Anyone imported a car?

Hi Matt,

I imported a 208 GT4 from Italy about 4 years ago. There was a form that customs need to sign to say that any tax liable has been paid. If your car is old enough then it won't be liable but you still need the form.

The next major obstacle is getting the car registered. To do this the car needs a current MOT and insurance along with a registration document from the country of origin.

Getting insurance on a car with no Reg No can be a problem, but if it's an old Ferrari then may I suggest Footman James who will insure based on chassis number and have very reasonable rates.

Then you've got to get an MOT, again with no Reg No you need to find an MOT station that properly understands the rules and can do it on the chassis number alone.

I had a problem registering my 208, because the italian reg doc didn't have a month on it, so had to get a letter from the manufacturer stating the month as well of the year of manufacture.

Then it was simply a case of going down to my local DVLA office and making an appointment for 2 weeks hence so that they could inspect the car and documentation. You will also have to hand over a registration fee (£125 still?) plus at least 6 months road tax.

Hope this helps.

Dan

 

Hi I've done this a couple of times and managed to get insurance once through endsleigh and another time through norwich union on the chassis number.

The first time I bought privately and drove through the EU got back to teh Uk
and sent teh old plates back to the seller.

When I bought my Ferrari I had to get a special transit plate in Italy. Things would have been OK but I went through switzerland and they kept me waiting for 7 hours and wanted to impound the car.

If it's swiss on swiss plates you should be ok but be awaaare that the marque may cause you to be stopped.

The safest bet is to stick it onto the back of a trailer.

As for the registration it used to be straight forward before the computerised MOT - MOT on the chassis number, pay the revenue man any duty owing, take your form with swiss docs. mot and insurance and go to your LVLO where they will issue you with a registration number. Now the computerised MOT - find a garage that you can talk to they need to create a new record and not all MOT testers will know how to do it.

Good luck !!!

 

Getting it registered and taxed are the same thing. The DVLA will give you a tax disc with an appropriate reg number once it's correctly registered and you will then have to get plates made. You can still drive it about on the foreign plates in the meantime.

It's a bit of a chicken and egg scenario whereby you have to turn up at the DVLA with proof of both chicken and egg!

Sometimes they will give you the neccessary paperwork there and then, but in my case they wanted to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle happened to be parked about 100ft away in their car park, but nevertheless I had to book an appointment for it to be seen 2 weeks hence!

There were no customs when I brought the car into the country, in fact I had to go back to the port of entry 3 days later to get the form signed by them because they only work part time!

To be honest, getting the car in was the easy bit and before it is correctly registered you can get away with all sorts of things while you've got the foriegn plates on. I drove mine around for about 3 months before all the paperwork was in order...thought it was insured by chassis number all that time. I believe the limit is 6 months that a car can be used in a foriegn country before it has to be registered.

My advice is to get it properly insured first, then get MOT, then get it registered/taxed.

 

I'm sure Swiss cars need vat paid to bring into EU even if over 10 yr old - also spec is different due to more stringent noise & poullution rules

 

Haven't posted here in ages, but I am can answer the question fully as I bought my TR from Switzerland.

Procedure is simple.

1) Ring Customs and Excise and tell them to send you through pack from importing a car from OUTSIDE the EU (I can't remember which form it is-however you cannot download it from there site-even if they say you can) and also ring the DVLA to send you a pack to register a new vehicle.

2) Go and view the car you want and then buy it when you are happy Swiss cars are very very well maintained and I feel IMO (having seen friends import from all over the world) they are some of the finest out their.

3) The seller will then have to accompany you to the Strassenverkehrsamt (basically the equivalent of the DVLA). Most major towns have a local one-however all of them do not have Export plates. Also the car will have to be road legal and should have a valid MOT-if not this can take time and car cannot leave Switzerland without this.

4) At the Strassenverkehrsamt you will have to fill in various forms and hand over about £100 or so for the relevant paperwork (log book), which also includes the export plates, which have insurance for about a month and then put the plates on the car.

5) You can now drive through back home and you won't have to worry about Customs exiting Germany/France at all-just keep all paperwork to hand in case you get asked. Also keep you Ferry receipt.

6) Technically once back on English soil you shouldn't drive the car-but it’s insured anyway so it’s up to you.

7) Get the car MOT'ed-technically you need to change the Speedo to a MPH one and also change the headlights-but black tape is sufficient, but depends on your MOT station.

8) Fill in the Customs forms with the relevant details of type of car, price paid and anything that you have had to do on the car to bring it up to scratch (Changing Snow Tires to Normal ones for example ) and send it away and wait. You have to attach the original Swiss Export log book, original receipt of the price you paid for the car (take copies of these) You may have to attach your Ferry ticket.

9) Whilst you are waiting get insurance sorted-most decent companies will issue you via the chassis number.

10) All being well you will have a letter within 2 weeks (can be longer) from C&E with how much VAT you have to pay-and you have to pay within 28 days and with a cheque-not Credit/Debit Cards. Once paid you will then be sent acknowledgement and a statement saying VAT has been paid.

11) Fill in the DVLA forms for the car and then go along to your local DVLA licensing office and bring along the Customs Letter, Swiss log book, MOT, Insurance and cheque to get the car registered. If you are unlucky they may want to inspect the car (and bolloc you on the LHD headlights/KPH speedo)-unlikely though.

12) Wait a few days and presto, tax and V5 and then a trip down to Halfords for you new GB plates!

Easy

However if the car is less than 10yrs old its a little tricky as it means you need to get Type Approval Certificate from Ferrari UK and you might even (if they want to get really difficult) get a SVA as technically Switzerland is not in the EU.

 

A way to avoid VAT is to see of the car has been registered at some point in the EU prior to going to Switzerland-it worth a backround check on the car to save some pennies.

Plates in Italy belong to the owner-not the car. So they ALWAYS have to go back otherwise the penalties for the car owner can be very high. Getting a exported out of Italy is a pain in the rear and invoves notaries, lots of paperwork and lots of hassle.

6 months is kind of the rule on "export plates" but the Police do know the scam with that now-don't try it on. It will cost you.

I know full well to a dent in my Wallet

 

The export plate insurance only covers you for minimum legal requirement which usually means no theft or "your fault damage" coverage.

Export plates are a bit of a give away compared with run of the mill foreign plates.

Seeing as Switzerland is outside the EU wouldn't there also be import duty before VAT? (10% as I recall)...

If you own the car overseas for 6 months then import it into the UK you dont pay any tax...

 

I donlt think there will be any duty. Switzerland is part of EFTA and there is a no duty agreement with the EC.