Importing a car into Saudi Arabia: the 5-year rule, duties and SABER
Personal car imports face strict controls: the model year must be no more than 5 years old, the car must be left-hand drive, and salvage vehicles (flood, fire, structural 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 value, then 15% VAT on the value plus duty — an effective load of roughly 20.75% on top of the car's cost, before shipping and clearance. And beware: a US-spec car is often cheaper to buy, but GCC-spec beats it on local warranty, resale value and insurance pricing.
Steps
- Check eligibility: model no older than 5 years, left-hand drive, and not a salvage, ex-taxi or ex-police vehicle.
- If you are a resident: make sure you have not imported a car in the last three years (one car every 3 years, and it cannot be sold for 3 years).
- Work out the full cost before buying: 5% customs duty + 15% VAT on the value plus duty (an effective load of roughly 20.75%) + shipping and clearance.
- Obtain conformity certificates through the SABER platform (SASO/GCC standards) — customs will not release the car without them.
- When the car arrives: complete customs clearance and pay the duty and VAT.
- Register the car locally: periodic inspection, then insurance, then the istimara and plates.
Fees & costs
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Customs duty | 5% | Of the car's value |
| VAT | 15% | On the value plus the customs duty |
| Total effective load | ≈ 20.75% | Excluding shipping, clearance and SABER fees |
Common questions
What is the oldest model year I can import into Saudi Arabia?
Cars older than 5 model years cannot be imported. The car must be left-hand drive, and salvage vehicles, ex-taxis and ex-police cars are banned.
How much are the taxes and duties on an imported car?
5% customs duty, then 15% VAT charged on the value plus the duty — an effective load of roughly 20.75% on top of the car's cost, before shipping and clearance, plus mandatory SABER conformity certificates.
Which is better: GCC-spec or US-spec?
GCC-spec is the better ownership proposition in Saudi Arabia: local agents honor the factory warranty, resale value is higher, and insurance pricing is usually better — while a personally imported US-spec car typically carries no local agent warranty.
Guidance only — the official authority is the final reference.