Importing a classic from mainland Europe to the UK
Discussion
I'm looking for a particular car at the moment, late 60s/early 70s for which there is more selection around Europe than in the UK and I don't mind having LHD. Just wondering if there are any particular issues with importing one and roughly what the process is once in the UK. I'm hoping to get one which is road legal in whatever country it is in so it is drivable, for example there is one at the moment which could be appropriate near Maastricht which is Dutch registered and has a Dutch MOT equivalent.
Any help gratefully received!
Any help gratefully received!
Headlamps dipping left, rear lights and fog, but apart from that not a lot I think. Importing here into France we need proof that VAT has already been paid in the EU, so I don't know if that applies the other way round, but that may be up to a certain age. Are emissions different too? No idea.
I have done this twice in he last few years. The process is pretty simple. First step is the Inland Revenue declaration (NOVA), you need to get that done straightaway. You will need a UK MOT before DVLA will process the registration, you will also need UK insurance. In both cases this will need to be by way of reference to chassis number. DVLA will also require the original registration documents of the country you purchased from. The process is pretty easy.
Interesting topic that I've thought about too.
For example, if I see a 1980 Italian car (Alfa, Fiat, Lancia etc) for sale in Italy for say 5000 Euros, how much will it actually cost me to register here (MOT fee aside)?
Do I simply drive the car here then get the paperwork sorted?
I'm sure all this can be found out easily but as per original post wondered about any actual experiences people have had.
For example, if I see a 1980 Italian car (Alfa, Fiat, Lancia etc) for sale in Italy for say 5000 Euros, how much will it actually cost me to register here (MOT fee aside)?
Do I simply drive the car here then get the paperwork sorted?
I'm sure all this can be found out easily but as per original post wondered about any actual experiences people have had.
It really is very easy and given the £/Euro rate has become more attractive. I have imported two classics, one from Italy the other from Belgium.
For the Italian purchase the biggest challenge was negotiating in pigeon English, having agreed the bones of a deal via email/phone I did a budget air day trip to look at the car and pay the deposit. I had it trucked to the UK. The Inland Revenue registration took five minutes, the MOT was pretty painless, I did have a glitch with Swansea over a non-original Italian document but once that was resolved all was well. I can't recall the DVLA fee but in classic car terms it was diddly squat.
For the car I purchased from Belgium it was even easier as I was dealing with an English speaker. I picked it up on my trailer, there/back same day, having run the port gauntlet during the disruption last summer. I picked it up on a Monday, MOTd the following Saturday, DVLA registration came through seven days later.
It did toy with the idea of driving my classic back from Italy, this would have meant the added complication of delaying the surrendering of the Italian registration and insurance being more challenging. It was an attractive idea but once I balanced the risk of driving an unknown classic over the best part of 1,000 miles, accommodation/other costs and the time required it really was a no brainer to truck it, which was easy to organise and cost about 1,200 euros.
My advice to potential purchasers is not to be put off, sure there are a few details to work through but it is not complicated and not expensive. Many people have posted their experiences of buying this way including reports of road trips, both PH and other forums, Google is your friend!
Wariness of scams, frauds, ringers and rogues, in my opinion, is no more - no less of an issue in mainland EU countries than it is in UK.
For the Italian purchase the biggest challenge was negotiating in pigeon English, having agreed the bones of a deal via email/phone I did a budget air day trip to look at the car and pay the deposit. I had it trucked to the UK. The Inland Revenue registration took five minutes, the MOT was pretty painless, I did have a glitch with Swansea over a non-original Italian document but once that was resolved all was well. I can't recall the DVLA fee but in classic car terms it was diddly squat.
For the car I purchased from Belgium it was even easier as I was dealing with an English speaker. I picked it up on my trailer, there/back same day, having run the port gauntlet during the disruption last summer. I picked it up on a Monday, MOTd the following Saturday, DVLA registration came through seven days later.
It did toy with the idea of driving my classic back from Italy, this would have meant the added complication of delaying the surrendering of the Italian registration and insurance being more challenging. It was an attractive idea but once I balanced the risk of driving an unknown classic over the best part of 1,000 miles, accommodation/other costs and the time required it really was a no brainer to truck it, which was easy to organise and cost about 1,200 euros.
My advice to potential purchasers is not to be put off, sure there are a few details to work through but it is not complicated and not expensive. Many people have posted their experiences of buying this way including reports of road trips, both PH and other forums, Google is your friend!
Wariness of scams, frauds, ringers and rogues, in my opinion, is no more - no less of an issue in mainland EU countries than it is in UK.
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