Shipping Car to South Korea

Shipping Your Car to South Korea? Car Shipping from the USA to South Korea starts at a cost of $1,395 USD with an estimated turnaround time of 4-6 weeks, depending on the make and model of the car, the port of origin, and the method of shipment. Below, we explore everything you need to know about shipping your car to South Korea in our 2025 guide.

Shipping a Car to South Korea: Checklist

Vehicle Import Options

Shipping a Car to South Korea: Costs & Time Frame

Shipping a Car to South Korea: Options

Additional Services

Ports Served in the US and South Korea

Cleaning Your Vehicle of Biosecurity Concerns

Plating Your Vehicle in South Korea

Other South Korea/US Shipping Options

Shipping a car from the United States to South Korea can be relatively easy if you carefully prepare and choose a reliable and trustworthy shipping company.

Here’s a rough breakdown of the process you’ll need to go through to ship your car overseas to South Korea.

After you’ve determined that your vehicle is eligible for import to South Korea and selected a suitable international car shipping option, you should gather together all of the necessary documentation, including:

Obtaining all of the necessary documents can take a while when shipping a car to South Korea, so the process should be started well before you plan to ship your vehicle.

Before starting the car transportation process, you should be sure that you understand all of the costs involved in shipping a vehicle to South Korea, including:

Once the relevant paperwork is complete, you can select an experienced car shipping company and the most suitable shipping method to handle your car shipment from the United States to South Korea.

Don’t forget to determine your vehicle’s departure and destination ports before starting the shipping process.

More information on the process of shipping a vehicle to South Korea can be found here.

As you start the process of shipping your car to South Korea, some of the most important questions to consider include:

• Have you lived in South Korea for at least one year? – In order to import your car into South Korea, you will need to have lived in South Korea for at least one year with a valid work and residence visa.
• How long have you owned your vehicle for? – You must have owned your vehicle for at least 3 months before shipping it to South Korea.
• Will you be importing your vehicle into South Korea within six months of relocating there? – If you import your vehicle into South Korea within a six-month timeframe, it will be considered as part of your household goods and this helps to streamline the customs clearance process.
• Is your car a new or used vehicle? – New and used vehicles will be subject to different duty values. When importing a new car, the amount of duty payable will depend on the size of the car’s engine. While duty payable on a used car will depend on the vehicle’s age and its value.

The answers to these questions and more will determine whether your car is eligible for shipping to South Korea. Your actual tax rate is also based on these details.

Notably, due to trade regulations, Japanese-made cars are generally not allowed to be imported into South Korea. Also, only small and medium-sized passenger vehicles may be imported into South Korea. This means that vehicles that seat more than 10 passengers, trucks, and mobile homes are not eligible for import into South Korea.

When shipping a car to South Korea, you should never assume that your international shipping scenario is the same as someone else’s.

To obtain an estimate of the cost to ship a car to South Korea, fill out our free quick quote form.

Vehicle Import Approval

Upon arrival of your vehicle shipment to South Korea, the vehicle must be declared in South Korean Customs.

You’ll need the following documentation:

• Original Car Title Certificate
• Sales Invoice / Bill of Sale (showing the purchase price of the vehicle)
• Registration Documents
• A Copy of Your Passport (for identification purposes)
• Certificate of Conformity
• Proof of South Korean Insurance (this can be a copy)
• Copy of Driving License
• Import Declaration Form

Things to Consider

To obtain an estimate of the cost to ship a car to South Korea, fill out our free quick quote form.

Car Shipping from USA to South Korea can be performed using a shared container, a sole container or a roll-on/roll-off service. It is important to find the best solution to meet your shipping needs.

Roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) – Vehicles are loaded onto a ship that contains a cargo area built like a very big parking garage. International RoRo shipping tends to be cheaper as, other than the shipping charge, you are required to pay only port charges and customs clearance charges.

Transits tend to be faster than with the shared container service, as the vessels depart on a weekly basis.

Shared container service – This method for car shipping to South Korea requires multiple vehicles to be loaded into one shipping container. While there are more fees involved to ship a car from the USA to South Korea with shared container service than with the roll-on/roll-off shipping method, due to the fact that the container must be processed, these charges are shared between the various clients who are using the container. Such fees include a trucking charge, terminal handling charge, customs clearance, and charge for unloading the vehicles at a bonded warehouse.

One disadvantage is that you might face a longer wait before your vehicle departs, as the container must have a full load before shipping to South Korea.

Full container load – You have the added benefit of a fully enclosed container, just like our shared container service, but the 20 ft container is dedicated solely to your vehicle. Since there’s no wait for other cars to be loaded, with exclusive container shipping, you’ll enjoy a shorter wait before departure. However, additional terminal handling fees and other charges won’t be shared with other vehicle owners.

Our most selective customers prefer the high level of safety and expediency offered when shipping cars with dedicated container shipping. When your vehicle is received, we’ll photograph and document the vehicle’s condition as well as the loading process. Your vehicle will be loaded using our modern steel loading system, which is not only environmentally friendly, but doesn’t rely on outdated wood ramps and nails that other shipping companies use, which can damage your vehicle.

After your car is loaded onto your own private container, it is locked and secured. This will ensure no one gains access to your car before reaching its final destination. Since the vehicle is fully enclosed in a secure container, we invite our clients to pack and transport other personal items inside the vehicle. However, everything must be loaded securely, as we won’t be responsible for loss or damage of any kind.

Once your vehicle reaches its destination in South Korea, our agent will unlock the container, document the vehicle’s condition, and photograph the entire unloading process. Every step of the shipping process is not only handled carefully but documented for your peace of mind.

Compared to our roll-on/roll-off shipping option, enclosed container shipping is not only more secure when shipping to South Korea, but much faster due to frequent departures each week.

Sourcing vehicles – Overseas clients who wish to buy a vehicle can turn to our long list of car buyers developed in our nearly thirty years in the auto industry, who can find and purchase vehicles for an additional fee or commission.

Other services – Some of the auto transport services we offer in overseas territories include domestic pickup, vehicle import assistance, tracking of your shipment, customs clearance in the USA and a full vehicle inspection report.

Departure Ports – United States

The location your vehicle will depart from depends on the method of car shipping to South Korea, where your vehicle is located, your budget, and which services the nearest port offers. We have multiple departure locations from which we can ship cars from the USA, including Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Miami, Savannah, and more.

Destination Ports – South Korea

Here are the entry ports in South Korea that we can ship a car to.

Before shipping to South Korea, the undercarriage of your car must be cleaned and free of foreign soil to prevent the introduction of invasive plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms. This can be accomplished through steam cleaning or other thorough cleaning methods.

CFR Classic can assist with finding an appropriate cleaner to help ensure you comply with this requirement before car shipping to South Korea. We do not recommend washing the interior of the vehicle as it can cause mold during transport. Vacuuming the interior is usually more than sufficient prior to car transport.

All cars shipped to South Korea from the U.S. must be registered with the appropriate authorities. Once your car has been cleared through customs and you have paid all of the relevant import duties and taxes, you will receive a Customs Clearance Certificate from South Korean Customs. You can then register your vehicle at a local registration office. Your vehicle must be registered within the district where you live (as shown on your Alien Registration Card (ARC)).

Before registering your vehicle, you must ensure that you have a suitable South Korean insurance policy in place that meets all local requirements.

In order to register your car with the South Korean authorities, you will need to gather together all of the necessary documentation, including:

• Ownership Certificate/Original Vehicle Title
• Vehicle Registration Document
• Passport and a Certified Copy of an ARC
• Customs Declaration/Clearance Statement
• Proof of Payment of South Korean Taxes and Duties
• Certificates from Safety/Emissions Inspections carried out on the vehicle
• Proof of Valid South Korean Insurance
• Certificate of Conformity (COC) (if available)

To register your vehicle in South Korea, you will need to pay the necessary registration fee. The exact fee will depend on the type of vehicle you are importing. After registering your vehicle and paying the appropriate fee, you will be issued with your registration certificate and South Korean license plates.

More information about the registration process can be found here on the South Korean government’s vehicle registration page: https://www.geumcheon.go.kr/eng/contents.do?key=2426

International Car Shipping
Classic Car Shipping
Motorcycle Shipping
Boat Shipping
Air Freight
Cargo Shipping
Moving Household Goods

This information was updated in January 2025. All information, time frames, pricing, and regulations are subject to change. Please contact a sales representative for the most current rates and information.

Back to Top.