Moving with a car, sold, shipped or driven.
A car adds its own steps, and some start months ahead: whether it can be registered where you go, selling or shipping it, insurance, your driving licence, and registering the car once you arrive.
Three to six months before
- Official stepIf you ship the car or drive it thereWhen you move abroad
Check the car can be registered at the destination
Plan for: about 4 months before you leaveDuty, emissions and safety rules decide whether importing is worth it.
- Check import duty and ownership rules
- Ask for the conformity certificate
- Compare with selling and buying again
The deadline is set by local rules. Read it on the official page and set the date yourself; Rootstep links that page where it has one.
One to three months before
- ContractIf you ship the car
Book car shipping and export papers
about 9 weeks before you leaveShipping needs export papers and weeks at sea.
- Get shipping quotes
- Prepare export papers
- When you move abroad
Ask your insurer for a letter proving your claims-free years
about 4 weeks before you leaveIt can lower your new insurance price.
- Ask for the letter in English or the local language
- Official stepWhen you move abroadIf you drive
Get an international driving permit
Plan for: about 4 weeks before you leaveSome countries accept a foreign licence only together with an international permit.
- Apply where your licence was issued
- Carry it with your licence
The deadline is set by local rules. Read it on the official page and set the date yourself; Rootstep links that page where it has one.
The last month
- If you sell the car
Sell the car
about 3 weeks before you leavePrices drop when you must sell in a hurry.
- Get a valuation
- Pay off any loan to release the title
- Notify the registration office
Moving day
- Contract
Cancel or move car insurance, toll tags and parking permits
The day you leavePolicies and tags keep charging after you sell or leave.
- Cancel from the sale or departure date
Later, once you've settled
- Official stepIf you ship the car or drive it there
Register the car at the destination
Plan for: about 9 weeks after you arrivePlates from another country or state are allowed only for a limited time after you become resident.
- Pass the technical inspection
- Insure the car locally
- Register it and get local plates
The deadline is set by local rules. Read it on the official page and set the date yourself; Rootstep links that page where it has one.
- Official stepIf you drive
Exchange your driving licence or update its address
Plan for: about 5 months after you arriveLicences from another country or state are often valid only for a limited time after you become resident.
- Check whether your licence can be exchanged or you must take a test
- Book the appointment early
The deadline is set by local rules. Read it on the official page and set the date yourself; Rootstep links that page where it has one.
Let the dates take care of themselves.
Rootstep adds these steps only when a car is part of your move, and counts each one from your moving day. Try everything free for 9 days; your plan stays free to follow, and one payment keeps you planning.