How to buy a car from Korea
From the car you found to the car at your port. Five steps, and what we need from you at each one.
The five steps
Find a car and ask for a price
Pick something from our catalogue, or send us a link from Encar, KCar or any Korean auction. We confirm it is still available, check it is legally exportable, and send you a price delivered to your port.
Inspection
We review the Korean performance-check record and the insurance accident history, and we can inspect the car in person before you commit. You see the findings before any money moves.
A used car is a used car. Inspection lowers your risk substantially; it cannot make a ten-year-old vehicle new, and we will tell you plainly when a car is not worth buying.
Purchase on your behalf
Once you approve, we buy the vehicle in Korea for you and take it off the road. You are not wiring money to a private seller in a market you cannot see or verify.
Shipping
RoRo or container from Busan, Incheon or Pyeongtaek, depending on your port and what you are shipping. You get the vessel and the sailing date once the booking is confirmed.
RoRo space for used vehicles is allocated by the shipping line and is not guaranteed on a specific sailing. Delays happen; we tell you as soon as we know.
Documents and clearance
After departure we courier the export documents your customs office needs. We stay reachable through clearance — the job is not finished when the ship leaves.
What we handle
Inspection
Condition report, accident history, and on-site inspection where you want one.
Purchase on your behalf
We buy in Korea in your interest, and deregister the vehicle for export.
Shipping on your behalf
Booking, inland transport to port, export clearance, and the documents that follow.
Documents you receive
Sent by courier after the vessel departs. This is what your customs broker will ask you for.
- Bill of Lading
- Commercial Invoice
- Vehicle registration copy
- English translation of the registration
- Original de-registration certificate
- English translation of the de-registration certificate
- Certificate of Origin
- Export Declaration
Before you commit, check these
Every Korean vehicle is left-hand drive
If your country requires right-hand drive — Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and others — Korea is not the right source for you. We would rather tell you now than after a deposit.
There is no European COC
Korean vehicles are not issued a Certificate of Conformity. If you are importing into the EU, homologation and registration are yours to arrange. We supply the registration copy, the de-registration certificate and certified English translations.
Your country may have an age or emissions limit
Many destinations restrict vehicles over a certain age, or by engine size or emissions standard. Check your own import rules before choosing a car — those rules are set by your customs authority, not by us.
Used vehicles are sold as they are
Condition depends entirely on how the previous owner used and maintained the car. Read the mileage, the condition report and the accident history carefully. If you need a risk-free vehicle, buy new locally.
Payment safety
Payment is by bank transfer (T/T SWIFT) against an invoice we issue. We confirm every transfer in writing.