Importing car from Iraq.

Hi!

I am an Iraqi/Swedish national and I study at the University of Debrecen and will continue to do so for the upcoming two years God Willing.

I was hoping to import my car from Iraq (2013 Mercedes CL550) and use it in Hungary.

I have been told that I can either import it and use temporary E-plates that have to be renewed every 6 months for 150-170k HUF or I could register it in Hungary- which I would prefer since I want to spend most of my upcoming time in the EU and having a Hungarian registered car would make it easier to drive around.

Would you kindly walk me through the process of importing a car from a non-EU country and what registration tax that will entail and any additional costs etc?


Thank you for the kind help,
Mostafa

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@Mostafa Al-Dulaimy

It's probably not worth it. The Mercedes CL550 would be the target of thieves. Also the large engine would be expensive to run and the taxes are dependent on emissions and age of the vehicle. Hungary is a country of small to medium sized cars. The costs of registration and the hassle would be higher than the cost of buying a good quality second hand car.

If determined to do this, there is a lot of discussion in these forums on car registration. Your first determination must be if this particular Merc has European type approval. If not, it will need to be made compliant to operate on Hungarian and EU roads. This can become very expensive indeed.

Ask Mercedes is they can issue an EU type approval certificate. If they can and do, you have more chance of making it work.
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Mr. Fluffy has given some really good advice.
We shipped 4 cars from Ca. to Hungary but that was a long while ago and they are stricter now.
My husband had an import-eport business at the time and is also a HU citizen so it was easier for him back then.
I know we kept one of the cars to use over the decade when we visited HU on vacations. It was usually parked in a garage sometimes for a couple of years.
It ate gas/petrol, was a big Adui 500, . It was 4 years old when we brought it over and yes, people did try to break into the car.
I see you wrote you have Swedish citizenship so perhaps this will not effect you but people outside the EU must get a HU driving certificate within a year to be legal. I'm good for 4 more years in the US to drive but can't legally do it here in HU.
If you do not change the car plates to HU ones, then your auto insurance rates will be much higher then if they had HU plates.
In the end we sold the Audi as scrap, went from lovely to looking like junk in a decade.
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Mr. Fluffy has given some really good advice.
We shipped 4 cars from Ca. to Hungary but that was a long while ago and they are stricter now.
My husband had an import-eport business at the time and is also a HU citizen so it was easier for him back then.
I know we kept one of the cars to use over the decade when we visited HU on vacations. It was usually parked in a garage sometimes for a couple of years.
It ate gas/petrol, was a big Adui 500, . It was 4 years old when we brought it over and yes, people did try to break into the car.
I see you wrote you have Swedish citizenship so perhaps this will not effect you but people outside the EU must get a HU driving certificate within a year to be legal. I'm good for 4 more years in the US to drive but can't legally do it here in HU.
If you do not change the car plates to HU ones, then your auto insurance rates will be much higher then if they had HU plates.
In the end we sold the Audi as scrap, went from lovely to looking like junk in a decade.
- @Marilyn Tassy

Mutual recognition of licenses is quite a problem.  An Iraqi license wouldn't - I think - be acceptable.   A Swedish license would be perfectly fine and if I remember correctly, you can drive on it for a year.  They'd also swap it out for a HU license at zero cost.

Mercedes parts are very expensive.  I mean outlandishly expensive.   A new CL550 would cost over a $100K so this would be very unusual vehicle here but if one can afford that Merc then maybe it's not an issue. 

But in any case,  it would probably need a specialist to source the parts - depends on the actual compliance.  Usual things are swapping headlights, indicators/turn signals at the side, remove any hood ornaments or projections, rear fog lights, possible fuel filler neck changes (Japanese imports have this problem) and if it has a catalytic convertor (very likely) then this must be working to pass the emissions test.   If it was a US model, then possibly a speedometer change to km depending.  If it was Canadian, this would be OK.  Might be reprogrammable if electronic.

For a Mercedes, it's probably not worth doing like the Audi.  Superficially the different regional models will look the same but they are not always exactly the same although many parts will be interchangeable.   

Then the registration taxes - ouch.  Even if it was 9 years old.  It's second hand personal property so no-VAT or import duty  so long as it was owned over 6 months and has driven more than ~6000 km on it.   
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Mutual recognition of licenses is quite a problem.  An Iraqi license wouldn't - I think - be acceptable.   A Swedish license would be perfectly fine and if I remember correctly, you can drive on it for a year.  They'd also swap it out for a HU license at zero cost.

- @fluffy2560
EU license is 1 year, Non-EU license is 6 months you have to exchange.
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Mutual recognition of licenses is quite a problem.  An Iraqi license wouldn't - I think - be acceptable.   A Swedish license would be perfectly fine and if I remember correctly, you can drive on it for a year.  They'd also swap it out for a HU license at zero cost.

- @fluffy2560
EU license is 1 year, Non-EU license is 6 months you have to exchange.  - @SimCityAT
There's some unusual swaps - I think South Korea is mutually recognised for a straight swap.  Depends on which convention HU signed up to - 1968 version  if I remember correctly.  Way before the EU existed in HU's universe.

I don't know of any EU-level agreements on mutual recognition (other than intra-EU).  Probably would help if they sorted that out as the other conventions go back to the 1920s or so.

Bit of Googling will find if Iraq is included.
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Too bad you aren't a HU citizen. If so you can bring in personal items like a car without paying any custms on it. That's only a one time perk from what we know.
Any HU citizen who wants to return to live in HU can bring in all their personal items without paying customs.
An expensive car could be sold here for a nice profit. I think the time is 2 years after bring in any items without paying customs before you can resale it though.
Need to hang onto it for 2 years.
Was just thinking since you will be in HU for 2 years it would of been a nice perk so that you wouldn't have to ship the car on to another country later on.
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Too bad you aren't a HU citizen. If so you can bring in personal items like a car without paying any custms on it. That's only a one time perk from what we know.
Any HU citizen who wants to return to live in HU can bring in all their personal items without paying customs.
An expensive car could be sold here for a nice profit. I think the time is 2 years after bring in any items without paying customs before you can resale it though.
Need to hang onto it for 2 years.
Was just thinking since you will be in HU for 2 years it would of been a nice perk so that you wouldn't have to ship the car on to another country later on.
- @Marilyn Tassy
Cars are personal goods and moving household to another country "permanently", and it's 2nd hand (obviously) and owned more than 6 months, more than about ~6K miles (might be km) then  there's no customs or tax to pay anyway.   It doesn't matter where the person comes from or their citizenship (immigration status notwithstanding). 

What kills it are the registration taxes, modifications and trying to get type approval.  For a Mercedes with a big gas guzzling engine (better if petrol/gasoline, not diesel), then these would be high.

Update: I found an online  registration calculator (in Hungarian) - click here.

Based on a 3.6L, 285 Kw car, 01/2013 manufacture and registration 06/2022, and category 9-11 emissions,  the costs are:

Az alap regisztrációs adó: 1600000 Ft  basic registration tax
Az adó csökkentésének mértéke: 1240000 Ft Rate of tax reduction?
A fizetendő regisztrációs adó: 360000 Ft Registration tax payable

This is just one cost, there's all the other costs associated for compliance to EU road traffic.  I suspect not much change out of say, 1 to 2M HUF.
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Too bad you aren't a HU citizen. If so you can bring in personal items like a car without paying any custms on it. That's only a one time perk from what we know.
Any HU citizen who wants to return to live in HU can bring in all their personal items without paying customs.
An expensive car could be sold here for a nice profit. I think the time is 2 years after bring in any items without paying customs before you can resale it though.
Need to hang onto it for 2 years.
Was just thinking since you will be in HU for 2 years it would of been a nice perk so that you wouldn't have to ship the car on to another country later on.
- @Marilyn Tassy
Cars are personal goods and moving household to another country "permanently", and it's 2nd hand (obviously) and owned more than 6 months, more than about ~6K miles (might be km) then  there's no customs or tax to pay anyway.   It doesn't matter where the person comes from or their citizenship (immigration status notwithstanding). 

What kills it are the registration taxes, modifications and trying to get type approval.  For a Mercedes with a big gas guzzling engine (better if petrol/gasoline, not diesel), then these would be high.

Update: I found an online  registration calculator (in Hungarian) - click here.

Based on a 3.6L, 285 Kw car, 01/2013 manufacture and registration 06/2022, and category 9-11 emissions,  the costs are:

Az alap regisztrációs adó: 1600000 Ft  basic registration tax
Az adó csökkentésének mértéke: 1240000 Ft Rate of tax reduction?
A fizetendő regisztrációs adó: 360000 Ft Registration tax payable

This is just one cost, there's all the other costs associated for compliance to EU road traffic.  I suspect not much change out of say, 1 to 2M HUF.
- @fluffy2560

I didn't know that about customs. I know the agents were not to helpful with our 12 boxes, I was glad I didn't bring more over then we did.
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At the time when I moved from Luxembourg to Hungary (please note within Schengen which should be a big plus) I also considered to move my car, far too much hassle, better to buy a new one in Hungary (my experience).
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Then you have added cost of having transported from Iraq. It's not like you are just during it across the border from like Austria.

I would personally buy a banger that will be cheaper to insure, no import paperwork etc.... 
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Then you have added cost of having transported from Iraq. It's not like you are just during it across the border from like Austria.

I would personally buy a banger that will be cheaper to insure, no import paperwork etc.... 
- @SimCityAT

It's driveable from Iraq to Hungary.  Up through Turkey then across to Bulgaria and then up via Serbia.   Google says 3500km and 37h.  I think more. 

Could be a good adventure if well organised and one could treat it has a bit of a holiday.  Some really good tourist spots in Turkey that could be included.  I reckon it'd be worth taking a month to stop off at historic towns and villages  and sights.

I have seen cars from Dubai in Budapest and trucks from Iran on the motorways/autopalya.  I saw a Hungarian car in Damascus once (before the war/trouble).

Biggest paperwork issue could be insurance and proof of ownership.  I don't know if the green card system works in Iraq. I think it works in Turkey.   Otherwise it'll need a bond. 

There would be a great deal of suspicion by border guards.  Probably weapons and drug searches.  I can imagine them taking it to pieces.
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Bottom line, too much stress, too much cost, better to live in Hungary and getting good connections rather then spending money and time on importing. A day here, a day there, a few K EUR here and there. Perhaps it is a very very special vehicle with memories (and I understand), I also said good bye to me car (:))

If you have a house and residency permit it is already fine I would say. (forget about the car and save the headache (and money).
I think most of the contributors advise in the same direction. Possible, but..
I moved from Netherlands, to the UK, to Lux, to Hungary (and to Turkey).
For the first two I was young (and naive) I did export the car, but knowing what I know now (NO way)
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I didn't know that about customs. I know the agents were not to helpful with our 12 boxes, I was glad I didn't bring more over then we did. - @Marilyn Tassy

Customs agents aren't helpful generally.  Not a great job if you are a people person.  Same with immigration officials.  Must go to some special school to learn this officious behaviour.

Personal goods are not subject to tax and customs.   Who wants to tax someone's underwear or reading materials?!  No value to it.   Unless one is hiding alcohol, drugs, tobacco or some other thing on the list, they aren't that interested.

Thing is with vehicles is that there must be proof the VAT is paid.  That's an issue probably in countries without sophisticated vehicle checking and recognisable documents.  It's a hassle.  They really want to know the VAT was not refunded on export.

One interesting thing is that the stuff in the car is considered part of the car.  So if shipping a car, any spare parts or things in the vehicle are not considered separately.   So spare tyres/wheels/tools etc are worth storing inside it as it passes through any customs checks.
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Bottom line, too much stress, too much cost, better to live in Hungary and getting good connections rather then spending money and time on importing. A day here, a day there, a few K EUR here and there. Perhaps it is a very very special vehicle with memories (and I understand), I also said good bye to me car (smile.png)

If you have a house and residency permit it is already fine I would say. (forget about the car and save the headache (and money).
I think most of the contributors advise in the same direction. Possible, but..
I moved from Netherlands, to the UK, to Lux, to Hungary (and to Turkey).
For the first two I was young (and naive) I did export the car, but knowing what I know now (NO way)
- @cdw057

It's OK if it's inter-EU but Iraq, not so sure it's worth the effort.   It's not really a special car the 2013 Merc CL550.  Not yet anyway.  Hungary is a country of VW, Ford, Toyota, Suzuki, KIA, Hyundai etc.   Small to medium sized family cars.

I've owned my hobby car (as it is now) for 25 years. I bought it new and I'm the first owner. It's been registered in Canada, UK and  now Hungary.  I felt it was worth re-registering it.   It could be a classic. My aim is to try and get it to OT (old timer) status which is possible at 30 years.  It still runs pretty good so I've got a good chance of OT status but there are restrictions on that type of registration.   

Only trouble with OT cars is that they are a bit like the Ship of Theseus.  When does it stop being authentic?  OT status depends on how much is original or original manufacturer. 
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If you do bring in a flashy car then you must really make sure you have a safe secure parking space for it. Depending on where you garage it it can cost a pretty penny in underground parking downtown.
I know when we shipped the 4 cars over we shipped 2 inside a container with other items and 2 by themselves,
This was ages ago 1989-90. Then it cost only $100. per foot  to ship over.
Our Adui was 17 feet long so it only cost $1,700.
I can't say what the going rates are now but I can imgaine they are more then double.
2 of the cars we shipped over were for a friend. He was just starting his Mercedes dealership in 1989.
We sent him his first 2 cars, my husband bought them as the guy trusted his judgement and trusted us with his money.
He later had a very large dealership and sold brand new cars and not just used ones .
We used to have a cute but used red BMW.
Never again do we want a car that draws any attention.
Just not worth the hassle and worry everytime someone on the street decides too look through the windows ect.
Now we drive a 30 year old Toyota that runs like a dream but looks like it's about ready for the scrap yard. No one is interesting in it.
Of course if money is no object I can understand how a young man would like to drive a flash car, just have to weigh the costs and if it's worth it.
I'll tell you most nice girls are not interested in fancy cars. My husband had a cute little Fiat Spider when I met him, a week later he traded that in for a US muscle car, a Dodge Challenger. It was only 2 years old and ran and looked brand new.
I honestly thought the tiny Fiat was much more appealing.
You can buy a car in Hungary without the hassles.
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If you do bring in a flashy car then you must really make sure you have a safe secure parking space for it. Depending on where you garage it it can cost a pretty penny in underground parking downtown.
I know when we shipped the 4 cars over we shipped 2 inside a container with other items and 2 by themselves,
This was ages ago 1989-90. Then it cost only $100. per foot  to ship over.
Our Adui was 17 feet long so it only cost $1,700.
I can't say what the going rates are now but I can imgaine they are more then double.
2 of the cars we shipped over were for a friend. He was just starting his Mercedes dealership in 1989.
We sent him his first 2 cars, my husband bought them as the guy trusted his judgement and trusted us with his money.
He later had a very large dealership and sold brand new cars and not just used ones .
We used to have a cute but used red BMW.
Never again do we want a car that draws any attention.
Just not worth the hassle and worry everytime someone on the street decides too look through the windows ect.
Now we drive a 30 year old Toyota that runs like a dream but looks like it's about ready for the scrap yard. No one is interesting in it.
Of course if money is no object I can understand how a young man would like to drive a flash car, just have to weigh the costs and if it's worth it.
I'll tell you most nice girls are not interested in fancy cars. My husband had a cute little Fiat Spider when I met him, a week later he traded that in for a US muscle car, a Dodge Challenger. It was only 2 years old and ran and looked brand new.
I honestly thought the tiny Fiat was much more appealing.
You can buy a car in Hungary without the hassles.
- @Marilyn Tassy

Definitely agree it's not worth having a really expensive car in Budapest - just a target for thieves.   Even if they didn't take it to sell it whole, it'll be broken up for parts.   

I just looked up the value of a second hand Merc 2013 CL550.  Values between 5M - 8M HUF (14K - 20K EUR).   

Looks like a two door coupe which makes it a bit of a useless bling car. 

Definitely not worth it if it was to remain in Hungary after import as very few opportunities to sell. 

Spare parts will be crazy expensive. My neighbour has a high end but old BMW.  It was off the road for months as he couldn't get the parts at a decent price to repair it.   If it had been a Toyota or a Ford, it would have been easy. 
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We shipped a 2 year old Red T-top Mustang to Hungary to resale back in 1990. The car was an 1988 model and clean.
We purchased it at an auto auction in S.Ca. for a good price so it was worth shipping over and selling it.
At the time in Hungary it was a rare car.
Well, my husband had to return to the US before he could sell the car.
He was going back and forth from Ca. to HU about 8 times a year.
Well one of the guys who had invested in the business had a mother in HU with a nice clean garage and he suggested we park the car at his mother's home until my husband could returned to Hungary.
Hard to say no to such an offer plus the guy was part owner in the businesss.
This investor lived in Hawaii so we had to just trust his mother to watch the car in HU.
We didn't put into account that this guy had a dumb teenage brother....
The kid got ahold of the car keys and went into business for himself.
He rented the Mustang out by the hour for hot rod rides in the dirt.
When my husband returned and saw the car he broke down crying.
The trnasmission was shot, car dirty, carpets all muddy ect.
He went to all sorts of transmission shops in HU to fix the car.
He found a good mecahnic but not the parts.
My husband had to construct a wooden box and paid to bring in on the plane in cargo to take to a shop in the SF Valley in Ca. Easy to find a great muscle car trnasmission shop in S. Ca.
Had it rebuilt paid to take it back to HU and paid here to get it installed in the car.
Cleaned it all up and was glad to sell it to a Gypsy King in a small village.
It could of been a total loss, as it was we just about broke even on the deal.
We always get burned in Hungary with any sort of business.
To me it isn't worth having a fast car here, there really doesn't seem like many roads where one can open up and really drive fast.
Not like the desert of New Mexico where going 110-120MPH seems like your walking because there is no traffic to slow you down.
Not many roads around to open up and blast the radio.
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...
We didn't put into account that this guy had a dumb teenage brother....
The kid got ahold of the car keys and went into business for himself.
He rented the Mustang out by the hour for hot rod rides in the dirt.
When my husband returned and saw the car he broke down crying.
The trnasmission was shot, car dirty, carpets all muddy ect.
He went to all sorts of transmission shops in HU to fix the car.
He found a good mecahnic but not the parts.
My husband had to construct a wooden box and paid to bring in on the plane in cargo to take to a shop in the SF Valley in Ca. Easy to find a great muscle car trnasmission shop in S. Ca.
Had it rebuilt paid to take it back to HU and paid here to get it installed in the car.
Cleaned it all up and was glad to sell it to a Gypsy King in a small village.
It could of been a total loss, as it was we just about broke even on the deal.
..- @Marilyn Tassy

I hope the dumb brother paid for the destruction and trouble he caused.   

These days he could have had it fixed somewhere like Germany or the UK without too much trouble.

In the past it was not too difficult to get US car parts from dealers where there were substantial US bases.

Interestingly, the main sources of US parts for me within Europe are Poland, Lithuania and Germany.
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Getting most adults to fess up and take resonsibility for their actions is hard enough.
No, but I do believe in Karma...
I once had a fat guy in a truck run a red light at a large intersection in Ca.
He had to pass between the cars on the right and the cars parked to cross over.
I was turning left onto my st. and had had to wait until the light was yellow and ready to be red for left turns because there was so much traffic.
He hit the right rear end of my cute little Alfa, I spin around in the intersection 1 1/2 times.
No one and I mean no one came over to check on me.
Then the guy lied about the light being red when he crossedsince no one stpped I had n witness.
He was found 3/4th at fault and I 1/4th with the insurnace co. Not my fault at all but no witness . it wa shis words against mine. My insurance rates went up because of his stupidity and lies. He was driving his grandmothers truck and more afraid of his damage to her truck then what he did to innocent me.
My beloved little car went to the junk heap...
You can tell, I just love humanity. some people got some splain' to do when they cross over.
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Thank you all for your great replies and insightful feedback. It definitely will be easier to just buy from the EU rather than ship.
I also appreciate the sharing of these personal experiences and stories deeply and almost want to ask another question just to read more of them.
Thank you all once more!

Mostafa
Like
Thank you all for your great replies and insightful feedback. It definitely will be easier to just buy from the EU rather than ship.
I also appreciate the sharing of these personal experiences and stories deeply and almost want to ask another question just to read more of them.
Thank you all once more!

Mostafa
- @Mostafa Al-Dulaimy

You are quite welcome, Mostafa. Please, you are quite free to ask away any questions you may have.
Like
Thank you all for your great replies and insightful feedback. It definitely will be easier to just buy from the EU rather than ship.
I also appreciate the sharing of these personal experiences and stories deeply and almost want to ask another question just to read more of them.
Thank you all once more!

Mostafa
- @Mostafa Al-Dulaimy
Many of us check in here often and are happy to try to answer any questions.
Nothing really is off limits, we have seen it all. ( some of us have done it all!)
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@Mostafa Al-Dulaimy
The current updates to the Rules & Regulations mean that in general terms, this will be impossible.
I'm just finishing the 3rd of 3 such 'out of EU' car registrations, ALL of which have taken the best part of a year.
Nothing else has any real relevance, the cost, if you COULD register it, would be ridiculous, but you're used to ridiculous costs with a car like that......

If you MUST run such a car, purchase one in Germany, and the Registration process is actually doable and the costs marginally less ridiculous.......

Sincerely.
Toby Holland
#TheEnglishMechanic
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@Marilyn Tassy
Under the new rules, there's duty & ÁFA to be paid on ALL 'out of EU' cars.
HU citizen or not.
End of, I'm afraid, Bureaucracy has gone nutter than it ever used to be.
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New rules or not, a nightmare under old rules as well (even within EU), also costly.
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with these replies I cannot but scrap the idea, definitely not worth it.

Thank you all for your input
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@Marilyn Tassy
Under the new rules, there's duty & ÁFA to be paid on ALL 'out of EU' cars.
HU citizen or not.
End of, I'm afraid, Bureaucracy has gone nutter than it ever used to be.
- @Angolhapsi

What are the updates to "new rules" from outside the EU?   

Got a link?
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@Mostafa Al-Dulaimy As clear from the start, betterto look at tax savings than a few bucks on your car. Living in Hungary is great, but cost of living is also important (health and hapiness as well)
Good luck in Hungary,, they need people who can give value.
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As a side note I am sad you spend some personal time to follow this thing through, better to find a good accountant or lawyer to save cost (or generate cash).
I am not a tax adviser and I do not want to be, but look at the opportunities (please also look at prior posts),

I do not live in Hungary anymore (scared of things will happen (tax and cost wise), but currently still quite fine, Do not throw away money, you can take it (or save).
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