Importing a car: the 5-year rule, duty and SABER

Import Data as of: 2026-07-03

Personal car imports into Saudi Arabia face strict controls. The car's model year must be no more than 5 years old, it must be left-hand drive, and salvage vehicles (flood, fire, structural accident damage) are banned, as are ex-taxis and ex-police cars. A resident may import one private car every three years and cannot sell it for three years after import.

Costs: 5% customs duty on the car's CIF value, then 15% VAT on the value plus duty — roughly 20.75% on top of the car's landed cost, before shipping and clearance fees.

Every vehicle also needs conformity certificates through the SABER platform proving it meets SASO/GCC technical standards before customs will release it. In short: importing only makes sense when the price gap comfortably covers 20%+ taxes, fees, no local warranty and a lower resale value.

Official source