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Taking your car out of Qatar for good: export plates, customs and shipping
How to move your Qatar-registered car to another country when you leave: clearing the loan and fines, export plates from the Traffic Department, the customs export declaration, and driving out through Abu Samra or shipping from Hamad Port.
Last reviewed: 13 October 2026
- Who issues what
- Export plates: MOI Traffic Department. Export declaration: General Authority of Customs
- Qatar-side fees
- From about QAR 200 (plates QAR 100 plus customs fees); shipping is extra
- Must be clear first
- Bank loan, all traffic fines, valid Istimara
- Ways out
- Drive via Abu Samra (Saudi border) or ship from Hamad Port
If you are leaving Qatar and want to keep your car, you can take it with you, but it has to leave Qatar properly so that it is no longer registered to your Qatar ID. There are three parts: export plates from the Ministry of Interior's Traffic Department, a customs export declaration with the General Authority of Customs, and the journey itself, either driving out through Abu Samra into Saudi Arabia or shipping from Hamad Port. Nothing moves while the car has a bank loan or unpaid traffic fines, so those come first. Before you spend anything, check that the country you are moving to will actually accept the car, because age limits, steering rules and import duty there often decide whether exporting is worth it. Work through the steps in order; if you only want to take the car on a trip and bring it back, see the road-trip guide instead.
Before you start
- Your Istimara (vehicle registration card), valid and in your own name
- Your Qatar ID and passport, with copies
- Bank clearance letter showing the car loan is fully paid, if the car was financed
- Proof that all traffic fines on the car and on you are paid (a clean violations screen in Metrash)
- The destination country's import rules for used cars: age limit, steering side, duty and taxes, and any documents it wants from Qatar
- Written quotes from two or three freight forwarders if you are shipping the car
- Visas for every country you will drive through, plus insurance for each, if you are driving out
- A no-objection letter from the owner if the Istimara is in a company's name
Step by step
Decide between exporting and selling
Exporting makes sense for a newer or valuable car, or when you are moving somewhere close, such as another Gulf country, where you can drive it. For an older or ordinary car, shipping, destination duty and paperwork often cost more than the car is worth, and selling it in Qatar is simpler. Get a rough shipping quote and the destination duty first, then compare with what a dealer in Qatar would pay. If you sell, the selling guide explains the transfer in Metrash. If you only want to take the car on a holiday and bring it back, that is a temporary trip, covered in the road-trip guide.
Read guide: Selling your car in Qatar and transferring ownership →Check the destination country first
Every country sets its own rules for imported used cars, and they are the most common reason an export fails. Look up the age limit, whether the car's steering side is allowed, emissions and safety standards, and how much duty and tax you will pay. Some countries give relief to people moving home: the UK, for example, waives import duty and tax under its Transfer of Residence relief if you lived abroad for at least 12 months, owned the car for at least 6 months and apply before shipping. Ask the destination's customs authority or your forwarder which papers it wants from Qatar, typically the export certificate, the cancelled registration and the purchase invoice.
Check the car is allowed to leave
The car must be registered in your name, or you need the owner's written authority; a company car needs a letter from the company. Since September 2025, a Ministry of Commerce and Industry circular (No. 3 of 2025) bars exporting new cars that have been registered in Qatar for less than a full year. The rule is aimed at dealers and re-exporters, and The Peninsula reported that personal-use vehicles for individuals are exempt. If your car is under a year old, confirm with Customs or your clearing agent before you book shipping.
Clear the car loan
If the car was bought on finance, the bank holds a lien (mortgage) on its registration and the Traffic Department will not issue export plates until it is released. Ask your bank for a settlement figure, pay off the loan, and ask for a clearance letter confirming full repayment. Allow several working days for the bank to lift the lien on the registration. Do this early, because it is often the slowest part.
Read guide: Buying a new car in Qatar with a loan →Pay every traffic fine
Qatar will not process an export for a car with anything outstanding against it, and since September 2024 people with unpaid traffic fines cannot leave Qatar by land, air or sea. Open Metrash, the Ministry of Interior app, check the violations for your car and for yourself, and pay them all. Check again a few days before you apply, because camera fines can appear some days after the offence.
Read guide: Traffic fines in Qatar: check, pay, object, and avoid the travel ban →Keep registration and insurance valid
Keep the Istimara valid until the car has actually left, because an expired registration complicates the customs declaration. If it is about to expire, renew it first, which may mean a Fahes inspection. Keep your Qatar insurance until the car stops being driven here, then arrange marine or transit cover through your shipper. If you are driving out, buy insurance for each country on the way, as the road-trip guide explains.
Read guide: Renew your car registration (Istimara) in Qatar →Choose to drive it out or ship it
To another Gulf country you can drive: Qatar's only land border is Abu Samra, which leads into Saudi Arabia, so you need a Saudi visa and Saudi insurance even to reach the UAE, Bahrain or Oman. Further afield, the car goes by sea from Hamad Port. Roll-on/roll-off (the car is driven onto a vehicle ship) is usually cheaper but you cannot pack belongings inside; a container costs more but protects the car better and can carry household goods. Qatar sets no tariff for shipping, so get two or three written quotes covering port handling, marine insurance and delivery at the other end. Book the sailing only after the paperwork is lined up, so the car does not sit in storage.
Read guide: Shipping your belongings home when leaving Qatar →Get export plates from Traffic
With the loan and fines cleared, apply for export plates through the Ministry of Interior's traffic services, in Metrash or at a Traffic Department service centre. The fee is QAR 100. Your normal Qatari plates are removed and replaced with export plates, which tell the port and customs that the car is leaving the country for good. Ask the officer for the export paperwork and keep it with the car, because the destination country will want proof the car was exported. Apply close to your shipping or departure date, and do not lose the plates: a replacement costs another QAR 100 and causes delay. If you cannot find the service in Metrash, go to a Traffic Department branch, where staff handle it in person.
Read guide: Metrash: registering and using Qatar's Ministry of Interior app →File the customs export declaration
The export is declared to the General Authority of Customs through its electronic clearance system at the exit point: Hamad Port if you ship, or Abu Samra if you drive. Most people let the freight forwarder's clearing agent file it. Customs may inspect the car before release, so allow time. Official Qatar fees are small, such as QAR 50 for an individual's declaration, but storage is charged at QAR 150 a day after the first 24 hours if the car waits in a customs yard.
Hand it over or drive across
If shipping, hand the car, keys and copies of your papers to the forwarder and get a receipt and the bill of lading, the shipping document you need to collect the car at the other end. If driving, pre-register the trip in Metrash before Abu Samra so the passport checks are faster, carry the export papers, your visas and insurance, and expect a customs check at the border. Keep all original documents with you, not in the car.
Read guide: Road trips from Qatar: driving to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Oman →Check the car is off your QID
Before you cancel your residence permit, open the vehicles list in Metrash and check the car no longer shows as registered to you, or ask the Traffic Department to confirm. A car still on your QID can hold up your residence cancellation. Then cancel your Qatar insurance and ask the insurer for a no-claims letter, which can lower your premium in the new country.
Read guide: Cancelling a residence permit in Qatar: dependants, employer and the 14-day rule →Import it at the other end
At the destination, the car goes through customs and then local registration, usually with an inspection. You will typically need the export papers from Qatar, the old Istimara or a copy, the purchase invoice, the bank clearance letter if there was a loan, and the shipping documents. Budget for duty, taxes, port charges and any changes the new country requires, such as lights or a kilometre speedometer. Moving within the Gulf is usually simplest, but each country still has its own rules.
Read guide: Leaving Qatar for good: a step-by-step exit checklist →
What it costs
| Export plates (MOI Traffic) | QAR 100 |
| Replacing a lost or damaged export plate | QAR 100 |
| Customs declaration service fee (individual) | QAR 50 |
| Official vehicle document request from Customs | QAR 50 |
| Customs container or truck handling, when provided | QAR 200 |
| Customs storage after the first 24 hours | QAR 150 per day |
| Shipping, marine insurance and destination duty | Varies: get written quotes |
Official fees at the time of review. Fees change, so confirm before paying.
Common mistakes
- Booking a sailing before the loan, fines and customs papers are sorted, then paying storage while the car waits at the port.
- Not checking the destination country's rules: a car that is too old, right-hand drive where only left is allowed (or the reverse), or facing very high duty.
- Applying for export plates with a fine or loan still open; the application stops until they are cleared.
- Driving the car out 'temporarily' and leaving it abroad; a Qatar-plated car abroad cannot renew its registration, and the plates must then be returned.
- Cancelling the residence permit before the car is off your QID.
- Losing the export plates or export papers, which costs another fee and delays the move.
- Forgetting that Abu Samra leads into Saudi Arabia: you need a Saudi visa and Saudi insurance even to drive to the UAE, Bahrain or Oman.
Questions people ask
Is it worth shipping my car home from Qatar?
Often only for a newer or valuable car, or a short move within the Gulf. Shipping, marine insurance, port charges and destination duty can add up to more than an ordinary used car is worth, and some countries add big taxes or block older cars. Get a shipping quote and the destination duty first, then compare with a dealer's offer in Qatar.
Can I export a car I bought new less than a year ago?
Possibly. Since September 2025, a Ministry of Commerce and Industry circular bars exporting new cars registered in Qatar for less than a full year, mainly to stop dealers re-exporting them. The Peninsula reported that personal-use vehicles for individuals are exempt, but confirm with Customs or your clearing agent before booking shipping.
Do I need a vehicle exit permit to drive my car to Dubai or Riyadh for good?
The vehicle exit permit in Metrash is for cars that leave Qatar and come back; cars going to GCC countries do not need one if they have no fines and the owner or someone they authorise is driving. For a permanent move, the Traffic Department fits export plates instead. Ask at the Traffic Department which papers your case needs and carry them at the border.
My car still has a loan. Can I take it with me?
Not until the loan is settled. The bank holds a lien on the registration, and export plates are not issued until you show a clearance letter confirming full repayment. Ask the bank for a settlement figure early, because releasing the lien can take several working days.
I drove my car to Saudi Arabia or the UAE and left it there. What happens now?
A Qatar-registered car abroad cannot renew its registration without a technical inspection in Qatar. If the registration is not renewed within 30 days of expiry, the owner must return the plates to the Traffic Department, and failing to do so can lead to prosecution with a fine of QAR 3,000 to 10,000 or prison. Either bring the car back and export it properly, or contact the Traffic Department about returning the plates.
How long can a car I take on a trip stay outside Qatar?
The Ministry of Interior has said cars permitted to leave must come back within six months, though the permit can be extended. Cars in GCC countries are exempt from that limit as long as they come back for their technical inspection in Qatar. If you are not coming back, export the car properly instead.
Can I leave Qatar first and have someone export the car later?
It is risky, because a car still registered to you can hold up your residence cancellation and fines on it stay linked to you. If you must, give a trusted person a power of attorney to deal with the Traffic Department, Customs and the shipper, and agree a clear deadline. Many people find it simpler to sell the car before they go.
Will I pay duty again in another Gulf country?
It depends on the country and the car. Some people moving within the GCC report that a newer car avoided duty again because they showed papers proving duty was paid in Qatar, but no official rule we could confirm guarantees this. Ask the destination country's customs or a clearing agent, and keep your original Qatar purchase and customs papers.
Official sources
- Qatar Living: exporting a car from Qatar, process, customs and costs ↗
- QNA (Nov 2025): new mechanism regulating the export of newly registered vehicles ↗
- The Peninsula (Sep 2025): MOCI circular banning export of new vehicles ↗
- The Peninsula (Jul 2026): what motorists need to know before leaving Qatar by car ↗
- Qatar Tribune (Aug 2024): vehicles permitted to leave must return within six months ↗
- GOV.UK: Transfer of Residence relief (example of destination rules) ↗
Always check the official source before acting. QatarSteps is independent and not a government website.