There may come a time in your life where your career or the choices you make might lead to you moving abroad. Moving your whole life to another place can be extremely stressful but even more challenging when you have to think about the more expensive things to transport, like your car for instance.

How do you find the right service and have the reassurance of it arriving in one piece? Here is a handy guide to making sure the process goes as smoothly as possible.

The Logistics

Depending on the situation, the services you are after are based on where the car is located and where it needs to be. You may have just bought yourself a brand new Audi abroad, but do you use multiple shipping companies - one that includes interstate car transport or one that oversees the whole process? Also, you’ll need to know your budget and what sort of level of service you’ll require. Every shipping service is responsible for keeping your car safe from damage, but some do it better than others.

Do the planning and work out everything you’ll need to supply the shipping company with before you start looking for a service. A few things to check off beforehand are below:

• Know your dates of when you want to ship and receive your vehicle.
• Decide on the port destination of where your car will be shipped and where it will arrive.
• Have the car washed beforehand to avoid any problems when crossing over to another country. If the car is covered in plant materials or insects, they could have a negative impact on the environment. This is something many countries take very seriously.
• Remove any items from the car so that everything remains secure during the journey. Keep an extra set of keys in the unfortunate event that the originals are lost. There’s nothing more useless than a new car you can’t get into.
• Take photos of your vehicle if possible and make sure an inspection is conducted to note down any snags or issues with the car.
• Don’t fill up the fuel tank, disconnect the battery and disable the alarm. When shipping overseas, the risk can be much greater. Therefore, if you are shipping the car in a container, it has to adhere to dangerous goods regulation.

Choose The Company Wisely

When placing your car into the hands of strangers, you want to be sure it’s in safe and capable hands. When choosing the company, do your research and do it well. You want to check that the company is rated highly and has perhaps more than just one type of international shipping service. If they have more tailored and bespoke shipping, they’re likely to be more professional and experienced.

Look at each company’s credentials and certifications. Depending on the type of company you use, they may have different licenses. Typical insurances and licenses include IATA, AMSA, and BBB, so be sure to look out for these when doing your research.

All domestic transport services must have a DOT license, so be sure to ask for this if you are ready to approach the chosen company. Don’t be afraid to ask them directly if they are fully licensed and insured. Trust your gut if something doesn’t sit right with you or if they make excuses not to show or give you the information.

Get Quotes And Compare Costs

Another important thing to research is the cost of the entire process. Different destinations will, of course, vary in price. These rates can change quite frequently so always factor that in. The size of the car may also change the cost as well. When you have your quotes, compare them to each other and to what others have said in online forums, or from friends and relatives who’ve done it before.

You can also make these companies aware of the other quotes you have received, as some may want to price match or lower their quote to outbid the competition. This can end up saving you a lot of money on what may already be a costly expense.

Insurance Is Vital

We hope for the best, but sometimes life can give us a bad hand. Insurance is that safety net that will cover any terrifying situations, where there’s damage to the vehicle or if it gets lost during transport.

When discussing insurance, the company may offer what they have in-house or refer you to an outside insurance company. Just like the research you do on the shipping company, be sure to check that the insurance they’re offering is going to cover you for everything should you need it. If they’re using an outside company, do your research on them too. Don’t just trust what the shipping company tells you and question anything you’re unsure or unhappy about. Look into other types of insurance externally yourself so that you’ve covered all angles.

Have All Documents In Order

It’s essential you have all the relevant documents handed over to the shipping company. They should go through this with you, but just in case, you’ll need the clear original title, a copy of your passport and a copy of the bill of sale.

There is additional documentation that you might need depending on the country you are shipping to. For example, if transporting it into Australia, you’ll need import approval for shipping.

Vehicles are often one of the most expensive valuables in your life so you should treat this process with a detailed and cautious eye. Do your research, question everything and have a fully insured and licensed company to take care of it all. You’ll be reunited with your vehicle in no time...and in one piece.