How to Collect Your Car From Port: A Step-by-Step Guide

Preparation for collection genuinely starts before the vessel leaves the UK, not once it docks at destination. As soon as your shipment is booked, your carrier or agent should give you the vessel name, voyage number, estimated time of arrival (ETA), and the destination port's terminal details. Keep this information alongside your bill of lading — whether that's an original, a telex release confirmation, or a sea waybill — because you will need to quote reference numbers repeatedly through the collection process.

Most ports operate what's called a 'free storage' or 'free time' period, typically somewhere between 3 and 10 days depending on the port, after which demurrage and storage charges begin accruing, often at a daily rate that increases the longer the vehicle sits uncollected. This means the worst thing you can do is wait until the vessel has actually arrived before starting to organise customs clearance, an import permit, or funds for duty — all of that should be arranged in the days before arrival, not after.

The shipping line's local agent will typically issue an 'arrival notice' once the vessel is confirmed to have docked, usually a few days ahead of actual arrival based on the vessel's tracked schedule. This notice will specify where and how to collect the delivery order — the document that actually authorises the terminal to release your cargo — and what charges, if any, remain outstanding on the shipping side (as opposed to customs and duty, which is separate).

If you're using telex release, your consignee will need to contact the agent directly, quote the bill of lading number, and confirm identity before the delivery order is issued. If you have an original bill of lading, the physical document must be presented and endorsed before the delivery order can be released — this is one of the reasons telex release has become the standard choice for most personal shipments, since it removes this extra courier and presentation step.

This is usually the longest and most variable part of the process, because it depends entirely on the destination country's customs system rather than the shipping line. You (or a customs broker acting for you) will need to submit an import declaration, along with supporting documents such as the bill of lading, commercial invoice or bill of sale, your ID or residency documentation, and in many countries an import permit obtained in advance.

Customs will assess duty and any applicable taxes based on the vehicle's value, age and, in some countries, engine size or emissions rating. Payment is usually required before the vehicle is released, and many countries will also carry out a physical inspection of the vehicle against its documentation — checking the VIN against the bill of lading and registration papers — before final clearance is granted. In destinations with less predictable customs processing times, such as parts of West Africa or South Asia, engaging a local clearing agent experienced with vehicle imports specifically (rather than general cargo) makes a meaningful difference to speed and avoids costly errors.

Once customs clearance is complete and any port storage or terminal handling fees are settled, you'll receive a gate pass or release note allowing the vehicle to physically leave the terminal. For RORO shipments, this usually means driving the car out through a designated exit gate after presenting your paperwork and ID at the security office. For container shipments, the container must first be 'destuffed' (unloaded) at a bonded warehouse or container yard, which can add a day or two and sometimes an additional destuffing fee, before the vehicle itself is accessible.

Inspect the vehicle immediately at this point, ideally against the pre-shipment condition report photographs, and note any damage on the terminal's own release documentation before you drive or tow it away. Reporting damage after leaving the port complicates any insurance claim considerably, because it becomes harder to prove the damage occurred during transit rather than after collection.

The most common cause of unexpected costs at this stage is simply not having documents or funds ready when the vessel arrives, which pushes the vehicle past the free storage period through no fault of the shipping line. Get import permits, duty budgets and a local agent (if needed) organised while the ship is still at sea — most voyages give you two to five weeks of advance notice, which is ample time.

Second, make sure your consignee details on the bill of lading exactly match the ID that will be presented at collection; even minor discrepancies can stall release while amendments are processed. Third, budget for terminal handling charges (THC) and any destuffing fees separately from customs duty — these are levied by the port and shipping line rather than the government, and are easy to overlook when estimating total landed cost. At The Ship Cars, we provide a full collection pack with every shipment, including local agent contacts and a country-specific checklist, precisely to reduce the chance of these avoidable delays.