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Shipping my car from east coast USA to Dubai

26

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 07 June 2016 - 22:49

Does anyone have any experience with shipping their car from the USA to Dubai? I live near Philadelphia. It would not be a problem to get it to other big ports in New Jersey or New York City if Philadelphia is not an option.

--I am on the fence about taking my car with me. I will likely live in Sport City and work in al Barsha/the Marina area. Do you think I will absolutely need a car?

--Is there anything that I need to consider that may not be that obvious about shipping a car or driving in Dubai?

--Do you have any [b]shipping services[/b] that you would recommend?

--My residence permit will not take effect immediately, so therefore I cannot get a UAE driver's license immediately. Do you have advice on how to get my car from the port to my apartment if I don't have a valid driver's license?

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68

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 16 June 2016 - 16:47

There's a helpful article (2015) on importing a car into the UAE here: https://www.dubicars.com/news/how-to-import-your-vehicle-into-the-uae.html

154

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 15 June 2016 - 02:32

You are fine with it being a 2008. Mine is as well. It costs about $700 to ship from Jax, Florida direct to Dubai. If you hire an agent you can add another $500. I do think shipping your own car is cost effective if you like your car and trust its service history. Yes, you must have residency to clear it from customs and insure it so time the shipping right. The import tax is 5% of the value BUT I have also heard you can pay this as a deposit and get it returned if you export it again at leaving. So...why not? If you choose to sell you forfeit it (also 5%) so no loss but a possible gain. HTH!

1759

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 14 June 2016 - 21:06

It is probably too old. 5 years is the standard.

184

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 14 June 2016 - 15:13

Hi wizzy, As others have stated it may be easier to buy a car here. Also remember gulf specs mean that the seals in the motors and tubes and AC is different. Your USA car may not have this and in the hot summers you may be sweating as the blower and AC may not be strong enough etc. Have a look into this, if your car is from California or Texas it may equal to the specifications here.

59

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 12 June 2016 - 17:12

As others have said, it really doesn't make sense to ship a car all that way, especially one that is 8 years old. I just can't see any financial logic for doing it and you will have to go through a lot of red tape to make it happen. Just sell it and buy one here on arrival. There's a thriving second hand market here and plenty of bargains to be had.

26

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 12 June 2016 - 17:02

How old is your car? There are restrictions on the age. It's a 2008. How old can they be?

1759

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 08 June 2016 - 19:54

How old is your car? There are restrictions on the age.

367

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 08 June 2016 - 17:32

You can drive on your USA driving licence until your residency visa is arranged. At that stage you will need to switch it for a UAE driving licence. You can only drive a hire car on a non UAE licence, private cars can only be insured as a resident.

518

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 08 June 2016 - 15:45

Unless there is some personal attachment , you would be better off selling your car and buying something here made specifically to gulf specification. Apart from shipping cost there is also a possibility of your car selling poorly here if at some point you plan to upgrade. Buying car is easy and quite quick here. You can always rent and drive on your US license if you need something immediate.

409

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 08 June 2016 - 11:24

You can drive on your USA driving licence until your residency visa is arranged. At that stage you will need to switch it for a UAE driving licence.

409

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 08 June 2016 - 11:22

Is there a specific reason you want to ship your car? Is it a special edition or rare model? Cars here are relatively inexpensive so it may save you money to sell yours and buy a new one. I believe cars here are normally Gulf Specification so they deal with the heat and desert conditions a little better too.

sheikhandbake108829

409

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 08 June 2016 - 10:43

Cars over here are quite cheap so you might consider selling your car and buying a new one here. If you really don't want to drive your car when it first comes in, there is a service here called saferdriver - http://www.saferdriver.ae/ Used by many of us after a late night out, it can also help you pick up your car from the port.

54

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 June 2016 - 06:50

Hi, We shipped our car here from Miami and had no problems. It took about 4 weeks to get here. Yes, you need a car living in sports city. I live next door in Motor City and work in the Al Quoz area. We actually bought a second car here when I got a job. It is easy to buy a car here. But taxis are cheap here so you could just take a taxi to work until you get a car. But I would suggest having a car. Just watch out driving here. People aren't that great at driving and rude. Way different than the states!!! Hope this helps.

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