Military service members and Department of Defense civilians with permanent-change-of-station orders are entitled to ship one privately-owned vehicle at government expense from overseas locations. However, many have two vehicles overseas and want to return home with both. If so, you will be paying for it out of your own pocket. In this case you need to find a company to help import a 2nd POV for you without the government.
Learn about shipping your second POV below, and fill out our Quote Form or call in at 1-800-599-0190 when you are ready to start.
Importing a 2nd POV
A PCS move can have a surprising cost, even when the government does pay for some of it. Knowing the cost of shipping a second POV months before you move, allows planning a budget accordingly. In this case, we can adjust your shipment to fit your needs in the military.
How Much Does Importing a 2nd POV Cost?
Our representatives make sure that your informed about all of the costs. In order to do so, one will provide you with a custom rate quotation based on the details of your shipment. This is because each POV import is different and have different costs involved. For instance importing a POV from Germany will be different than from Saudi Arabia even with all other factors the same.
The price on the quotes is all-inclusive and includes inland transportation costs to a port (if required), foreign and U.S. port charges, export customs clearance fees, and import customs fees/government taxes.
Documentation and POV Inspection
Make sure to have proper documentation in your possession. Documentation normally needed to ship a POV from overseas includes: PCS orders, vehicle registration/title, military or DOD identification.
Cleaning the Vehicle for DoA
Ensure the vehicle is clean. All vehicles must meet U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection requirements prior to shipping – this is the law.
Specifically, vehicles must be free of dirt, soil, plant life, animal life and other organic hazards. This means the exterior, interior, engine, engine compartment and radiator.
The entire interior of the POV must be vacuumed, including the trunk area, and all personal effects must be removed from the vehicle, even air fresheners.
EPA and DOT Requirements
Ensure your vehicle has no more than a quarter tank of fuel at time of shipment. Check your stickers. The POV must be a U.S.-spec vehicle and have both the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation stickers affixed.
The EPA stickers should be clearly visible in the engine area. In this case there should be a white sticker with the word “catalyst” at the bottom.
The DOT sticker should be clearly visible in the door jamb area. It is usually white with the vehicle identification number and the month and year of manufacturer listed at the bottom.
If your vehicle is missing either of these stickers, you must prove the vehicle was registered stateside, or provide a letter from the manufacturer to verify the vehicle is U.S. manufactured and complies with U.S. requirements.
European-spec vehicles must ship through a stateside certified independent commercial importer. A list is available from the EPA.
This, however, can be an expensive process because the vehicle must also conform to EPA and DOT safety requirements and would be subject to conversion to US specification at an EPA accredited Conversion Station. This process is not only costly but could take 3-6 months to complete.
More Resources
SCL 2nd POV Importer Reviews
