To buy a used car from Japan online, first check your country’s import rules. Then choose a car on a verified exporter’s website and get a price to your port. Pay in full by bank transfer to the exporter’s company account in Japan, and clear the car with a clearing agent when it arrives.
Key takeaways
- Check the age limit and other import rules for your country before you choose a car.
- Buy only from an exporter you can verify, and pay only to its company bank account in Japan.
- Budget for three things: the price to your port, your government’s duty and taxes, and clearing at your port.
1. Check your country’s import rules
Start with the rules, not the car. Many countries limit the age of imported cars, and many also require an inspection in Japan before shipping.
Open the guide for your country before you shortlist anything:
- East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
- Southern Africa: Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique
- Central Africa: DR Congo
- Caribbean: Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago
The import age checker tells you quickly whether a car’s year is allowed. Kenya, for example, counts age by the year of first registration.
2. Choose an exporter you can verify
The exporter you choose matters more than any single car. You will send it the full price before shipping, so check it properly first.
- It should be a registered company in Japan that you can look up in the government’s corporate number database.
- Its bank account should be in Japan, in the company’s own name.
- Its staff should use the company’s own email domain, not free email addresses.
Our guide on how to verify a Japanese car exporter before you pay walks through each check. You can also see Autocom Japan’s official channels.
3. Choose the right car for your roads and budget
Pick a car that suits how and where you drive, and that is easy to service where you live.
- Use: a small hatchback for town, a station wagon or MPV for family, an SUV or 4WD for rough roads. Our guide to 4WD vs 2WD helps with that choice.
- Parts and mechanics: popular models are easier to repair locally.
- Running costs: engine size affects fuel use, and in many countries it also affects duty.
- Resale: common models are usually easier to sell later.
When you know what you want, browse our current stock and filter by maker, model and year. For Kenya, start with the 2019-and-newer filter. Always ask our office to confirm the exact first registration or manufacture date before you pay.
4. Check the car’s condition and history
You cannot test-drive the car, so the paperwork does the job. Ask for these and read them before you order:
- Auction sheet: the auction’s inspection report with grade, damage map, mileage and notes. It often shows whether the car was privately owned or used as a rental or business car. See our auction sheet guide.
- More photos: ask for close-ups of anything marked on the sheet, the interior and the tyres.
- Export certificate details: chassis number and date of first registration. See what the export certificate shows.
Our guide on checking a Japanese car’s history explains how to cross-check mileage and chassis numbers.
5. Understand the price you are quoted
An exporter’s price can mean different things. FOB covers the car to the ship in Japan. C&F adds sea freight to your port, and CIF adds marine insurance too.
Your government’s duty and taxes and your clearing costs come on top. Read FOB, C&F and CIF explained and use the landed cost checklist, which links to official duty calculators.
6. Pay safely, in full, by bank transfer
Pay by bank transfer (T/T) to the exporter’s company account in Japan, and only after you have checked the invoice. At Autocom Japan the beneficiary is always “Autocom Japan Inc”, and the official accounts are listed on our bank account page.
Our offices and agents do not accept cash or any payment. We sell for full payment only, with no instalments or financing. If anyone asks you to pay a different account, stop and read how to avoid scams.
7. Inspection, documents and shipping
After payment, the exporter arranges any pre-export inspection your country needs, cancels the Japanese registration and books the car on a ship.
You will receive the bill of lading, commercial invoice, export certificate and inspection certificate if one is required. The car travels by Ro-Ro or in a container; see Ro-Ro vs container shipping. For timing, ask our office for the current schedule for your port.
8. Clear and register the car
When the ship arrives, a licensed clearing agent lodges your documents, you pay duty and taxes, and the car is released. Then you register it and get number plates.
See the documents checklist, the clearing documents for Mombasa and Dar es Salaam and how to register a Japanese import car in Africa.
After the car arrives
Plan a basic service soon after arrival: oil and filters, brake fluid, coolant and a tyre check. The car may have stood for a while at ports. Keep every document safe, because you may need it again when you sell the car.
To see the whole journey on video, watch Monica’s journey with Autocom Japan.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy a car from Japan without travelling there?
Yes. Most buyers never visit Japan. You choose online, check the documents and photos, pay by bank transfer and collect the car at your port.
Do I need a clearing agent?
In most countries, yes. A licensed clearing agent lodges the customs entry and handles port formalities. Choose one before the ship arrives.
Can I pay when the car arrives?
No. Autocom Japan sells for full payment only, by bank transfer to our company account in Japan, before shipping.
How do I know I am talking to the real Autocom Japan?
Our staff emails end with @autocj.co.jp, and our official contacts are on autocj.co.jp. If in doubt, check our official channels page.
Can you check whether a car meets my country’s age rule?
Yes. Ask our office to confirm the date of first registration and manufacture before you pay, and check it against your country’s rule.
