Customs offers free online simulator for car import taxes

Residents importing a car, and Algerians returning to Algeria permanently, can estimate duties and taxes with a free online simulator from the General Directorate of Customs (DGD).

Algérie 360 reported that the DGD launched the service on 25 November 2025. The simulator is on ALCES, the DGD's online portal, at alces.douane.gov.dz.

The service covers new cars as well as used vehicles. A mobile app offers the same service on smartphones.

The amount of duties and taxes depends on the type of vehicle, its engine capacity, its age and its origin. The simulator lets users estimate the cost before the car reaches the port.

Users need a few documents first: the purchase invoice, the transport cost and the technical details of the car. The foreign registration document (carte grise) gives the engine capacity and the date of first registration.

The user first selects the type of vehicle, because this choice decides which rules apply. New cars, used cars under 3 years old and cars imported on a permanent return each follow different rules.

Next, the user enters the invoice amount and the freight cost, which is the cost of transport to Algeria. Duties and taxes are worked out on the value of the car, transport included.

Users should enter the real amounts, as they appear on the invoices.

The simulator then asks for three codes: the customs regime, the HS code (SH) and the currency code. The HS code (SH) shows where the vehicle sits in the international customs list of goods.

For a passenger car, it starts with 8703 and varies with the engine type and capacity.

The currency code matches the invoice currency, such as the euro for a car bought in France. The simulator converts the amounts into dinars (DZD).

Clicking the calculate button shows the result in a table that lists each duty and tax. The total gives a first idea of the cost of customs clearance, the procedure that lets goods into the country.

The example is a petrol city car under 3 years old, bought in Europe by a resident in Algeria. Only petrol, petrol hybrid and electric engines are admitted in this category.

The result is only an estimate. Customs can challenge the declared price and recalculate the taxable value, which is the value used to work out the tax.

Algerians returning to Algeria permanently can import a car under 5 years old with a certificate of change of residence. This scheme offers advantages, under conditions, and the simulator shows their effect on the total.

The rules of this scheme could change from 1 January 2027. The draft 2027 finance bill provides for a new fee and a new tax.