International Car Shipping To & From San Diego

Any time you ship a vehicle overseas you are going to need to do plenty of research about the destination country’s taxes, and regulations which might restrict you from shipping your vehicle. There’s no point in shipping your car if it won’t be legal to drive once it arrives.

San Diego’s harbors are a great choice when trying to decide where to ship your car from. When you transport your vehicle overseas, shipping out of San Diego- a well-established West coast hub of maritime exchange- is recommended in order to streamline your shipping process.

A few reasons why San Diego is a very straightforward place to ship from:

It has easily accessible ports and and is connected to major international highways.

Less than 20 m. (32 kms.) from the U.S./Mexico International border- any vessels coming through or from Latin America will come to San Diego ports first.

Due to it’s natural protection with two peninsulas and a temperate climate- San Diego Bay is conducive to year-round cargo handling.

Have questions about shipping vehicles internationally from San Diego or the western seaboard? Give us a call today at the number at the top of the page for a FREE, no-obligation cost estimate! We can also answer your questions and provide estimates through our online contact form!

The Port of San Diego is the preferred hub of entry into America for a multitude of car companies like Honda, Acura, Isuzu, Volkswagen, Nissan, Mitsubishi Fuso, and Hino Motors.

Here are 3 different large auto transport shipping ports in San Diego that are specialized for handling any manner of cargo:

The Port of San Diego, located on the tip of the Shelter Island Yacht Basin

The San Diego Harbor Police Dock, located in the East Basin

The US Customs and Boarder Protection Port of Entry is located South of Little Italy

In addition to its options in the water; another neat thing to consider about San Diego is it’s connection to plenty of international highways, which make land bound segments of your car’s overseas shipping journey a breeze. I- 5 connects with Mexico, I- 8 heads to Arizona, and the I- 15 leads to Las Vegas. San Diego has direct road access to the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Why San Diego and not LA?

San Diego is less slow:

While it is true that all overseas shipping has a reputation for being slow-you can save time because compared with ports in LA, San Diego ports are less congested.

Time saved in the shipping process will also save you money. Holding fees can mount and wreak havoc on your shipping budget.

Why no other port in California has as much to offer:

Located beyond the natural barriers to transport such as the Sierra Nevada mountains, and the Mojave desert, land routes from San Diego are better able to skirt such geographical challenges than land routes from LA. The Sierra Nevada mountains pose a major challenge when it comes to state-to-state transport to all other ports besides LA and San Diego. San Diego is the only port with the advantage of it being possible to avoid the extremes of the mountain ranges of CA as well as the greater depth of the Mojave Desert.