Importing a car from China to Gabon: full landed-cost guide 2026

Importing a car from China to Gabon: duty, excise, VAT, PROGEC and BIETC

A car from China can be imported into Gabon through the port of Owendo (Libreville) by a private person or a company. It pays the CEMAC common external tariff, a 5% excise on passenger cars (except new ones up to 1,500 cc), 18% VAT and the community levies. A used car may be at most ten years old. Before the car sails, the exporter obtains the PROGEC certificate of conformity and the BIETC cargo tracking note in China and pays for both.

Policy checked: 26 October 2026. Each rate and step links to its official or authoritative source. Valuation, release and registration are decided by Gabon's customs (DGDDI), AGANOR and the transport authorities on the actual vehicle; nothing here guarantees the outcome.

Who can import, and what the car must be

Individuals and companies may both import. The customs page on brokers lets a private owner declare their own goods; most buyers still use a licensed commissionnaire en douane. Gabon drives on the right, so a left-hand-drive Chinese-market car fits. For used cars, the Council of Ministers of 28 December 2023 amended decree 0051/PR/MTL of 12 January 2015 to set the maximum age of an imported vehicle at ten years (communiqué as published in L'Union); new cars are not affected. Per the WTO trade policy review of Gabon (2023), used cars are valued on the transaction value, with the customs guide list used as an indication of market prices.

Taxes and the landed cost

1. Customs duty 30%: band 4, everyday consumer goods, of the CEMAC common external tariff (DGDDI, customs taxation).
2. Excise 5% on passenger cars, excluding new cars of 1,500 cc or less, under the 2026 finance law as summarised by Deloitte Avocats. The import base is the customs value plus the duties and taxes collected at entry, excluding VAT.
3. VAT 18% on the customs value plus the duties and taxes collected at entry (DGDDI).
4. Levies: the CEMAC integration tax (TCI) of 1% and the ECCAS integration contribution (CCI) of 0.4%; customs also lists a 0.05% OHADA levy and a 0.2% African Union contribution, which the table leaves out. The WTO review describes the 1% special solidarity contribution (CSS) as applying to persons with a turnover of CFAF 30 million or more; the calculator includes it, and also applies a 1.5% statistical fee that we could not find in the customs authority's published summary. Treat that row as an estimate.
5. Fixed charges: the BIETC costs USD 150 for shipments from Asia, and every container is scanned at the importer's cost, CFAF 81,500 before tax per twenty-foot unit (WTO review). The calculator's scanning figure is lower, so allow for the difference.

Two petrol SUVs, calculated live by this site's rules engine; the last row and the port and clearance charges are estimates, not official tariffs.

Landed charges come to about 68% of CIF, or 163–172% on top of the ex-works price. Run the calculator with the actual model; the customs assessment prevails.

Conformity and registration

AGANOR, the national standards agency, runs PROGEC, the Gabon conformity assessment programme. According to the WTO review, AGANOR has appointed Intertek, Bureau Veritas, SGS and Cotecna in supplying countries; every shipment needs their certificate of conformity, which is a customs clearance document, and goods arriving without it are refused entry. Cotecna's PROGEC guidance says the exporter applies to its local office, that shipments of €3,000 FOB or more are covered, used goods included, and that route A costs 0.53% of FOB value, minimum €300, maximum €7,000. The exporter files and pays for this in China.

After release, the importer registers the car (carte grise) and passes the technical inspection with Gabon's transport authorities. LandedCar does not handle registration and does not guarantee it.

Shipping and customs clearance

Cars ship from southern China to Owendo; the calculator uses the current reference freight and insurance. For sea imports the WTO review lists the documents: supplier's invoice, freight invoice, bill of lading, the vehicle's registration document where it has one, insurance certificate and the BIETC issued by the Gabonese Shippers' Council (CGC). The exporter, as shipper, arranges the BIETC in China and pays for it. Declarations can be lodged before arrival through ASYCUDA World.

LandedCar delivers to the port (FOB or CIF); duty, excise, VAT, scanning, clearance and registration are handled in the importer's name by the importer or their commissionnaire, and the responsibility for each step must be written into the quotation and pro forma invoice.

Frequently asked questions

I am moving to Gabon. Can I bring my car duty-free? No. The customs relief for household removals expressly excludes motor vehicles, so the car pays the normal duties and taxes.

Can I import a used car? Yes, if it is no more than ten years old; it still needs the PROGEC certificate and is valued by customs.

Will the brand's dealer in Gabon honour the warranty? Do not assume so; ask the seller what warranty is included.

Sources, checked 26 October 2026: DGDDI: customs taxation · DGDDI: moving to Gabon · DGDDI: customs brokers · WTO TPR of CEMAC, common report · WTO TPR, Gabon · Cotecna: PROGEC · Deloitte Avocats: 2026 finance law · Council of Ministers, 28 December 2023 · US Commercial Guide: Gabon tariffs. Fixed charges, port and clearance costs are estimates, not official charges. Rules change; the decisions of Gabon's customs, AGANOR and the transport authorities on the actual vehicle prevail.