Importing a car into China – is it worth it?
We at China Car Times get asked this question a lot, usually from people who are planning to spend a few years living in the PRC and want to bring their baby with them. The market selection of cars in China is somewhat slim, there are no 2 seater coupes yet (unless you count the MGTF) there are no 600BHP American muscle cars for sale at car dealers, so you’re stuck with average run of the mill sedans, SUVs or mini cars, so its no wonder that some people want to bring their 1968 American muscle car into China. We’ll give you some tips on how to do it.
NOTE: This list is by no means a definiate article, we hope that China Car Times readers can correct us on this. Also it would be good to remember that China is a developing country, and there are always ways and means of doing something if you grease the right palms, so to speak.
- Classic cars – no chance. We are told the Chinese authorities will only give papers to a car that is under 20 years old. Commercial vehicles have a much less life span, although we are unsure as to how long this is.
- Right hand drive vehicles – also no chance. China drives on the right hand side of the road (steering wheel on the left, like the USA), and as a British citizen, I prefer it this way. Keep your right hand drive cars in your right hand drive countries please, the Chinese authorities will not allow them onto the roads. However, there are many Japanese imported sports cars here that have been imported, and have had the RHD to LHD conversion done.
- Electric cars – no chance, hybrids okay, but fully electric cars, you will have a hard time getting papers for legal road use.
- Import tax – Import tax is a funny issue, if you have a foreign experts certificate to say you are a foreign expert from the PRC government then you can import a car into China tax free for as long as you stay in China. Foreign expert cards are not exactly hard to come by, if you dont have one, a visa agency can probably sort one out for you, but then you’ll need documents from your company, your boss etc to prove you work for them, this may be harder to obtain. If you dont have any of the above documents, then you will be hit with a tax that varies from 37% to 47% of the vehicles value. Foreign companies setting up shop in China can import their own company vehicles tax free into China.
- Selling your car in China – We have heard conflicting things about this, we have been told that you cant sell your imported car and must take it with you when you leave, and that you can sell your car after six months of the car being in your name in China. Judging by the number of ‘one off’ cars (i.e. Yesterday we saw a first generation Ford Mondeo in China, as far as we know, that was never released here) we see driving around China, we’re guessing the latter is true – you can sell your car after six months, but we are unsure of the procedures that you need to go through.
- Shipping – Before your baby is even shipped, it will need to be checked for safety (i.e. empty fuel tank etc etc) by a customs official from which ever country you are shipping it from, this can be costly. Also once its arrived in China, it will need another inspection (not so costly)
- Ports – Only a few ports in China can accept incoming cars – we believe these are Tianjin, Dalian, Shanghai, and perhaps Shenzhen but we are not so sure about Shenzhen
- Hong Kong and Macau cars – they can have special plates fitted just for the day trip across the border, and the same for Macau cars. We are unsure if RHD cars from Hong Kong can legally go across the border into China
- Driving Licenses – You may well have a driving license from your respective country, but that doesnt mean anything in China and neither does the international driving license, China was never a signatory to the international driving license law and as such, they do not recognize it. If you want to drive in China, you must have a Chinese driving license, you get this from the police, nobody else. If someone offers to get you a Chinese driving license for a few thousand RMB (usually 1 to 4,000rmb) politely tell them no thanks, and visit the local cop shop, enquire as to how to get your license.
As mentioned earlier, this list is by no means 100% accurate, often different cities have different policies and its always best to check with the relevant authorities. I hope China Car Times readers can give some input in the comments section.
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HH, this is the first time I hear a black Camry as a woman’s car. Can I learn more from you in detail? Of course, a respectable & successful CEO will not ride in a Camry but most sales managers are happy with one.
Sorry I forgot you are a successful CEO and business man, a black Camry is surely not up to your expectations. I beg your pardon, my knowledge is not within any range in yours.
Wasn’t the 2008 US Camry part of the sticky pedal recall?
Yeah, Toyota probably isn’t the best example of quality right now. There have been more Toyota recalls recently too.
I just see a Camry as a womans car. I don’t really get the Chinese taste for a Bussiness mans car. How is a Camry anymore a business car than any other midsize sedan? My buiness partner bought a Buick Lacrosse. He kept saying it was a car for business men and he bought it in black. Honestly it is a piece of crap. Less comfortable than most smaller cheaper cars. Huge with 120hp 2.4 liter engine. Who makes an engine that big with the power of a 1.5 liter engine?
I presume you are referring to the previous generation LaCrosse – big on the outside, small on the inside.
Hey i was wondering if you have a source for your mentioned Foreign Expert Certificate tax exemption.
Things have changed dramatically since this article was published – it might be worth revisiting this topic on the site. (Until then I’ve got a bit more data on my website – which you can reach by clicking on my name).
Cheers,
Philip
Philip, can you share with us here what dramatic changes have occurred? I know about the age restriction on the used vehicle – what about the other ones? Thanks
I keep seeing Ford Raptor trucks in China, I know it would be utterly pointless but the sweet noise that the exhaust makes will make it all worth while. I dont want to pay close to 1 million RMB for one, so I am interested in utilizing the Z-visa.
Ash, my understanding is that a Z-visa (working permit) alone is not enough – the key is to have a foreign expert certificate (FEC).
The rule change last year prohibiting the importation of cars greater than 1 year old also puts a damper on things.
Of course, I would love to be proven wrong so let me know what you find out.
Gerald, the information you have given us is very useful. I was planning to import my Infinity FX35 to China next month. Unfortunately is is 2 years old so it sounds like I can not import my vehicle.
Thanks again for the information. If anyone knows a way to get a 2 year vehicle tax free into China please let me know.
Cheers, Rory
The Raptor is bad-ass, but seriously, if you could, what car would you import?
For me, it would probably be the G35/G37 sedan or coupe. Or maybe a 911. 3-4 years old second-hand cars are dirt cheap in the US, and still quite reliable (well, at least the Infiniti is – not sure about Porsche). So it’s a bummer about the new rules.
I have Q: I’m student in China. And I want ask if I can inport my car to China. And What the papers I need? Thank you.
You can’t import 2nd hand vehicles into China as of July 2010 I believe, All.
You mean I can’t import My car? And there is no way ?
I hope who have any information about this give advice.
Thank u all.
I was working *HARD* on importing my own vehicle in 2010. I even got import licenses and such from my company. CCC is one big problem – you need to get your vehicle CCC certified, which means you need to find a way to contact whomever manufactured your vehicle and see if they can provide you that certification in China for your specific vehicle year/model. After I literally spent months collecting all the documentation I required and getting everything lined up with the importing port and domestic shipping to my city, communicated repeatedly with customs at both locations and vehicle registration locally, and sorted out the overseas shipping — prepared to pay the enormous taxes and fees — the law changed. In July 2010, China disallowed imports on 2nd hand vehicles. Period.
I thought there was a way for returning overseas students to bring a car over, you might want to look into that.
Returning overseas students, diplomats – sure, they can bring cars over. They can’t simply resell their cars, though, there are restrictions on that to prevent loopholes. I was referring to the general population who want to import vehicles – I presume most who read this site are neither of those specialty groups..
Make friends with a piss poor countries embassy and I bet you can bring in any car you want, and get embassy plates thrown in too.
I doubt that CCT. there are also tight rules on Embassies (e.g: 1. A car brought in by a diplomat or an embassy has to be registered only as such. 2. A max of 14 diplomatic plate numbers are issued to all other embassies, 3. A car with a diplomatic number is the embassy’s responsibility – Where it goes, what it does, etc – traffic violation tickets are usually sent straight to the embassy. So even a “piss poor countries embassy” will not afford to let just anyone run around with their diplomatic plate number…
John, thanks for the educational post! I thought embassy cars were exempt from local traffic laws?
I wish
… it would be much fun to go racing on the second ring, not wait for green lights, and most interesting to knock down absent minded emo pedestrians 
please need more information about this . until i’m not sure if i can or no ? so pls, help me .
The answer is “no, don’t waste your time researching, other people have already done it for you.”
BTW,
I work in an Embassy and though we’ve always far exceeded the 14 max for embassies on special privileges , we recently had to crush 4 old cars to bring in 7 new ones (less than 1 year olds)… All additional cars after that – we bought in China just to avoid all the complications involved in clearing things with the customs
As an individual, I think I wouldn’t have pretty much of a tough time bringing in my old Infiniti FX35 2006 Sports Utility… I would only have a hard time figuring out what would be next. China is still on experimental policies. Car policies as applied to Beijing change ‘disappointingly frequently’… so it’s simply not worth the stress for someone who doesn’t plan to stay in Beijing forever.
hi,
i am permanent resident in canada now, will become a canadian citizen in a year, after i received my canadian citizenship, i would like to ship my car (subaru Forester2010) to China, because i am deciding to go back to china. So, my questions are:
1) am i allowed to ship my car to china?
2) if so, in which status, PR or canadian citizen?
3) which way is the cheapest and easiest?
I am looking forward to receiving your kind advice, thanks.
Sandy
1) As your car is/will be over a year old, you are out of luck
2) China does not recognize dual citizenship, and you may get into some trouble if the PRC authorities find out about your Canadian citizenship
3) You are better off just buying a Forester in China. While it is more expensive here than in the US/Canada, it is not as outrageously overpriced as many other imported cars
Gerald,
Thanks for your kind help, this save my a lot of time to find out, have a great day!
sandy
I had read many web sites and tried to understand how to ship a car to China with no tax (or very little) when I relocate to China for work. But I got several answers so that I can not reach a conclusion. The policies also changes. Anyone, can please give me a latest answer/experience?
What are the opportunities to export cars to Chinese auto dealers from the USA?
Unless you know some people in high places, not a chance.
Hi Ash, thanks for your insight. You stated that without a permit, government will tax between 37%-47% of vehicles value. What if it is a used car? Do they apply to resale value? or the value of a brand new one? Thanks.
i want to bring in my 2012 ford mustang. it is less than 1 year old.i have working and foreign expert cert. i understand there will be no import tax. what about resale here. after 6 months.and who can i contact to get the importation documents done.thanks
Are you sure that there will be no import taxes?
according to the china times statement. if it is under 1yr no tax over 1 yr pay the tax. any info is appreciated
Mark – that was from a few years back, I am sure the rules have changed since then.