UK Car Shipping to Papua New Guinea

Cost of Shipping a Car from the UK to Papua New Guinea (Brisbane, Singapore)

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 Papua New Guinea (Brisbane, Singapore).

Approximate — call for the latest rates. These are indicative shipping rates from our published rate table. They cover the sea leg to the port Papua New Guinea is reached through — Brisbane (Australia) or Singapore — 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. The table does not publish a RoRo rate for Papua New Guinea, 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 Brisbane (Australia) or Singapore

Not covered

• Pre-Export Inspection (if required)
• Marine Insurance (container only)
• Collection and/or delivery of the vehicle
• The onward leg from Brisbane (Australia) or Singapore to Papua New Guinea
• 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 Papua New Guinea

Cars for Papua New Guinea come ashore at Lae, the country's biggest general cargo and container port, on the Huon Gulf, or at Motukea, the port for Port Moresby. ICTSI runs both international terminals under the state-owned PNG Ports Corporation: South Pacific International Container Terminal at the Lae Tidal Basin and Motukea International Terminal. Both ports also take RoRo ships, at berths 3 to 5 of Lae's main wharf and at Motukea's berths 1 and 2. The port guides to Lae and Port Moresby have the details.

No ship sails there from the UK, so the car changes ship at Brisbane or Singapore. Swire Shipping's Papua New Guinea Service runs every 14 days between Australia and PNG, its Pacific Weekly Express is a fixed seven-day service between Singapore and PNG, and Meratus Line's PNG Express, launched in 2023 as a 28-day loop, links Jakarta and Surabaya with Dili, Motukea and Lae; the line put a new 693 TEU ship on the route in February 2025. Traffic keeps to the left, so a UK right-hand-drive car puts the driver beside the centre line, as at home.

Registration with the Road Traffic Authority needs the inspection report, proof of identity, a certificate of roadworthiness issued within the previous 30 days and current third-party insurance, and runs for up to 12 months at a time. Keep the car's V5C log book: the permanent-export section goes to DVLA and the rest shows the first-registration date the five-year limit is counted from.

The UK end is ours: sourcing the car, tax-free supply from the selling dealer where it qualifies, collection from any UK address, UK customs clearance and export documents, and loading. Sailings leave from Southampton, London Gateway, Liverpool, Felixstowe, Bristol and Newcastle. We can arrange the onward leg from Brisbane or Singapore, clearance into Papua New Guinea 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 Papua New Guinea 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 Papua New Guinea 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 Papua New Guinea: we find a dealer that runs the scheme and ship the car when you are ready. How the scheme works.