Exporting from US to Hong Kong
If you value your vehicle then it is understandable why you would be willing to take the extra mile, literary and not, to ship your vehicle to Hong Kong. There are several options when exporting a vehicle from the United States to Hong Kong and that includes shipping the vehicle through the port or on a door-to-door basis.
Most international shipping companies are ready to ship vehicles to the major cities in Hong Kong including Sok Kwu Wan, Yung Shue Wan and Kowloon. But if your place of residence is not within these cities, then choose a shipping company that will be able to ship the vehicle directly to the other cities. That should not however be a cause for worry because Hong Kong has very good roads and transportation systems so getting a vehicle to its final destination from any of the ports would be easy.
Exporting vehicles and boats from the US to Hong Kong requires the presentation of the vehicle’s Deregistration Certificate, Insurance Certificate, Invoice of Original Purchase and Certificate of Registration. In case you are shipping a boat then you need to apply for an import permit with the Marine Department within 24 hours of its arrival. Your application should be accompanied by a registration certificate which shows the dimensions of the boat.
Allot one to two weeks for the clearing of a vehicle shipped to Hong Kong. You will however need to register the vehicle to use it in the streets and for that you need to comply with various requirements like vehicle examination and ensure its compliance with environmental protection laws.
When exporting a vehicle from the US to Hong Kong, prepare to deal with three government departments namely the Transport Department, Environmental Protection Department and the Customs and Excise Department. The first thing you should do is determine the compliance of the vehicle when it comes to the Standards set by Hong Kong for Exhaust and Noise. It is important to get a permit from the Environmental Protection Department which shows that the vehicle is fully compliant with Hong Kong’s emission standards even before shipment of the vehicle. You can do this by submitting an emission testing report from a test laboratory recognized by the Department.
Since Hong Kong is a free port, vehicles are exempted from Customs Tax but a Declaration Form and an Import Return Form should be filed with the Customs and Excise Department within 14 days from the time the vehicle is shipped to Hong Kong. This can easily be done electronically. Failure to file the forms is considered an offense so make sure it is done within the required period. The Department will give you a Notification of Motor Vehicle Provisional Taxable Value which must be presented when you register the vehicle.
Take note that Hong Kong vehicles are right-hand-drive vehicles so the government requires an import license for left-hand-drive vehicles. And unless your case falls within the special circumstances approved by the government, your left-hand-drive vehicle would not be qualified for registration in Hong Kong.
While you have less to worry about when it comes to the payment of fees when shipping vehicles to Hong Kong, you however have to prepare the documents which will be required when you register the vehicle including: Passport, Visa or Hong Kong Identity Card; proof of more than 6 months of residency in the country where you came from, driver’s license issued in the US, letter signifying the reason for importing the vehicle, vehicle registration, insurance certificate showing Third Party Risk, Receipt and shipping documents.
Shipping a vehicle to Hong Kong is not really cheap despite the lack of Customs Tax because you also have to pay the HK$100 registration fee, $530 vehicle examination fee for a car and $320 for a motorcycle, $4,000 to $11,000 license fee for a car and $1,314 license fee for a motorcycle.
If you are willing to pay the price then choose a reputable and established international shipping company to make sure that the exportation of your vehicle from the US to Hong Kong remains hassle-free.