moving to the USA

[Sputnik]

Hi all. I don't post a lot on the Pelican forum, although it helped me a lot two years ago when I did a respray of my car.
I'm Belgian and I have a 1988 Targa for almost 4 years now. Since a few months I'm preparing to move with my family to Georgia next summer. Our company is setting up a new USA branch and I would be the manager for that new company.
Of course I like to move my 911 with me.
Can the "Georgia guys" inform me what I have to do, to put my car legally on the road and what documents I need?
The car is originally from the US and was once registered. I still have some documents of the previous owners.

Thank you for your help!




a picture of the car in Germany

[tirwin]

Welcome to Georgia! And you have a beautiful car. What part of the state are you moving to? Atlanta area? Savannah?

This link should get you started.
Georgia Car Buying & Selling FAQ | DMV.org

No matter where you live in Georgia, your car will be exempt from annual emissions inspections because of it's age. You will get a car tag from the county you live in. There will be annual car tag fees. Ad valorum tax has recently changed. You may be able to pay a one-time tax or you may have to pay annually. I think you can only do the one-time option on a new vehicle purchase. Either way, the annual fees are pretty cheap on my '83.

The mountains of North Georgia have some great opportunities for fun drives. We will have to introduce you to the Tail of the Dragon.

I'll PM you my Skype username. Happy to chat and answer any other questions you might have about moving to the state.

[Vereeken]

Another Carrera falls victim to the SC World Domination plot.

Pretty soon I will have nobody to dominate.

[JohnJL]

The purely logical answer is to sell your car in Belgium and buy another in the US. You will likely gain a lot on value, shipping, rego, etc.

*said by guy who hauls his collection from the us to australia to canada to.....

[gamin]

Ship it over. My 70 has been across the pond 3 times. No way I would part with it just because there is a little water in the way. Tirwin is correct. The north Georgia mountains are a hoot as is the "Tail of the Dragon" which by the way is in N. Carolina/Tenn but close.

[sandgroper]

It's easy, use wallenius wilhausen roro, older than 25 yrs does not have to comply with fed dot or epa but whatever state you live in will dictate smog compliance there for your car, a freight forwarder in your country will have to file US border protection paperwork prior to the car leaving, you won't owe any duty as you've owned it more than a year, its all pretty easy.

[Justin@Athens]

Chances are your car will even be shipped into Brunswick, just like all the new Porsche inventory!

What is the name of the company you work with?

I am also glad to assist you in any way I can. I have lived in Georgia my whole life.

[A horse with no name]

I have sold the odd vehicle to persons from Washington State that was at one time was an American licensed car. The US Customs refer to them as a 'vehicle returning' and hence they are very easy to bring in and there are no fee's. If you have an American Consulate/Custom's near by have a talk to them about it. They may even have the forms. If you do not want to do it yourself; I used a brokerage company and the charge was around $100.00.

Personally, I would pay the $100.00+/-... Here a list of numerous US Customs Offices that are listed in Georgia.

U. S. Customs and Border Protection Broker List

The most inexpensive way to ship your car is by a ro-ro carrier. Try to find a carrier who ships to and from Germany to the US on a regular basis. A carrier that does the shipping for the likes of MB, BMW, Porsche, Audi, VW etc. would be the one to contact.
There are also many Japanese ro-ro companies that go to and from all over the world, so don't forget them. One of them likely does already ship to somewhere on the east coast such as Atlanta.

International Shipping RO-RO. RO-RO ocean freight rates online.

[Sputnik]

Thank you all for the usefull information and the American hospitallity!

I already took a look at the dragon tale on Google maps, and it seems like it is the 'American Nürburgring' although it is not round.

@ Tirwin & Justin@Athens, Thank you for the help you offered. I certainly will need it to get settled!

@ JohnJL, I don't think that selling is not the most logical option. When I see the classifieds, the prices in US for an '87 in similar condition is also between $ 40 - 50.000 Changing cars comes also with extra risks ...

I probably can ship the car in a 40' container together with our furniture. If not I will look for the RO-RO solution.