What Are The Documents Required To Ship Your Car?

March 5, 2023

What Are The Documents Required To Ship Your Car?

It is possible that documents required to ship your car will be difficult, but it does not need to be. When it comes to car shipping, there are a lot of documents to deal with, but only two are usually required: your bill of lading and your insurance terms and conditions.

We’ll go over the documentation you’ll need to ship a car, explain what they are, and why you’ll need them.

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Documents Required To Ship Your Car

Authorization from the lienholder

If you’re still paying off your car loan, the lienholder may need you to obtain formal authorization before exporting a vehicle.

We say occasionally because a lienholder authorization is only required if your car shipper will be using a seaport. The only place where this actually applies is Hawaii, although if you’re not sure, you can always call your financial institution.

Absent owner authorization

If your car shipper is traveling through a port, you’ll also need the absent owner authorization. If you wish to authorize someone else to pick up your car at the destination port, you’ll need this paperwork.

Registration and title

The title of your car denotes ownership, whereas the registration denotes that your car has all of the legally required papers in your home state (it’s how the cops know who you are when they run your license plate).

Although most firms do not require these documents, it never hurts to inquire if your carrier requires a title and registration in order to send your vehicle.

Transport bill of lading

The car shipping bill of lading is the most significant piece of paperwork.

The bill of lading for auto transport serves as proof of delivery and documents the condition of your vehicle upon pickup and delivery.

Insurance companies will not pay for repairs if you don’t indicate the damage on the bill of lading because they don’t have proof of a problem.

Terms and conditions of the insurance

You don’t usually need insurance to send your car as a client, but your auto shipping company does.

The level of coverage varies, so be sure the transporters you’re considering are properly insured.

Before signing on the dotted line, make sure you understand the terms and conditions of your insurance coverage.

Insurance documentation

When transporting a vehicle, the customer’s proof of insurance is usually not necessary. The majority of firms never ask for it and will even move junk automobiles without it.

Photo identification is required

When shipping a vehicle, a photo ID is rarely necessary. It all comes down to whether or not transportation corporations want the data for their own databases. A driver’s license is usually sufficient when a photo ID is required.

Quick summary

When exporting your car, you’ll always have to deal with two documents: the bill of lading and the insurance terms and conditions.

Lienholder and absent owner authorizations, for example, are required when your vehicle passes through a port.

Companies may ask for documents like your title and registration, proof of insurance, and photo ID in some cases, but these aren’t legally required for shipping your automobile.