Importing a glider from Germany to US: cost estimate?

[Bret Hess]

What's the current estimate to import an older glider (about 1980) in a trailer from Germany to the US?  I know nothing about possible tariffs, VAT, shipping costs.   

Thanks.

[Armand Charbonneau]

In 2024 it cost more to ship my glider from Germany to Los Angeles than it did for my wife and I to take a Viking cruise from Norway to Montreal.  

The costs just keep piling up at every turn.

• shiping from wherever in Germany to the port
• Longshoremen cost to put it on ship
• transatlanic shiping (roll on - roll off ship)
• shipping insurance (in addition to regular glider insurance)
• longshoreman cost to take it off the ship
• shipping from shore to your location
• various taxes
• import processing fees
• Cost to have it registered by a designated FAA examiner certify it to fly in USA
• I no doubt missed several charges

Tariffs don't apply to aircraft, the VAT was paid when the glider was built.

You need to budget $15k+  A lot of the payments have to be made in Euros.

[Matthew Scutter]

The short answer is, don't, unless it's a new glider, or you really like paperwork and stress. Container is cheaper but RORO is easier.

Ocean freight is kind of like buying a car. Most people either never ship something by ocean freight, or it's something they do once in their life, so you're at a significant information disadvantage to those in the industry and there's ticket clippers every step of the way "helping" for a few hundred more dollars.

I have used https://www.searates.com/ twice, which required me to do a lot of paperwork, customs handling but saved a lot of money. When I got stuck with Australian inbound paperwork I hired a customs agent for a flat fee to tell me what forms to fill out to make it go smoothly.

The cost of the ocean freight itself can be negligible. You may have to choose popular ports, possibly not in your most desired arrival location. Checking last week I found ~1000$ fares Bremerhaven to Adelaide while it was 8000$ to east coast cities. Like booking flights if you have some date flexibility you can save a huge amount of money.

The most egregious additional cost is usually getting it from the origin to the departure port, and the arrival port to you. It's usually possible to pack/unpack your container at a facility at the port and get it carted to/from the ship for a few hundred dollars or so. If you instead want to unpack just a few hours away you'll spend thousands for the privilege of that last mile delivery. RORO is simpler in that regard.

I'm up to 3 EU->AU shipments over the last 10 years at a cost of approx 3000$, 3000$, 5000$ US, all containers.

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[Stefan Will]

I looked into importing a used glider from the UK earlier this year and in the end decided not to go ahead because it became too much of a pain and costly (the tariffs at the time didn’t help).

If you go ahead with it, I would definitely recommend working with a freight forwarder, since they can help you navigate the obscure complexities of international shipping/import/export etc.

No tariffs on gliders, and you should be able to get the VAT reimbursed on export if the seller kept record of how much they paid originally.

— Stefan

On Nov 14, 2025, at 11:09 PM, Bret Hess <bret...@gmail.com> wrote:

What's the current estimate to import an older glider (about 1980) in a trailer from Germany to the US?  I know nothing about possible tariffs, VAT, shipping costs.   

Thanks.

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[Matthew Scutter]

Outside of extremely limited circumstances (i.e. <3 month old glider), you will not get the VAT back.

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[Andrzej Kobus]

I imported 3 gliders by RORO 1 used from UK and 2 new from Germany, the last one in 2015. I never paid more than 3-4K per glider all inclusive to RI. I am importing a new glider in the next 3 months again. I can update you on the cost in Feb. 

On Fri, Nov 14, 2025 at 11:09 PM Bret Hess <bret...@gmail.com> wrote:

What's the current estimate to import an older glider (about 1980) in a trailer from Germany to the US?  I know nothing about possible tariffs, VAT, shipping costs.   

Thanks.

--

[Sean Franke]

No tariffs are applied to gliders, but trailers currently have a 50% tariff.

[Greg Arnold]

Sean, what is the present rule regarding electronics?  Are they exempt from tariffs because they are aircraft parts?

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[Middleline Airfield]

I agree with Andrezej Kobus. We have shipped 6 club gliders in the last 10 years and have never paid more than $4K. These have all been Roll On/ Roll off with the autos from Emden Germany to Davisville RI. The last Grob arrived in 2023. I don't know much about the new tariffs that might be in place?

Tim Hanke

Adirondack Soaring  

[Sean Franke]

Hi Greg,

Aircraft, aircraft parts, instruments, and avionics from the EU are all subject to zero tariffs. This includes the 15% reciprocal tariff.

[Richard Pfiffner]

Relevance to Importing Civil Aircraft Parts from the EU to the USA

In the context of EU-origin civil aircraft parts entering the U.S.:

• The U.S. importer (or end user) typically needs documentation proving the part is airworthy and eligible for installation on an N-registered (U.S.-registered) aircraft.
• For parts coming from EASA-approved sources (most EU manufacturers and repair stations), the standard document is EASA Form 1 (Authorized Release Certificate / Airworthiness Approval Tag).
• Under the U.S.–EU Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA) and its Technical Implementation Procedures (TIP), a valid EASA Form 1 (single or dual release) is fully accepted by the FAA as equivalent to an FAA Form 8130-3 for import and installation purposes.
• A dual-release EASA Form 1 + FAA Form 8130-3 is sometimes provided (especially for used/repaired parts), but it is not required for import into the U.S. — EASA Form 1 alone suffices.
• The FAA Form 8130-3 is more commonly seen on U.S.-origin parts or when a U.S. entity performs the final release.

I have found that many avionics, flight computers, parts etc from the EU do not have EASA Form 1. and are subject to the 15% reciproal tariff.

Richard

[Richard Pfiffner]

I have also have different experiences with different shipping Companies  DHL, FEDEX, UPS and rarely find out if something has the 15% reciprocal until I receive it. You can spend may hours Disputing the tariffs and get little satisfaction.

Richard,

[Gordon Wingate]

I haven't seen it mentioned but to clarify the tariffs are based on the country of manufacture. And it applies even if it is previously owned and several years old.

 A JS shipped from the EU has its tariff based on S. Africa, which is still quite high.

 

Gordon

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[Sean Franke]

Customs brokers do NOT (and should not) base tariff classification, duty rates, or special tariff applicability on whether a part has an EASA Form 1.

• Tariffs are based on HTSUS classification + country of origin

• Form 1 is an airworthiness document only

A lack of Form 1 has no bearing on:

• MFN duty

• Zero-for-zero aircraft tariff treatment

• Exclusion from reciprocal tariffs

• Entry under 9903 Series

• Whether the product is an “aircraft part” for tariff purposes

Customs and FAA certification are completely separate regulatory domains.

[Sean Franke]

Absolutely. When I receive sea-freight shipments of aircraft parts and instruments, my customs broker clears them correctly with zero tariffs. In contrast, DHL, FedEx, and UPS often try to apply the 15% reciprocal tariff because their in-house clearance departments quickly handle entries without much thought. The individuals processing these entries typically have limited experience and inadequate training.

A perfect example: UPS recently cleared a shipment from HpH that included a simple sailplane electrical cable. They classified it simultaneously as 100% aluminum, 100% copper, and an electrical connector—all at once (how does that work?). To make it even worse, they marked the country of origin as Russia. The result? A completely baseless 252% tariff.