How to Ship a Car from Canada to Dubai (UAE) — 2026 Cost & Customs Guide
What it really costs to move a vehicle from Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver to Jebel Ali — plus the UAE customs duty math, registration steps with the RTA, and the pitfalls that delay clearance.
What goes into your cost
Canada-to-UAE is longer-haul than Canada-to-West-Africa, so expect roughly 40–60% more than a Nigeria shipment of the same vehicle. Below are typical all-in prices for a Montreal departure, before UAE duty/VAT:
Indicative ranges as of May 2026. Suez Canal disruptions and seasonal fuel surcharges can shift these prices week to week. For a firm quote, fill out our quote form and we'll come back within 24 hours.
UAE customs duty & VAT — what to budget on arrival
UAE customs duty on imported vehicles is simple compared to most countries: a flat 5% of CIF value (Cost + Insurance + Freight), plus a 5% VAT charged on (CIF + duty). There's no luxury-vehicle bracket, no age penalty, no engine-displacement surcharge.
How it works: customs takes 5% of the CIF value (your vehicle's value plus insurance and freight), then 5% VAT is charged on the CIF value plus that duty. Both percentages are flat, so the landed tax scales directly with the declared value of the vehicle.
On top of duty + VAT, expect port handling, ECC testing, and RTA first-time registration fees on the UAE side.
RoRo vs container — what makes sense for UAE
Both options work for Jebel Ali — it's one of the world's busiest ports, with regular RoRo and container service from North America via Mediterranean transshipment.
RoRo
Cheapest option, ~28–32 days transit. Vehicle drives on, drives off. No personal items allowed inside. Good for standard daily-drivers being moved by relocating expats.
Container (shared or sole)
Slightly more expensive, 30–38 days transit. Vehicle is sealed inside the container — better for high-end or rare cars, and the only way to ship a non-running vehicle. Sole 20ft container = one vehicle, fully enclosed; shared = your car loaded with one or two others to split cost.
For a high-end Range Rover, G-Wagon, or classic, container is almost always worth the premium for peace of mind and the option to ship personal effects with the vehicle.
Transit timeline
- Day 0 — Pickup or drop-off at our Oakville warehouse
- Day 1–5 — Inspection, photo documentation, loading
- Day 5–9 — Drayage to Port of Montreal
- Day 9–14 — Vessel cutoff, loading, departure
- Day 14–20 — Atlantic crossing to Mediterranean hub (typically Algeciras or Tangier)
- Day 20–24 — Transshipment to UAE-bound vessel
- Day 24–32 — Suez transit, Arabian Sea crossing, arrival at Jebel Ali
- Day 32–38 — UAE customs clearance, ECC testing, release
Door-to-door total: typically 35–48 days. Direct sailings (no transshipment) exist but are 20–30% more expensive.
Required paperwork (Canada side)
- Vehicle title — original Ontario or other provincial title in your name; lien-release letter if previously financed
- Bill of sale — original purchase receipt
- Government photo ID — driver's licence or passport
- CBSA B13A export declaration — required once the export meets the CBSA B13A export-declaration threshold; we file this for you
- Vehicle photos — 8–12 condition photos, taken at our warehouse before loading
- House Bill of Lading (HBL) — we issue this after loading
Required paperwork (UAE side)
Your consignee in the UAE will need to clear the vehicle at Jebel Ali. They'll need:
- Original Bill of Lading — we courier this to them
- Original commercial invoice showing CIF value
- Original certificate of origin — issued by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce
- Emirates ID (residents) or passport copy + visa (non-residents)
- ECC (Emirates Conformity Certificate) — required for first-time vehicle registration; testing happens at the port
- Insurance certificate — UAE motor insurance must be active before RTA registration
Once cleared, the consignee takes the vehicle to a Vehicle Inspection Centre for a pre-registration test, then to the RTA (or relevant emirate authority) for first-time plates. Total post-arrival process is usually 3–7 working days.
4 mistakes that cost first-time shippers thousands
1. Forgetting the ECC certificate
The Emirates Conformity Certificate is mandatory for first-time vehicle registration in the UAE. Without it, the vehicle clears customs but can't be plated — and it sits in a yard accruing storage. Budget a half-day for ECC testing as soon as the vehicle arrives.
2. Wrong steering-wheel side
UAE is left-hand-drive only. Canadian vehicles are LHD by default, so this usually isn't a problem — but if you're shipping a UK-spec or Japanese-domestic-market import via Canada, it won't be registrable. Confirm with us before booking.
3. Not pre-approving the importer's identity
UAE Customs requires the consignee's full ID details on the Bill of Lading. If the consignee's Emirates ID doesn't match the BoL exactly (middle names, transliteration), clearance is delayed and requires an amendment fee. Send us the consignee's ID copy before we issue the BoL.
4. Shipping a heavily modified vehicle
UAE ECC testing rejects vehicles with non-stock exhaust, suspension drops, or aftermarket lights. If your car has aftermarket modifications, plan to either revert them before shipping or factor in re-conversion cost on arrival.
Ready to ship to the UAE?
We move vehicles to Jebel Ali (Dubai), Mina Zayed (Abu Dhabi), and Khalifa Port regularly. Fill out our 3-minute quote form and we'll come back with a firm all-in price — Canadian pickup, ocean freight, documentation, and a clear breakdown of what UAE-side duty/VAT to expect.
Questions we didn't cover? Reach out — we typically reply same business day.