Importing a car to Australia - All the facts... Hopefully!

[pikey]

Hurry up!

[james280779]

Mattt said:

Car is being loaded onto a ship this weekend, with an ETA of early/mid September - then 2 weeks for clearance.

2 weeks???? not likely unless its full of weed

Mine arrived Saturday and was cleared by Tuesday so if you have all the paperwork in place 2 days is prefectly acheivable if using a decent agent.

2 weeks will incur you lots of storage charges

[XB70]

I have been looking around re how the 12 months/365 days ownership is taken into account.

If you have a travelled out of the UK in that period does the day on which you left the UK and day on which you returned to the UK each count as a "day away"? Say, fly our Friday, arrive back Sunday: is that three days or one day?

Generally with the usual week holiday here, day there, does that count against the 365 ownership requirement?

Thanks in advance

[pikey]

XB70 said:

I have been looking around re how the 12 months/365 days ownership is taken into account.

If you have a travelled out of the UK in that period does the day on which you left the UK and day on which you returned to the UK each count as a "day away"? Say, fly our Friday, arrive back Sunday: is that three days or one day?

Generally with the usual week holiday here, day there, does that count against the 365 ownership requirement?

Not a problem - you just have to declare it.

This was my one that I used:

RE:  <year> <Make> <Model>, CHASSIS NO. <chassic no>


I, Mr. <full name>, hereby certify that I purchased the above mentioned motor car in the UK on 20th July, 2010 and registered it in my name.

I propose to hand over my car for shipment in July, 2012 and have already left the UK to travel to Australia in April, 2012. 

I have owned and used my car in the UK for 21 months and during this time I have been away from the UK in the car for the following period:

• 15th – 17th December 2010 – weekend trip to Bruge, Belgium. 
• 10th September – 21st September – driving holiday to France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Austria


CERTIFIED TRUE AND CORRECT, 

<signature>

[XB70]

said:

Not a problem - you just have to declare it.

This was my one that I used:

RE:  <year> <Make> <Model>, CHASSIS NO. <chassic no>


I, Mr. <full name>, hereby certify that I purchased the above mentioned motor car in the UK on 20th July, 2010 and registered it in my name.

I propose to hand over my car for shipment in July, 2012 and have already left the UK to travel to Australia in April, 2012. 

I have owned and used my car in the UK for 21 months and during this time I have been away from the UK in the car for the following period:

• 15th – 17th December 2010 – weekend trip to Bruge, Belgium. 
• 10th September – 21st September – driving holiday to France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Austria


CERTIFIED TRUE AND CORRECT, 

<signature>

Thanks!

I am in a slightly different position as I bought the car in October 2011 and will be back in Oz in middle of November 2012.

While 12 months will have passed during which time I have owned the car in the UK, I have been on two trips back to Oz, one to Dubai and some two or three day trips to the Paris for a car show, Geneva for a car show.

That would give me 365 days less 39 days (or 31 if the day of departure and day of return is not included).

I have only a few moments ago got off the phone from DOTARS back in Australia who said that holidays do NOT count again you, but they still need to know where you have been and when.

I can't see this written anywhere that I can find but because this is being cut so fine in terms of 12 months ownership and when we leave, I don't have much wriggle room.

Until now I thought that I would to sell it and started to advertise it (would be gutted to sell it) but it appears there is a chance that I would be able to import it.

[XB70]

james280779 said:

its a personal import. not an issue as the only test is MVR Rego and a check on glass etc.
Due to the Jag being sold in Aus previously it will be fully Aus compliant.

Presumably this would also apply to my car (a Lexus LS430) as they were also sold in Oz.

[james280779]

Possibly, most manufactors to keep costs down they were universally marked from the one factory which is why you sometimes see three different safety standard stamps on glass etc. From there they were just exported to where needed.

But...... if I remember rightly most Toyota's (and therefore I presume Lexus) were made within Australia and the UK one were made in UK. I am not an expert on compliance but it isnt a massive issue to have new glass in worst case scenario.

[james280779]

XB70 said:

Thanks!

I am in a slightly different position as I bought the car in October 2011 and will be back in Oz in middle of November 2012.

While 12 months will have passed during which time I have owned the car in the UK, I have been on two trips back to Oz, one to Dubai and some two or three day trips to the Paris for a car show, Geneva for a car show.

That would give me 365 days less 39 days (or 31 if the day of departure and day of return is not included).

I have only a few moments ago got off the phone from DOTARS back in Australia who said that holidays do NOT count again you, but they still need to know where you have been and when.

I can't see this written anywhere that I can find but because this is being cut so fine in terms of 12 months ownership and when we leave, I don't have much wriggle room.

Until now I thought that I would to sell it and started to advertise it (would be gutted to sell it) but it appears there is a chance that I would be able to import it.

The rules are you must have owned it and used it as your primary transport in a minimum of 365 days prior. This is not on top of holidays etc, as long as you ownded it for that time its fine. Even if you only drove it occasionally you still had constructive control of the vehicle.

[smack]

james280779 said:

But...... if I remember rightly most Toyota's (and therefore I presume Lexus) were made within Australia and the UK one were made in UK.

No, they only really made Camry's, and used to make Corrolla's and Avalon's. No Lexus model was ever made by Toyota Australia, which are all made in Japan, with the exception of one model which is assembled in Canada for the North American market.

[james280779]

smack said:

No, they only really made Camry's, and used to make Corrolla's and Avalon's. No Lexus model was ever made by Toyota Australia, which are all made in Japan, with the exception of one model which is assembled in Canada for the North American market.

knew someone would know more than me - in that case should be ok!

[Scarbs289]

Hi guys,

Just after some advice. I am a resident of the UK and moved to Oz 2 years ago (with PR). In theory can I buy a car in the UK, own it for 12 months WHILST all the time living in Oz and then ship it over OR do I have to be in the UK for those 12 months (with proof)? I am strongly thinking about shipping a 02-04 M3 over and whilst I'd like to think it would sell for a lot more than I paid for it in £ including ALL fees, it would most likely be my car here for some time. Has anyone out there done this and if so, any advice? Also, any ideas of a different car? After something sub £10k whith m3 performance so i think it is limited. A Fiat Coupe is also tempting. Thanks

[Bibbs]

Scarbs289 said:

Hi guys,

Just after some advice. I am a resident of the UK and moved to Oz 2 years ago (with PR). In theory can I buy a car in the UK, own it for 12 months WHILST all the time living in Oz and then ship it over OR do I have to be in the UK for those 12 months (with proof)? I am strongly thinking about shipping a 02-04 M3 over and whilst I'd like to think it would sell for a lot more than I paid for it in £ including ALL fees, it would most likely be my car here for some time. Has anyone out there done this and if so, any advice? Also, any ideas of a different car? After something sub £10k whith m3 performance so i think it is limited. A Fiat Coupe is also tempting. Thanks

Everything I've ready says you need "proof of use" by you for those 12 months too.

Otherwise I'd be importing too.

[justnotsure]

Yeah you even have to send every page of your Passport so they (DOTARS) can see if you are being truthfull about being in the UK.

With my job (when I was in the uK) I worked out of the UK for 6 months and had to have my company write a letter explaining why I was not in the UK for the time showing I was away in my Passport.

[pikey]

Scarbs289 said:

Can I buy a car in the UK, own it for 12 months WHILST all the time living in Oz and then ship it over..

No

Scarbs289 said:

Do I have to be in the UK for those 12 months (with proof)?

Yes (bar the odd holiday/business trip)

[Bibbs]

justnotsure said:

Yeah you even have to send every page of your Passport so they (DOTARS) can see if you are being truthfull about being in the UK.

With my job (when I was in the uK) I worked out of the UK for 6 months and had to have my company write a letter explaining why I was not in the UK for the time showing I was away in my Passport.

I've two passports .. hmm .. ideas

[justnotsure]

Bibbs said:

I've two passports .. hmm .. ideas

I have two passports also, I was going to go down the route of using my second one with no stamps in it, but turned out I didn't need to as I had proof of why I was out of the UK so often.

But in theory it might work.

[pikey]

Mattt said:

What have people done with regards to stamp duty value?

What do you mean?

• There is an agreed "customs" value
• They charge you 3% on the first $45k and 5% on everything over.

I didn't think you got a choice of whether you wanted to pay this or not.

(That's how it was 2 weeks ago in NSW, anyway)

[james280779]

Mattt said:

As it was explained to me, the customs value is the value of the car dockside (i.e. not road legal therefore lower than 'market' rate). The stamp duty is then supposed to be paid on the 'market value' of the car.

you pay both the GST and DUTY on the value of the car as dictated by either a receipt from yourself or a local valuation and stamp duty is 3% of what YOU paid for it!

Edited by james280779 on Tuesday 18th September 07:12

[james280779]

said:

What do you mean?

• There is an agreed "customs" value
• They charge you 3% on the first $45k and 5% on everything over.

I didn't think you got a choice of whether you wanted to pay this or not.

(That's how it was 2 weeks ago in NSW, anyway)

???

Customs Import duty is a flat 10% of car value plus freight costs. GST is then another 5% with the Duty included. The only other tax is luxury xar tax at 33% if applicable. I have never paid anything else and I am on my fifth shipment.

[pikey]

james280779 said:

Mattt said:

As it was explained to me, the customs value is the value of the car dockside (i.e. not road legal therefore lower than 'market' rate). The stamp duty is then supposed to be paid on the 'market value' of the car.

you pay both the GST and DUTY on the value of the car and stamp duty is 3% of what YOU paid for it!

Hi Matt,

Sorry to add confusion, but this is what happened to me two weeks ago:

• My vehicle cost me 93,000 AUD (or 60,000 GBP as it was purchased in the UK, 2 years ago)
• The value was determined at dockside to be 57,500 AUD
• On registering the car, I paid stamp duty of ( (3% of 45,000AUD) + (5% of 12,500AUD) )

The import duty, GST, LCT and Stamp Duty have all looked at the same valuation; the one done at dockside. Some of the paperwork refers to it as "valuation" and some as "customs valuation", but none use the word "market".

Regarding non-import, a few months ago I bought a local Honda CRV to tide me over. That cost 12,000 AUD and I paid stamp duty of (3% of 12,000AUD)

And if it should help explain the differences, I'm in NSW.

Fun this, isn't it? I found loads of conflicting stuff too. If only the government's website was clear, concise and updated..

Ben