Gather all necessary documents. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), if you are shipping your vehicle outside the United States, specific documents are needed based on the type of vehicle and ownership. If you want to you ship your current car, which is considered used, you must have your vehicle's certificate of title, or a certified copy. If your car is leased or there is a lien on it, you must also provide a letter from the third-party granting permission for the vehicle to be exported. For newly manufactured cars without a title, you must provide the manufacturer's statement of origin that usually comes with the car. If you do not have a statement of origin for your new car, or if your car does not have a registered title, you must prove that you are the sole owner of the car, using a document like the dealer's invoice.
Identify a port, and a shipping company that will transport your car to the Cayman Islands. As of 2010, there are three companies that will ship your car from the ports of Tampa and Miami. These are the only ports the shipping companies travel to so you must get your vehicle to one of them. Your vehicle must be at the seaport 72 hours before export to go through customs.
Kirk Freight Line
c/o Hyde Shipping Corporation,
10025 NW 116th Way, Suite 1
Medley, Florida, 33178
305-913-5475
Kirk Freight Line offers biweekly shipping service from Miami to Grand Cayman every Monday and Friday.
Thompson Shipping Co
c/o Hyde Shipping Corporation,
10025 NW 116th Way, Suite 1
Medley, Florida, 33178
305-913-8226
Thompson Shipping Company provides shipping service three times a week, Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays from Miami to Grand Cayman, and twice a month from Tampa to Grand Cayman.
Cayman Freight Shipping Services Ltd
Seaboard Marine
850 NW 79th Ave
Miami, FL 33166
Tel (305) 863-4444].
Seaboard Marine offers weekly shipping from Miami to Grand Cayman Fridays.
All ships take about 2 to 3 days to arrive in the Cayman Islands.
Hire a customs broker to get your car through customs and onto the ship for export. According to Cayman Islands New Resident magazine, it is strongly recommended that you hire a customs broker who will help you get your car cleared through customs. There is often time-consuming paperwork necessary that brokers are adept at dealing with. The CBP provides a list of customs brokers licensed to work at each seaport.
Pay applicable fees. Depending on what you worked out with your broker, you may have all paperwork taken care of and your vehicle hand delivered to you. However, if that is not the case, you will need to pay the shippers when the ship arrives. Costs for shipping vary depending on car type, but according to Cayman Island New Resident magazine, an average-size car will cost about $1,400 to ship.You will also have to pay the Cayman Island duty fee, environmental fee and port charges. All fees depend on the type, make, model, size, and price of your car.
Obtain car insurance. You must have proof of car insurance before you can drive your vehicle. Like the U.S., the Cayman Islands has a large number of auto insurance companies to compare and choose from. Cayman Islands New Resident magazine offers an extensive list of auto insurance companies.
Get your car licensed. Once you have your car insured, drive it to the Department of Vehicles and Drivers' Licensing in George Town on Grand Cayman to buy a license and have the car inspected. Finally, buy a Cayman Islands license plate. The price depends on the type of license you are getting.
Department of Vehicles and Drivers' Licensing
990 Crewe Road, George Town, Grand Cayman
345-945-8344
www.dvdl.gov.ky
