Car Shipping Company from Kuwait to France 0552803439 | RoRo & Containers from Shuwaikh Port, Air to Paris & Nice

Home Safe is a car shipping company from Kuwait to France that takes your car from your door in Kuwait and hands you its key in Paris, Nice or Toulouse. The main route is by sea from Shuwaikh Port to the port of Marseille-Fos, on a RoRo vessel or inside a container, and takes 30 to 45 days door to door. Air freight from Kuwait International Airport arrives in 3 to 6 days. Shipping a saloon starts from SAR 4,900, about KWD 400, a mid-size 4×4 from SAR 5,800 and a large one from SAR 6,900. To book: 0552803439.

In this guide45ShowHide

1. Who ships a car from Kuwait to France?
2. Will France accept your car? The question that comes before the price
3. What does Home Safe handle, and how do we serve shipments from Kuwait?
4. Shipping cars by sea from Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait to Marseille-Fos
5. How long does it take to ship a car from Kuwait to France?
6. The price of shipping a car from Kuwait to France
7. Collecting cars from the cities and governorates of Kuwait
8. RoRo or container: which is right for your car?
9. Types and sizes of cars we ship from Kuwait to France
10. Preparing the car before handing it over in Kuwait
11. Summer travellers’ cars from Kuwait to France: shipped for the season, then returned
12. Taking the car out and exporting it at the Kuwaiti traffic department
13. Documents for shipping a car from Kuwait to France, and what is not accepted
14. French customs and transfer-of-residence relief
15. Registering a Gulf car in France: conformity, inspection and tax
16. Protecting and insuring the car from Kuwait to delivery
17. Delivering cars from Kuwait in Paris, Nice and Toulouse
18. Shipping cars for individuals, companies, embassies and government bodies
19. Additional shipping services with the car, and is there a land route?
20. Air freight for cars from Kuwait to France
21. Steps for shipping a car from Kuwait to France
22. Tracking the car and customer service throughout the journey
23. Shipping cars from France to Kuwait
24. Home Safe’s advice before you ship your car from Kuwait to France
25. How do you choose a car shipping company from Kuwait to France?
26. Common mistakes when shipping cars from Kuwait to France
27. Why Home Safe for shipping your car from Kuwait to France?
28. Related articles and pages
29. Tags
30. Frequently asked questions about car shipping from Kuwait to France
31. Which is the best car shipping company from Kuwait to France?
32. How much does it cost to ship a car from Kuwait to France?
33. How many days does a car take from Kuwait to Paris or Nice?
34. Do I need to hand in my plates if I am only spending the summer in France?
35. What insurance does a car on Kuwaiti plates need in France?
36. Do I pay customs in France on a car arriving from Kuwait?
37. Can a Gulf-specification car be registered in France?
38. RoRo or container for my car from Shuwaikh Port?
39. Can two or more cars be shipped from Kuwait in one go?
40. Do you ship cars by air from Kuwait International Airport to Paris and Nice?
41. Can I leave travel bags inside the car?
42. My car is financed by a bank in Kuwait. Can it travel?
43. Do you bring the car back from France to Kuwait after the holiday?
44. When should I book if I want my car in France at the start of the summer?
45. Do you offer long-term contracts for companies and bodies that ship regularly?

Sea route: Kuwait → Shuwaikh Port → Arabian Gulf and Arabian Sea → Red Sea → Suez Canal → Mediterranean → Marseille-Fos → your city in France · Expected time: 30–45 days by sea, 3–6 days by air.

Who ships a car from Kuwait to France?

Most cars on this route do not emigrate; they travel with their owners. Kuwaiti families spend the summer between Paris and the Riviera and want their own car rather than a hire car. After them come French nationals who have finished their work in Kuwait and are going home with a car they bought there, then enthusiasts who buy and sell rare cars with the French market. Each one’s case decides the method, the papers and what is paid on arrival:

Owner	What they usually ship	Best method	Status of the car in France
A Kuwaiti family summering in Paris or Nice	The family car or a 4×4	A container sent ahead of travel, or air	Temporary entry on its own plates, then return
A French national going home after a contract in Kuwait	The car they used there	RoRo, or a 40ft container with their furniture	Transfer-of-residence relief if they qualify
A collector or dealer in rare cars	A sports or classic car	A private container or air	Import with its duty and tax
An embassy, company or government body	Official cars or staff cars	Containers under one booking	According to the body’s status and letters

Will France accept your car? The question that comes before the price

France sets no age limit on an imported car as some other countries do, but it draws a sharp line between a car that visits and a car that settles. The visitor enters on its Kuwaiti plates and leaves on them without being asked about conformity or tax. The settler pays duty and tax, and is then required to prove that it meets the European specification before it carries French plates. That is why we ask first: is the car coming back?

Point of comparison	A car that visits and returns	A car that stays in France
Plates	Kuwaiti, as they are	Handed in in Kuwait, and the car is registered in France
The Kuwaiti paper	The registration book and a temporary exit declaration	An export certificate and export plates
Duty and tax in France	Not paid as long as it leaves within its period	10% then 20%, or the relief for a person moving residence
Conformity and inspection	Not required	A certificate of conformity or individual approval, then a roadworthiness test
Period allowed	Six months under the rule in force	No limit
Insurance	Temporary frontier insurance	A French policy

What does Home Safe handle, and how do we serve shipments from Kuwait?

We say it plainly: Home Safe is a Saudi establishment based in Jeddah, and we have neither an office nor a yard in Kuwait. We serve this route through partner agents there, who collect the car, check the traffic department formalities and take it into Shuwaikh Port or Kuwait airport. Our team manages the booking, the documents and the French agent, and you keep one number to call from the first enquiry to the handover of the key. This is what the service covers:

• Initial assessment: we ask about the model, the year, the condition of the car and how long it will stay, and propose the method, the port and the timetable.
• Collection: a recovery truck takes the car from the house or the showroom in any Kuwaiti governorate.
• Exit papers: a check of fines and liens, then the temporary exit declaration or the export certificate.
• Loading: booking a place on the RoRo vessel, or securing the car inside the container and sealing it.
• Clearance in France: an agent lodges the temporary entry file, the import declaration or the relief application.
• Delivery: a covered transporter from the port or the airport to the address, and an inspection before the key.

Our car shipping page describes the service in general, and the routes out of Kuwait and its neighbours are gathered under car shipping from the Gulf states.

Shipping cars by sea from Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait to Marseille-Fos

Shuwaikh Port is the main commercial port of Kuwait. It lies on Kuwait Bay immediately west of the centre of the capital, and both container ships and RoRo vessels call there. The ship leaves it heading south in the Arabian Gulf, passes the Strait of Hormuz and rounds the Arabian Peninsula into the Red Sea, then the Suez Canal. Marseille-Fos is the first French port it reaches after entering the Mediterranean.

Stage	Where it takes place	Approximate time	What happens to the car
Collection	From your address to the agent’s yard	1 day	Inspection, photographs and a condition report
Exit papers	The traffic department, then customs at Shuwaikh Port	3–5 days	A temporary exit declaration, or an export certificate and a customs declaration
Sailing	The Gulf, then the Red Sea, Suez and the Mediterranean	About 20–30 days	Inside the container or on the car deck, usually with a change of vessel
Discharge and clearance	The port of Marseille-Fos	3–6 days	The chassis number is checked and the customs file completed
Carriage to the city	From the port to your address	1–3 days	A covered transporter, then the delivery inspection

There is no regular direct service between Shuwaikh and the French ports. The container normally moves from a regional ship to an ocean-going one at a hub port in the Gulf or the Red Sea. Car carriers gather their load from more than one Gulf port before heading for the Mediterranean. And some lines book from Shuaiba Port in the south of the country instead of Shuwaikh, depending on their schedule. That is why we give you the ship and the transhipment port before you hand over the car. The ports we work through are on the ports and gateways page.

A car exported for good has a second route when the Shuwaikh sailing is far off: an enclosed transporter to Jeddah in 3 to 5 days, then a sailing from Jeddah Islamic Port with no passage round the peninsula. For the northern cities the port of Le Havre remains an option; it is further by sea and closer by road to Paris.

How long does it take to ship a car from Kuwait to France?

The days at sea themselves do not change much from one method to another. What changes is the waiting before them: a private container is closed and moves as soon as the papers are ready, a shared container waits for a second car, and RoRo waits for its ship. The times below are door to door; they are estimates that we fix against the vessel schedule at booking.

Method	Door to door	When it moves
Private 20ft container to Marseille-Fos	30–45 days	On the first ship after the papers are complete
Shared container for two cars	35–50 days	When the second car arrives
RoRo from Shuwaikh	35–50 days	According to the rotation of the car carriers
By road to Jeddah, then by sea	25–35 days	For a car exported for good and in a hurry
Air freight to Paris	3–6 days	Once the space on the aircraft is confirmed

What lengthens the time?

• A traffic fine or a lien that shows up when the traffic department file is opened in Kuwait.
• Missing the cargo cut-off at Shuwaikh, so the car waits for the next ship.
• The weeks before summer, when the cars of Gulf holidaymakers compete for the same places.
• August in France, with its annual holidays and slower offices and ports.

Times for the other routes are on the transit times page.

The price of shipping a car from Kuwait to France

Sea freight is charged on the space the car occupies, not on its weight, which is why pricing starts from its size. The prices below are where our service starts, from your door in Kuwait to the French port, and we write every other item beside them by name: the carriage from Marseille-Fos to your city, the clearance fees, and insurance if you ask for it. What the French treasury collects in duty and tax is paid at its actual amount and is not part of our charge.

The car and how it is shipped	Price starts from	Note
Saloon and hatchback	SAR 4,900, about KWD 400	To the French port, with the car running and empty
Mid-size 4×4 and crossover	SAR 5,800, about KWD 475	The height with a roof rack is checked
Large 4×4 and pickup	SAR 6,900, about KWD 565	Charged on length, width and height
Private 20ft container for one car	Set on request	According to the line and the sailing date
40ft container for two cars	Set on request	The freight is split between the two cars
Carriage from the port to the French city	Set on request	According to the distance from Marseille-Fos
Motorcycle	Set on request	In a wooden crate
Air freight for the car	Set on request	On weight, dimensions and fuel type

Prices circulating in the market: a price for this particular route is rarely published. Between USD 2,900 and 3,200 is quoted for a container carrying one car from Kuwait to France. For a 20ft container from the Gulf to the western Mediterranean ports nearest France, between USD 2,010 and 2,150 is published, and about USD 3,110 to 3,150 for a 40ft container, which is the sea freight alone. A container is said to cost between 40% and 60% more than RoRo for the same car on the same route, and general air freight between the two countries runs at around two to four dollars a kilogram. All of these are figures to the port and without clearance, so ask where the price you hear ends.

Factor	How it changes the price
Size of the car	Each larger class takes up more space on the ship
Method	A private container carries hire, loading and lashing that RoRo does not need
Port of discharge	Marseille-Fos is the shorter sailing, and Le Havre is closer by road to Paris
The French city	Nice and Marseille are near the port; Paris and Bordeaux are far
One way, or out and back	Booking both directions together lowers the freight for each

How do you cut the cost?

• Send the car by sea two months before you travel instead of flying it in the last week.
• Share a 40ft container with a relative travelling to the same city.
• Have the traffic and bank papers ready before the recovery truck comes, as a car standing at Shuwaikh runs up demurrage.
• Collect the car from the port yard yourself if you are in Marseille or near it.

The pricing items are explained on the pricing factors page.

Collecting cars from the cities and governorates of Kuwait

Kuwait is a country of short distances, and the furthest inhabited address in it is less than an hour and a half from Shuwaikh Port. Collection is therefore done in one day from any governorate, and the driver calls before he arrives. The car is inspected at your door and its condition report written, then it is moved to the agent’s yard and from there to the port or Kuwait International Airport.

Governorate	Areas we collect from	Collection note
Capital	Shamiya, Kaifan, Rawda, Khaldiya, Yarmouk, Abdullah Al-Salem	The nearest to the port, delivered there the same day
Hawalli	Salmiya, Jabriya, Mishref, Bayan, Salwa, Rumaithiya	Apartment car parks, so a point the truck can reach is agreed
Farwaniya	Farwaniya, Khaitan, Ardiya, Andalous, Ishbiliya	Close to the airport, and convenient for air freight
Mubarak Al-Kabeer	Sabah Al-Salem, Adan, Qurain, Qusour	Houses with wide entrances
Ahmadi	Fahaheel, Mangaf, Mahboula, Ahmadi, Sabah Al-Ahmad City	The furthest south, with the appointment arranged a day ahead
Jahra	Jahra, Saad Al-Abdullah, Qasr, Naseem	A direct road to Shuwaikh

Cars bought from the showrooms of Al-Rai and Shuwaikh Industrial are collected from the showroom once ownership has been transferred. Because the export procedure in Kuwait includes a technical inspection, we arrange collection after it so that the car is not moved twice.

RoRo or container: which is right for your car?

On RoRo a port worker drives the car up a ramp to a deck inside the ship, where it is lashed by its wheels to the floor and stays uncovered, because a cover rubs the paint as the ship vibrates. In a container the car is put into a steel box and secured by its four tyres with straps and chocks, then the door is sealed with a number that is written on the bill of lading, and it is not opened until France. The container itself comes in two kinds: private, for your car alone, and shared with a second car.

Point of comparison	RoRo	Private 20ft container	Shared 40ft container
Condition of the car	Running only	Running or not	Running or not
Who drives it on the way	Port workers at every stop	No one after sealing	No one after sealing
Luggage with it	Not allowed	Allowed with a list and a declaration	Allowed with a list for each owner
Regularity from Kuwait	Widely spaced sailings	Roughly weekly ships	Waits for the second car
Cost	The lowest	The highest	In between
Suits	Ordinary family cars and 4x4s	Luxury, sports and classic cars	A family with two cars, or two friends

The card on the first image says “RoRo or inside a container”, and the choice between them on this route follows your travel date before anything else: if RoRo matches your date it is the cheaper, and if it does not, the container does not wait. The two methods are detailed on the RoRo car shipping and container car shipping pages.

Types and sizes of cars we ship from Kuwait to France

Every size has a method that fits it. A large family car needs its height measured before booking. A low sports car is loaded on long ramps so that its bumper does not scrape. A classic is pushed in by hand with its engine off. This is what we check for each type:

Vehicle	Best method	What we check before booking
Small compact car and saloon	RoRo or a shared container	Whether it is worth the cost of conformity if it is staying
Large family car and 4×4	RoRo or a private container	The height with a roof rack, and the weight for the registration tax
Sports and luxury car	A container for one car, or air	Ground clearance and the insured value
Classic car	A private container	Oil leaks, and its status as a collector’s vehicle
Pickup and modified vehicle	RoRo charged on dimensions	Additions that project beyond the body, and whether they can be registered
Motorcycle	A wooden crate by sea or by air	Draining the fuel and disconnecting the battery
A car that does not run	A container, loaded by winch	That its wheels turn and its steering works

The parts that are easily damaged are protected before loading: the headlights and mirrors are covered with a protective adhesive film, the mirrors are folded, and the aerial and roof rack are removed where possible.

Preparing the car before handing it over in Kuwait

The car leaves the heat of the Gulf for a Mediterranean port after more than a month closed up. What is left in it stays there, and what is neglected in its battery shows at the first attempt to start it in France.

• Wash it outside and underneath, since dust hides scratches from the condition report.
• Leave a quarter of a tank or less, which is the condition for RoRo, the container and the aircraft alike.
• Empty the cabin and the boot, and remove parking cards and toll devices.
• Check the battery, the tyres and the brakes, as a RoRo car is driven at every port.
• Photograph it from all four sides, with the roof, the wheels, the interior and the odometer.
• Put the registration book and the manufacturer’s handbook in an envelope that travels with you, not inside the car.

The remaining details are in the car shipping guide.

Summer travellers’ cars from Kuwait to France: shipped for the season, then returned

This is the service for which the route is asked for more than any other. The car is neither exported from Kuwait nor imported into France; it travels as its owner travels: it enters temporarily and leaves before its period ends. The rule in force in the European Union is that a private means of transport registered outside it, in the name of a person living outside it, enters free of duty and tax for personal use for up to six months. We go through the conditions of this entry with you before shipping, not at the quay.

Condition	The rule in force	What we arrange
The owner	Lives outside the European Union, with the car in their name or with an authorisation from its owner	We check the registration book and the authorisation before booking
Use	Personal only: it is not sold, hired out or lent to a resident of Europe	We point this out in writing
Period	Up to six months, and for a student the period of study as customs decide	We work out the exit date and book the return before it
Proof of entry	For a car that arrives shipped, the customs office at the port decides how it is declared	Our agent lodges the file, and a carnet or a guarantee may be asked for
Insurance	Frontier insurance for 30 or 90 days, renewable once	Prepared before the car leaves the port
Driving	An international permit together with the Kuwaiti licence	We remind you of it before you travel
Low-emission zones	The air-quality sticker is required in Paris and other cities, and foreign cars are not exempt	We tell you how to apply for it before arrival

The card on the image says “your car with you in the summer” and “the car returned after the holiday”, and the return is half the service. We book it together with the outward trip: the car is collected from your French address before the end of your stay, its exit is recorded with customs so that the temporary entry file is closed, and then it sails from Marseille-Fos or flies from Paris. In Kuwait it goes back onto its record on its own plates without a fresh import. The carnet de passages is normally issued by the automobile club in the country of registration, and its conditions are on the triptik page; we confirm the temporary entry requirements in force before shipping.

Taking the car out and exporting it at the Kuwaiti traffic department

The competent authority is the General Traffic Department at the Ministry of Interior, followed by customs at the point of exit. A car exported for good hands in its plates and is issued export plates and an export certificate, and what is published on the government’s online portal is that the procedure requires a technical inspection of the car, an insurance document for the export and fees of a few dinars. The table shows the difference between the two tracks under the rules in force, and we confirm what applies on the day of your request:

Step	For a car that travels and returns	For export for good
Fines	Paid before travel	Paid before the file is opened
Lien and finance	A no-objection letter from the lender	Release of the lien and a clearance certificate
Technical inspection	Not normally required for travel	The car passes it at the traffic department
Plates	Stay on the car	Handed in, and export plates fitted
Insurance	Insurance valid in France	An export insurance document submitted with the application
The paper issued	A temporary exit declaration at customs	An export certificate, then a customs declaration at Shuwaikh Port

Anyone who is outside Kuwait appoints someone to complete the formalities under an official power of attorney. The export certificate is only applied for once the sailing date is firm.

Documents for shipping a car from Kuwait to France, and what is not accepted

The file is put together in Kuwait and read in Marseille, so any paper written in Arabic alone is accompanied by a French or English translation. We ask for copies first so that we can check them, then the originals travel with the owner or by express courier, and no original is left inside the car.

Document	Issued by	Where it is required
Vehicle registration book	Kuwaiti traffic department	The booking and customs on both sides
Temporary exit declaration or export certificate	Customs and the traffic department in Kuwait	Shuwaikh Port or Kuwait airport
Civil ID and passport	The owner	Every stage
Clearance certificate or bank letter	The traffic department and the lender	The exit formalities
Purchase invoice or valuation	The seller or an expert	French customs and insurance
Removal inventory and proofs of residence	The person moving residence	The relief application
Frontier insurance or carnet de passages	The insurer or the automobile club	Temporary entry
Bill of lading and authorisation of the consignee	The shipping line and the owner	Taking delivery of the car on arrival

These are cases in which the car is not loaded until they are dealt with:

• Unpaid fines, a standing lien or a dispute over ownership.
• A visible oil or fuel leak, since the shipping line refuses a car that drips.
• A full tank, or fuel cans and gas cylinders in the boot.
• Weapons, radar detectors, food and plants inside the cabin.

The general lists are on the shipping documents and prohibited items pages.

French customs and transfer-of-residence relief

France is a member of the European Union, and a car arriving from Kuwait to stay is treated like any goods from outside it. Our agent lodges the import declaration at the port of arrival, the duty is worked out on the value of the car plus freight and insurance, and then the tax is worked out on the total. After payment, or once the relief is accepted, the customs clearance certificate for the vehicle is issued, which is the paper that registration starts with.

Item	The rule in force	Note
Customs duty	10% of the value including freight and insurance	For passenger cars from outside the Union
Value added tax	20% on the value plus the duty	Paid at clearance
Valuation	The purchase invoice or the market price of a similar car	An unjustifiably low invoice is rejected
Temporary entry	Free of duty and tax as long as the car is going to leave	For a person living outside the Union

A rough example: a car worth KWD 6,000 including its freight is charged duty of KWD 600, then tax of KWD 1,320 on KWD 6,600, so what is paid at the port comes to KWD 1,920, or about a third of the value, before the registration tax. Anyone who moves their normal place of residence to France, however, brings in their car with their belongings free of duty and tax if these conditions are all met:

• Previous residence: at least twelve consecutive months outside the European Union before the move.
• Ownership and use: the car has been in their name and in their use for at least six months.
• Time limit for entry: the rule in force is that the car enters within twelve months of the date of the move.
• No disposal: it is not sold, hired out or lent for a full year after it enters.
• The file: a signed inventory listing the car with its chassis number, and proof of residence in Kuwait and of settling in France.

The registration date in the vehicle’s book is the proof of the six months. The rates and conditions are revised, so we confirm those in force before loading. Clearance is explained on the customs clearance page.

Registering a Gulf car in France: conformity, inspection and tax

A car sold in Kuwait is equipped for heat and dust and has not been approved under the European system. Its steering wheel is on the left and its speedometer reads in kilometres, like a French car, which spares it the heaviest modifications. But it needs proof of conformity before plates, and this is a stage handled by the owner or a specialist office there.

Step	What it is	What you bring from Kuwait
Proof of conformity	The manufacturer’s European conformity certificate where the model has one; failing that, a one-off approval by the regional authority in charge	The car’s handbook and the manufacturer’s data for the model
Possible modifications	Headlights to the European specification, a rear fog lamp, and evidence of emissions and noise	A recent service report
Roadworthiness test	For a car more than four years old, with a recent report	A car with sound brakes, tyres and exhaust
Registration tax	Worked out on emissions and weight, and falling with the age of the car	The date of first registration as shown in the book
Application for the registration certificate	Made online, with temporary plates until the permanent ones are issued	A certified translation of the registration book

The registration tax is the surprise for owners of large engines, of which there are many in Kuwait: a recent eight-cylinder car may be charged a tax that exceeds the freight and the duty together. Ask for a rough calculation for your model before you hand in the plates.

Protecting and insuring the car from Kuwait to delivery

Protection comes in three layers. The first is correct securing, with loading equipment that prevents shock and vibration. The second is an accurate condition report written in Kuwait. The third is an insurance policy for what securing cannot prevent. The shipping line’s liability is limited by the bill of lading and does not reach the value of a car.

• Securing: straps over the tyres and chocks in front of and behind the wheels, with no tension on an axle or a suspension arm.
• Condition report: signed by the owner or their agent, with every scratch marked, together with photographs and video from the day of loading.
• Marine or air insurance: optional, at the declared value of the car, covering partial damage and total loss according to the cover.
• At Marseille-Fos: before the car is released from the terminal the agent checks it against the Kuwait report, and anything new is noted on the spot.

The types of cover are on the cargo insurance page, and the lashing methods on the packing and lashing page.

Delivering cars from Kuwait in Paris, Nice and Toulouse

From Marseille-Fos the cars fan out in three directions: east to Nice and the Riviera, north up the Rhône valley to Lyon and then Paris, and west to Toulouse and Bordeaux. A car exported for good is not driven before it is registered, so it is carried on a covered transporter. A summer traveller’s car, on its plates and with its frontier insurance, is collected from the port by its owner or delivered by us.

City	Approximate distance from Marseille-Fos	Time after clearance	Delivery note
Paris and its suburbs	About 770 km	2–3 days	A drop-off point agreed in the old districts, or discharge at Le Havre
Nice, Cannes and the Riviera	About 200 km	1 day	Car parks in the seafront buildings are tight, so the drop-off place is arranged
Toulouse	About 400 km	1–2 days	Delivery at the house
Lyon	About 315 km	1 day	On the road to Paris, and unloaded on the way
Marseille	About 50 km	The day it leaves the port	The nearest city, and collection from the yard is possible
Bordeaux	About 650 km	2 days	The furthest destination in the west

The key is handed over after the inspection, not before it. The consignee walks round the car with the driver, the Kuwait report in hand, compares the scratches and the odometer reading, then signs and takes the key and the envelope of papers. Details of the service are on the door to door page, and the destination details on the shipping to France page.

Shipping cars for individuals, companies, embassies and government bodies

An individual ships one car and wants someone to explain every step. A body ships several cars throughout the year and wants a contract, one person in charge and regular reports. The basis is the same, and the difference lies in the papers and the way of contracting:

• Individuals: a plan built on your travel date, an itemised price, and follow-up through to delivery.
• Companies, showrooms and multinationals: regular shipping of more than one vehicle under a framework contract, with a written timetable and a list of chassis numbers.
• Embassies and consulates: official and private cars cleared according to the status of their owners and the approvals issued.
• Government bodies: official correspondence and a documented report on every stage.

Additional shipping services with the car, and is there a land route?

Someone moving with their family does not ship a car alone. A 40ft container takes the car secured at its far end with a timber bulkhead in front of it, then the furniture and cartons are stacked, so the belongings and the car enter under one relief file. Goods and electronic appliances are shipped under a separate declaration, and parcels and documents go ahead of the car by express, with their price set on request. These services are explained on the furniture shipping and sea freight pages.

As for a land route to France, we do not offer it: it is thousands of kilometres across many borders. Road transport with us serves the two ends only: from your house to Shuwaikh, and from Marseille-Fos to your address.

Air freight for cars from Kuwait to France

Air is for anyone who learned their travel date late, or who does not want a valuable car to spend a month at sea. The car is handed over in the cargo area of Kuwait International Airport, secured on a metal pallet with straps over the tyres, and loaded onto a freighter or into the hold of a wide-body aircraft if its height allows. It arrives at Charles de Gaulle Airport, where it is cleared and delivered in Paris, or continues on a covered transporter to Nice.

• For whom: luxury and urgent cars, and a car taking part in a show or an auction with a fixed date.
• Time: 3–6 days from collection in Kuwait to delivery in Paris, and one more day to Nice.
• Classification: the fuel and the battery make the car dangerous goods, so its space is booked in advance and a specialist’s declaration goes with it.
• Fuel and battery: a nearly empty tank and a battery with protected terminals; electric and hybrid cars have requirements set by the carrier.
• Price: set on request on weight and dimensions, and several times the sea price.

Kuwait and Paris are linked by a scheduled air service, while Nice is served in some summer seasons only. Not every aircraft on the route has room for a car, so yours stays where it is until the carrier’s confirmation reaches us with a flight number. Air shipments other than cars are covered on the air freight page.

Steps for shipping a car from Kuwait to France

Eight steps, and what is settled in the first two decides everything after them:

1. You send to 0552803439 the model of the car, its year, a photo of its registration book, your city in France and your travel date.
2. We settle with you: a visit and return or a stay, sea or air, and send the price, the time and the expected charges.
3. The fines are paid and the bank letter prepared if needed, and the traffic department and customs formalities are completed.
4. The agent collects the car from your address, and the condition report is written and the car photographed.
5. It enters the RoRo yard, or is secured in the container and sealed, or is handed to the air cargo terminal.
6. Once the vessel has left Shuwaikh or the flight has departed, we send you the tracking reference with a copy of the transport document.
7. Our agent in France completes the temporary entry, import or relief file.
8. The car reaches your address, you inspect it, sign and receive the key and the papers.

Tracking the car and customer service throughout the journey

Anyone sending their car from Kuwait is dealing with a Saudi number, so they are entitled to know how they will be answered. 0552803439 is answered by call or WhatsApp from 7 am to 11 pm, and the person who answers knows your file; clearance questions are answered by someone who actually follows French customs.

• In Kuwait: a message at collection, on entry to Shuwaikh Port, and when the customs declaration is issued.
• At sea: the name of the ship, the container number and the expected arrival date, with an update when the vessel changes.
• In France: a message on discharge at Marseille-Fos, when clearance is finished, and then the delivery appointment.
• After delivery: a reminder of the date the temporary entry ends, and of the collection date for the return.

How to follow a shipment is on the shipment tracking page.

Shipping cars from France to Kuwait

The reverse direction has two cases. The first is the return of a summer traveller’s car, which goes back onto its Kuwaiti record without an import. The second is a car bought on the French market to be registered in Kuwait: its plates are cancelled there, an export declaration is lodged for it, and it sails from Marseille-Fos or Le Havre to Shuwaikh. The rule in force in the Gulf states is customs duty of 5% of the value, and Kuwait has its own conditions on the age of a used car, its conformity with the Gulf specification and the side of its steering wheel. We go through them for your model before you pay for the car. The destination page is shipping to Kuwait.

Home Safe’s advice before you ship your car from Kuwait to France

Advice specific to this route, most of it to be acted on weeks before loading day:

• Decide whether the car is coming back before any formality at the traffic department.
• Choose the method from your travel date and your budget together, not from the price alone.
• Ask about insurance at sea and about insurance on the road in France, as they are two different policies.
• Read the terms of the agreement, and ask where the price ends: at the quay or at your house.
• Do not hand in the plates until you know what you will pay in France in duty and registration tax.

How do you choose a car shipping company from Kuwait to France?

Advertisements look alike, and questions reveal the difference. These are the signs of someone who has actually shipped a Gulf car to a European port:

Sign	What it shows
Asks whether the car is coming back before pricing	Knows that the papers follow two tracks
Names the port of discharge and the distance after it	The price reaches your city, not the quay
Mentions frontier insurance and the temporary entry period	Has served summer travellers’ cars before
Tells you who collects the car in Kuwait and who clears it in France	Has a real network at both ends
A visible commercial registration and a signed condition report	A party that can be held to account if a dispute arises

Common mistakes when shipping cars from Kuwait to France

Seven mistakes that keep recurring, all avoidable before the car moves:

• Handing in the Kuwaiti plates of a car that will come back after the summer.
• Booking two weeks before travel in the hope that sea freight will arrive on time.
• Driving the car in France on the Kuwaiti insurance policy.
• Overrunning the temporary entry period, or leaving the car with a relative who lives there.
• Sending the car to Le Havre when its owner lives in Nice.
• Shipping a large-engined car for registration without working out its tax.
• Leaving the summer suitcases in a car going by RoRo.

Why Home Safe for shipping your car from Kuwait to France?

Because we tell you who we are and where we stand, and we work out the whole journey with you before you pay, even if the result is that hiring a car in France costs you less than shipping your own.

To book: 0552803439 by call or WhatsApp, from 7 am to 11 pm. Or from the request a quote page.

Related articles and pages

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• Car shipping company from Kuwait to Belgium
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• Shipping from Saudi Arabia to France
• Car shipping from Saudi Arabia

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Frequently asked questions about car shipping from Kuwait to France

Which is the best car shipping company from Kuwait to France?

The one that knows, before pricing, whether your car is going for the summer and coming back or going to stay, because the paperwork for the two cases at the Kuwaiti traffic department and at French customs has little in common. Home Safe is a registered Saudi establishment that runs the route through partner agents in Kuwait and France. Contact: 0552803439.

How much does it cost to ship a car from Kuwait to France?

A saloon starts from SAR 4,900, about KWD 400, from your door in Kuwait to the French port. A mid-size 4×4 starts from SAR 5,800 and a large one from SAR 6,900. A private container, the carriage from Marseille-Fos to your French city and air freight are set on request once the car and the address are known.

How many days does a car take from Kuwait to Paris or Nice?

By sea from Shuwaikh Port to Marseille-Fos, 30 to 45 days counted from the day it is collected in Kuwait to the day it comes off at your address; Nice is a day or two closer to the port than Paris. By air from Kuwait International Airport, 3 to 6 days.

Do I need to hand in my plates if I am only spending the summer in France?

No. A summer traveller’s car goes out with its Kuwaiti registration book and plates and comes back with them. The rule in force in the European Union is that a person living outside it may use a car registered in their own country for up to six months free of duty and tax. Handing in the plates and the export certificate concern a car that will not return to Kuwait.

What insurance does a car on Kuwaiti plates need in France?

A Kuwaiti motor policy is not valid in France, as Kuwait is outside the green card system. The rule in force is that frontier insurance covering third-party liability is bought for the car, for 30 or 90 days and renewable once. We arrange it with our agent at the port of arrival so that it is in force before the car moves onto the road.

Do I pay customs in France on a car arriving from Kuwait?

A car that enters temporarily and leaves within its period pays nothing. One imported for good is charged customs duty of 10% of its value including freight, then value added tax of 20% on the total. Anyone moving their residence to France is exempt from both if they meet the conditions on previous residence and length of ownership.

Can a Gulf-specification car be registered in France?

It can, once its conformity is proven, because it was built for the Gulf market and not the European one. If the manufacturer has issued a European certificate of conformity for it the route is short; otherwise it goes through individual approval at the competent regional authority, and a change to the lights and evidence of emissions may be required.

RoRo or container for my car from Shuwaikh Port?

The container is the more regular option from Kuwait: container ships leave Shuwaikh roughly every week, whereas car carriers to the Mediterranean sail at wider intervals and may call at a collection port in the Gulf. RoRo suits a running family car when its date matches your travel, and the container suits luxury and classic cars and any car whose owner does not want it driven in ports.

Can two or more cars be shipped from Kuwait in one go?

Yes. A 40ft container takes two medium cars and its freight is split between them, which is what families travelling with two cars to the Riviera do. Companies and showrooms book more than one container under one file.

Do you ship cars by air from Kuwait International Airport to Paris and Nice?

Yes. The car is secured on an air cargo pallet at Kuwait International Airport and flown to Charles de Gaulle Airport, from where it is delivered in Paris or carried on a covered transporter to Nice. The time is 3 to 6 days, and the price is set on request on the weight, dimensions and fuel type of the car.

Can I leave travel bags inside the car?

On RoRo nothing is left in the car, as it is driven at more than one port and inspected open. In a private container luggage can be sent beside the car if it is written on a list and declared to French customs.

My car is financed by a bank in Kuwait. Can it travel?

It does not move before the lender agrees. No export certificate is issued for a mortgaged car until its lien is released, and its temporary exit normally needs a no-objection letter from the bank. Ask for the letter first, and then we book.

Do you bring the car back from France to Kuwait after the holiday?

Yes, and we book the return together with the outward trip. The car is collected from your address in Paris, Nice or elsewhere and loaded at Marseille-Fos by sea or at Charles de Gaulle Airport by air, and its exit is recorded with French customs so that its temporary entry file is closed. It returns to Kuwait on its own plates without a fresh import.

When should I book if I want my car in France at the start of the summer?

Count back from the day you land in France. A car going by sea should be handed over about two months earlier, because the passage from Shuwaikh alone fills a month and Gulf families all book the same pre-holiday sailings. A car going by air can be booked a fortnight ahead in most cases, once the airline has confirmed it can take it.

Do you offer long-term contracts for companies and bodies that ship regularly?

Yes. Companies, showrooms, embassies and government bodies that send cars throughout the year sign a framework contract that fixes the working method, the person responsible for the file and the reporting format, and each order is priced on its cars and its date.