UK Car Shipping to the Solomon Islands

Cost of Shipping a Car from the UK to the Solomon Islands (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 the Solomon Islands (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 the Solomon Islands 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. 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 the Solomon 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 Solomon Islands

Cars for the Solomon Islands come ashore at Honiara, on the Point Cruz peninsula in the centre of the capital on the north coast of Guadalcanal. The Solomon Islands Ports Authority, which also runs Noro, operates the port. Its international wharf has two berths, 110 and 150 metres long with 10.5 and 11.5 metres of water alongside, five tugs, and its own forklifts, container handlers and reach stackers; the largest ship to have called was 296 metres. The port guide to Honiara has the details.

No ship sails there from the UK, so the car changes ship at Brisbane or Singapore. Swire Shipping's PNG Service links the Solomon Islands with Papua New Guinea and Australia every 14 days, and its Pacific Weekly Express is a weekly service that uses Singapore as its transhipment hub; both are multi-purpose liner services. Neptune Pacific Direct Line also lists a West Pacific partner service to New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands. Which route we use depends on the sailing and the space on offer, and we confirm it at booking. Traffic keeps to the left, so a UK right-hand-drive car puts the driver beside the centre line, as at home.

Clearance is through the Customs and Excise Division, which processes manifests and import declarations in ASYCUDA World. The clearing agent lodges the entry against the bill of lading from the shipping line and the purchase invoice, so keep the invoice, and the car's V5C log book travels with it, less the permanent-export section that goes to DVLA. The government's trade portal publishes a permits-and-licences step and a full sea-port import procedure for vehicles; we go through the current version with the clearing agent before you commit to a car.

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