therefore, we suggest that you choose to your boarding a specialized team committed to properly carrying out all procedures, aware of the importance of the transported item.
The Marcopolo team and its partners are at your entire disposal.
Count and embark with us.
