Car Import Rules 2019

[Bibbs]

From the Porsche Australia Forum :

https://porscheforum.com.au/topic/14405-new-import...

Coastr said:

So the parliament stopped replacing prime ministers for 5 minutes and passed some legislation it seems.

I'm collecting this data from various places so I might have some of it wrong.  Feel free to correct me.  Those who insist on only considering vehicles with an Australia dealer stamp look away now while the ugliness of imports is discussed!

1989 Imports

The old rule of importing vehicles manufactured before 1989 (had to have a build date prior to 1/1/1989) is going away.

It is going to be replaced with a rolling 25 year rule.  I'm not sure if this applies on a calendar-year-to-calendar year

Personal Imports

This is not changing - if you own a vehicle for 12 months you can bring it in.  

RAV - Register of Approved Vehicles

This is a big list of vehicles approved for Australia.   There are three ways of getting on the list:

1. type approval

2. concessional RAV

3. rule based

Type approval seems to be the normal way of importing cars (e.g. manufacturers) where type approval is granted.

Concessional RAV means the car appears on a list known as the Register of Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicles or SEVs Register.  This appears to be a big list of vehicles the government will keep. 

On the list is :

older vehicles (rolling 25 year)
specialist and enthusiast vehicles (SEVs)
vehicles owned and used overseas for a minimum of 12 months by migrants or returning Australians (the current Personal Import Scheme)
Cars brought in under the 25 year or personal import rule don't have to be on the RAV type approved list ( I guess hence concessional )

Cars on the SEVs list are those which fulfil the following criteria:

Have never been on the type approval.
Can be a variant of a vehicle that did/does have type approval.  Variant means a model that has a different body, transmission or propulsion system, or is a different vehicle category
Variants must be available elsewhere in the world for at least three months before the application is made
Variants must also meet one of the 6 criteria:
Performance : a graduated threshold based on power-to-weight: staring in 1992, it is 110kw/t, increasing by 1kw/t for every model year.  A 2018 model must have 126kw/t
Environmental : blah blah greenie cars who cares
Mobility : for wheelchairs and things like that, but only for manufacturer based models (ie no dodgy conversions)
Rarity : Make is under 3,000 per year averaged over production run; or model is less than 1,000 per year averaged over the production run; or Variant is less than 100 per year averaged over model run.  LHD vehicles in this criteria don't have to be converted, but are still subject to state registration laws (Have Bugatti Veyron? Move to Darwin)
LHD : If the car was never made in RHD for any market in the world (eg Corvette).  Only applies to passenger vehicles.
Campervans : Originally built as a camper
SEVS sheet : https://infrastructure.gov.au/vehicles/mv_standards_act/files/Info_Sheet_1_SEVs.pdf

I recommend looking at 'attachment B' on this link : https://infrastructure.gov.au/vehicles/mv_standards_act/files/Info_Sheet_10_RAV.pdf 

Rally / Race Vehicles

There is an ongoing scheme for special purpose vehicles which include race/rally use and hot-rods where the vehicle is not on the RAV but can be imported, but cna't be used on-road.

Modifying Vehicles

It appears as though modifications are not allowed - what exactly consists a modification I can't figure out.  But if it varies significantly from vehicles on the RAV it isn't allowed - although I think this is aimed at conversions of vehicles to campers and other types of mods.

When does it happen?

Some becomes effective immediately, and some start 12 months after passing of the bill.  Vehicles on the SEV only start 12 months after.  Personal imports start immediately (I think)

Links : https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/bd/bd1718a/18bd108

Concessional Imports : https://infrastructure.gov.au/vehicles/mv_standards_act/files/Info_Sheet_5_Concessional_Imports.pdf

Not sure if the bill has become law yet, but it passed both houses of parliament, so it won't be long.

ALSO don't forget the LCT and Import Duties appear to be staying the same.

What does this mean for the Porsche lover?

As of bill passing, the max date of manufacturer jumps from 1988 to 1993, and will go up each year for import approvals. 

• All 964s will immediately become importable, whereas previously they have never been.  Expect a flood of RHD HK/UK cars in and a gush of LHD US/EU/JP cars.

• Over the next 4 years the entire back-catalog of 993 models will be importable, both RHD and LHD

• 928 GT and GTS cars are now importable, whereas previously they were not. 

• All 968 models are now importable, whereas previously they were not

• Carrera GTs satisfy both the performance criteria and the rarity criteria and will be importable in 12 months

• 918s satisfy both the performance critera and the rarity critera and will be importable in 12 months (in LHD or RHD)

• All 993, 996, 997 and 991 NA, Turbos and GT3s (and GT2 etc etc) satisfy the performance criteria but were originally sold in Australia thus fail the variant test.  The only exception I can think of would be perhaps the 993 RS, if it satisifies the variant test. (or was it sold here?) . However as the 25 year rolling rule marches on these will become importable.  You are only 5 years away from importing 996.1 GT3s if you have your eye on one.

• Cayman GT4s etc satisfy the power/weight ratio - but again only in RHD and don't satisfy the variant criteria.

...Basically if you want a Porsche sports car from another country that wasn't previously sold here you can have it.  The only trick will be getting a RHD model for newer cars unless you live in the NT, or Tas/WA where the LHD rules allow for newer exotics (rarity criteria).

I haven't covered the JDM imports under RAWS but basically those will continue.  Because a lot of Jap cars don't really clear the performance bar (especially in the last ten years) then it's not so good for them.  But for a Porsche fan it's happy days if you have your eye on a rare model somewhere.

The only thing I can't figure out is where you stand with a Singer ... is it a modified car?  I _don't think so_ - but I could be wrong.  

There's also a ton of stuff in there about recalls - probably in the wake of the Takata airbag thing.  I didn't read any of it.

Anyway hope this is helpful for those who peruse international websites (ahem @Mike D'Silva who is always on FB ads poking around) - especially those with their eye on a 964 or 993.

And here's me purposely buying pre 1989 for import, then they go and pass the law, and there's a 'street find' 964 a couple of blocks away.  Dang.  It's a bit rough anyway.

[unzippy]

Or ask an expert:

http://www.ironladyimports.com/about-us/

I can recommend Kristian, incredibly helpful with importing my car to VIC.