More and more people are aware of the fact that buying cars abroad is convenient. However, one of the obstacles that stops some potential buyers from making this choice is the perception that the import times are too long. But is this a legitimate fear or is it a false myth? Without a doubt, it is a procedure that, in some circumstances, can be complex and, if you decide to proceed independently, you may incur some forgetfulness or error that can lengthen the times or lead to unexpected additional expenses. By relying on a company like IMPORTAMI AUTO, however, the import of the vehicle can take place smoothly and be completed within a month or a little more, for cars with European approval, already present in the EU territory. So, let’s see together how the whole process takes place, step by step.
Phases and times of the car import process with us
For us, innovation and improvement of our processes is fundamental and it is an aspect on which we work every day. This has led us to be able to offer a service for importing cars from abroad that is simple, transparent and completely customizable, which includes different phases.
STEP 1: Vehicle choice and quote
The first step to importing a car is to choose the vehicle you want to buy. You can find it on the main reference portals such as autoscout24 or mobile.de. If you have specific needs, we can also provide you with further information to carry out more in-depth and extensive searches. After finding the vehicle you are interested in, through our estimator you can immediately get an idea of how much it costs to import a car from Germany or other European countries. If you are interested in a vehicle that is outside Europe, you can contact us and we will send you a detailed estimate in a short time.
STEP 2: Check the vehicle and documentation
If the estimate is within your budget and you ask us to proceed, we move on to the second step: checking the car and the documentation. We contact the seller and find out about the conditions of the car, to make sure they match those reported in the ad. If necessary, we can also arrange for the car to be checked in a local workshop. At the same time, by checking the chassis and checking the documents, we check that everything is in order from this point of view.
STEP 3: Purchase, contract and payment
If the car you have identified has passed all the checks with flying colors, you can finally move on to the next phase: the purchase. In this case we can proceed in 2 ways:
- you buy the vehicle directly from the seller
- we buy the car for you
In both cases we will take care of drawing up the necessary contract and then you can proceed with the payment of the vehicle directly to the seller or to us, depending on how you prefer to proceed.
STEP 4: Transport
Once payment is made, the next step is to organize the transportation of the vehicle. Here too, you have the option to choose the solution you prefer:
- We can organize the transport of the car to Italy from the country where it is located
- you can go and collect it directly, using export plates that we will provide you
Transportation can obviously take a number of days depending on the distance to be traveled.
STEP 5: Unlocking the frame and documents
Once the car has arrived at its destination, we take care of starting the procedures so that the Revenue Agency can proceed with the unlocking of the chassis. At the same time, we contact the Civil Motorization so that they can take care of the registration of the vehicle and the issuing of Italian documents, such as the registration document and the certificate of ownership.
STEP 6: Delivery of the car
Finally, once all the documentation and the Italian license plate of the vehicle are ready, all that remains is to deliver the car to you and thus successfully complete the entire process.
Importing a car: the time required
In general, therefore, we can say that the entire process of importing a car takes from 30 to 45 days. However, it is important to consider that some phases, such as the unlocking of the chassis by the Revenue Agency or the registration of the car by the Civil Motorization, are not directly under our control. Therefore, together with the speed with which the transporter can proceed with the collection of the car, it is above all these two variables that affect the timing mentioned above.
For our part, we are committed every day to guaranteeing impeccable service and fast times and we do everything possible to make your experience of buying cars abroad smooth, safe and stress-free.