Import rules and regulations for Japanese used vehicles in Gabon

Buying a new car for most people sounds more like a dream than a possible action. For many people across the world, new vehicles are still out of reach. Thus, they purchase used vehicles as they are the most feasible route to the ownership of a vehicle. If one is in the market for a used vehicle, the obvious place to go to is a Japanese used car market. There is no doubt that Japanese are more devoted towards their work, hence the end result are always a vehicle that one feels proud to drive.

Japan is a major exporter of used vehicles across the world and Africa is one of the major importers of Japanese used vehicles. Gabon, a country in West Africa, like other African nations import many used vehicles from Japan. Nowadays, due to presence of various online portals, importation of used vehicles is an easy process now. However, there are certain rules and regulations associated with the vehicle importation.

Gabon allows the importation of left-hand drive vehicles is allowed in Gabon. The imported used vehicles such as personal cars, buses, Lorries, vans, pick-up trucks should not be above 3 years of age. And any vehicle above 6 months of age will require additional paperwork in order to clear customs.

Required Documents:-
The following originals documents must be provided by importers while importing a used vehicle-

• The invoice of the purchase
• The Invoice of Freight
• A bill of sale
• The registration certificate (original grey card)
• A certificate of vehicle inspection from a certified organization in the country of origin
• The Bill of Lading
• The Bordereau d’Identification Electronique de Traçabilité
• A control document from Interpol
• Confirmation of taxation of less than 3 months
• Confirmation of tax regularity for the legal proprietor

Taxes and Duties:-
All used vehicles imported in Gabon are subject to tax of 53.4% of CIF value. Customs in Gabon assesses the value of the vehicle. Additional taxes may also apply on the vehicle.

Vehicle Registration:-
The issuance of a registered number (grey card) for the used vehicle imported depends completely on the certificate obtained from an authorized centre of vehicle inspection. If the condition is not followed, then the imported used vehicle gets destroyed at the cost of the used vehicle importer.

Shipping Ports:-
The most common shipping ports for used vehicle importation in Gabon are Gentil and Libreville. Generally, two methods are used for shipment of used vehicles. Out the two, the most common is RoRo (Roll-on Roll-off) shipment method. Another more safe, yet expensive method of vehicle shipment is container shipment method.