Ship a car or container from the USA to Iraq

It depends on the US pickup location, the container size, and above all the route, since Umm Qasr and Mersin are genuinely different shipments with different costs and timelines. Because we are a direct NVOCC rather than a broker, the figure you get is the carrier rate. Tell us the destination city and we will price the sensible options. Get a free quote in 24 to 48 hours.

Book directly with a licensed NVOCC rather than a broker, and fill the container. Ocean freight is charged on the box rather than per vehicle, so three or four cars in a 40ft container costs dramatically less per car. If you buy regularly, timing several purchases onto one booking is the largest saving available.

They are different products rather than two prices for the same thing. Umm Qasr lands the cargo inside Iraq. Mersin lands it in Türkiye, after which you arrange the overland leg to Erbil yourself. For Kurdistan buyers the Mersin route is often practical despite that extra leg. We price both honestly and tell you what each includes.

Usually because they are broker quotes that get revised once booked, or they quote to Mersin while implying delivery to Erbil, leaving the border leg as your surprise. Ask any cheaper quote in writing exactly which port the price reaches and where their responsibility ends.

It scales with distance from the auction yard or seller to our loading warehouse in New Jersey, Savannah, Houston, or Baltimore. A car bought near a warehouse that serves your routing positions far more cheaply than one bought across the country. We include the figure in the quote.

Customs duty and taxes, port handling, your customs agent's fee, and inland transport. These are set by Iraqi or Kurdistan authorities and paid at that end. Tariff policy has changed recently, including on hybrid and electric vehicles, so ask your agent for current figures rather than relying on older guidance.

No, and this is the most important thing to understand before buying. Federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region operate different regimes. Reporting from Iraqi government sources indicates federal Iraq has had relatively few restrictions since the import licence requirement was removed, while the Kurdistan Regional Government enforces considerably stricter rules.

Reporting on Kurdistan Regional Government policy indicates a limit permitting only vehicles up to around two years old, which is far tighter than the federal position. Because this is a regional policy that has been under review, confirm the current limit with a customs agent in the Region before bidding on anything.

Federal Iraq has historically been more permissive than the Kurdistan Region, with controls reported as limited to customs checks, quality control and compliance with Iraqi or Gulf standards. However Iraqi ministries announced plans in late 2025 to regulate vehicle imports more tightly, potentially including age limits. Treat this as changing rather than settled.

Yes, and the treatment has changed recently and differs between the federal system and the Kurdistan Region, with reporting in early 2026 indicating changes to duties on hybrid and electric vehicles in both. This is exactly the kind of detail that moves faster than any published guide, so confirm the current position with your agent.

American vehicles are left-hand drive, which suits the Iraqi market directly. That removes the steering conversion question that affects right-hand-drive imports from other source markets, and it is one practical advantage of buying from US auctions rather than elsewhere.

We move salvage and rebuilt vehicles regularly from the US auction market and they are a significant part of what Iraqi buyers purchase. Whether a specific vehicle clears is decided by the rules applying at your destination, which differ between federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. Confirm before you bid, not after the container sails.

Umm Qasr is Iraq's primary maritime gateway on the Gulf, near Basra, and the main entry point for containerised vehicles arriving by sea. For buyers in the Kurdistan Region, Mersin in Türkiye with an overland leg is often the practical alternative. The right answer depends on where the vehicle is finally going.

Many use Mersin, which is why we run a dedicated lane page for it in Turkish, Kurdish, English and Arabic. The trade-off is that Mersin lands the cargo in Türkiye and you arrange transport across the border, whereas Umm Qasr lands it inside Iraq but a long way south of the Region. See the Mersin trade lane page.

No. We deliver the container to Mersin Port and the buyer arranges onward transport across the border. We state this plainly because exporters who blur that line are the ones whose clients meet unexpected costs at the port. Our responsibility ends where the bill of lading says it does.

Our service ends at the port of discharge. Inland delivery within Iraq is arranged by your customs agent, who is also handling clearance. Tell us the final destination anyway, because it decides which port and route make sense for the ocean leg.

Our warehouses in New Jersey, Savannah, Houston and Baltimore all serve this lane, and which one suits depends on where the vehicle is bought and which service is running. East Coast departures often suit the Mediterranean routing toward Mersin, while Gulf departures can suit other routings.

It depends heavily on the route. Mediterranean services toward Mersin and Gulf services toward Umm Qasr have different transit profiles, and transshipment is common on both. Add the overland leg if you are routing through Türkiye. We give a concrete timeline for our portion with the quote rather than a generic range.

Yes, and Iraqi and Kurdish buyers are among the most active on the US auction platforms. We collect the vehicle directly from the Copart, IAA, Manheim or eBay Motors yard anywhere in the USA with our nationwide vehicle pickup and towing service, load it at our warehouse, and ship it to your chosen port.

Yes, and most of our clients on this lane do exactly that. Some auction platforms restrict public bidding and require a registered broker or business account, which is a matter between you and the auction. Once the vehicle is won and paid for we handle collection, loading, export filing and ocean transport.

The vehicle cannot be exported until the title or equivalent ownership document is in hand, because the US export filing requires it. We can collect and hold the car at our warehouse while the title clears, which stops auction storage charges accumulating at the yard. Tell us early and we plan around it.

Yes. Nationwide vehicle pickup and towing from any state is part of the service. A car at a yard in California, a dealer in Florida or a private seller in Ohio all get collected and brought to whichever of our four warehouses suits the routing. Distance affects cost, not availability.

Typically three or four depending on the vehicles. Sedans and compact SUVs load efficiently while full-size American pickup trucks take more room and often reduce the count. We confirm the loading plan once we know the exact units, and each additional vehicle lowers the cost per car.

Yes, consolidation is available and it suits buyers purchasing one vehicle at a time. It splits the container cost rather than paying for space you are not using. The timing of both shipments needs to align, so mention it early in the booking rather than after the first car is loaded.

Often yes for a single vehicle, since the smaller box costs less and one car does not need the length. From two vehicles upward the 40ft usually wins on cost per unit. We price both options against your actual cargo rather than pushing whichever is easier to book.

Sometimes, but everything must be declared on the export filing and it changes how the shipment is treated at destination. Undeclared goods packed inside vehicles are among the most common causes of clearance problems anywhere, and the consequence falls on the importer. Tell us everything going into the box.

Yes. Used American machinery moves into Iraqi construction and reconstruction work, and we export excavators, loaders and dozers bought at Ritchie Bros., IronPlanet and Purple Wave. Depending on size we ship containerized, on flat-rack, or by heavy haulage, with dismantling and securing where required. Read the equipment guide.

Heavy-lift capability is not identical at every terminal, and this is worth settling before booking rather than discovering on arrival. For flat-rack and breakbulk cargo the crane capacity and yard equipment at the discharge port matter. We check it as part of routing your shipment.

We handle the US side, including the filing in the Automated Export System, known as AES or EEI. You provide the title or auction certificate and the bill of sale. Iraqi or Kurdistan import duty, permits and clearance are handled at destination by your customs agent, and we supply the documentation they need.

We are the NVOCC. Cassandra Logistics is a federally licensed Ocean Transportation Intermediary under FMC license OTI No. 025125NF, legally Royal Port Container Lines, Inc. DBA Cassandra Logistics. The licence number is public and verifiable with the Federal Maritime Commission before you send anyone money.