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Route rate sheet · Sea freight · Thailand to Saudi Arabia

Ship a car from Thailand to Saudi Arabia

Chonburi, Bangkok to Jeddah Islamic Port in a sealed container. One price covers ocean freight, export handling in Thailand and marine insurance; destination port charges, duty and VAT are shown separately below.

Get the exact quote See the full rate sheet

6,580 km great circle · 16-26 days

from $7,963
per car, port to port · incl. insurance
16-26 days
sea transit · Chonburi → Jeddah
5% (passenger) + 15% VAT
Saudi Arabia duty + VAT on CIF

Rates verified 9 Nov 2026 · page refreshed 10 Nov 2026

At a glance

Thailand to Saudi Arabia car shipping: cost, time and rules

Shipping a car from Thailand to Saudi Arabia with IPAS Express costs from $7,963 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.

Cars from Thailand are usually RHD; Saudi Arabia registers LHD vehicles as standard — check eligibility before shipping.

Ocean freight · 20ft
$6,850–7,350
Chonburi / Bangkok → Jeddah Islamic Port
Ocean freight · 40ft
$9,300–10,150
Two cars, or one large SUV plus parts
Port to port, 1 car
from $7,963
Ocean freight + export handling + insurance
Sea transit
16-26 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 · Laem Chabang Port → 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

    $7,963per car $7,963
    Ocean freight
    $6,850
    Export handling
    $1,000
    Insurance
    $113
    Destination est. (at port)
    $1,780

  • 2 cars · 40ft high-cube

    Two cars you ship together, or a group booking

    $11,016per car $5,508
    Ocean freight
    $9,300
    Export handling
    $1,500
    Insurance
    $216
    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 ~$2,900
    Ocean freight
    $9,300
    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)
    —

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 Thailand
  • Included: Terminal handling at Laem Chabang Port
  • Included: Ocean freight Laem Chabang Port → 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 · Thailand

Thailand

Laem Chabang Port

THLCH

Bangkok Port (Khlong Toei)

THBKK

Discharge ports · Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

Jeddah Islamic Port

SAJED

Landed-cost examples · Saudi Arabia

Cars worth importing to Saudi Arabia

Landed-cost examples for Saudi Arabia, from other origins.

All left-hand-drive cars Available offers

Importing to Saudi Arabia

Registering a car from Thailand in Saudi Arabia

What buyers shipping from Thailand 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. 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. 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. 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. 4

    Pass MOI technical inspection

    Ministry of Interior inspection verifies VIN, emissions, GCC-spec compliance, and safety equipment at the port inspection yard.

  5. 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. 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.

Read the full Saudi Arabia import guide →

FAQ

Thailand to Saudi Arabia shipping questions

With IPAS Express, shipping one car from Thailand to Saudi Arabia costs from $7,963 port to port in its own 20ft container, with sea transit of 16-26 days. Import duty and VAT in Saudi Arabia are quoted separately in the landed-cost examples on this page.

Dammam (Gulf) is the fastest route at 18-26 days via the Strait of Hormuz. Jeddah (Red Sea) adds Suez Canal transit at 24-30 days. Air freight delivers in 4-7 days.

Yes. Saudi Arabia is LHD-only and does not accept right-hand drive vehicles. Thai RHD pickups must be converted to LHD before import - IPAS offers certified CRHD-to-LHD conversion via UAE or Sri Lanka facilities.

Thailand-built pickups dominate Saudi demand - particularly the Toyota Hilux, Fortuner, Revo, Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi Triton, and Isuzu D-Max. These are prized for desert/off-road capability.

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

Thailand → other destinations

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