Shipping your POV

             If you plan to ship your car without your Sponsor make sure you have a POA. When you plan the shipping of your HHG and UB the transportation should give you a paper with all the VPC (vehicle port center) shipping locations. You are responsible for getting everything with your car done. The Army does nothing except give you locations and possibly estimated times of shipping. The military only ships one car, so pick wisely because the German roads are small and it may be a 30-minute drive to get to post;  you’ll want a car that gets good mileage (for all the traveling you will be doing as well!). Before you ship your car, call your insurance company and have them switch your insurance to a Germany plan. Our car insurance is through USAA and they know exactly what to do for this. You will then have a US insurance card and a German insurance card. The title of the car has to be in both names, Sponsor and spouse. Make sure it says John Smith “OR” Katie Smith. If it has the word “AND” between both names then you both have to be present to ship the car! If neither of you can ship the car you can get a POA for someone else to ship it such as a family member or friend. If there is a lien holder you will need to have a letter from the lien holder authorizing the exportation of your vehicle. Request that it be on an official company letterhead. If you are leasing your car, make sure you have a letter from the lease holder authorizing the exportation of your vehicle on an official company letterhead. They will tell you to have a valid email address, notification address, emergency contact (state-side) and destination address. Do not worry about the destination address, the VPC will know it when they look at your orders.

Bring with you to the VPC:

• Proof of entitlement (with both names on title)
• Proof of Identity

               Service member – Military ID
               Spouse – Military or Government ID
               Agent (lien or lease holder) – Official government or state ID AND                        copy of service member’s military ID

• Proof of ownership: registration AND title
• Lien holder authorization letter
• Lease holder authorization letter
• Power of attorney

             Make sure the car is very clean, inside and out! If you have to drive more than twenty minutes to get to the port, plan on washing your car again once you get there.  You can only have ¼ tank of gas. If you have more than ¼ when you get there, drive around and waste the gas. They will charge you $20 to drain the gas if it’s over the limit. Be sure you have a full set of keys (ignition, doors, trunk, gas cap, and wheel locks). The form we received with the VPC locations says you can have the title and/or registration; that is NOT true. You need both the title AND registration. All compartments in the car need to be clean and empty. There are a few items that may be left in the car. These items will be boxed in the trunk:

• Hand tools (not to exceed $200 in value)
• Jacks, tire irons, fire extinguishers and jumper cables
• One spare tire and two snow tires
• Portable cribs, children’s car seats, strollers
• First aid kit, warning triangles

           Your car will then go through an inspection. They check to make sure it’s clean and they mark all dents and scratches. Before you sign anything double check what their abbreviations mean. If you don’t agree with their markings don’t be afraid to argue it! It is your car and you have the right to do that! Shipping our car took exactly seven weeks. They typically tell you to plan on 6-8 weeks for your car to arrive in Germany.