Importing cars from South Korea: the complete guide
The whole route from choosing a car to registering it with the traffic police — costs, checks, paperwork and timelines in one place.
Blog
Importing from Korea,
explained step by step.
Duties, paperwork, history checks and timelines — what buyers ask most often, gathered in one place. These pieces are being expanded.
Guide Checking the car What a Korean car's chassis number shows
How to read the VIN of a car from South Korea and why checking that specific car is impossible without it.
Choosing a car Why Korean cars are left-hand drive
South Korea drives on the right and builds left-hand-drive cars — the same configuration as Bulgaria.
Choosing a car Importing an electric or hybrid car from South Korea
What gets checked additionally on an electric and hybrid car, and where the surprises hide.
Duties and taxes Duty and VAT when importing a car from South Korea
What you pay when importing a car from Korea to Bulgaria, what it is calculated on, and when it falls due.
Checking the car How to check the history of a Korean car
What records exist for a car from South Korea, what they show, and what stays invisible in them.
Shipping RoRo or container: how the car travels from Korea
The two ways of shipping a car by sea, what each costs and when the dearer one is worth it.
Choosing a car How to read a Korean car listing
The fields in Korean listings follow a different logic from Bulgarian ones — here are the ones most often misread.
After the import Insurance and warranty on a car imported from Korea
When the insurance is taken out, what the shipping covers and why the factory warranty is a separate question.
Shipping How long delivery of a car from Korea takes
From a confirmed order to the keys: how long each stage takes and where the delays appear.
Importing The most common mistakes in a self-managed car import
What goes wrong when someone imports a car from Korea themselves, and which of the mistakes cost the most.
Paperwork Registering a car imported from Korea with the traffic police
Which documents are needed, in what order the steps are taken, and what is checked before registration.
Choosing a car Korean equipment versus European: what you get
Why a car built for the Korean domestic market often comes with options that are an expensive package in Europe.