Jordan Expat Forum

Car Assistance

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lionelhorn

9/29/2015 22:22 EST

We will be relocating our family from the US to Aqaba in the next few weeks. We would like some advice on our car situation.

We have 2008 Toyota Sequoia and really wanted to import it. A Jordan customs agent told us we’d have to import a newer Sequoia (no more than 5 years old). They also informed us that we’d have to pay duties of $40,000 USD, which is more than the vehicle’s price (which is about $30,000 USD).

If importing is too costly, we would like to know about how to buy a car in the Zarqa duty free zone. That process seems daunting but is the cost savings worth it? I read that you have to have permission to buy a duty free car. What is the process for getting permission to buy a duty free car in Zarqa?

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karenhill

9/30/2015 05:11 EST

Hi there
Only the diplomatic community is 1) exempted from the regulation regarding registering vehicles above 5 years of age 2) purchasing a vehicle on duty-free.

As for buying a car from Zarqa, someone we know had the experience and it can be sum up as “Buyer’s Luck”. A good piece written on purchasing second-hand vehicle in Jordan is available on: http://www.internations.org/forum/show_post/1445536#1445536

In case you are not able to open the link, the summary: You need to obtain the VIN number of the vehicle you are interested to purchase to check its history on websites like CarFax, Autocheck, and Epic VIN (all three). It has been said that most of the second-hand cars in the country are salvaged cars in the USA but they got fixed beautifully. Thereafter, you need to have the car tested in Amman. Some banks and some people use the company Al Shareef Car Test Center. This company will give a report that rates 7 things: Chassis rating (front right and left, back right and left), the engine, the gear and the axle. Second-hand cars are advertised on OpenSouq.com and Dubizzle.com (get an Arabic speaker to assist).

Cheers

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