Importing Cars - Importing Your Vehicle - Import
a Car
IMPORTING A VEHICLE
A vehicle which is permanently
imported for use in Great Britain must be registered
and licensed as soon as possible after it arrives
in this country. The vehicle should not be used or
kept on public roads until the licensing and registration
formalities have been completed. However, if the vehicle
needs to have an SVA (see section A "Type Approval")
or MOT test in order to be registered, the vehicle
may be driven to and from the pre-arranged test appointment.
Thereafter, the vehicle must be kept off the road
until the registration formalities have taken place.
Application for registration should be made to your
nearest DVLA Local Office. N.B It is not possible
to offer an 'over the counter service'; registration
usually takes between 48 to 72 hours.
A "brand new"
vehicle can be driven to GB and registered as "new"
provided the vehicle:
-
is registered
in GB quickly after collection - this is taken to
be 14 days but may be extended to one calendar month
at peak periods (e.g. prior to 1st March and 1st
September)
-
Only have reasonable
delivery mileage and
-
Not have been
previously "permanently" registered.
N.B. UK law requires a vehicle
to be UK licensed and registered for road use. To
avoid difficulties, importers are advised to transport,
rather than drive their vehicles from the port to
home or first destination and to keep them off the
road until they have been properly licensed and registered.
For most new vehicles you must
present evidence of Type Approval from the supplier
or vehicle manufacturer, usually in the form of a
Certificate of Conformity. If the vehicle has
not been subject to Type Approval it must pass a Single
Approval (SVA) Test.
VEHICLE REGISTRATION
The following documents will
need to be submitted to the DVLA Local Office. (N.B.
photocopies are NOT acceptable).
-
Completed application
form V55/4* (for new vehicles) or V55/5 (for used
vehicles).
-
A £25
registration fee (if applicable).
-
# The required
fee for the licence.
-
A current British
certificate of insurance.
-
Foreign registration
document and any other papers you have relating
to the vehicle.
-
Evidence showing
the date the vehicle was collected (normally the
invoice from the supplier).
-
Evidence of
type approval.
-
The appropriate
Customs and Excise form.
-
A current British
MOT test certificate (if applicable).
-
A Declaration
of Newness (if applicable).
*The V55/4 form has been introduced
to distinguish between new and used vehicles coming
forward for registration.
Registration and licensing will
not take place unless you have the necessary documentation. In
some cases the DVLA Local Office may wish to see the
vehicle to check its identity.
REGISTRATION PROCEDURES
FOR INDEPENDANT COMMERCIAL IMPORTERS OF NEW VEHICLES
If you are :
-
A commercial, independent
importer of new, type approval compliant vehicles and
-
Registered
for VAT and
-
Currently using
the V55/4* (to register new vehicles) or V55/5 (to
register used vehicles) system to register those
vehicles
you may be able to benefit from
the streamlined arrangements which were introduced
in 2001.
A new, secure first licensing
and registration form - V55/2 - is available
for authorised, VAT-registered, commercial traders. It
offers distinct advantages over the V55/4 and V55/5
forms in that it does not need to be supported by
separate evidence of newness, compliance with type
approval or Customs forms.
How can I join the scheme?
Import traders will need to
be audited and approved by the Vehicle Certification
Agency before joining the V55/2 scheme.
Applicants are required
to demonstrate that:
they have knowledge of the various
Type Approval or Single Vehicle Approval systems and
that
they have their own systems
in place to show that only type-approval compliant
vehicles are registered under the V55/2 scheme and
that
they have facilities for securely
storing documents such as the Certificate of Conformity
so that they can be audited as required.
Approved traders will be held
accountable for the use and security of V55/2 forms. They
will also be responsible for submitting the completed
V55/2 form to the DVLA Local Office (formerly known
as the Vehicle Registration Office) on behalf of the
customer.
Non –type approved vehicles
less than 10 years old that are personally
imported are required to pass a Single Vehicle Approval
(SVA) test. To qualify as a Personal Import [PI],
the following conditions have to be met.
-
If the vehicle
has been imported by a person entering the United
Kingdom;
-
That the person had,
at the time the vehicle was imported, been normally
resident in a country other than the United Kingdom
for a continuous period of at least 12 months;
-
That person
intends to become normally resident in the
United Kingdom;
-
That the vehicle
has been in the possession of that person and used
by him in the country where he has normally resident
for a period of at least 6 months before its importation
and
-
That the vehicle
is intended for his personal or household use in
the United Kingdom.
Personally imported vehicles
over 3 years old, that meet the above
criteria, will be subject to the MOT test.
The Vehicle Inspectorate will
need to be satisfied that the person importing the
vehicle complies with the above criteria.
NB. P.I. status does not
apply to HGVs over 3,500kgs.
Commercial and other
Non-Personal Imports
If you do not qualify as a personal
importer, you will need to submit your vehicle for
an SVA inspection. Until 31 July 2001, one level of
test “Standard SVA” applied to all vehicles.
From the 1 August 2001 a more stringent SVA test was
introduced, (Enhanced SVA) that applies to most imports
which are neither type approved nor personal.
It is also permissible to obtain
an equivalent single approval granted in another EEA
State.
Further information on SVA is
given in leaflet SVA4 and in the booklet 'How to Import
a vehicle into great Britain' PI5.
Vehicles over 10 years old are
exempt from type approval and SVA but will require
a current MOT certificate.
B. Customs & Excise
Registration Documents
What Customs Forms Do I Need?
VEHICLES IMPORTED FROM
WITHIN THE EUROPEAN UNION
- This
form must be completed by individuals who have personally
acquired a New Means of Transport in another Member
State. The form is available at DVLA Local Offices
and following completion will be forwarded to Customs
and Excise. The form can also be obtained from
VAT Business Advice Centres.
N.B. New Means of Transport
(NMT) vehicles are defined by Customs and Excise as
originating from within the European Union (EU) and
are less than 6 months old or have travelled less
than 6,000 kms (3,750m).
- This
form is issued by Customs & Excise for NMT vehicles
which have been personally acquired within the EU
and which have been notified direct to Customs &
Excise, instead of the DVLA Local Office.
- This
self-declaration form can only be used in the following
circumstances:
-
For NMT vehicles
acquired commercially within the EU by VAT registered
traders.
-
For vehicles
not classed as NMT’s (i.e. over 6 months old
or have travelled more than 6000kms) which have
been acquired from within the EU.
VEHICLES IMPORTED FROM
OUTSIDE THE EUROPEAN UNION
- This form is issued by Customs & Excise for
a vehicle of any age personally imported from outside
the EU.
- This form is issued by Customs & Excise for
a Customs restricted vehicle of any age personally
imported from outside the EU.
- This is a self-declaration form which should be
used by VAT registered traders for commercial imports
from outside the EU.
- This
form is issued to all Customs relieved vehicles, irrespective
of age, which have been personally acquired within
the EU by British Forces Germany personnel.
C. Temporarily Imported
Vehicles
There are International agreements
which provide for the temporary use of a vehicle in
a foreign country for a limited time, usually 6 months
in a 12 month period. A visitor to the UK may use
a vehicle displaying foreign plates, provided that
all taxes (including vehicle excise duty) are paid
in their country of origin.
If you intend to take your vehicle
abroad for more than 12 months, this is regarded as
a permanent export. Before you go you must complete
the V5 Registration Document, to show the intended
date of export and return the document to DVLA or
to a DVLA Local Office. In its place, you will receive
a Certificate of Export V561 as confirmation of your
vehicle's registration.
If you do not have a V5 Registration
Document or if you have a Green V5/2 New Keeper's
Supplement, you will need to apply for an export certificate
using form V756 which is available from a DVLA Local
Office. Make sure that you provide all the information
requested on the form including the chassis number
of the vehicle. You can either take or send your application
to a Local Office or alternatively send it to DVLA,
Swansea. If the application is made in person to a
Local Office you will be required to provide proof
of identity such as a Driving Licence, Passport or
a utility bill which clearly shows your name and address.
Unless you are already registered as the keeper of
the vehicle, checks for entitlement may have to be
made before an Export Certificate is issued. If the
Local Office is unable to issue the Certificate, the
application will be forwarded to the DVLA and despatch
of the certificate may be delayed while entitlement
is established.
The Local Office will not accept
an application more than 14 days in advance of the
date of export.
You may
be required to surrender the Export Certificate (or
the V5 registration document if it is still in your
possession) to the foreign authority when the vehicle
is registered abroad.
If you are taking your vehicle
out of the country for less than 12 months you must
take your V5 registration document with you. If you
do not have a Registration Document you should apply
for one at a DVLA Local Office using form V62 or,
if you have a Green V5/2 New Keeper's Supplement in
your name, form V379/1. Proof of identity such as
Driving Licence, Passport or utility bill and proof
of purchase i.e. bill of sale may be required when
you apply. After checks of the vehicle record at DVLA
are completed you should be issued with a temporary
Certificate of Registration to cover the period away.
It is essential that either Certificate be applied
for well in advance of the intended
date of export. If the DVLA Local Office is unable
to issue the Certificate for any reason, the application
will have to be forwarded to DVLA and despatch of
the Certificate may be delayed whilst entitlement
is established.
Remember to consult your insurer
to check that your use is properly covered. You will
also need to fix a GB sticker to the rear of your
vehicle.
Information kindly supplied
by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
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