How long does shipping a car from Japan take?

The total time from winning a car to driving it home is longer than the sea voyage alone, because purchase, inspection, documentation and clearing all add days. Planning for the full timeline avoids disappointment and helps you budget storage and registration.

The sea voyage itself depends on route. Japan to East Africa (Mombasa, Dar es Salaam) typically runs around 4 to 6 weeks; to Southern Africa (Durban, Walvis Bay) roughly 5 to 7 weeks; to the Middle East and Gulf around 3 to 5 weeks; and to Europe 5 to 8 weeks depending on transhipment.

Before sailing, allow one to three weeks for purchase, pre-export inspection, de-registration and booking onto a vessel, as sailings for some ports are not daily. RoRo services run on fixed schedules, so the next available departure can affect your start date.

After arrival, customs clearance, duty payment, inspection and registration usually take a further one to three weeks depending on the country and how quickly documents and funds are ready. Having paperwork prepared in advance is the easiest way to shorten this stage.

As a rough rule, plan two to three months from purchase to plates for most African and European destinations, and a little less for the Gulf. ASTONISHING CARS confirms the expected schedule for your specific port when quoting.