Importing a classic from the EU in 2022!
Discussion
I’d like to import a 50 year old car from Italy to the UK.
I understand as the car is 30+ years old, I need “just” pay 5% VAT.
If I were to drive it over, does anybody know how it works once you get to the Le Shuttle crossing? What do I need to present at the border?
Once in the country - is it a pretty straight forward exercise?
Import my Car has quoted me £2300 excl the 5% VAT for transportation, registration and plates. This is from Northern Italy.
Does that sound like decent value or am I best going my own way?
Cheers all
N
I understand as the car is 30+ years old, I need “just” pay 5% VAT.
If I were to drive it over, does anybody know how it works once you get to the Le Shuttle crossing? What do I need to present at the border?
Once in the country - is it a pretty straight forward exercise?
Import my Car has quoted me £2300 excl the 5% VAT for transportation, registration and plates. This is from Northern Italy.
Does that sound like decent value or am I best going my own way?
Cheers all
N
That sounds almost reasonable to me. To collect yourself you'll need flights, accommodation for 2 nights at least (unless you drive it back non-stop?), ferry and all the necessary fuel. Comprehensive insurance and breakdown cover would be a must, too and hard to buy on a foreign car without UK registration. Otherwise people would have a car ahem, 'break down' and get a free trip home..... 
I haven't researched it deeply myself but expect you will. But at a guess, it'd probably cost you over £1000 to do it yourself. Mind you, you could class it as a 'holiday' / adventure and just go for it.
I haven't researched it deeply myself but expect you will. But at a guess, it'd probably cost you over £1000 to do it yourself. Mind you, you could class it as a 'holiday' / adventure and just go for it.
From the research I've done it's all a bit confusing and muddled ! I too am interested in importing a car from Italy that's 50 years old (maybe it's the same one !)
Some places state that there's 5% vat to be added and others are stating that just a £50 admin fee applies if the car was built in the EU.
If you find out a definitive answer I'd appreciate knowing
Cheers in advance
Lee
Some places state that there's 5% vat to be added and others are stating that just a £50 admin fee applies if the car was built in the EU.
If you find out a definitive answer I'd appreciate knowing
Cheers in advance
Lee
Hi, I'm importing soon my old beetle from Italy. I owned the car since 2007 and now I could do with having the car here.
I am planning to drive on its original Italian plates. and then notify HMRC within 14 days. You don't necessarily have to declare it as soon as you are at Eurotunnel Calais (where passport control is) or Folkestone as far as I understood.
Then after paying whatever is due to HMRC I'll start the process for the registration in UK with DVLA.
The car is still in my name at my old address in Italy and there will be also my father doing the trip with me,.so a bit of a Euro trip for me after Easter.
I called HMRC a few months ago and they told me all is due in my case is 5% VAT, no duty because the car is old.
It sucks on a thing that has been already mine for 15 years, but I was not in a position to do that before Brexit (no garage) so hey ho! It is not an expensive car... And I should have the original receipt somewhere...
I also found the article of the £50 admin fee but I suspect that is old and applied before Brexit to imports outside the EU that were initially EU cars, i.e. car from Italy exported to the US and then reimported to the UK.
If you have time I recommend driving your new car. Depending where the car is, I'd recommend driving through Switzerland so you can save about €80 on tolls (despite buying the Swiss vignette) when compared to other French routes (at least for me from Tuscany).
Check on ViaMichelin by forcing your route through Lucerne. You could use those €80 for accommodation!
I read now in Italy they can give you in due time export plates and you could potentially get insured on the VIN in UK.
Good luck and enjoy!
I am planning to drive on its original Italian plates. and then notify HMRC within 14 days. You don't necessarily have to declare it as soon as you are at Eurotunnel Calais (where passport control is) or Folkestone as far as I understood.
Then after paying whatever is due to HMRC I'll start the process for the registration in UK with DVLA.
The car is still in my name at my old address in Italy and there will be also my father doing the trip with me,.so a bit of a Euro trip for me after Easter.
I called HMRC a few months ago and they told me all is due in my case is 5% VAT, no duty because the car is old.
It sucks on a thing that has been already mine for 15 years, but I was not in a position to do that before Brexit (no garage) so hey ho! It is not an expensive car... And I should have the original receipt somewhere...
I also found the article of the £50 admin fee but I suspect that is old and applied before Brexit to imports outside the EU that were initially EU cars, i.e. car from Italy exported to the US and then reimported to the UK.
If you have time I recommend driving your new car. Depending where the car is, I'd recommend driving through Switzerland so you can save about €80 on tolls (despite buying the Swiss vignette) when compared to other French routes (at least for me from Tuscany).
Check on ViaMichelin by forcing your route through Lucerne. You could use those €80 for accommodation!
I read now in Italy they can give you in due time export plates and you could potentially get insured on the VIN in UK.
Good luck and enjoy!
nickpan said:
I’d like to import a 50 year old car from Italy to the UK.
I understand as the car is 30+ years old, I need “just” pay 5% VAT.
If I were to drive it over, does anybody know how it works once you get to the Le Shuttle crossing? What do I need to present at the border?
Once in the country - is it a pretty straight forward exercise?
Import my Car has quoted me £2300 excl the 5% VAT for transportation, registration and plates. This is from Northern Italy.
Does that sound like decent value or am I best going my own way?
Cheers all
N
Pretty strong £ if it's just going on a multicar open transporter tbh, but for a single car dedicated enclosed truck that's cheap.I understand as the car is 30+ years old, I need “just” pay 5% VAT.
If I were to drive it over, does anybody know how it works once you get to the Le Shuttle crossing? What do I need to present at the border?
Once in the country - is it a pretty straight forward exercise?
Import my Car has quoted me £2300 excl the 5% VAT for transportation, registration and plates. This is from Northern Italy.
Does that sound like decent value or am I best going my own way?
Cheers all
N
You should able to just drive through if you do it yourself, but is best to have started the customs process & have the info with you, just incase.
Just bear in mind that bringing a car from Italy may result in an issue with plates if you haven't got the car registered in your name in Italy (if you're planning to drive).
ETA - they'll want all documents for the car at the border, and to know whether it is a temporary or permanent export.
ETA - they'll want all documents for the car at the border, and to know whether it is a temporary or permanent export.
Has this been confirmed then?
A car that's greater than 30 years old that is bought in the EU and brought back into the UK will incur a 5% VAT charge along with annual tax charge and the cost of doing an MOT prior to DVLA registering and issuing the V5?
There are no other charges? I presume N.I would be the same.
A car that's greater than 30 years old that is bought in the EU and brought back into the UK will incur a 5% VAT charge along with annual tax charge and the cost of doing an MOT prior to DVLA registering and issuing the V5?
There are no other charges? I presume N.I would be the same.
Yes confirmed. I paid 5% VAT on my 1974 Italian beetle.
40+ years so MOT exempt. Really straightforward since the documents were in my name. I wasn't asked anything at the border, but I did everything from home, within 14 days.
HMRC required me to get a valuation from a car dealer, this was the most difficult part. So many phone calls and people would not know how to value it...
40+ years so MOT exempt. Really straightforward since the documents were in my name. I wasn't asked anything at the border, but I did everything from home, within 14 days.
HMRC required me to get a valuation from a car dealer, this was the most difficult part. So many phone calls and people would not know how to value it...
Edited by LoreT38 on Tuesday 31st January 21:30
Skyedriver said:
Can anyone confirm what the situation for a car going from the UK to (say) France or Germany? Are 30 year old vehicles going to the EU subject to high taxation there. Heard two stories recently where this has been suggested.
Still should be much less than a modern car, I think Germany is 7% & France 5.5% nickpan said:
I’d like to import a 50 year old car from Italy to the UK.
I understand as the car is 30+ years old, I need “just” pay 5% VAT.
If I were to drive it over, does anybody know how it works once you get to the Le Shuttle crossing? What do I need to present at the border?
Once in the country - is it a pretty straight forward exercise?
Import my Car has quoted me £2300 excl the 5% VAT for transportation, registration and plates. This is from Northern Italy.
Does that sound like decent value or am I best going my own way?
Cheers all
N
That’s about what it cost me last year to import from northern Italy.I understand as the car is 30+ years old, I need “just” pay 5% VAT.
If I were to drive it over, does anybody know how it works once you get to the Le Shuttle crossing? What do I need to present at the border?
Once in the country - is it a pretty straight forward exercise?
Import my Car has quoted me £2300 excl the 5% VAT for transportation, registration and plates. This is from Northern Italy.
Does that sound like decent value or am I best going my own way?
Cheers all
N
Hi. I just created a new post on this subject before I saw this thread.
I too want to import a 70's classic and drive it home. The dealer can organise export documents but I'd like to drive it home on Italian plates and so far I've not found insurance to let me do this.
Can anyone offer advise on insurance? Adding another 2 to 3k plus the 5% is starting to make it all look expensive.
Any other advise gratefully received.
Thanks
I too want to import a 70's classic and drive it home. The dealer can organise export documents but I'd like to drive it home on Italian plates and so far I've not found insurance to let me do this.
Can anyone offer advise on insurance? Adding another 2 to 3k plus the 5% is starting to make it all look expensive.
Any other advise gratefully received.
Thanks
Whilst it was prior to Brexit, I bought an Alpine in from France on a trailer and Hagerty were very accommodating on insuring the car on its travels and then keeping it insured until I had received its UK registration. However I did not drive the car on the road within the UK until I had the UK number plates.
The situation UK to France is something I have just been through.
In theory you have to declare at the French border that you are importing the vehicle to customs - there is a specific form which needs to be stamped by the customs (CERFA 10070, available on the French customs internet site) at the border.
This step can be avoided - but it makes the process much more difficult as you have to deal with your local customs office - who can be difficult!
We then needed to get an approved expert to testify that the vehicle is substantially standard - so no significant mods to engine, suspension, bodywork etc), this step is actually pretty steep, you need an understanding 'expert' - which we fortunately had (the engine was not the original although of the original type - so changing engine types is likely to be an issue!).
Once you have paid the 5.5% which has to be verified by the expert as a 'true value'!, you get a stamped certificate and can start the French registration process.
Unfortunately most of the English language sites (including the UK government ones) have yet to catch up with these requirements.
In theory you have to declare at the French border that you are importing the vehicle to customs - there is a specific form which needs to be stamped by the customs (CERFA 10070, available on the French customs internet site) at the border.
This step can be avoided - but it makes the process much more difficult as you have to deal with your local customs office - who can be difficult!
We then needed to get an approved expert to testify that the vehicle is substantially standard - so no significant mods to engine, suspension, bodywork etc), this step is actually pretty steep, you need an understanding 'expert' - which we fortunately had (the engine was not the original although of the original type - so changing engine types is likely to be an issue!).
Once you have paid the 5.5% which has to be verified by the expert as a 'true value'!, you get a stamped certificate and can start the French registration process.
Unfortunately most of the English language sites (including the UK government ones) have yet to catch up with these requirements.
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