Shipping Cars to Hawaii

If you are moving to Hawaii and need to ship your car to Hawaii, you have reached the right place. We provide complete information on shipping cars to Hawaii. Just fill in the online form at our site with all your details. We will get back to you with upto 7 personalized quotes from the top shipping companies that ship cars to Hawaii.

At Hawaii
Privately owned vehicles called POV, may be brought to Hawaii without much difficulty. Being familiar with the conditions at Hawaii does prepare us for the government procedure. The cars are delivered at various ports in Hawaii which is a nation comprised of islands. There is a Vehicle Processing Centre at Honolulu which informs you about the status of your vehicle being shipped. The phone number of this center is (808)-848-8383

On arrival
All cars brought from another state in the United States or elsewhere need to be registered within ten days on reaching Hawaii. The original car plates of cars from the US may be left unchanged. However you must get the Hawaii vehicle sticker after registration. You will have to keep proof of the ownership, registration certificate, documents of the shipping, no-fault insurance from Hawaii authorities and proof of the safety inspection done locally.

There are authorized inspection stations. An identity card and a Non-resident Certificate form should be enough to secure an inspection certificate.

Driver's license
A license from another state in the United States is recognized here. On nearing expiry of this license, you have to apply for a Hawaii license. You need to produce a social security number and the current out-of-state license for this. If it has expired already, you have to submit an application form. There will be a written test, an eye test and a driving test. If you pass you will be given the Hawaiian license.

Form G-27 concerning Use Tax.
The only people exempt from this are car dealers, active military personnel who are not Hawaiians and the local governments. It goes to say that all have to submit this form.

Shipping a car which was used in another state of the US will not be required to pay use tax if other excise taxes or sales tax have been paid in the home state, as these figures will offset the Hawaiian use tax. For a car purchased in another state within 90 days of shipping to Hawaii, you have to give use tax because it would be inferred that the purchase was for use in Hawaii. However if the authorities are convinced that the purchase was meant for use elsewhere and the transfer to Hawaii was incidental, you may be exempted.

Ports of call
There is usually no delivery by ship onto the mainland. The ports connected are Honolulu at Oahu, Hilo at Hawaii , Kahului at Maui, Kawaihe at Hawaii, Nawiliwili at Kauai, Kaunakakai at Mologai and Kaumalapau at Lanai. All these ports are on different islands of Hawaii.

First step in the shipping
Foremost is the filling up of the online form for a quote. This conveys relevant information to the shipping company you have selected. A representative will contact you and make proper arrangements after discussion as to your residence, destination, instructions during transport, shipping expenditure , whom to deliver to and the regulations at the port of entry. Destination must be carefully determined as there are many ports of call.

Caution to be practiced when handing over the vehicle

Another set of keys for the ignition, boot, gas cap and other locked parts of your car have to be made. The original set is kept with you and the duplicate set is given to the company when handing over the vehicle after checking their fit and function in the various parts.
You have to hand over the copies of the vehicle registration and title and keep the originals with you.
The car if financed or leased, will need to have a certificate from the creditor countersigned by a Notary.
If the owner is not the one who is shipping or receiving the vehicle, a letter of authorization from the owner, countersigned by the Notary and a photo identity card simplifies the process.
You have to collect the relevant phone numbers of the shipping company and ask for the online tracking site as the possibility of delay in the shipping process is high. You would not want to worry about what is happening.

The condition of the vehicle before handing over

Ensure that the tank is only a quarter or half full of gasoline. It is inflammable. There must just be enough for driving to a service station for refueling while on land.
Owners of vehicles with propane tanks and using diesel are to get details of precautions for shipping from their customer service.
Personal items, baggage and other items not secured normally in a car are not permitted. Infant seat and spare tires are allowed. Unmounted CDs, cassette decks and car phones should be removed. Personal documents must be carried in a bag with you and not sent with the car.
Firearms or fire extinguishers are not allowed.
All alarms in the vehicle are to be disabled.
The car should be in a good driving condition with strong inflated tires, appropriate brakes, steering and transmission. Otherwise it may not be accepted for shipping.
Six inches of clearance from the ground is of importance to prevent damage during the transport.
There should be no leakage of fluids.
Your car should not be more than seven feet in height. If more, you have to specify it to the company.
Antennas should be fully retracted.
The car must be prepared for a cooler climate if so required. Engine coolant and transmission oil must be changed.

The car should be in a good driving condition. All the precautions ensure that you are handing over a conditioned car. You expect to get it back in a similar condition. Should any damage occur during the transport you are able to bring the shipping company to task. The shipping company covers your car with insurance just in case there is damage of over $500.

Additional information
You may have to drive your vehicle to the port where you hand over the vehicle for shipping or you can opt for door-to-door delivery if you do not have the time but this becomes obviously costlier. If you are opting for door-to-door delivery make sure about the condition of the roads to be traversed by the transport vehicle. This system implies that the transport company agrees to come to you as close as is possible to collect and deliver your car. The journey to and from the ports would be along broad roads, which have no overhanging trees or low bridges. This paves the way for the trailers or car haulers to maneuver the roads easily and arrive close to you or reach it in Hawaii. The trailers with the containers are the same haulers as those that deliver new cars.) They would be carrying 8 to 10 cars together so these are huge and cannot travel on narrow roads. If the conditions are not favorable, you will have to be content with selecting the system where you hand over at the port and collect from the next.

At arrival at the port in Hawaii, you are given a specific time limit of about 5 days to collect your car. Some shipping companies are allowing the owners to drive off the same day the cars arrive at the port of delivery.

Payment will have to be made before handing over your car for shipping. Be prepared with your money. Cash, checks or major credit cards may be accepted.

Your car is normally not driven in any part of the journey. The container which takes your car is conveyed by a trailer to and from the ship to your point of delivery. You can be assured that no extra mileage accrues on your speedometer. The container is not changed on the way so the chance of damage is minimal. Delivery will take about ten days to three weeks giving time for adjustment on a ship with space. .

You have to give your Hawaiian phone number for the trailer staff to contact you for delivery. If collecting your car at the port, it may have to be collected from the terminal.

Though a closed container service is more costly than transport in an open trailer, the car is saved from the effects of normal weather.

Check your vehicle when you collect it. If you find any damage or have room for a complaint, you may inform the company by adding the complaint to your bill of landing before signing it. You will be signing a similar bill at the first port.

The decision on the port of call, whether you want to use the closed container service or the open trailer system, whether you want to opt for the door -to-door delivery system have to be decided after studying them in detail, with the help of the company. Within 3 weeks you get your car in Hawaii. Hawaii is a wonderful exotic experience.

So worry no longer – all you need to do is to fill in the form at our site and sit back. We will get you free no-obligations quotes from highly professional car shipping companies for shipping a car to Hawaii.

Links:

http://www.hawaii.com/relocation/customs/index.php
http://hawaii.gov/portal/government/
http://www.mwrarmyhawaii.com/relocating.asp
http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/csd/vehicle/dlrequirements.htm