Preparing your motorhome for RoRo shipping

How do you prepare a motorhome for RoRo?

Before you hand your motorhome over at the port: declare its full size, take out removable gas bottles, declare any lithium leisure battery before you book, keep the fuel under a quarter of a tank, lock touring belongings out of sight, clean it inside and underneath, and photograph it from every side. Bring the original registration document and your passport.

Getting these right is what stops a motorhome being refused at the terminal, re-measured at a higher price or charged for cleaning on arrival. Each shipping line has its own rules; we send the ones for your sailing with your booking.

Your RoRo checklist

• Size: longest length, widest width and highest height, measured as it will travel, with roof boxes, solar panels, bike racks, awnings and tow bars fitted. Fold mirrors and retract steps before handover.
• Gas: removable bottles out. A bottle or fixed tank that stays must be empty with a gas-free certificate (no more than 5 working days old) and declared before booking.
• Lithium leisure battery: declared in writing before booking, with its data sheet; fully installed and isolated.
• Fuel: less than a quarter of a tank. No spare fuel cans unless brand new and agreed with us first.
• Belongings: only what you need for the trip, locked in cupboards and out of sight.
• Nothing hazardous: no aerosols, cleaning products, oils, food or anything flammable left inside.
• Clean: inside and out, including the underside, wheel arches and engine bay, free of soil and seeds.
• Photos: every side, the roof, the interior and the mileage on handover day. Email them to us.
• Keys and alarm: leave one key with the vehicle and keep the spare; switch the alarm off or tell the port how to.

Gas bottles and fixed LPG tanks

Gas is the most common reason a motorhome is held back at a RoRo terminal. Take every removable gas bottle out before you travel to the port. If a bottle or a fixed LPG tank has to stay in the vehicle, it must be completely empty and you need a gas-free certificate issued no more than 5 working days before handover. Tell us when you book. Some sailings accept an empty tank with no pressure instead of a certificate; your booking confirmation says which applies to you.

Lithium leisure batteries, e-bikes and power banks

Lithium batteries are treated as dangerous goods at sea, so on RoRo they are accepted case by case. If your motorhome has a lithium leisure battery, tell us in writing before the booking is placed and send the battery’s data sheet. It must be fully installed and isolated. E-bikes, e-scooters and loose power banks are generally not accepted on RoRo, so plan to ship or carry them separately.

Belongings: what can stay inside

Most RoRo lines do not take personal belongings in an ordinary car. Touring vehicles are different: on some sailings a motorhome or campervan may carry the items you need for the trip, such as bedding, cutlery, chairs and camping gear. They must be locked in cupboards, lockers or a fixed storage box and out of sight, so the vehicle looks empty through the windows. The shipping line or the port can still refuse, or ask for photos of the interior first.

Belongings travel at your own risk: neither we nor the carrier cover loss of, or damage to, items left inside. If you want them insured, take out cover for personal effects with an insurer directly. Household goods and furniture are not accepted. Tell us what you are carrying when you book, and visitors touring with their own vehicle can usually bring what they need for the trip through customs.

Need to ship more than touring kit, or ship by container? Our parent company IVSS explains the container options.

Height, length and the price

Your RoRo price is set by the measured size of your motorhome, so measure it as it will sail: the longest point (including a tow bar or bike rack), the widest point (mirrors folded) and the highest point (roof box, solar panels, air conditioning unit). Enter those figures in Instant pricing and you see the price for that size. If the port measures your motorhome larger than you declared, you pay for the measured size, so it is worth being exact.

Cleaning before you ship

Arrive with the motorhome clean inside and out: no soil, mud, seeds or plant matter on the underside, wheels and wheel arches, or in the engine bay. Australia and New Zealand are the strictest and charge for cleaning on arrival; the USA and Canada also refuse soil and organic matter. Clean it before it goes to the port, not after.

Documents to bring

• The original registration document or title
• Your passport
• Addresses in the departure and arrival countries (a campsite or hotel is fine) and a phone number
• A photo of the vehicle showing the VIN
• Any permit your destination needs, such as a carnet de passages or a temporary import permit

RoRo means roll-on roll-off: your motorhome is driven onto the ship and travels in the enclosed hold of a vehicle carrier, never on deck. Customs clearance on arrival goes through our broker, a local agent we introduce, or your own broker.

Where we ship motorhomes

Canada (Halifax) · USA · South Africa

Questions motorhome owners ask about preparation

How do I prepare my motorhome for RoRo shipping?

Measure it with everything fitted, take out removable gas bottles, declare any lithium leisure battery, run the fuel down to under a quarter of a tank, secure touring belongings out of sight, clean it inside and underneath, photograph it on handover day and bring the original registration document and your passport.

Can I ship my motorhome with gas bottles?

Removable gas bottles must be taken out. A bottle or fixed tank that stays in the motorhome must be completely empty with a gas-free certificate no more than 5 working days old, and declared before booking. Some sailings accept an empty tank with no pressure instead; your booking confirmation gives the rule for your sailing.

Can I ship a motorhome with a lithium leisure battery?

On RoRo, lithium batteries are accepted only case by case. Tell us in writing before the booking is placed and send the battery data sheet. The battery must be fully installed and isolated. Loose e-bike batteries, e-scooters and power banks are generally not accepted.

How much fuel can be in the tank?

Less than a quarter of a tank for RoRo. Spare fuel cans are not allowed unless they are brand new, unused and labelled with the receipt attached, and you check with us first.

Can I leave belongings in my motorhome?

On some sailings, yes: items you need for the trip, such as bedding, cutlery and camping gear, locked in cupboards and out of sight. Acceptance is at the shipping line’s discretion. Belongings travel at your own risk and are not covered by us or the carrier.

Why do the height and length matter so much?

The RoRo price is set by your motorhome’s measured size. Declare the longest length, widest width and highest height with roof boxes, solar panels, bike racks and tow bars fitted. If the port measures it larger than declared, you pay for the measured size.

Does my motorhome travel on deck?

No. On RoRo your motorhome is driven onto the ship and travels in the enclosed hold of a vehicle carrier.