THINKING OF SELLING VW BEACH BUGGY TO CHAP IN DUBAI

[Sir Walter Kipling]

Is it true that as long as the vehicle is a registered classic it can be imported into UAE and used on the road as a right hand drive vehicle? Does anyone have any experience of bringing classics into the UAE? Thanks

[CaptainScarlet1967]

I haven't imported, but have bought right-hand drive cars from people who have imported into the UAE. I have one registered and in use there currently.

You're correct in that in order to be able to register and drive a RHD vehicle there, it will need to have classic numberplates.

The only way it can get classic numberplates is for the vehicle to be at least thirty years old. So presently it would have to be February 1996 or older.

Otherwise, it's either export or going to a scrapyard to be broken for spares. Huge numbers of collectible Japanese imports suffer that fate, sadly. I managed to save one such car from such a fate, and shipped it over to the UK last March.

There is one dodgy way of driving a vehicle on classic plates, and it involves money and people fiddling with the [Japanese] import and other documents and basically making a car older than it is. I've seen plenty of JDM cars that aren't even 20 years old being driven on classic numberplates.

Another thing to bear in mind is a lot of the time, insurance for classic-registered vehicles there is third party only and not fully comp.

Edited by CaptainScarlet1967 on Wednesday 18th February 01:11