1. Basic situation

The State of Qatar (referred to as Qatar) has a land area of 115.21 million square kilometers and a population of 2.98 million. According to data from the International Monetary Fund, in 2024, Qatar's GDP will be US$221.4 billion, a growth rate of 3.9%, and per capita GDP will be approximately US$72,000. Qatar is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Arab League. In 2024, China-Qatar bilateral trade will reach US$24.22 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 1.4%. Among them, China's exports to cards were US$4.17 billion, a year-on-year increase of 14.8%, and China's imports from cards were US$20.05 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 4.2%. China mainly exports mechanical and electrical equipment to Qatar, and mainly imports liquefied natural gas, industrial helium, etc. from Qatar.

Qatar's natural gas mainly includes oil and natural gas. Its proven oil reserves are 2.6 billion tons, ranking 14th in the world. Its proven natural gas reserves are 17.77 billion tons, ranking third in the world. Qatar has long been my country's second largest supplier of liquefied natural gas. In 2023, my country imported 16.661 million tons of liquefied natural gas from Qatar. From January to August 2024, my country imported 11.581 million tons of liquefied natural gas from Qatar.

2. Automobile market situation

Qatar is a left-hand car country with approximately 591 cars per 1,000 people. There are no car companies in Qatar, and the supply of cars and parts is mainly imported. In 2024, Qatar's new car sales will be 75,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 20%, reaching the highest peak in nearly a decade. Among them, the electric vehicle market still accounts for less than 2% of total light vehicle sales, and demand still lags behind. According to brand data, in 2024, Toyota and Nissan's sales in Qatar ranked first and second respectively, with year-on-year increases of 16.3% and 33% respectively. Jietu ranked third with an increase of 15,459.5%. In terms of specific models, Toyota Land Cruiser remains the best-selling model in the region, with sales up 25.4% year-on-year, while Jetour J2 has the highest growth rate, challenging Toyota and Nissan's dominance.

2019-2024 New car sales in Qatar in 2009

Qatar is promoting the development of the new energy vehicle industry, installing a total of 600 charging stations during the World Cup to support electric buses. Qatar's electrification goal in the public sector is to increase the proportion of electric buses by 25%. In addition, Qatar is also promoting hybrid vehicles.

The main ports of Qatar are Hamad Port, Doha Port, Ras Rafan Port and Meseed Port. Among them, used cars are mainly imported through Hamad Port. As the main port in the Middle East Gulf, Hamad Port covers an area of more than 28.5 square kilometers. The port pool is 4 kilometers long, 700 meters wide, and has an average water depth of 17 meters. It has a designed annual throughput of 7.5 million standard containers and a special terminal for parking 500,000 vehicles. The main best-selling used car models in Qatar include Nissan Qijun, Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Honda Fit, Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota Prado, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Aqua, Toyota RAV4, Toyota Prius, etc.

3. Policies and regulations on used car import

1. Import policy

Qatar requires imported used cars to be no more than 5 years old and are left-hand rudder vehicles. At the same time, vehicles must be registered every year, and annual inspections will be conducted by the Vehicle Inspection Agency (FAHES) in the third year after import to ensure that vehicles meet the conditions and safety for driving on the road.

2. Tax policy

A 5% tariff is levied on used cars imported from Qatar based on the invoice price or the depreciated price.

3. Documents required for import

● Certificate of ownership of origin

● Original import manifest

● Registration certificate

● Policy

● Purchase or sales invoices

● Original Bill of Lading (OBL)

Source: "China's Used Car Export Country Guide 2024"

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