Shipping a Porsche 911 from the UK to the USA

Modern Porsche 911s built to US-market specification and sold new in America are straightforward to re-import, but UK-market right-hand-drive cars not originally federalised require either the 25-year exemption for older models or an approved Registered Importer conversion for newer ones. Air-cooled 911s from the 964 and 993 generations (built 1989–1998) already clear the 25-year threshold comfortably, making them some of the most commonly shipped classic Porsches on our books, alongside a steady stream of UK-registered 991 and 992-generation cars owned by American expats returning home.

We ship 911s from Southampton to the Port of New York/New Jersey, Baltimore or Los Angeles via RORO or enclosed container. RORO transit runs approximately 14–18 days to the East Coast, while enclosed container shipping — recommended for GT3, GT2 RS and air-cooled variants — takes 18–24 days and costs roughly £1,700–£2,300 versus £900–£1,200 for standard RORO. Given the 911's relatively compact dimensions, it's also a strong candidate for shared container shipping when paired with another sports car heading to the same port.

A UK-spec 911 under 25 years old that wasn't originally sold in the US market must go through an EPA-approved Independent Commercial Importer for emissions conversion and a DOT Registered Importer for safety compliance, a process that typically costs £8,000–£15,000 and can take several months, making it viable mainly for exceptionally rare specifications. For the far larger volume of 911s we ship — either already federalised US-market cars being repatriated, or air-cooled models over 25 years old — this expensive conversion step simply doesn't apply, and the paperwork is limited to standard EPA Form 3520-1 and DOT HS-7 exemption declarations.

US customs duty on passenger cars is a flat 2.5% of the CIF value, so a 911 valued at £70,000 attracts roughly £1,750 in duty, plus a customs broker fee of £250–£400. There's no federal VAT equivalent, though state sales or use tax applies on registration and varies from 0% in states like Oregon and Montana to over 8% in California and New York. Owners should factor this state-level variation heavily into their choice of registration state where they have flexibility.

Given typical 911 values, we recommend a professional pre-shipment condition report with full photographic documentation, particularly for air-cooled and GT-series cars, since marine insurance claims are settled far more smoothly with clear before-and-after evidence. Our Southampton facility carries out this inspection as standard for any vehicle valued above £40,000, at no extra charge beyond the standard marine insurance premium of roughly 1–1.5% of declared value.