Import Car from Japan to Singapore

Import car from Japan to Singapore

If you want to import a car from Japan to Singapore, AUTOHUB is here to make the process simple and straightforward. Our door-to-door, fixed-price import process makes shipping any vehicle from Japan to Singapore easy and stress-free. Our arrangements include getting permission to import the vehicle and helping prepare all the required documentation for registering the vehicle once it arrives in Singapore.

AUTOHUB car importation services

AUTOHUB will act as your import agent when you are looking to import your new or used vehicle from Japan to Singapore. As part of our service, we can take care of a large part of the process for you. Once approval has been obtained for your vehicle to be imported into Singapore, we take care of the rest. Our comprehensive Door to Door (D2D) service for vehicles being imported from Japan to Singapore includes:

• A Gate-In survey and photos in Japan when we take control of the vehicle
• Steam cleaning of the vehicle
• Removal of air conditioning gas (if required)
• Testing and removal of asbestos (if required)
• Odometer check
• Japan Port Service Charges
• BAF (Bunker Fuel Charges)
• Payment of any duties and taxes owed
• The organisation of Singapore Customs Clearance
• Any inspections required by the Land Transport Authority (LTA)
• Full insurance while the car is in our care
• Support completing a vehicle registration application form

For vehicles over 20m3, and particularly for commercial vehicles, please provide AUTOHUB with the exact dimensions of the vehicle and we will provide a quote for the car import.

How we help with compliance requirements for importing a vehicle into Singapore

Singapore has some reasonably strict guidelines when it comes to importing used cars into the country.

Aside from safety and emissions standards, one of the rules is that a vehicle cannot be more than 3 years old. The vehicle’s age is calculated from the date of its first registration in a foreign country, or from the date of manufacture. If your car hasn’t been registered, you’ll need to provide evidence (like receipts or invoices) to support this.

You can import a classic car into a Singapore under the Classic Vehicle Scheme. To qualify, it has to be over 35 years old.

As well as the age restrictions, to be able to register your imported car in Singapore the car must:

1. Be a right-hand drive vehicle*
2. Run on unleaded petrol
3. Have CFC-free air conditioning (if it has air conditioning fitted)
4. Not contain any asbestos in the brake or clutch lining (you will need documentation or a declaration form for this as proof)
5. Comply with Euro ii emission standard
6. Be fitted with approved seat belts (front and rear)
7. If the car has safety glass fitted, this can have no less than 70% light transmittance and not contain any metallic oxide coating

*If you’re importing classic cars from pre-1940 and it complies with the Vintage Vehicle Scheme, left-hand drive used cars may be permitted.

Before you import the vehicle into Singapore you will also need to check that:

• Any modifications that have been made to the car have been certified and either done by the manufacturer of the car or an agent the manufacturer has authorised.
• You have a copy of the car’s EEC Certificate of Conformity if it’s a European car or a Completion Inspection Certificate for Japanese vehicles.
  • If the car isn’t a European or Japanese vehicle, we can arrange for it to be sent for testing from an authorised laboratory in order to get a Certificate of Compliance for the Exhaust Emission Standards, a Safety Glass certificate, and the test report.

Payment of fees when the car arrives in Singapore

Once your used vehicle has arrived in Singapore and has been registered through the LTA, you’ll be required to pay any fees and GST as applicable to the car. Some of these will be set fees (i.e registration fee), a percentage based on the value of the car, or importation costs (like GST at 7% and Open market Value (OMV) at 20%), and emissions as part of the Vehicle Emissions Scheme (VES).

Are you importing an EV?

If you’re importing a fully electric vehicle and register it before the 23rd of December 2023, you may qualify for a rebate capped at $20,000 of up to 45% off the Additional Registration Fee (ARF). This Electric Vehicle Early Adoption Incentive (EEAI) would be on top of the VES rebate for which you would be eligible for importing a low-emissions vehicle.

How AUTOHUB helps with importing your vehicle from Japan to Singapore

If you’re planning to import used cars from Japan to Singapore, their rules, regulations, fees schema, and registration process can appear complicated. Let the expert car importers at AUTOHUB help you and make the process easier and stress-free.

As your shipping agent, we will:

• Obtain an Inward Cargo Clearance Permit through the Trade Development Board and the Customs and Excise Department via TradeNet
• Pay the permit and processing fees, Excise Duty and Goods & Services Tax (GST) to Singapore Customs on your behalf
• Prepare the documents required for verification and registration of the car in Singapore
• Submit the application for vehicle approval to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) through the Vehicle Inspection and Type Approval System (VITAS)
• Pay the registration fee
• Secure the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) and obtain motor insurance coverage for your car on your behalf
• Arrange for an appointment on your behalf to submit all the proper documentation to the LTA and ensure you have all the needed documents prepared for submission

We’ll also make sure the following documentation is available for inspection once the car lands:

• Bill of Lading (BL)
• Pro forma invoice
• Export certificate
• Freight and Insurance Papers
• Bills related to other incidental charges (if applicable)
• Documents for the exhaust emission test, windscreen test, and any other compliance or mechanical inspection testing the vehicle has undergone
• Car Manufacturing date confirmation letter from the manufacturer (as supplied by you)
• Vehicle Registration Certificate (as supplied by you)
• Technical specifications of the vehicle as issued by the manufacturer.

Insurance Cover

Customers who choose to import vehicles from Japan to Singapore with our D2D package will benefit from comprehensive insurance coverage.

• Your imported car will be covered under Institute Cargo Clause A. This provides cover for all risks associated with loss or damage to the vehicle. It starts when AUTOHUB takes care and control of your vehicle.
• Insurance cover will continue during transit, right until it is delivered to the first nominated local delivery address in Singapore as supplied.
• Insurance car value covers total loss, collision damage, and fire and theft of non-modified, driveable, road-going vehicles and items only.

Learn more about our comprehensive insurance cover here.