Importing a car from Korea to Saudi Arabia

What Saudi Arabia requires

Vehicle age

5 years

Steering

Left-hand drive only

Damage history

Salvage and flood-damaged vehicles refused

Emissions

Euro 4 or better

Conformity certificate

Required before loading

Discharge ports

• Jeddah Islamic Port
• King Abdulaziz Port (Dammam)

How the shipment runs

1. 1

   Select and reserve

   Pick from stock or tell us the specification. We screen it against the Saudi Arabia rules before taking a deposit.

2. 2

   Inspect and document

   We pull the Korean inspection and accident-history record, translate it, and prepare the export certificate.

3. 3

   Load and sail

   RoRo or container from Incheon or Pyeongtaek, with the bill of lading issued once the vessel departs.

4. 4

   Clear at destination

   You or your broker clear the vehicle at the discharge port in Saudi Arabia. We send the originals by courier ahead of arrival.

What it actually costs to land a car in Saudi Arabia

A quoted car price is not what you pay. Below is the full chain of costs between a Korean auction and your driveway in Saudi Arabia, with the figures we work to. Freight is the one we control; duty and VAT are set by your government and are the numbers most buyers underestimate.

The trap worth knowing: duty is charged on the CIF value, not the car price. On a $20,000 car with $1,200 freight, duty is assessed on $21,200 or more — and VAT is then charged on that total plus the duty. Budgeting from the car price alone understates the landed cost every time.

Ports, transit times and freight to Saudi Arabia

Sailing times are port to port from Korea and exclude the days spent clearing at either end. Freight shown is indicative ocean cost for a standard saloon or SUV on RoRo.

How long the whole thing takes

From the day you confirm a car to the day you collect it in Saudi Arabia, allow 4–6 weeks. Most of that is sailing time; the parts we control move quickly.

• •Purchase and deregistration in Korea — 3 to 7 days
• •Inland transport and port handling — 2 to 5 days
• •Sailing to your port — 18–23 days
• •Customs clearance at destination — 3 to 10 days, depending on your broker and the port

Documents you will need

We prepare and courier the Korean side. Your broker in Saudi Arabia handles the rest. Originals travel by courier and normally arrive before the vessel.

• Bill of lading — issued once the vessel sails, and the document your broker needs to release the car.
• Commercial invoice — shows the chassis number and the declared value duty is assessed on.
• Korean export certificate — proves the car was deregistered in Korea and legally exported.
• Translated inspection record — the Korean performance-check sheet, including accident and odometer history.
• Conformity certificate — required before shipment for some destinations; we arrange it where it applies.

Mistakes that cost buyers money

1. 1

   Buying a car near the age limit. The cap is applied at clearance, not purchase — a car that qualifies in December can be refused in January. We refuse to ship anything inside its final twelve months without warning you in writing.

2. 2

   Budgeting from the car price. Duty and VAT are charged on the CIF value, so the landed cost is always higher than the sticker. Ask for a landed figure before you commit, not an FOB one.

3. 3

   Skipping the inspection record. Korean cars carry a standard performance-check sheet showing accident and odometer history. A seller who cannot produce one is hiding something, and no photograph substitutes for it.

4. 4

   Appointing a broker after the car sails. Clearance is faster and cheaper when your broker has the documents in advance. Choose them before the vessel departs, not when it arrives.

Why buy through us rather than direct

• We screen every car against Saudi Arabia's age, emissions and inspection rules before quoting. If it will not clear, we say so and do not sell it to you.
• We pull and translate the Korean inspection record for the specific chassis number, so you see what we saw before we bought.
• We quote landed cost to your port, not a bare FOB price that leaves the real total until later.
• The desk works in Arabic, English and Korean, with one named contact from enquiry to release.

Common questions about importing to Saudi Arabia

How old can a used car be to import into Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia allows used passenger vehicles up to 5 years old, counted against the model year and applied at the moment of customs clearance rather than the date of purchase.

Can I import a right-hand drive car into Saudi Arabia?

No. Saudi Arabia accepts left-hand drive vehicles only. Every car we export from Korea is left-hand drive as standard.

Which ports do you ship to for Saudi Arabia?

We discharge at Jeddah Islamic Port, King Abdulaziz Port (Dammam). Sailings run from Incheon and Pyeongtaek, typically three to five weeks depending on the route.

Are accident-damaged cars accepted in Saudi Arabia?

No. Saudi Arabia refuses vehicles with a recorded salvage or flood-damage history. We screen the Korean inspection record before quoting so this is caught in Korea, not at your port.