Importing a car from Korea to Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is the largest market we ship to, and also one of the stricter ones. Used passenger vehicles must be no more than five years old, counted against the model year and applied at the moment of customs clearance rather than the date you agreed the price.

That timing distinction matters more than anything else on this page. A 2021 car bought in December against a five-year cap can arrive in January and be assessed as a year older. Shipping to Jeddah takes eighteen days port to port; add a delayed sailing and a queue at the terminal and a car that qualified when you paid can be refused when it lands. We will not ship anything inside its final twelve months without telling you in writing first.

Saudi Arabia requires a SASO conformity certificate before shipment, which we arrange as part of the export paperwork. Right-hand drive is not accepted under any circumstances, and vehicles with a recorded salvage or flood history are refused — we screen the Korean inspection record before quoting so this is caught in Korea rather than at your port.

You have five discharge options. Jeddah Islamic Port is the fastest at eighteen days and the one most buyers use. King Abdullah Port runs twenty days, Dammam twenty-one, Jubail twenty-two and Yanbu twenty-three. Choose on proximity to where the car will be registered rather than on the freight difference, which is small.

Allow four to six weeks in total: a few days for purchase and deregistration in Korea, a few more for inland transport and loading, eighteen days at sea, then three to ten days for clearance depending on your broker. Appoint that broker before the vessel sails, not when it arrives — clearance is faster and cheaper when they have the documents in advance.