Tools
Free zone or mainland — the two are worlds apart on duty, and they are not the same car afterwards. Freight, duty, VAT and fees, worked out from the car price. An estimate, not a quotation.
Enter the car price to see the estimate.
Not included: the zone's own charges (technical standards and environment certificates, plate issuance, third-party insurance, municipal fees), storage or demurrage if clearance drags, repairs required at inspection, and the exchange rate you actually get on the day. Zone charges are quoted per zone and per car, so we confirm them rather than guess.
Rates last reviewed 2026-09-01. They change — we confirm the current ones before you commit.
The seven free zones
Kish, Qeshm, Chabahar, Aras, Anzali, Arvand and Maku. Only these seven carry free-zone import rules; newer zones do not. Kish and Qeshm are islands, but since June 2026 a permanent plate from either may be driven throughout Hormozgan province with a permit — which is what turned the island zones from a second-home arrangement into something a mainland resident of the province can actually use.
Duty is charged on the CIF value — the car plus freight plus insurance — and VAT is then charged on the duty-inclusive total. The fixed items sit outside the dutiable value, which is why they do not scale with the price of the car. The only thing that changes between the two destinations is the duty rate, and it changes enormously: 6% into a free zone against 60% for the same mid-size petrol car on the mainland.
Eligibility comes before any tariff. Under the mid-2026 revision the engine-size cap and the euro value ceilings are gone from the free-zone route: petrol engines above 2500cc are admitted and simply pay the higher entry band (8% up to 3000cc, 10% above). What still decides the file: a used car must be under five years old, which today means model year 2022 or newer; American cars are not admitted, along with a short list of supercar marques; and the import runs through a licensed company or commercial-card holder. The reported minimum file value is about USD 8,000. Final eligibility for each car follows the destination zone's current circular and is confirmed before purchase.
There is also a third route, temporary entry (gozar-e movaqqat): a used car up to 10 years old — model 2016 or newer — can enter the free-zone territory, Anzali included, on a two-year temporary plate renewable up to ten years. This is not an import: the car may only be driven inside the zone and taking it to the mainland is prohibited, it never receives a national plate, selling or transferring it is not allowed, and the file runs through a zone-licensed company. The scheme's terms shift month to month, so our team confirms the current status before any step is taken.
Rates last reviewed 2026-09-01. They change — we confirm the current ones before you commit.