Typically you will need: 1. The commercial invoice and packing list from the seller; 2. The bill of lading issued by the shipping line; 3. The vehicle's export customs declaration; 4. The original registration certificate and a deregistration or transfer proof from China; 5. A certificate of origin if your country requires it; 6. Destination-specific documents, such as a pre-shipment inspection certificate (for example ECTN for West African ports). Requirements vary by country, so confirm the full list with your customs broker before shipment.

Start with the paperwork: the vehicle registration certificate lists every ownership transfer, and the service book plus dealer maintenance records help confirm mileage. For digital verification, ask the seller for a live video walkaround plus a diagnostic scan report showing the ECU-recorded mileage, which is hard to manipulate. For EVs, request a battery state-of-health (SOH) report — it reveals real usage patterns far better than the odometer. Finally, a pre-shipment inspection by a third party should include structural checks (pillars, chassis rails) to rule out accident repairs. Build "no major accident, no flood or fire damage" into your purchase contract with a refund clause if the inspection contradicts it.

If insurance claims records are accessed, there will usually be notes like "the insured vehicle is fully responsible for hitting a fixed object" or "third-party liability insurance payment." We can roughly reconstruct the accident scene based on this and cross-verify the stress points on the vehicle's frame with paint thickness gauge data.