Importing car over 10 years old ?

[grale23]

Hi chaps, anybody got any idea if i have to pay any import duty/vat etc on importing a car from France to UK that was manufactured in the early 80's ?
Cheers.

[Ozzie Osmond]

There's supposed to be "free movement of goods" within the EU so no further VAT to pay. But you will have to able to prove the car is fully EU type approved in order to register it - I think it's called a Certificate of Conformity.

"Second-hand vehicles

If you're bringing into the UK a second-hand vehicle, you don't have to pay VAT - as long as you paid VAT in another EU country when you bought it, but you must still complete a NOVA notification to HMRC within 14 days of the vehicle arrival."

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat/sectors/consumers/perso...

You would need to check with HMRC whether any "Duty" is payable.

[E30M3SE]

There's no duty payable.

[TooMany2cvs]

grale23 said:

Hi chaps, anybody got any idea if i have to pay any import duty/vat etc on importing a car from France to UK that was manufactured in the early 80's ?

No, you don't. But you do have to fill in the HMC&R NOVA form, so they can tell you that officially.

Coming from the EU, the only difference that ten years makes is that you don't need the certificate of conformity. If it was non-EU, it'd be IVA instead of CofC - but, again, over 10yrs means that's not needed.

When you get it here, MOT it - they'll put the chassis number or French plate on the certificate.
Insure it, again on the chassis number or French plate.
Then send the NOVA certificate, £55+VED, MOT, insurance, completed V55/5, Carte Grise in to DVLA and sit back and wait for the certificate of entitlement to your new British reg to come through with the tax disc. Then get the plates made up, and ring your insurer. The amended MOT and V5C will follow eventually.

So what are you importing...?

[Ozzie Osmond]

TooMany2cvs said:

When you get it here, MOT it - they'll put the chassis number or French plate on the certificate.

Serious question: Is that still possible with computerised MOT system? I thought the testing station had to open the existing DVLA record before starting a test.

From time to time people ask on here, "I'm in France for a month and my UK MOT is about to run out, what should I do?". It will be very easy if the answer to their question is simply "Take your car for a French MOT".

[Roo]

I get cars MOT'ed on vin only quite often.

[TooMany2cvs]

Ozzie Osmond said:

Serious question: Is that still possible with computerised MOT system? I thought the testing station had to open the existing DVLA record before starting a test.

Of course. Otherwise it'd be impossible to import anything over 3yo, since you need to have an MOT before you can UK register it.

[quote]From time to time people ask on here, "I'm in France for a month and my UK MOT is about to run out, what should I do?". It will be very easy if the answer to their question is simply "Take your car for a French MOT".

The easy answer is "MOT it before you go".

You can take it for a CT if you really want. But it won't make any difference, since the presence or absence of a French CT doesn't affect whether a British reg vehicle is legal. There's a minimum EU standard for roadworthiness tests, but that doesn't mean that they're interchangeable. A German TuV is very different to a British MOT. Something could walk an MOT today and fail a TuV miserably tomorrow - because they check different things. French CTs are easy on condition - it's very likely that something with a fresh CT will need work for an MOT, especially if it's had any structural rot "fixed to CT standard" in the past... Pop rivets? Oh, yes. Don't mind if we do...

[grale23]

TooMany2cvs said:

No, you don't. But you do have to fill in the HMC&R NOVA form, so they can tell you that officially.

Coming from the EU, the only difference that ten years makes is that you don't need the certificate of conformity. If it was non-EU, it'd be IVA instead of CofC - but, again, over 10yrs means that's not needed.

When you get it here, MOT it - they'll put the chassis number or French plate on the certificate.
Insure it, again on the chassis number or French plate.
Then send the NOVA certificate, £55+VED, MOT, insurance, completed V55/5, Carte Grise in to DVLA and sit back and wait for the certificate of entitlement to your new British reg to come through with the tax disc. Then get the plates made up, and ring your insurer. The amended MOT and V5C will follow eventually.

So what are you importing...?

Been looking at Renault 5 Turbo1/2's and was wondering whether it was worth trying to buy in France and take the risk. Always fancied one of these and they seem a bit cheaper over there.
I believe there are certain certificates that should come with the car ..do you happen to know what they are and what I should be looking for ? Are there any traces that can be done with a French plate ,like you can over here ?
Many thanks

[GC8]

Anything over ten years old doesnt require any sort of homologation or CoC! I will back this up by saying that I have imported many, many cars from Japan. I had to pay duty and VAT of course, but from the 1st of January 1993 you havent had to pay anything on duty paid item in free circulation within the EU.

[GC8]

Ozzie Osmond said:

Serious question: Is that still possible with computerised MOT system? I thought the testing station had to open the existing DVLA record before starting a test.

Yes it is. I have had scores of Japanese vehicles MOTd on their short Japanese chassis numbers.

[crossy67]

You will need a DÉCLARATION DE CESSION D’UN VÉHICULE. There are three copies, one for you, one for the old owner and one for the prefecture (French DVLA) and you will need the old catre Grise (reg doc) that will be crossed by the seller with date and time on it.

As for HPI checks here I don't know sorry.

[GC8]

VROs used to check with Interpol allegedly. I have had far more cars registered whilst I sat at the counter than delayed for a week though, so I suspect that what they did and what they told you that they did were seldom the same thng.