The process
How to buy a car from Korea
From the car you found to the car at your port. What we need from you before you pay, and what happens to your car once you have.
Before you pay
- 01
Find a car and ask for a price
Choose a car on our site — dealer cars, auctions or our own stock — or send us a link from Encar, KCar or any Korean auction. We confirm it is still for sale and can be exported, and send you the full price delivered to your port.
- 02
Condition check, before you commit
We go through the Korean performance-check record and the insurance accident history, and send you more photos whenever you need them. You see what we found before any money moves.
A used car is still a used car. Our checks lower your risk a lot, but they cannot make an older car new — and if a car is not worth buying, we will tell you so.
- 03
You confirm, and we invoice you
When the car checks out and the price suits you, you tell us to go ahead and we send the invoice. Nothing in the next part starts until your payment arrives — that is why it starts where it does.
What happens after you pay
Most of our buyers send money to Korea without ever visiting our office. These are the eight stages between your payment and your car at your port, and what each one puts in your hands. If a stage has not produced its papers or photos, it has not happened yet.
- 01
Buying the car
We buy the car for you at the agreed price and take it off the Korean market, so nobody else can buy it while you wait. xDriveCo pays the seller.
What you receive
Purchase confirmation with the VIN and the agreed priceInvoice from xDriveCo
- 02
Checking the car
Engine bay, underbody, panel gaps, tyres, interior, and the mileage compared with the official record. We then compare that record and the accident history with what we actually found, and write down any difference.
What you receive
A full photo set, wear and damage includedThe Korean performance-check recordCondition notes in your languageInsurance accident history, claim by claim
- 03
Export papers
The car is taken off the Korean register and cleared for export. These are the papers your customs broker will ask for by name — the full list is under “Documents you receive” below.
What you receive
A scan of each paper as soon as it is issuedThe originals by courier once the ship has left
- 04
To the port
The car goes to the export yard and then to the loading port — Incheon or Busan, depending on your sailing. It is photographed at every handover.
What you receive
Handover photos at the yard and at the port
- 05
Container or RoRo loading
At the terminal the car is either driven onto the ship or secured inside a container. Which one depends on the route and the car, and we tell you before it happens.
What you receive
Confirmation of the loading method — RoRo or containerThe booking number for the sailing
- 06
At sea
The ship sails to your port. Shipping lines sometimes move dates — when that happens you hear it from us straight away, not only when you ask.
What you receive
Ship name and voyage numberExpected arrival date at your port
- 07
Tracking by VIN
As soon as the booking is confirmed, you can follow your car on our site with the VIN. No need to write to anyone and wait for an answer.
What you receive
A tracking page that works with the VIN aloneTrack your car
- 08
Arrival and handover
The ship arrives and your car is unloaded at your port. Import clearance is done by you or your customs broker under your country's rules — we make sure they already hold every paper they will ask for.
What you receive
Courier tracking for the original documentsConfirmation of how the bill of lading is released — originals by courier or telex releaseThe full shipment file: ship, bill of lading number and every paper issued for the car
The pictures beside the stages are illustrations of each stage, not photos of a specific shipment.
Documents you receive
Sent by courier after the ship leaves. These are the papers your customs broker will ask you for.
Bill of lading (B/L)
Commercial invoice
Copy of the vehicle registration
English translation of the registration
Original de-registration certificate
English translation of the de-registration certificate
Certificate of origin
Export declaration
Before you commit, check these
Every Korean car is left-hand drive
If your country requires right-hand drive, Korea is not the right source for you. We would rather tell you now than after a deposit.
There is no European COC
Korean cars come without a European Certificate of Conformity. For the EU, approval and registration are arranged on your side; we provide the registration copy, the de-registration certificate and English translations.
Your country may limit age or emissions
Many countries limit a car's age, engine size or emissions. Check your own import rules before you choose — they are set by your customs, not by us. Our customs calculator gives a first estimate.
Used cars are sold as they are
Condition depends on how the previous owner used and looked after the car. Read the mileage, the condition record and the accident history carefully — and ask us anything.
What we check on every car
You cannot see the car yourself, so the next best thing is the paperwork Korea already requires — and our reading of it, in your language.
Performance-check record
Korea's official condition report: engine, gearbox, oil leaks, structural repairs, flood damage and recalls. We read it and explain what it says.
Insurance accident history
Every claim, what it was for and how much. A paint-only claim and a structural repair both look like “an accident” in a summary — the details show the difference.
Panel-by-panel condition
Which panels were replaced, repaired or corroded, shown on a diagram of the car instead of a Korean table.
More photos on request
For anything the papers do not answer, we send you more photos of the car before you commit.
Payment safety
Payment is by bank transfer against an xDriveCo invoice, with a contract.
Pay only to the bank account printed on an xDriveCo invoice. If anyone sends you different bank details by message, check with us on WhatsApp or Telegram before you pay.
Ready to choose your car?
Send us any car or question on WhatsApp or Telegram — we answer fast.