Route rate sheet · Sea freight · Germany to Japan
Ship a car from Germany to Japan
Bremerhaven, Hamburg to Port of Yokohama in a sealed container. One price covers ocean freight, export handling in Germany and marine insurance; destination port charges, duty and VAT are shown separately below.
Rates verified 9 Nov 2026 · page refreshed 10 Nov 2026
9,060 km great circle · 20-31 days
Rates verified 9 Nov 2026 · page refreshed 10 Nov 2026
At a glance
Germany to Japan car shipping: cost, time and rules
Shipping a car from Germany to Japan with IPAS Express costs from $3,153 port to port for one car in its own 20ft container, with live rates from our shipping desk. Duty and VAT in Japan are quoted separately in the landed-cost examples below.
Cars from Germany are usually LHD; Japan registers RHD vehicles as standard — check eligibility before shipping.
- Ocean freight · 20ft
- $1,450–1,550
- Bremerhaven / Hamburg → Port of Yokohama
- Ocean freight · 40ft
- $2,200–2,450
- Two cars, or one large SUV plus parts
- Port to port, 1 car
- from $3,153
- Ocean freight + export handling + insurance
- Sea transit
- 20-31 days
- Port to port
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Rate sheet · AutoTerminal Bremerhaven → Port of Yokohama
What it costs, line by line
Insurance is figured on a declared value of $96,300 (reference vehicle: 2026 BMW M3). Every line comes from the same tables the calculator reads, so the quote you get matches this sheet.
1 car · own 20ft container
Any car up to 5.6 m, sealed; door-to-door available
$3,153per car $3,153- Ocean freight
- $1,550
- Export handling
- $1,404
- Insurance
- $199
- Destination est. (at port)
- $1,940
2 cars · 40ft high-cube
Two cars you ship together, or a group booking
$4,848per car $2,424- Ocean freight
- $2,400
- Export handling
- $2,054
- Insurance
- $394
- Destination est. (at port)
- $1,940
3–4 cars · racked 40ft HC
Compact cars on a rack system; racking quoted per booking
Quoteper car from ~$1,400- Ocean freight
- $2,400
- Export handling
- on request
- Insurance
- per value
- Destination est. (at port)
- —
RoRo · per car
Oversize vehicles only; not offered for passenger cars
On requestper car —- Ocean freight
- on request
- Export handling
- on request
- Insurance
- —
- Destination est. (at port)
- —
Scroll for line-by-line costs →
| Shipping option | Total · IPAS price | Per car | Ocean freight | Export handling (Germany) | Insurance 0.2% | Destination charges · est., payable at port |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 car · own 20ft containerAny car up to 5.6 m, sealed; door-to-door available | $3,153 | $3,153 | $1,550 | $1,404packaging $650 · THC $350 · clearance $150 | $199 | $1,940THC $440 · customs handling $1,500 |
| 2 cars · 40ft high-cubeTwo cars you ship together, or a group booking | $4,848 | $2,424 | $2,400 | $2,054packaging 2×$650 · THC $350 · clearance $150 | $394 | $1,940THC $440 · customs handling $1,500 |
| 3–4 cars · racked 40ft HCCompact cars on a rack system; racking quoted per booking | Quote | from ~$1,400 | $2,400 | on request | per value | — |
| RoRo · per carOversize vehicles only; not offered for passenger cars | On request | — | on request | on request | — | — |
Door pick-up within the port's standard radius adds about $660 per car. Insurance is 0.2% of the declared vehicle value, with a per-car minimum. Destination charges are paid at Port of Yokohama on arrival and are not part of the total. Duty and VAT are not in this table either: see the landed-cost examples below or run CarImport.AI. Ocean figures are our current route rates and update when the rate table changes.
Included in the IPAS price
- Included: Export packaging, chocking and lashing inside the container
- Included: Export customs clearance in Germany
- Included: Terminal handling at AutoTerminal Bremerhaven
- Included: Ocean freight AutoTerminal Bremerhaven → Port of Yokohama
- Included: Marine insurance at 0.2% of the declared value
- Included: Bill of Lading, packing list and tracking
Not included
- Not included: Destination port charges (shown per row; paid at Port of Yokohama on arrival)
- Not included: Japan customs duty and VAT
- Not included: Conformity certification and registration inspection
- Not included: Inland collection unless door pick-up is selected
- Not included: Storage or demurrage after the port's free days
- Not included: Personal effects: the car ships empty
Ports & inland reach
Where your car leaves and arrives
Load ports · Germany
Germany
AutoTerminal Bremerhaven
Port of Hamburg
Discharge ports · Japan
Japan
Port of Yokohama
Port of Nagoya
Landed-cost examples · Japan
Cars worth importing to Japan
Each card is a full landed-cost worksheet computed against the destination's live duty rules. Expand one for the breakdown or open its calculator with the destination pre-selected.
Here is the full landed cost of one car, a 2026 BMW M3 shipped from Germany to Japan, worked out on 9 November 2026 with the customs rules in force that day. It lands at 18,339,757 JPY (about US$115,824), and duties and taxes come to 10% of its CIF value.
| Item | Share of CIF | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle priceIPAS price for a car sourced in Germany | 15,248,296 JPYUS$96,300 | |
| Shipping and insuranceGermany to Japan | 675,327 JPYUS$4,265 | |
| CIF valueCost, insurance and freight: the customs value | 15,923,623 JPYUS$100,565 | |
| Customs duties and taxes | ||
| Basic customs duty (0%)0% of CIF | 0 JPYUS$0 | |
| GST/VAT (10%)10% of CIF | 1,592,283 JPYUS$10,056 | |
| Total duties and taxes10% of CIF | 1,592,283 JPYUS$10,056 | |
| Service and handling | ||
| Premium Import ServiceOptional end-to-end import management by IPAS | 516,669 JPYUS$3,263 | |
| Destination handlingPort terminal and customs clearance handling | 307,183 JPYUS$1,940 | |
| Total landed cost | 18,339,757 JPYUS$115,824 | |
Available now in Germany
Export-ready units from Germany
Steering differs from Japan's standard: confirm registration eligibility or conversion before shipping
FAQ
Germany to Japan shipping questions
With IPAS Express, shipping one car from Germany to Japan costs from $3,153 port to port in its own 20ft container, with sea transit of 20-31 days. Import duty and VAT in Japan are quoted separately in the landed-cost examples on this page.
No. Japan accepts left-hand drive vehicles without conversion. German LHD cars can be registered after JIS compliance checks and emissions testing.
Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, and Porsche all have well-established Japanese markets. The S-Class, 911, RS models, and AMG variants see particularly strong demand. The 0% duty makes German imports highly attractive.
Keep exploring
Related routes and guides
Other origins → Japan
Germany → other destinations
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