“What will it cost all the way to plates?” is the question we're asked most about importing a car with overseas residency. The exact answer depends on your car and the current directive, but the cost structure is always the same. In this article we break down the cost components with 1405 (2026) rates and work through a complete example.
Note: The figures in this article are based on the published rates for 1405 (the 1405 budget and the import duty table for Iranians living abroad) and the market dollar rate in October 2026. These rates change with new directives and currency swings; get an official quote before making any decision.
What makes up the cost?
- Car purchase and shipping: The car's price at origin plus shipping and insurance to the port of destination. This part is paid in real dollars, so to convert it into tomans you need to use the Market dollar rate.
- Import duty: A percentage of the car's customs value that depends on engine size.
- VAT and levies: Calculated on “customs value + import duty”.
- Domestic costs: Storage, clearance agent, registration, third-party insurance and fees.
Two different exchange rates
One point many people miss is that two separate exchange rates play a part in this calculation:
- Customs base exchange rate: Customs calculates import duty and taxes at this rate. In the 1405 budget this rate was set at about 85,000 tomans per dollar (and 103,000 tomans per euro).
- Market dollar rate: The money you actually pay to buy and ship the car. In October 2026 this rate was about 235,000 tomans.
In other words, import duty is calculated at a rate far below the market, but you have to buy the car itself with market dollars. That's why, in the estimates, the biggest part of the cost is usually the car itself, not the import duty.
Import duty in 1405 (2026)
Import duty on cars imported by Iranians living abroad in 1405 (2026) has been announced as follows, by powertrain and engine size:
| Car type | Import duty |
|---|---|
| Electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid | 100% |
| Petrol up to 1,500 cc | 110% |
| Petrol 1,500 to 2,000 cc | 120% |
| Petrol 2,000 to 2,500 cc | 130% |
| Petrol 2,500 to 3,000 cc | 145% |
| Petrol over 3,000 cc | 165% |
On top of import duty, VAT (10%) and the Red Crescent levy (1%) are also applied to the total of customs value and import duty.
A complete example
Suppose you've bought a petrol car with an 1,800 cc engine worth $30,000 at origin, and its shipping and insurance come to $2,500:
| Cost item | How it's calculated | Amount (tomans) |
|---|---|---|
| Car purchase + shipping | $32,500 × 235,000 | 7,637,500,000 |
| Customs value | $32,500 × 85,000 | 2,762,500,000 |
| Import duty | 120% of customs value | 3,315,000,000 |
| Taxes and levies | 11% × (customs value + import duty) | 668,525,000 |
| Domestic costs | Approximate estimate | 250,000,000 |
| Total | about 11.9 billion |
If the same car were electric or hybrid (100% import duty), the total would come to about 11.3 billion tomans. And if it had an engine over 3,000 cc (165%), import duty would be about 4.6 billion tomans and the total about 13.3 billion tomans.
What moves the final figure?
- Market dollar swings: Because most of the cost is the car itself, every 10,000-toman change in the dollar rate shifts the cost of a $32,000 car by about 325 million tomans.
- Customs valuation: Customs may set the car's value from its own tables rather than your invoice.
- Time in storage: Every day of delay in clearance adds storage costs; complete documents mean faster clearance.
- New directives: The import duty rate and the customs base rate may change during the year.
Estimate your own car
To do the same calculation for your own car, use the cost estimator on the Residency Services page. All the rates there are editable and you can enter today's dollar rate.
