Buying a car vs. Importing into Kuwait

Hi Shan,

you cannot import a car from anywhere!!! Basically ONLY Kuwaitis national can import cars from outside….

Regards.....

Oh Ok. That's a shame - so I have to fork out large amount to buy a car in Kuwait

not necessarily large; check out www.q8car.com, cars are reasonably priced here due to 0 tax. also, it would be difficult bringing a car in from the UK coz u fellows drive on the wrong side of the road compared to us here all cars are lefties here.

plus, dont be disheartened. u can ship cars into kuwait, who said u cant

Im in the shipping biz, audit, not actual shipping, but i can point u in the right direction.

Legacy,

i did ask to ship my car from Dubai to here, they told me it has to be under Kuwaiti national name.......

from what I know from the agent's downstairs, u can ship cars into Kuwait, no hassle.

Not sure about expats, but for Kuwaitis you are allowed to import a car every 2 years, also the car needs to be GCC standard and has to be Left hand drive.

what car are you importing ? I'm sure you can get the same cheaper here.

please let us know and let us know what happened


just so you know, its a bit of a hassle to get the car imported also YOU WILL PAY 5% + + taxes to get the car here + registration and what not.

I wonder if anyone knows if I can drive the car from Oman to Kuwait and register the plate in Kuwait. Are import laws same for importing by sea/air vs. driving into Kuwait?

PS: I am coming to Kuwait for the first time and currently live in UK
Thanks

well; i see a lot of GCC licence plates on the streets, just not sure if its the fact that they (or they're drivers) are GCC.

u may find this link useful

also found this string on another site:

just finished shipping my vehicle via Allied Pickford here in Kuwait so I'll tell you my experience and some of the issues you'll experience. I shipped my vehicle from Germany to Kuwait in December. First, your vehicle must be de-registered from the local traffic department at its origin. The vehicle will need to be shipped to a Kuwaiti friend or sponsor who is willing to go through the hassle to import your car.

Once the vehicle is shipped you will need to have the vehicle invoice and title legalized in Kuwait. Allied handled this procedure so I'm not sure what was required to complete this portion. My Kuwaiti friend then had to meet a representative from Allied and obtain a temporary import/export license from the ministry. This only took about 10 minutes so it wasn't a big deal...

When the car arrived was when we ran into some minor issues. The customs clearance documents ('Bayan" were incorrect and needed to be corrected. My Kuwaiti friend and I spent half a day at the port trying to fix these issues. In the end we had to come pack the next day to pickup the car.

Once the car is cleared from the port you'll need to tow the vehicle to your home until you receive the 'mechanical certificate' from the moving company. Once you receive the mechanical certificate you can drive the vehicle back to the port authority to obtain import license plates (purple plates).

Then you'll be able to fully register the car and transfer the car from the Kuwaiti's name to your name. You'll need to obtain 3rd party liability insurance and the vehicle registration application. I did this in Jabriya near Royal Hayatt Hospital. Then I took my vehicle to the general traffic dept in Shwaikh near the UN circle for inspection. The inspection part was really straight forward... They just confirm the VIN number off the engine and ask for the de-registration documents from the origin country. After inspection you just go over to the main office and they'll print off a new registration and give you permanent  license plates.

in the end my friend, its too much of a hassle eitherway, just buy/lease a car here and save yourself the headache.

and yes, sorry, i was wrong

Hi there,
Great Shan I was going to ask your question. I am also expected to be in Kuwait from September...
So, there is no use to ship my KIA Sedona to Kuwait? I looked at the prices (in Kuwait) but this type is cheaper in UK and I already have it.
Laszlo

unfortunately Lszo nope, no chance. keep in mind the cars u have over there are not "suited" for the Gulf, firstly u drive on the wrong side of the road and hence are sitting on the other side of the car, cars in Kuwait, all left based (as in if ur looking out of the car, u'd be sitting on the left side). not to mention other knick-nacks such as ability to withstand heat, not being built for snow, fuel etc.

that coupled with the fact that only Kuwaiti's can import cars into the country would make it a very difficult process. it is a much better venture to go for a car here, which are not overly expensive, honestly.

I'm a Kia fan too, the sportage is my favorite model. Sedona is not even an option here either :S so getting it maintained will be a hassle.

I can cope with the "wrong side of the rode" easily as we do all the time whilst driving my UK car in Europe but can help with the other stuff. Thanks though.
Laszlo

can not

Also if you need a car in Kuwait, you can check on - yellws.com/. They have a great directory where you can search for vehicles.

I am living in Dubai and planning on moving to Kuwait in two weeks.
Is it true that we can't ship cars to kuwait if the car is more than 5 years of age?
My car is 10 years old. To sell the car in Dubai I won't get a good deal out if it so shipping it to Kuwait would be the ideal solution. Any help please? Thanks!

Legacy, is it possible to get your email address please? I would like to ask you more questions regarding shipping cars to Kuwait. Thank you

A friendly advice.. you might want to worry about getting a license first before importing a car (if possible) or thinking of buying a car.

Even if you are eligible to get an Istimara(learner's permit) fulfilling minimum salary requirement, minimum year of stay in Kuwait, degree and professional qualification, etc. You are most likely to run into unexpected problems in getting one issued for you. I'm speaking from personal experience when I finally got my license issued a few days ago. 

@BrandNewCar

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Hi there

I would like more information about shipping a car from UAE to Kuwait please.

Hello bafanka,

Welcome to Expat.com

Your chances of receiving replies about car shipping will increase if you create a new topic on the Kuwait forum to ask for more details from our members.

Responses on this old thread could be dated: the latest information shared goes as far back as 2018.

All the best,

Diksha
Team Expat.com

I will definitely recommend buying a car from. within Kuwait
Cars are not expensive compared to many other countries and you need a service support that the local agent will definitely provide

Good luck