Shipping Your Car to Peru

Guest post by Chris Ward

Having a personal car with you is definitely going to be a great assistance for living in Peru. While larger cities like Lima have worked to provide bus service, you really need to know Spanish and have at least a general idea of where you need to go before you ever hop on a bus. You should also be prepared to be on an overcrowded bus that might break down far before it reaches your destination. Many of the buses are older and very rundown even in areas that strive to offer mass transit. Smaller cities and towns will more than likely not have bus service or any other type of public transportation or, they may have some type, but chances are that it will not necessarily run on time and you may find yourself stranded or running extremely late when you need to be somewhere on time.

The best thing to do to make sure you have no issues with travel once you get to the country is to buy a car in Peru or to have your personal vehicle shipped to Peru. You will need to learn a little about customs regulations for motor vehicle import and you will have to follow a few simple rules as well as pay fees to have the car brought to the country, but when all is said and done, importing a car to Peru is not a difficult task at all.

Paperwork You Are Required to Have:

• The Vehicle Identification Number
• Vehicle Registration
• Vehicle Title
• Inspection Report for New Vehicles
• Second Verification Report for Used Vehicles
• Emissions Inspection Approved by the Ministry of Transport
• Commercial Invoice
• Bill of Lading
• Gas Emissions Certificate
• Technical Certificate

All motor vehicles imported to Peru must be within 5 years of the date of manufacture. If you are importing the car to donate it to the public sector for use a taxi or other public vehicle, the age of the car may be waived. Also, if you are a member of the National Diplomatic Services, the age requirement may also be waived.

All imported motor vehicles are required to have taxes paid on them at the time of import. A general sales tax at a rate of 86% for used cars and 45% for new cars must be paid. These rates are paid based on the value of the car in Peru. As the vehicle owner you will also have to pay other customs fees and import duties. Diplomats will have the import duties waived.

How to Get Your Vehicle to Peru

Due to all of the water that you must travel over to get to Peru, you must hire a professional international auto movers to bring your vehicle to Peru for you. Not all transporters can move a car overseas, so you will need to do a little research before you try to hire someone to move your vehicle overseas. Ask questions and be sure to ask a lot of them so you can learn how long they have been in business, how many vehicles they ship overseas, services they offer and how they get the rates that they quote. It is very important to choose the best when it comes to shipping your motor vehicle overseas.

Tips to Consider

There are a few things to consider when you are planning to ship a car to Peru. The following tips can assist you with hiring the international auto transport company that will be best suited for your vehicle:

• Check quotes from no less than 3 companies. See what different companies offer for comparable services and make sure the quote from each company is for comparable services. Make sure that quotes are all-inclusive and that the company cannot add fees at a later date.
• Check reviews of the company online to see what others think about them. If the company will provide a personal list of business referrals that is definitely a plus. You really should check the references to make sure they are legitimate.
• Check with the USDOT to make sure the company is authorized to ship overseas.
• Know the measurements including the weight of the vehicle before you contact a company for a quote.

There are more than 25 shipping ports in Peru and you will need to work with your shipping company agent to determine which port you will ship to. A very important thing to consider is that some ports will accept both RORO and Container shipments while others will only accept one or the other. This means that you will need to make a firm decision on which type of overseas shipping the vehicle will need to be scheduled.

RORO Shipping VS Container Shipping

Before you can schedule your car for RORO or Container Shipping, you need to learn about each one so you will know which is going to be best for your car:

RORO Shipping. Also known as roll on roll off shipping, this is definitely the simplest, least expensive and most commonly used form of overseas car shipping. Either you or a company driver for the international auto transport company will drive (or transport) your vehicle to the port to export to Peru. The vehicle will be driven onto a large ship that resembles a ferry and the vehicle will be strapped securely in place once on board. RORO shipping has far less restrictions that shipping in a container and since the car is out in the open, it is usually much faster to clear customs once it arrives in Peru. In most cases, shipping from the U.S. to Peru will take about four weeks for delivery.

Container Shipping. Similar to RORO, yet a method that is seemingly much more secure when shipping overseas. You can get containers in several sizes ranging from a container that measures 20 feet to a sealed container that is 40 feet. Many customers share large containers to help cut the expense of shipping but if you prefer not to share, you should know that a standard motor vehicle will fit in a 20-foot container. If you have an oversized vehicle you may want to check into an open top container or a high cube container which is sealed. Both of these containers are designed to handle larger vehicles, heavy machinery and other property that needs a secure shipping environment but will not fit inside of a standard shipping container.

Peru is one of those places where you will quickly find the very best of many types of living conditions. You have the coastal areas and the beautiful beach life and then you also have the city and mountains and the sparse green jungle as well as a great mix of rural and suburban living. It may come as a bit of a culture shock but Peru is a country where those with the least live side by side with those with the most. When you relocate to this beautiful country, you will be fascinated with the sights and scenery just as much as with the outgoing and friendly population from one end of Peru to the other.