For car shipping from Saudi Arabia to Morocco, Gulf International Shipping takes passenger cars that are less than 5 years old and moves them in closed containers: we pick the car up in your city, bring it to Jeddah Islamic Port, strap and seal it inside the box, and the ship carries it via Suez to Tanger Med or Casablanca for clearance and handover. Prices start at SAR 4,600. From handing over the keys to getting them back in Morocco takes about three to four weeks from the Hejaz cities, a little longer from Riyadh and Tabuk, and up to about 34 days from Dammam. What Moroccan customs charge in duty and 20% VAT is calculated car by car and is not part of our freight charge.
The first thing we ask anyone who calls about shipping a car to Morocco is not where they live but when the car was first registered. Morocco will not register passenger cars older than five years except in a handful of cases, and plenty of owners only find that out once the car is sitting at the port. This guide starts with the Moroccan rules, then covers the real cost and what it does and does not include, the concessions available to Moroccans living in the Kingdom, the Saudi export through Absher and Fasah, how the car is loaded into the container, and what to expect at the other end.
At a glance
- Eligible cars: passenger cars under 5 years from first registration, with exceptions for retired Moroccan expatriates and classic cars
- How it travels: a sealed, closed container sailing from Jeddah and landing at Tanger Med or Casablanca
- Price: from SAR 4,600 for a small car, or from SAR 6,440 for a 40 ft container carrying the car and your household goods
- Transit time: from about 20 days for the Hejaz cities up to about 34 days from the Eastern Province
- Charges in Morocco: duty set by customs for each car, plus 20% VAT
- Moroccans living in Saudi Arabia: temporary admission for up to 180 days a year, and conditional reductions for retirees and permanent returnees
- Saudi export: export the car on Absher first; we then file its Fasah declaration
The car: registration card → Absher → container in Jeddah → Tanger Med or Casablanca · From SAR 4,600 · Call: 0568829975
Which cars does Morocco accept? The five-year rule
Morocco allows imported passenger cars to be registered if they are less than 5 years old, and the age is usually counted from the date of first registration rather than the model year in the advert. A car past that age will not get through homologation and registration in ordinary cases, even if it has reached the port and the freight has been paid. That is why Gulf International Shipping asks for a photo of the registration card before any booking, and we work out the car’s age on its expected arrival date, not on the day you call.
There are limited exceptions, and their conditions should be confirmed before shipping. A retired Moroccan living abroad is generally allowed to bring in a passenger car under 10 years old with no more than nine seats. Classic cars over 25 years old enter under a special collectors’ regime and are not meant for daily use. And if you are a Moroccan living in the Kingdom who only wants to drive your car during the holidays and bring it back, there is a temporary admission system, explained below, which is quite separate from a permanent import.
Check before you buy a car to ship
If you are thinking of buying a used car in Saudi Arabia to ship to Morocco, count its age from first registration and add the shipping and clearance time. A car that is four years and ten months old today could be over five by the time it lands.
Saudi cars are left-hand drive, as in Morocco, so steering is not an issue. Light commercial vehicles, pickups and small vans follow different rules from passenger cars and are excluded from some concessions, so send us the details and we will check before quoting.
How much does it cost to ship a car from Saudi Arabia to Morocco?
With Gulf International Shipping, shipping a small car in a closed container starts at SAR 4,600, covering collection, transport to Jeddah port, securing, sealing and the sea freight. Larger vehicles such as SUVs and long family cars are priced on their dimensions, so ask for a quote. Moroccan customs duty and VAT are not part of this price, because customs calculate them on each car according to its value.
Approximate car shipping prices to Morocco
Note: the car arrives by sea after roughly 20–34 days depending on where we collect it, while an accompanying air parcel takes only days. Moroccan duties are paid to customs and are not included.
What the car shipping price includes, and what it does not
In the usual case the price is the same from every Saudi city, because the car travels to Jeddah on an enclosed carrier as part of regular runs; only the time it takes to reach the port changes. The table shows how:
Note: times are to Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca and Fes; add two to four days for Marrakech, Agadir and Oujda.
Customs duty and VAT on a car in Morocco
Moroccan customs calculate import duty on a car from what it is worth, its fiscal horsepower and the year it first went on the road, then add 20% VAT on the value plus duty, with some smaller charges depending on the category. We do not publish a fixed duty rate for cars, because the amount varies widely from one car to the next and the figures quoted in adverts contradict each other. Our advice is to ask Moroccan customs or a licensed customs broker in Morocco for an estimate on your car before shipping, so you know the full cost before you decide.
That is also why you cannot take seriously an advert offering to ship a car to Morocco for two thousand riyals with customs included. VAT alone is 20% of the car’s value, and it cannot vanish inside a small fixed freight price. Gulf International Shipping keeps the freight price clearly separate from the duties and helps you prepare the papers customs will ask for.
Concessions for Moroccans living in Saudi Arabia
Moroccans resident abroad have their own arrangements, separate from ordinary imports. All of them come with conditions that should be confirmed with Moroccan customs before shipping:
Temporary admission
A passenger car for personal use can enter for up to 180 days a year, in one stretch or several, and then leave again; light commercial vehicles get a shorter period. It cannot be sold or registered in Morocco during that time.
Retirees over 60
Those over sixty with more than 10 years abroad may get a large reduction, up to 90% of the duty on the new value of a passenger car, once in a lifetime and within a set ceiling; pickups, vans and motorcycles are excluded.
Permanent return
A duty reduction for very recent cars that shrinks with age and ends at around three years, subject to a period of work abroad, and claimed before the temporary admission runs out.
No resale
A car cleared with a reduction cannot be sold or transferred for 5 years afterwards.
These concessions need papers proving residence and work in Saudi Arabia, such as the iqama, an employment certificate and, for a permanent return, the change-of-residence certificate. We sort out the Saudi side with you, and we recommend checking with the Moroccan consulate and customs before shipping so you choose the right scheme. Household goods have separate exemption rules, covered in household goods for residents returning to Morocco.
Exporting the car from Saudi Arabia: Absher and Fasah
Before the car moves to the port, its export from Saudi Arabia must be completed. Step one is on Absher: the vehicle export service cancels the local registration and issues export plates, and it only goes through if the car is in your name and free of unpaid traffic fines, impounds or liens. Step two is the export declaration on the Fasah platform, which we file as your shipping company under your authorisation and link to the container the car will travel in.
If the car is financed, you will need a letter of consent from the finance company or must settle the loan first. If it is registered to another family member, ownership must be transferred or a clear authorisation provided, as Absher allows. And if you want to take the car out temporarily and bring it back to the Kingdom, the temporary-exit procedure is different from a final export, so tell us your plan before we start.
How is a car shipped to Morocco in a closed container?
We use closed containers because they protect the car from salt, damp and dust for the whole voyage, and because nobody drives or touches the car once the box is sealed. The process begins by moving your car from your city to our warehouse near Jeddah port on an enclosed carrier, so it does not cover the distance on its own wheels. There we photograph it from every side and note the odometer, then drive it into the container, strap all four wheels to the floor with tensioned belts and wooden chocks, and fit a protective cover.
The container is then closed and fitted with a numbered security seal recorded on the shipping documents, which is only broken for inspection by Moroccan customs. We suggest leaving about a quarter of a tank of fuel, disconnecting the battery if the line requires it, and not leaving personal belongings inside the car unless they are listed and agreed with us. For ports and box sizes, see sea freight from Saudi Arabia to Morocco.
Shipping your car to Morocco, step by step
- 1Send a photo of the registration card
we check the car’s age from first registration, its type, your city and the Moroccan town, on WhatsApp 0568829975. - 2Get the price and date
we plan a container for the car alone or with your furniture and send the cost and next sailing. - 3Complete the export on Absher
pay any fines, clear any lien, and request the vehicle export service. - 4Hand over the car and keys
we take it to Jeddah on an enclosed carrier, with your passport copy, registration and export paper. - 5Loading and sealing
photos, wheel straps and a protective cover, then a numbered security seal. - 6Fasah declaration and sailing
we complete the export at Jeddah Islamic Port and the container sails through Suez. - 7Clearance and collection in Morocco
the car is inspected and duties paid, then you collect it at the port or we deliver it to your door.
Documents required to ship a car to Morocco
Note: Moroccan customs may ask for more depending on the scheme you choose, so review it with the receiver before sailing.
Receiving and registering the car in Morocco
When the container reaches Tanger Med or Casablanca, it is opened in front of Moroccan customs, the chassis number is matched to the papers, and duty and VAT are calculated and paid by the owner or an authorised representative. After release you can collect the car from the port yourself, or we arrange a carrier to your town. Then come homologation, the roadworthiness test and registration with the Moroccan authorities, which is where the five-year age limit for ordinary cars is applied.
If you are a resident abroad bringing the car in under temporary admission, it is released on that scheme’s papers and stays on foreign plates, so make sure it leaves before your yearly allowance runs out. And do not sell a car that came in with a reduction before the no-sale period ends, or you could be asked for the full duty.
Can the car ship with my furniture in one container?
In many cases, yes. A family moving its whole home to Morocco can put the car and the furniture in a 40 ft container from SAR 6,440: the car is secured at the back of the box and the wrapped furniture is stacked in front of it behind a timber divider. That usually costs less than shipping the car and the furniture separately. The conditions are that the car itself is eligible in Morocco and that every piece of furniture appears on the inventory, because customs treat the car and the household goods under different rules. How a combined move works: furniture moving from Saudi Arabia to Morocco.
Air freight for spare parts, the spare key and papers
Flying the car itself is technically possible but very expensive, and we only suggest it in special cases, so ask for a quote if you need it. For everything that goes with the car, though, air is ideal: the spare key, original documents the receiver needs before the container arrives, and small spare parts. Parcels go on the nonstop Casablanca flights from Riyadh and Jeddah, or the Rabat flight from Jeddah, subject to the airline schedule, so the key or papers usually reach their owner within a week. This express parcel costs from SAR 1,655, with anything heavier charged by the kilo. Our air cargo guide: air freight from Saudi Arabia to Morocco.
Motorcycles and other vehicles
We do not promote motorcycle shipping to Morocco, because motorcycles are excluded from the concessions for Moroccans living abroad and their conditions need checking case by case. The same goes for campers and quad bikes. If you have one of these, send us the details and we will tell you honestly whether shipping it is worthwhile before you pay anything.
Costly mistakes when shipping a car to Morocco
- Counting age from the model year: what usually counts is the first registration date, which can differ from the model year by a whole year.
- Trusting a “customs included” price: duty and 20% VAT are worked out per car and do not fit inside a small freight price.
- Forgetting fines or a lien: Absher will not issue the export document until they are settled, and the sailing slips.
- Filling the car with belongings: unlisted items inside the car can be treated as commercial goods or delay inspection.
- Confusing temporary admission with import: a temporarily admitted car cannot be sold or stay beyond its allowance.
- Selling a car cleared with a reduction: a sale within 5 years can bring a claim for the full duty.
Insurance and payment
The freight is paid in riyals before we collect the car, against a written breakdown we send you on WhatsApp. If you want the car covered at sea, give us its value and we will add the insurance price to your quote; it is not compulsory. Before sailing we send you photos of the car inside the container and the security seal number, then let you know when the container reaches the Moroccan port.
Why Gulf International Shipping for your car to Morocco?
We check before we book
we work out the car’s age and tell you if it will not be accepted, instead of you finding out at the port.
Always a closed container
your car is strapped, covered and sealed from Jeddah to Moroccan customs.
A clear, separate freight price
we never mix freight with duties or promise unrealistic customs figures.
Absher and Fasah
we guide you through the export and file the Fasah declaration on your behalf.
Car and furniture together
a 40 ft container for your home and car when it works out cheaper.
From every Saudi city
collection in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Makkah, Madinah, Taif and Tabuk.
Is your car eligible for shipping to Morocco?
Share a photo of the registration card plus your city and Moroccan town; we will tell you how old the car counts as, what shipping costs and when the next container leaves.
Related Morocco guides
- shipping company from Saudi Arabia to Morocco and furniture moving from Saudi Arabia to Morocco
- shipping prices from Saudi Arabia to Morocco, household goods for returning Moroccans and sea freight from Saudi Arabia to Morocco
- By city: shipping from Riyadh to Morocco, shipping from Jeddah to Morocco and shipping from Dammam to Morocco
- shipping from Makkah to Morocco, shipping from Madinah to Morocco, shipping from Taif to Morocco and shipping from Tabuk to Morocco
- car shipping service, customs clearance and all destinations
