UK Car Shipping to French Polynesia

Cost of Shipping a Car from the UK to French Polynesia (Papeete)

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 French Polynesia (Papeete).

What is included in our price?

• 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

Our price excludes

• 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 French Polynesia

Papeete, on Tahiti, is French Polynesia's only international commercial port, and the Port autonome de Papeete says 90% of the territory's imported goods pass through it. Vehicles landed there are parked in a four-level building at the entrance to the Motu Uta customs zone. Papeete is also the hub for shipping between the islands, so a car going on to Moorea or another island continues on a local ship once it is cleared. Our schedule lists both RoRo and container sailings, and the container services change ship on the way.

Unlike Martinique or Guadeloupe, French Polynesia is outside the EU customs territory and sets its own duties and taxes. The Direction régionale des douanes de Polynésie française clears the car and issues the certificate used for registration. Its published rates include a lower customs duty for a vehicle with a document proving EU origin, so where a car was built can matter when we source one. Before registration the owner also pays a registration tax, the taxe de mise en circulation, and a vehicle recycling tax to the tax office (DICP). The registration tax varies with the car, and the DICP's estimate asks for the fuel, fiscal horsepower, value and date of first registration.

The Direction des transports terrestres (DTT) issues the registration certificate and needs proof that the car conforms. Its current application form accepts a type-approval report or an individual approval (réception à titre isolé). An older DTT information sheet for cars registered abroad lists the individual approval, which means an inspection by DTT inspectors based on a descriptive report from the make's dealer or a motor expert.

We work directly with the shipping lines serving French Polynesia, delivering to Papeete, 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 Liverpool, Felixstowe, Southampton and London Gateway.

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 French Polynesia 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 French Polynesia 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 French Polynesia: we find a dealer that runs the scheme and ship the car when you are ready. How the scheme works.