Route rate sheet · Sea freight · Germany to Saudi Arabia
Ship a car from Germany to Saudi Arabia
Bremerhaven, Hamburg to Jeddah Islamic Port in a sealed container. One price covers ocean freight, export handling in Germany and marine insurance; destination port charges, duty and VAT are shown separately below.
Rates verified 9 Nov 2026 · page refreshed 10 Nov 2026
4,400 km great circle · 13-30 days
Rates verified 9 Nov 2026 · page refreshed 10 Nov 2026
At a glance
Germany to Saudi Arabia car shipping: cost, time and rules
Shipping a car from Germany to Saudi Arabia with IPAS Express costs from $4,961 port to port for one car in its own 20ft container, with live rates from our shipping desk. Duty and VAT in Saudi Arabia are quoted separately in the landed-cost examples below.
- Ocean freight · 20ft
- $3,450–4,150
- Bremerhaven / Hamburg → Jeddah Islamic Port
- Ocean freight · 40ft
- $5,050–5,650
- Two cars, or one large SUV plus parts
- Port to port, 1 car
- from $4,961
- Ocean freight + export handling + insurance
- Sea transit
- 13-30 days
- Port to port
- Import Duty
- 5% (passenger)
- 12% for trucks >5 tonnes GVWR under GCC Common Tariff
- VAT/GST
- 15% VAT
- Applied on CIF + customs duty + 0.15% services fee
- Steering
- LHD only
- RHD vehicles cannot be registered in Saudi Arabia
- Age Limit
- 5 years max
- From year of manufacture; classics 30+ years allowed separately
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Rate sheet · AutoTerminal Bremerhaven → Jeddah Islamic Port
What it costs, line by line
Insurance is figured on a declared value of $48,600 (reference vehicle: 2026 Ford Bronco). Every line comes from the same tables the calculator reads, so the quote you get matches this sheet.
1 car · own 20ft container
Any car up to 5.6 m, sealed; door-to-door available
$4,961per car $4,961- Ocean freight
- $3,450
- Export handling
- $1,404
- Insurance
- $107
- Destination est. (at port)
- $1,780
2 cars · 40ft high-cube
Two cars you ship together, or a group booking
$7,313per car $3,657- Ocean freight
- $5,050
- Export handling
- $2,054
- Insurance
- $209
- Destination est. (at port)
- $1,780
3–4 cars · racked 40ft HC
Compact cars on a rack system; racking quoted per booking
Quoteper car from ~$2,100- Ocean freight
- $5,050
- Export handling
- on request
- Insurance
- per value
- Destination est. (at port)
- —
RoRo · per car
Oversize vehicles only; not offered for passenger cars
On requestper car —- Ocean freight
- on request
- Export handling
- on request
- Insurance
- —
- Destination est. (at port)
- —
Air freight
Fastest option, 3–7 days; quoted per aircraft load
Quoteper car —- Ocean freight
- on request
- Export handling
- on request
- Insurance
- per value
- Destination est. (at port)
- —
Scroll for line-by-line costs →
| Shipping option | Total · IPAS price | Per car | Ocean freight | Export handling (Germany) | Insurance 0.2% | Destination charges · est., payable at port |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 car · own 20ft containerAny car up to 5.6 m, sealed; door-to-door available | $4,961 | $4,961 | $3,450 | $1,404packaging $650 · THC $350 · clearance $150 | $107 | $1,780THC $280 · customs handling $1,500 |
| 2 cars · 40ft high-cubeTwo cars you ship together, or a group booking | $7,313 | $3,657 | $5,050 | $2,054packaging 2×$650 · THC $350 · clearance $150 | $209 | $1,780THC $280 · customs handling $1,500 |
| 3–4 cars · racked 40ft HCCompact cars on a rack system; racking quoted per booking | Quote | from ~$2,100 | $5,050 | on request | per value | — |
| RoRo · per carOversize vehicles only; not offered for passenger cars | On request | — | on request | on request | — | — |
| Air freightFastest option, 3–7 days; quoted per aircraft load | Quote | — | on request | on request | per value | — |
Door pick-up within the port's standard radius adds about $660 per car. Insurance is 0.2% of the declared vehicle value, with a per-car minimum. Destination charges are paid at Jeddah Islamic Port on arrival and are not part of the total. Duty and VAT are not in this table either: see the landed-cost examples below or run CarImport.AI. Ocean figures are our current route rates and update when the rate table changes.
Included in the IPAS price
- Included: Export packaging, chocking and lashing inside the container
- Included: Export customs clearance in Germany
- Included: Terminal handling at AutoTerminal Bremerhaven
- Included: Ocean freight AutoTerminal Bremerhaven → Jeddah Islamic Port
- Included: Marine insurance at 0.2% of the declared value
- Included: Bill of Lading, packing list and tracking
Not included
- Not included: Destination port charges (shown per row; paid at Jeddah Islamic Port on arrival)
- Not included: Saudi Arabia customs duty and VAT
- Not included: Conformity certification and registration inspection
- Not included: Inland collection unless door pick-up is selected
- Not included: Storage or demurrage after the port's free days
- Not included: Personal effects: the car ships empty
Ports & inland reach
Where your car leaves and arrives
Load ports · Germany
Germany
AutoTerminal Bremerhaven
Port of Hamburg
Discharge ports · Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Islamic Port
Landed-cost examples · Saudi Arabia
Cars worth importing to Saudi Arabia
Landed-cost examples for Saudi Arabia, from other origins.
Available now in Germany
Export-ready units from Germany
Importing to Saudi Arabia
Registering a car from Germany in Saudi Arabia
What buyers shipping from Germany need to know about Saudi Arabia's import duties, steering rules and registration.
Saudi Arabia applies 5% customs duty plus 15% VAT on CIF for passenger vehicles, totaling roughly 20.9% landed tax. Imports are LHD-only under GCC rules and must pass SABER conformity registration with SASO certification before customs clearance at Jeddah or Dammam.
Import Process: Saudi Arabia
- 1
Register SABER certificate
Supplier registers the vehicle on saber.sa and obtains a Certificate of Conformity linked to SASO technical regulations before shipment.
- 2
Ship LHD vehicle to Jeddah or Dammam
Book RoRo or container from origin (USA, Japan, Korea) to Jeddah Islamic Port or King Abdulaziz Port (Dammam); transit 18-28 days from USA.
- 3
Pay ZATCA customs duty and VAT
At clearance, pay 5% customs duty, 0.15% services fee, and 15% VAT on CIF value through the Fasah platform.
- 4
Pass MOI technical inspection
Ministry of Interior inspection verifies VIN, emissions, GCC-spec compliance, and safety equipment at the port inspection yard.
- 5
Register with Absher and issue Istimara
Register ownership through Absher portal, pay SAR 650-1,200 for Istimara (vehicle registration card) and license plates.
- 6
Obtain mandatory insurance
Purchase Tameen third-party liability insurance before driving; comprehensive cover recommended for high-value imports.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Attempting to import an RHD vehicle
Fix
Saudi Arabia bans RHD registration entirely under GCC rules; only source LHD vehicles from USA, Japan LHD-spec, or Europe.
Shipping without a valid SABER/SASO certificate
Fix
Register the vehicle on saber.sa through an authorized supplier before shipment; arrivals without conformity certificates are held or re-exported.
Importing a vehicle older than 5 years
Fix
Personal imports must be within 5 years of manufacture date; vehicles 30+ years old qualify separately under the classic car exemption.
FAQ
Germany to Saudi Arabia shipping questions
With IPAS Express, shipping one car from Germany to Saudi Arabia costs from $4,961 port to port in its own 20ft container, with sea transit of 13-30 days. Import duty and VAT in Saudi Arabia are quoted separately in the landed-cost examples on this page.
Jeddah (Red Sea) sailings take 22-30 days via the Suez Canal. Dammam (Gulf) adds 3-5 days routing around the Arabian Peninsula. Air freight delivers in 5-8 days.
Vehicles must typically be less than 5 years old for standard import. Saudi Arabia is LHD-only, so German LHD vehicles require no conversion. All imports require SASO conformity certification.
SABER is Saudi Arabia's electronic conformity platform run by SASO. Every imported vehicle needs a Certificate of Conformity registered on saber.sa proving it meets Saudi technical regulations before ZATCA will clear it at port. Without SABER, shipments are blocked, re-exported, or destroyed at the importer's cost.
No. Saudi Arabia, along with all other GCC states (UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar), bans RHD vehicles from registration. Only LHD vehicles can be titled and driven legally, so RHD imports from UK, Japan, Australia, or India are not accepted for road use.
Personal used car imports must be within 5 years of the manufacture date for all light vehicles and buses. Vehicles aged 30 years or more qualify as classics under a separate exemption. Anything between 5 and 30 years old is effectively blocked from private import.
Jeddah Islamic Port handles most Red Sea arrivals from USA, Europe, and North Africa, while King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam clears Arabian Gulf shipments from Asia and the UAE. Both offer RoRo and container terminals with ZATCA Fasah clearance and MOI inspection yards on site.
No. ZATCA applies the standard 5% customs duty and 15% VAT to battery electric and hybrid passenger vehicles, same as petrol and diesel cars. Electric trucks above 5 tonnes GVWR pay the 12% commercial rate, matching diesel trucks. There is no current EV tax incentive as of 2025.
Keep exploring
Related routes and guides
Other origins → Saudi Arabia
Germany → other destinations
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