Route rate sheet · Sea freight · USA to Saudi Arabia
Ship a car from the USA to Saudi Arabia
Newark/Elizabeth to Jeddah Islamic Port in a sealed container. One price covers ocean freight, export handling in the USA and marine insurance; destination port charges, duty and VAT are shown separately below.
Rates verified 9 Nov 2026 · page refreshed 10 Nov 2026
10,270 km great circle · 60 days
Rates verified 9 Nov 2026 · page refreshed 10 Nov 2026
At a glance
USA to Saudi Arabia car shipping: cost, time and rules
Shipping a car from the USA to Saudi Arabia with IPAS Express costs from $6,334 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
- $4,500–7,800
- Newark/Elizabeth → Jeddah Islamic Port
- Ocean freight · 40ft
- $6,500–11,150
- Two cars, or one large SUV plus parts
- Port to port, 1 car
- from $6,334
- Ocean freight + export handling + insurance
- Sea transit
- 60 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 · Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal → Jeddah Islamic Port
What it costs, line by line
Insurance is figured on a declared value of $46,600 (reference vehicle: 2025 Ford F-150). 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
$6,334per car $6,334- Ocean freight
- $4,500
- Export handling
- $1,728
- Insurance
- $106
- Destination est. (at port)
- $1,780
2 cars · 40ft high-cube
Two cars you ship together, or a group booking
$9,683per car $4,841- Ocean freight
- $6,500
- Export handling
- $2,978
- Insurance
- $205
- 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
- $6,500
- 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 (USA) | 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 | $6,334 | $6,334 | $4,500 | $1,728packaging $1,250 · THC $33 · clearance $30 | $106 | $1,780THC $280 · customs handling $1,500 |
| 2 cars · 40ft high-cubeTwo cars you ship together, or a group booking | $9,683 | $4,841 | $6,500 | $2,978packaging 2×$1,250 · THC $33 · clearance $30 | $205 | $1,780THC $280 · customs handling $1,500 |
| 3–4 cars · racked 40ft HCCompact cars on a rack system; racking quoted per booking | Quote | from ~$2,900 | $6,500 | 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 $970 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 USA
- Included: Terminal handling at Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal
- Included: Ocean freight Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal → 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 · USA
USA
Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal
Discharge ports · Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Islamic Port
Landed-cost examples · Saudi Arabia
Cars worth importing to Saudi Arabia
Each card is a full landed-cost worksheet computed against the destination's live duty rules. Expand one for the breakdown or open its calculator with the destination pre-selected.
Here is the full landed cost of one car, a 2025 Ford F-150 shipped from the USA to Saudi Arabia, worked out on 9 November 2026 with the customs rules in force that day. It lands at 259,718 SAR (about US$69,258), and duties and taxes come to 20.7% of its CIF value.
| Item | Share of CIF | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle priceIPAS price for a car sourced in the USA | 174,750 SARUS$46,600 | |
| Shipping and insuranceUSA to Saudi Arabia | 28,804 SARUS$7,681 | |
| CIF valueCost, insurance and freight: the customs value | 203,554 SARUS$54,281 | |
| Customs duties and taxes | ||
| Basic customs duty (5%)5% of CIF | 10,178 SARUS$2,714 | |
| GST/VAT (15%)15% of CIF plus the duties above15.7% of CIF | 32,059 SARUS$8,549 | |
| Total duties and taxes20.7% of CIF | 42,236 SARUS$11,263 | |
| Service and handling | ||
| Premium Import ServiceOptional end-to-end import management by IPAS | 7,253 SARUS$1,934 | |
| Destination handlingPort terminal and customs clearance handling | 6,675 SARUS$1,780 | |
| Total landed cost | 259,718 SARUS$69,258 | |
Available now in USA
Export-ready units from USA
Importing to Saudi Arabia
Registering a car from the USA in Saudi Arabia
What buyers shipping from the USA 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
USA to Saudi Arabia shipping questions
With IPAS Express, shipping one car from the USA to Saudi Arabia costs from $6,334 port to port in its own 20ft container, with sea transit of 60 days. Import duty and VAT in Saudi Arabia are quoted separately in the landed-cost examples on this page.
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
USA → other destinations
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