UK Car Shipping to Congo

Cost of Shipping a Car from the UK to Congo (Pointe-Noire)

The total cost of shipping depends on the vehicle make, model and most importantly size. We work directly with all shipping lines in the UK to arrange regular and reliable vehicle exports from the UK to Congo (Pointe-Noire).

Approximate — call for the latest rates. These are indicative shipping rates from our published rate table for Boma Pointe Noire. They move with the market and with the vehicle, and a full export quote covers the UK-side work listed below as well, so treat them as a guide rather than a final price. The table does not publish a RoRo rate for Congo, so that one is quoted per booking — we do sail it, and the schedule below shows the departures. See the full rate table or ask us for an itemised quote.

What a full export quote covers

• Loading and lashing vehicle into ship
• UK customs export and clearance
• UK port handling charges
• DVLA documentation and export certification
• Export documentation (e.g. Bill of Lading)
• Posting of the Export Documents from UK by UPS/DHL
• Shipping of the vehicle from the UK to Destination Port

Not covered

• Pre-Export Inspection (if required)
• Marine Insurance (container only)
• Collection and/or delivery of the vehicle
• All destination country's import fees

Apart from import duty, taxes, port storage and demurrage at the destination, which the importer always pays, we can add any of these to your quotation, priced separately, along with customs clearance, registration and delivery to your door through a local agent.

Shipping to Congo

This page covers the Republic of the Congo, or Congo-Brazzaville; the Democratic Republic of the Congo has import rules of its own. Cars land at Pointe-Noire, the deep-water Atlantic port run by the Port Autonome de Pointe-Noire, where Congo Terminal, an AGL joint venture with APM Terminals and Socotrans, works both the container ships and the RoRo vessels. On the current schedule, RoRo sailings by Sallaum Lines and Grimaldi mostly reach Pointe-Noire in 4-5 weeks, and containers take about 3-4 weeks, some changing ship at a transhipment port. Brazzaville, the capital, is 545 km away by the RN1 toll road. Our Pointe-Noire port guide says more about the port.

Congo drives on the right under the CEMAC road code, so a UK car's steering wheel will be on the kerb side. The used-vehicle decree sets no steering-side rule, but the car still has to pass that inspection, so have an agent in Pointe-Noire check the model before you buy.

Every shipment to Congo also needs a BESC, the electronic cargo tracking note run by the Conseil Congolais des Chargeurs (CCC). For an import it is taken out at the port of loading by the shipper or its agent, on the consignee's behalf, through the CCC's online platform, and it must be validated within five days of loading. The application carries the export declaration, the bill of lading, the commercial and freight invoices and, for a vehicle, its registration document: the V5C for a UK car. Congo's customs reject a clearance file without a BESC, and the shipping line faces a fine if one is missing when the ship arrives.

We work directly with the shipping lines serving Congo and handle the whole UK side for you: sourcing the vehicle, tax-free supply from the selling dealer where the car qualifies, collection, UK customs clearance and export documentation, and loading onto the ship. Sailings leave from Felixstowe, Liverpool, Southampton, Tilbury and London Gateway. We can arrange clearance with Congo's customs (the Direction Générale des Douanes et des Droits Indirects), the carte grise from the road transport administration and the road journey to Brazzaville through a local agent, quoted separately, or work with an agent of your choice.

Documentation Required for Booking

• Car Registration Document (V5 or Logbook) and Vehicle Invoice (or value).
• ID (one government-issued photo ID and one utility bill showing address).

Payment Terms / Modes

• A £1,000 deposit secures a vehicle we source or buy for you. It is part of the price, not an extra fee. If you cancel, our terms and conditions say what is refunded.
• The balance is due in full, in cleared funds, before the vehicle is loaded, unless your quotation sets out different terms.
• Bank transfer preferred. Card payments up to £5,000, with no fee on personal debit or credit cards.
• Letters of credit, cheques, money orders and cash are not accepted.

Our Other Services

Car Sourcing and Buying on your behalf

Buying and exporting a car to Congo doesn't need to be stressful. UK Vehicle Exporters specialises in sourcing and exporting vehicles from the UK, with trusted shipping partners and support at every stage, from choosing the vehicle through to loading it onto the ship.

Tax-Free Vehicle Supply and UK VAT

UK Preferential Origin (Reduced Import Duty)

Some UK-built vehicles may qualify for reduced or zero import duty. That depends on the UK having a trade agreement with the destination country and on the car meeting that agreement's rules of origin. During your quote, we'll confirm whether the vehicle you're interested in qualifies.

VAT-free Supply of VAT-Qualifying (VATQ) Cars

A VAT-registered dealer can sell a new car, or a used car that carries VAT on its full price, free of UK VAT when it is exported and HMRC's conditions are met. Used cars of that kind are known in the trade as VAT-qualifying: typically ex-rental or ex-lease cars, where the hire or leasing company reclaimed the VAT when it bought them. On a VAT-inclusive price, the VAT is one-sixth. A used car sold under the second-hand margin scheme is different: VAT is due only on the dealer's margin, and HMRC does not let a dealer zero-rate it as an ordinary export. We are not VAT registered, so the saving comes off the dealer's price, not as a refund from us. We arrange the export to Congo and give the dealer the proof of export it needs.

HMRC's Personal Export Scheme (PES)

The Personal Export Scheme lets overseas visitors and UK residents who are leaving the UK, and will stay outside it with the car for at least six months, buy a car free of VAT and use it here before it is exported. Only VAT-registered businesses can operate the scheme, so you buy from a dealer that runs it. The car must leave within 12 months of delivery for an overseas visitor, or 6 months for a UK resident, or the VAT becomes payable. It can suit anyone relocating to Congo: we find a dealer that runs the scheme and ship the car when you are ready. How the scheme works.