To ship a Copart or IAA car to Georgia, have it moved from the auction yard to your shipping agent's warehouse at a US port such as Newark, Savannah, Baltimore or Houston, then by container to Poti. Since 2 April 2026, cars older than 6 years pay a much higher excise tax when cleared into Georgia, instead of the ban that was first planned. Cars passing through Poti to Armenia, Azerbaijan or Central Asia in transit are treated differently.
How do you ship a Copart or IAA car to Georgia?
- Check the import rules first. Age limits and damage rules decide which cars you can bring in. See the rules below.
- Get the US transport price before you bid. Enter the lot number in our calculator and choose the warehouse your shipping agent uses.
- Win, pay and book transport the same day. This keeps auction storage low. We collect the car from the yard and deliver it to your shipping agent's warehouse.
- Your shipping agent loads and files. They load the car into a container, file the export information (AES) and present the title to US customs at least 72 hours before sailing.
- Ocean shipping and arrival. The ship sails to Poti, Georgia, where your clearing agent handles customs.
DispatchAuction handles step 3: the trip from any Copart or IAA yard in the lower 48 to the US warehouse. Your shipping agent handles the ocean part.
Which US port should you ship to Georgia from?
Cars for Georgia commonly leave from Newark, NJ, Savannah, GA, Baltimore, MD, Houston, TX. The best choice is the port your shipping agent loads from with the best rate and sailing schedule, weighed against how far the auction yard is from it. Every extra mile on the truck in the US costs money, so a car bought in Texas usually goes out of Houston, and a car bought in the Northeast out of Newark.
Newark warehouses is selected. Enter the lot number, or choose your agent's warehouse.
What are the import rules for Georgia?
- Older cars cost more, but aren't banned: a planned ban on cars older than 6 years was replaced by a higher excise. From 2 April 2026, cars over 6 years pay 4.5 GEL per cc of engine size instead of 1.5 GEL. Right-hand-drive cars pay three times the rate.
- Example: for a 1.5 litre car over 6 years old, the excise rises from about 1,200 GEL to about 6,750 GEL.
- Duty and VAT: on top of the excise, there is 5% customs duty and 18% VAT on the CIF value.
- Electric cars: exempt from the engine-size excise.
- Salvage cars: US salvage and rebuilt cars are a large part of what is shipped to Poti.
- Transit: cars that stay in transit or in the Poti Free Industrial Zone for Armenia or Azerbaijan are treated as outside the Georgian excise. Cars cleared into Georgia pay it.
Checked November 2026. Import rules change often, and the sources below are shipping companies and news reports, not government notices. Confirm with your clearing agent in Georgia before you bid. Sources: WCS (Jun 2026), vind.ge calculator
Container or RoRo, and how long does it take?
Almost all US auction cars go to Poti by container, often three or four cars to a 40 ft box, which suits salvage cars that don't run. Containers usually change ships in the Mediterranean or at a Turkish port on the way. Ask your shipping agent for the current sailing time from your US port.
What documents do you need on the US side?
For every used car leaving the US, your shipping agent needs the original title and files the export information in AES, which gives an ITN number. Both go to US customs at least 72 hours before the ship sails. The title is the most common delay: auctions often mail it separately, so ask for it as soon as you pay. Our guide to exporting a car from the USA explains each document.
If we haven't picked up your car within 5 business days, we pay the auction storage charged for every day after that until pickup. The 5 business days start on the latest of three dates: the day you order with us, the day your auction balance reaches $0, and the day you send us the gate pass PIN (where the auction uses one). It doesn't apply to weather events, sublot or off-site cars, auctions that are hard to reach such as rural yards, delays the auction causes, or wrong lot or gate pass details. Send us the auction invoice within 30 days of pickup and we reimburse it. Full wording is in section 7 of our Terms.
What happens when the car arrives?
Cars arrive at Poti on the Black Sea. If the car stays in Georgia, your clearing agent pays the excise, duty and VAT and registers it. If it goes on to Armenia, Azerbaijan or Central Asia, keep it in transit status. How the container is manifested and when the documents are dated decides which rules apply, so agree on this with your agent before the car sails.
Frequently asked questions
How do I ship a Copart car to Georgia?
Buy and pay for the car, then book transport from the Copart yard to your shipping agent's warehouse at a US port such as Newark, Savannah, Baltimore. Your shipping agent loads it into a container, files the US export paperwork and ships it to Poti, Georgia.
How much does it cost to get a Copart car to the port for Georgia?
The US part depends on the distance from the auction yard to the warehouse, the car's size and whether it runs. Enter the lot number in our calculator to see the exact price. The ocean freight is quoted separately by your shipping agent.
Does DispatchAuction ship the car overseas?
No. We move the car inside the US, from any Copart or IAA yard in the lower 48 to your shipping agent's warehouse or any address you choose. Your shipping agent handles the ocean shipping.
Did Georgia ban cars older than 6 years?
No. The planned ban was replaced by a higher excise tax. From 2 April 2026, cars older than 6 years pay 4.5 GEL per cc of engine size when cleared into Georgia, instead of 1.5 GEL. Confirm current rates with your clearing agent.
Can I ship a car through Poti to Armenia or Azerbaijan?
Yes, Poti is a common transit port. Cars that stay in transit, or in the Poti Free Industrial Zone for onward shipment, are treated differently from cars cleared into Georgia. Agree on the transit paperwork with your agent before the car sails.