| Vehicle age limit | As at the verification date of this page there is no national age ceiling in force, which is why older stock still moves here. A legislative proposal to set a ceiling is under discussion; because the position can change between quotation and arrival, quotations for Iraq carry a shorter validity and state the assumptions they rest on. |
|---|---|
| Steering side | Left-hand drive; the country drives on the right. Right-hand drive stock is not a commercial proposition here |
| Emission standard | No standalone European band is imposed for used imports in practice; the technical check focuses on roadworthiness, safety equipment and the integrity of the vehicle identification number rather than on an emission certificate |
| Import duty | Vehicles of Chinese origin are widely reported to enter at a zero or nil rate under the tariff treatment applied to that origin, provided a certificate of origin issued in China accompanies the shipment; vehicles of other origins are reported to attract rates in a broad band from about 5% to 30% depending on category. This treatment is the single largest price lever in Iraq and is entirely documentary, so have the consignee's broker confirm the applicable line in writing before the quotation is issued |
| Other taxes / levies | A value added tax of 12% is applied on imports, together with inspection, registration and brokerage charges. Separately, the gap between the official and the market exchange rate is a real cost factor in Iraq: a quotation built on the official rate does not describe the money the buyer actually spends, so state which rate your landed-cost sheet uses |
| Pre-shipment certificate | Pre-shipment inspection is the market norm and the report is what the buyer's bank and broker rely on; a certificate of conformity is expected for regulated categories. Because the tariff treatment depends on origin, the certificate of origin is a pre-shipment document here rather than a formality |
| Main port of entry | Umm Qasr in Basra governorate is the main commercial vehicle gateway, with Khor Al Zubair alongside. Land borders at Ibrahim Khalil from Turkey, Trebil from Jordan and Tremsa from Iran carry meaningful volume. Federal territory and the Kurdistan region operate separate customs administrations, and the same consignment cannot be declared partly under one and partly under the other |
| Typical clearance time | Five to ten working days is a realistic planning figure at Umm Qasr for a complete file; the Kurdistan crossings can be faster but only for files declared entirely under that administration |
| Customs valuation risk | High. Customs applies its own assessment and the market exchange rate differs from the official one, so a landed-cost sheet built on invoice value and the official rate will not match what the importer pays. Quote the tax lines and the exchange assumption separately and let the buyer's broker fill in the assessment |
14. Restrictions and prohibited categories
- Armoured and ballistically modified vehicles are prohibited, which is unusual enough to catch exporters unaware when a buyer requests an armoured variant
- The market absorbs smaller engine capacities far better: vehicles above about 3.0 litres are difficult to sell on and difficult to resell, so treat displacement as a commercial restriction rather than a legal one
- Accident, flood and fire vehicles are blocked at registration, and a vehicle identification number that has been ground, re-stamped or cannot be read ends the file
- A consignment cannot be split across the federal and Kurdistan customs administrations; the declaration has to belong entirely to one territory
22. Required documents and certificates
- Certificate of origin issued in China and naming the importer as beneficiary, since it is the documentary basis of the tariff treatment rather than a supporting paper
- Pre-shipment inspection report, which the buyer's bank and broker rely on and which is often a condition of the payment instrument
- Evidence that the vehicle is not armoured or modified for ballistic protection, since armoured vehicles are prohibited
- Bill of lading showing the final discharge port, full consignee name, address and telephone number
- Commercial invoice and packing list whose VIN, model year, engine capacity and colour match the bill of lading character by character
- Certificate of origin (or the preferential certificate required by a trade agreement)
- Vehicle registration certificate and official de-registration / export-cancellation document from the country of last registration
- Marine insurance certificate covering the declared value plus freight, valid until clearance is completed
31. Customs clearance process, step by step
- Establish which customs territory the vehicle enters before the booking, because federal and Kurdistan files cannot be combined and the choice determines the whole declaration
- Issue the certificate of origin in China for every shipment, since the reported nil rate for that origin depends entirely on it and cannot be replaced by any other document
- Agree the payment channel before shipment, using a compliant banking route, and do not accept collection through third parties that cannot evidence the origin of funds
- Vessel arrival: the importer's licensed broker lodges the import declaration through the national single window and the goods move to the bond store
- Inspection and release: physical and technical inspection, duty assessment, payment, delivery order, gate-out
- Registration: purchase of third-party liability insurance, local technical test, issuance of number plates
⚓Shipping and transit
Ocean freight from Qingdao / Shanghai / Nansha: Ro-Ro or container depending on unit and vessel space. Sailing time is about 25–35 days to Umm Qasr. This is time at sea only — it excludes inland haulage to the port, terminal waiting and congestion at destination. Allow roughly two further weeks on top of the sailing time when planning, and clearance at destination takes about 5–10 working days once documents are complete. Schedules and freight are confirmed in writing at booking — contact us for the current ETD/ETA.
Transit ranges are compiled from published carrier schedules and freight-forwarder references; they vary with carrier, routing and season. The booking confirmation governs.
💰How we quote
How we quote: FOB Qingdao, Shanghai or Nansha. We handle export declaration, loading and export documents. Destination clearance, import duties and taxes, and on-carriage are arranged by the buyer or the buyer's agent. The clearance and tax detail on this page is background for your budget, not a description of our scope.
4Recent regulatory changes
- A legislative proposal to cap used vehicle imports at around 8 years has been under discussion and is reported as likely to take effect; because no confirmed limit is in force on the verification date, the change would convert a currently permissive market into a gated one without much notice
- The federal and Kurdistan tariff and procedural differences persist, and the gap is administrative rather than theoretical: rates, forms and inspection routes differ between the two territories
- Temporary additional levies on selected categories have been applied episodically, which is why an Iraq quotation should carry a short validity rather than a season-long one
5Common delay and refusal situations
- Shipping without a Chinese certificate of origin: the reported nil treatment is lost and the difference surfaces at assessment, so the document set and the cost allocation are fixed in the contract before shipment
- Mixing federal and Kurdistan declarations or routing a single consignment across both: the file cannot be reconciled and the goods wait while the buyer argues with two administrations
- Payment-channel and sanctions compliance: an informal route or a third-party collector exposes the transaction to being frozen, so the payment route is named in the contract and confirmed by both banks before shipment
- A large-displacement vehicle that clears easily and then cannot be sold: the failure appears months later in the buyer's inventory, by which point it is a commercial dispute
6Operational checkpoints
- Issue a Chinese certificate of origin on every single shipment and name the importer as beneficiary on it; this is the cheapest insurance in the Iraq trade
- Quote FOB and keep the inland leg in Iraq out of the contract, because the risks of the destination side are the ones you cannot manage from the export country
- Use a letter of credit or prepayment, and shorten the quotation validity to about seven days while the age-limit proposal is open
- The compliance package is completed before booking, not at the port: these markets generally do not accept certificates repaired after arrival
- Demurrage, storage and rectification costs follow the allocation written into the contract, agreed before shipment
- Regulation in these markets changes several times a year; quotations and sailing dates are confirmed in writing for the current period
- Where customs applies its own valuation table, the tax base is set by that table and usually exceeds the invoice value — budget on the table
?Frequently asked questions
What is the import duty on a car in Iraq?
It depends on origin and this is the decisive point. Vehicles of Chinese origin are widely reported to enter at a nil or zero rate under the tariff treatment applied to that origin, provided a certificate of origin issued in China accompanies the shipment; other origins are reported to attract rates ranging from about 5% to 30% by category. Customs makes its own assessment, so have the consignee's broker confirm the applicable tariff line in writing before you quote.
Is there an age limit for importing used cars into Iraq?
No confirmed national limit is in force on the verification date of this page, which is why older stock still moves here. A legislative proposal to cap used imports at around 8 years has been discussed and is reported as likely to take effect. Because that could change between quotation and arrival, shorten your quotation validity and state the assumption explicitly in the contract.
Which port handles car imports in Iraq?
Umm Qasr in Basra governorate is the main commercial gateway, with Khor Al Zubair alongside, and land borders at Ibrahim Khalil, Trebil and Tremsa carry meaningful volume. The important point is administrative: federal territory and the Kurdistan region have separate customs administrations, so a consignment must be declared entirely under one of them.
Can I import an armoured or bulletproof car to Iraq?
No. Armoured and ballistically modified vehicles are prohibited, and the prohibition is specific enough that an exporter should check it explicitly whenever a buyer asks for an armoured variant or for protective upfitting. Standard unmodified vehicles of normal specification are unaffected.
How should payment be handled for an Iraq vehicle deal?
Through a compliant banking route agreed before shipment, using a letter of credit or prepayment. Avoid informal channels and third-party collectors who cannot evidence the origin of funds: the risk here is not commercial default but the transaction being frozen, so the payment route is named in the contract and confirmed by both banks
✉Get a written landed-cost check for this market
Send us the VIN list or the model, model year and quantity you plan to ship to Iraq. We check it against the requirements above before you book the vessel.
- Pre-shipment compliance check against VIN (age limit, steering side, emission standard, certificate scope)
- Landed-cost sheet: duty, VAT, excise and levies calculated on the customs value actually used at the destination port
- Full document set prepared by us: certificate, invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, export declaration
- FOB quotation with the destination-side obligations written into the contract, so nothing is discovered at the port
Reply within one business day. We quote against the regulations in force at booking date and state the verification date on every document set.
✓Sources, information currency and disclaimer
- Iraq customs tariff and import tax publications — official authority, consulted October 2026
- Federal and Kurdistan region customs administration guidance — official authorities, consulted October 2026
- Umm Qasr port and land border clearance practice — market practice, verified October 2026
- Trade reporting on the proposed age limit for used vehicle imports — trade press, consulted October 2026
- General Authority of Customs — Iraq → http://www.customs.mof.gov.iq/