UK Car Shipping to the Cook Islands

Cost of Shipping a Car from the UK to the Cook Islands (Auckland)

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 the Cook Islands (Auckland).

Approximate — call for the latest rates. These are indicative shipping rates from our published rate table. They cover the sea leg to the port the Cook Islands is reached through — Auckland (New Zealand) — and do not include the onward leg from there, which is quoted separately. 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. 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 Auckland (New Zealand)

Not covered

• Pre-Export Inspection (if required)
• Marine Insurance (container only)
• Collection and/or delivery of the vehicle
• The onward leg from Auckland (New Zealand) to the Cook Islands
• 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 the Cook Islands

Avatiu harbour, beside Avarua on the north coast of Rarotonga, is the Cook Islands' main gateway for international shipping. The Cook Islands Ports Authority runs it, and Arutanga harbour on Aitutaki as well. No UK sailing goes there, so the car travels to Auckland and is transhipped. Pacific Forum Line has Rarotonga on its New Zealand to Cook Islands service, and Matson South Pacific's schedules include both Rarotonga and Aitutaki, so a car for Aitutaki may be able to go there direct. Our port guide to Avatiu covers the harbour.

The car faces two checks at Avatiu. Biosecurity Cook Islands, part of the Ministry of Agriculture, treats every imported vehicle as a high-risk item and routinely inspects it on arrival, and a used car needs a biosecurity passed sticker confirming it is free of risk organisms, organic material and other contaminants, so it should leave the UK clean underneath as well as inside. The Cook Islands Customs Service clears it on the importer's entry, and the shipping agent's delivery order and the Ports Authority's charges come last before the car leaves the wharf.

The government's trade portal sets out the Avatiu import procedure for right-hand-drive vehicles, and Customs' relocation fact sheets say a left-hand-drive vehicle needs the Police Commissioner's written approval before it is imported. A right-hand-drive UK car avoids that step.

We handle the UK part: sourcing the car, tax-free supply from the selling dealer where the car qualifies, collection from any UK address, UK customs clearance and export documentation, and loading. Sailings leave from London Gateway, Southampton, Liverpool, Felixstowe, Bristol and Newcastle. We can arrange the onward leg from Auckland, clearance into the Cook Islands and registration 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 the Cook Islands 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 the Cook Islands 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 the Cook Islands: we find a dealer that runs the scheme and ship the car when you are ready. How the scheme works.