Import guide
Importing a Korean car into Georgia
AUTO PRIME EX runs a Georgian-language storefront with its own inventory and inquiry flow.
Budgeting
What an import actually costs
Our price is the vehicle, FOB Korea. Everything after it is shipping and destination-side charges, and each layer feeds the base of the next one. Here is the whole sequence, so nothing arrives as a surprise.
AUTO PRIME EX price, FOB Korea
AUTO PRIME EXThe price shown on the vehicle listing. It covers the vehicle and our Korea-side work up to loading, and it is the only figure on this page that comes from us.
Ocean freight
ShippingQuoted per shipment. It depends on the route, the shipping method and the vehicle, so there is no single figure we can publish honestly.
Import customs duty
Your sideCharged on the vehicle's customs value, at the rate its customs classification carries in the destination country.
Excise duty, where the destination charges it
Your sideTypically charged on the customs value plus the duty payable — so the duty sits inside the excise base rather than beside it.
Import VAT
Your sideTypically charged on the customs value plus the duty and any excise, so each layer enters the base of the next one. The exact base is set by the destination country's own law.
Port, broker and registration costs
Your sideTerminal handling at the discharge port, your customs agent's fee, inland transport, technical inspection, translations and registration fees.
Landed cost
This is an explanation of the layers, not a calculator. We will not total it for you, because two of the layers — freight and your destination charges — are quoted per shipment and any figure we invented would be wrong.
Who handles what
AUTO PRIME EX, Korea side
- Sourcing the vehicle and quoting it
- Inspection, photographs and video before you commit
- Reservation after your approval, and purchase once the vehicle payment is received
- Korean export documentation
- Inland transport and port coordination in Korea
- Booking coordination with the carrier or forwarder
- Loading and shoring evidence, where the method produces it
- Bill of Lading and shipping-document coordination
Buyer or local agent, destination side
- Import customs clearance
- Paying duty, excise and import VAT
- Charges at the discharge port
- Homologation, approval and technical inspection
- Registration
- Local broker and agent fees
Destination-side costs are borne by the buyer or the buyer's local representative, who also completes all the necessary formalities. By default AUTO PRIME EX does not perform foreign customs clearance, homologation, certification or registration: AUTO PRIME EX takes this work on only where a specific written quotation expressly states that it does.
Destination taxes
What you may pay locally when the car is cleared
The charges below are levied by the destination authorities when the vehicle is cleared, as their own official pages state them. Each rate shows what it is charged on, when it applies and where it comes from.
Excise dutyWorked out by the official calculator
- Charged on
- Set by engine volume and year of manufacture, not by the price.
- When it applies
- The Revenue Service's Auto/Moto Levy calculator works it out; this guide does not restate a rate.
Revenue Service — Auto/Moto Levy calculator
Customs tax (import duty)Worked out by the official calculator
- Charged on
- Also set by engine volume and year of manufacture.
- When it applies
- Itemised and worked out by the same Auto/Moto Levy calculator.
Revenue Service — Auto/Moto Levy calculator
Clearance of the vehicleGEL 150
- Charged on
- A fixed fee per vehicle.
- When it applies
- A separate line in the Auto/Moto Levy calculator.
Revenue Service — Auto/Moto Levy calculator
Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs — service fees
- Charged on
- Fixed fees, each charged where that service is used.
- When it applies
- Charged by a different body from the Revenue Service; the Auto/Moto Levy calculator lists them separately.
Filling in the customs declaration
GEL 50
Expert examination act
GEL 30
Issuance of an internal transit number
GEL 50
Registration certificate
GEL 100
Vehicle registration number
GEL 80
Vehicle inspection act
GEL 20
Revenue Service — Auto/Moto Levy calculator
The Revenue Service currently warns on its customs duties calculator page that the module is being updated, so the information displayed may be inaccurate.
Worked example
- FOB Korea reference
- USD 20,000
Assumptions
Georgia's excise and customs tax are not a percentage of the price, so the FOB reference cannot be turned into an amount: enter the engine volume and year of manufacture in the Revenue Service calculator.
Excise duty
Worked out by the official calculator—Customs tax (import duty)
Worked out by the official calculator—Clearance of the vehicle
GEL 150Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs — service fees
GEL 330
If all of the fixed items above apply
GEL 480
Items are shown one by one and not added up: part of each base — such as transport inside the destination country, a currency conversion or a figure customs sets — is only fixed at clearance.
What changes the amount
- Engine volume: the excise and the customs tax both depend on it.
- Year of manufacture, which changes both amounts as well.
- Which Service Agency services are actually used.
Official calculators
Sources for these figures
- Revenue Service — Auto/Moto Levy calculatorLast checked: 2026-09-28
- Revenue Service — import payment calculatorLast checked: 2026-09-28
An educational example, not a quotation, a customs ruling or tax advice. These taxes are levied and collected by the destination authorities, not by AUTO PRIME EX; the amount due is the one customs assesses at clearance.
Shipping
From Korea: RoRo or container?
RoRo (roll-on / roll-off)
The vehicle is driven or towed onto the vessel up a stern ramp by the terminal's own handlers, parked on a deck chosen for its height, length and weight, and secured to lashing points with braces or straps. Nothing is lifted by crane.
Container
The vehicle is loaded into a closed container and shored in place. The shipment carries a container number, a lashing and shoring list, and loading photographs — the conditional documents in our Korea-side set exist because container shipments produce them.
RoRo (roll-on / roll-off)
Container
Best fit
RoRo (roll-on / roll-off)
A single vehicle that drives
Container
A non-running vehicle, several vehicles together, or a vehicle shipped with parts
Loading method
RoRo (roll-on / roll-off)
Driven aboard up a ramp
Container
Loaded into the container and shored
Vehicle must run
RoRo (roll-on / roll-off)
Yes — it has to be driven on and off
Container
No
Exposure in transit
RoRo (roll-on / roll-off)
Enclosed vehicle deck, shared with other cargo
Container
Sealed container used only by your shipment
Loose items inside the car
RoRo (roll-on / roll-off)
Not allowed — the carrier requires the car to be emptied
Container
Possible, subject to customs declaration and the loading plan
Shipping several vehicles together
RoRo (roll-on / roll-off)
Each vehicle is booked individually
Container
Possible. How many fit depends on their dimensions and the shoring plan, so it is settled per booking
Documents produced
RoRo (roll-on / roll-off)
Standard export set and the Bill of Lading
Container
Standard set plus container number, shoring list and loading photographs
How freight is priced
RoRo (roll-on / roll-off)
Per vehicle, by dimensions and route
Container
Per container, whatever it holds
Schedule
RoRo (roll-on / roll-off)
Depends on a car-carrier calling the route
Container
Runs on container services, so sailings are usually more frequent
Höegh's own general description of the method is that RoRo usually costs less than a single container, and for one vehicle that drives it is also the simpler option to arrange — that is the carrier's statement about RoRo in general, not a quote for your shipment.
A container suits a vehicle that does not drive, one that needs an enclosed space, or several vehicles consolidated into one load.
Which of the two actually costs less depends on the current route, the vehicle's dimensions, carrier availability and the quote you receive, so we settle it per shipment rather than as a rule.
What RoRo requires of the vehicle
The carrier sets these conditions, not us. They matter before you buy, because a car that fails one of them has to travel in a container.
- The vehicle has to be driven on and off, so it must start, steer and stop.
- The fuel system must be original and unmodified.
- No fluid leaks of any kind.
- An electric vehicle must arrive with a sufficient state of charge.
- No broken glass that blocks the driver's view or leaves sharp edges.
- Every personal item and loose object must be out of the car.
- The vehicle must be clean inside and out, including soil and debris, to meet biosecurity requirements.
Freight
How we price ocean freight
Current freight: confirmed by quote. We do not publish a standing rate, because the figure moves with the route, the method and the vehicle, and a number that is wrong on the day you read it is worse than no number.
Ask for the current freight costWhat the quote depends on
- Load port in Korea
- Discharge port
- RoRo or container
- The vehicle's dimensions and weight
- How many vehicles are moving together
- Which carrier and sailing is available
- Container type and whether the load is consolidated
- Terminal and local charges at each end
Korea side
What we handle in Korea
Sourcing, inspection, approval and securing, export documentation, and loading and shipping coordination — all from Korea.
- 01
Find
You pick a vehicle from our inventory, send us a Korean listing you have already found, or tell us what to source.
- 02
Quote
We confirm the vehicle and give you a real quote for it. Sailing dates and the estimated arrival are not fixed at this stage; we pass them on once the carrier booking is available.
- 03
Inspect
Once the quote is agreed, an independent inspection is carried out before any purchase decision, and you review its photos, video and condition information.
- 04
Approve & reserve
If you approve, we reserve the vehicle under contract so that no other buyer can purchase it. On a first transaction, most vehicles need a reservation deposit of approximately USD 1,000 before the reservation — more for high-value vehicles. For buyers with an established transaction history, we may reserve the vehicle before the deposit arrives; this is decided case by case.
- 05
Payment & purchase
The vehicle payment is generally expected within about 3–4 days of the reservation, in USD or USDT; the final payable amount depends on the payment method and is confirmed for your transaction. We purchase the vehicle once the funds are received, then prepare the Korean export declaration and the rest of the Korea-side document set.
- 06
Ship
Port and shipping coordination from Korea, and the shipping documents are provided. Destination customs clearance and registration are not performed by AUTO PRIME EX by default: those costs are borne by the buyer or the buyer's local representative, who also completes all the necessary formalities. AUTO PRIME EX takes this work on only where a specific written quotation expressly states that it does.
Paperwork
Documents from Korea
The Korea-side set. Items marked where applicable depend on the booking — shoring and loading evidence exists for a container and not for RoRo, and a broker invoice exists only where a broker was engaged.
- Inspection photos and videoEvery export
- Commercial InvoiceEvery export
- Packing ListEvery export
- Korean Export DeclarationEvery export
- Bill of Lading (draft, then final)Every export
- Vehicle de-registration certificateWhere applicable
- Shoring / loading evidenceWhere applicable
- Customs broker invoiceWhere applicable
Clearance and registration
Clearing and registering the car in Georgia
Read directly from the official sources listed at the foot of this page on 2026-09-24. Rules change; confirm anything that affects your budget with the authority itself or a licensed local agent before you buy.
The Revenue Service publishes an official Auto/Moto Levy calculator for the amount payable on customs clearance of a car or motorcycle. Use the authority's own calculator rather than a rate quoted elsewhere.
Revenue Service — Auto/Moto Levy calculator
The Revenue Service also publishes a customs duties calculator and an HS-code based tax lookup, so a vehicle's classification can be checked against the official tariff before purchase. The Revenue Service currently warns on that page that the module is being updated and the figures it produces may be inaccurate until it is.
Revenue Service — import payment calculator
Both calculators are published by the Revenue Service itself rather than by an intermediary. Part of the total clearance cost is charged by a different body — the Service Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs — which the Auto/Moto calculator itemises separately.
Revenue Service — Auto/Moto Levy calculator · Revenue Service — import payment calculator
Confirm the final figure with the Revenue Service's own Auto/Moto Levy calculator, or with a licensed local broker, before you commit to a purchase.
Read this first
Before you buy
Import rules, duty rates and registration requirements change, sometimes at short notice. Nothing on this page is a quotation, a ruling or advice. Confirm the final duty, tax and registration position for your specific vehicle with the official authority or a licensed local broker in Georgia before you commit to a purchase.
AUTO PRIME EX handles the Korea side. Foreign customs clearance, homologation, certification and registration are not performed by AUTO PRIME EX by default: the costs of that work are borne by the buyer or the buyer's local representative, who also completes all the necessary formalities. AUTO PRIME EX takes this work on only where a specific written quotation expressly states that it does.
Next step
Sourcing a vehicle for Georgia?
Browse what is in stock now, tell us what to look for, or talk to us about repeat and dealer volume.
Official sources
- Revenue Service — Auto/Moto Levy calculator
- Revenue Service — import payment calculator
- Höegh Autoliners — what RoRo shipping is
- Höegh Autoliners — RoRo shipping guide for car owners
- Höegh Autoliners — offices, agents and ports
Last checked: 2026-09-24