Iran/Dubai ferry update
Here is a summary of the process of getting the ferry with your own vehicle from Bandar Abbas to Dubai (Sharjah):
Costs in Bandar Abbas:
Passenger ticket is $107
Cost for shipping vehicle $517
Bill of lading $112
Customs (paid at port) $50
You can pay all of the costs above apart from the customs charges at the Valfajr offices (about 3km outside of Bandar Abbas in a big white building) the day before the ferry. It's best to go early as you need to make your payments downstairs at the bank and the bank closes at lunchtime, so you can't make any payments after that.
On the day of the ferry you need to get to the port early, about 8am, as the offices there close early in the day (again, at about lunchtime). It was quite easy making all the payments, as we were directed to the different offices it takes quite a while (about 2 hours). We had finished with all our paperwork by about 12pm and you then have to sit and wait for the ferry until about 8pm that night! There is nothing to see or do at the port apart and food and drink an only be bought from a small cafe. You can wander outside the port gate where there are a few little shops with snacks. The ferry itself is pretty disgusting so be prepared to share your seat with cockroaches!!!
We arrived in Sharjah at about 10am the next morning and you then have to complete quite a lot of paperwork in order to bring the car into the UAE. In total it took us about 4 hours to do this and we had to pay out another $159, bringing the total cost to $1052.
I hope this will be useful for anyone else doing this trip.
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