The Big 3 car manufacturers, Suzuki, Toyota, and Honda, have dominated the Pakistani market for the longest time. Pakistanis are hooked on the locally produced cars that are manufactured by these three automakers. Honda Civic, Honda City, Toyota Corolla, Suzuki Cultus, Alto, Swift are some of the most sought after models in the automobile market. These are the common choices most Pakistanis go for when buying a car in the country. On the other hand, there are some that don’t target these usual choices and instead have their eyes on a special car model that they want to import from Japan. You do too? We have the complete car import process jotted down for you.
Importing Japanese cars in Pakistan is fairly easy. There are hundreds of dealerships across the country that import these cars from Japan for customers. But some people are skeptical of dealership scams and want to carry the mission themselves. Here’s how you can do that.
Step 1: Sign up on the Japanese auction house website
There are many online Japanese auction house websites that show the list of Japanese cars available for sale. In order to find the car of your dreams, you’ll have to take the first step of signing up on these websites. You will only be required to enter your email address and basic contact information in order to register your account.
Step 2: Select the car you want to buy
Once you are all signed up on the auction house website, it’s time to look up your desired car and see if it’s available or not. If the car is up for sale, you will see its images, import details, and specifications on a piece of paper called the auction sheet.
Step 3: Check the auction sheet of the car
The Car Auction Sheet is like the car’s x-ray report. It informs the customer about the car’s overall condition. The sheet will also tell you all about the car price, auction fee, C&F (Cost and Freight), port charges etc. However, you might not be skilled enough to see it all on paper. So you’ll need an expert eye to analyse the auction sheet for you.
You can get help from PakWheels for auction sheet verification to know the actual auction grade, mileage, and condition of the car. PakWheels experts will have a look at the sheet and tell you if it’s genuine or not. Their expert opinion will also save you from repaired, accidental, and tampered vehicles, so you can be a hundred percent sure about the car’s condition and import it with complete peace of mind.
Step 4: Deposit the bidding fee
Now that you have found the car and you are also sure about its condition, it must be time to take it home right? Well, not really. The deal is not done yet. Car import does not work like buying a locally manufactured car. You can’t visit the showroom, select the car, and take it home right there and then. For car import, you first have to make your bidding and win the car in the auction.
But, even before that, you have to deposit an initial amount of $1000 USD in the company’s account. That’s like an entry-fee for the auction, and, don’t worry, it’s completely refundable if you don’t win the auction bid.
Step 5: Place your bid on the car
Once you are clear with the entry-fee for the auction, you’ll then make your bid on the car and just wait. The company will inform you of the bid result on the specified auction date.
Step 6: Make deposit and receive original car documents
If you win the auction bid (we hope that you do), you’ll have to deposit the car money, which will be the difference between the winning price and initial deposit along with C&F charges. After you have successfully transferred the foreign money into the company’s account, you become the official owner of the car. The company will then send over these original documents to you via courier.
- Original Invoice
- Original Export Certificate in Japanese
- Translated Export Certificate in English
- Two copies of original B/L (Bill of Lading)
Step 7: Get the car cleared from the port
Your car will reach the Karachi port in approximately 15 days. You will need the help of a customs agent to deal with the cumbersome process of customs clearance. Once you are through with it, there’s no stopping you from taking your Japanese car for a spin.
Hope you find this car import guide useful and it helps you find and get your dream car. Good luck!
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