question import fee fears & paperwork advice .............Im new

[Bazooool]

Hello to all.

I have a few questions I’d like to ask & all advice is much appreciated

Situation – I’m looking for a decent Willys Jeep although I’d prefer a CJ version (not 3b & onwards)

I’ve been looking on e-bay, classic car sites, milweb etc to gauge the models available & prices etc

I notice a few sites/traders etc are importing items from various places – few come with an mot & most need work which is ok by me if the price reflects this

With the possibility of these importers stripping said vehicles down to squeeze in a cargo crate. Are there any pitfalls I need to be aware of in relation to the possibility of any vehicle “appearing” on these shores, in relation to tax duty to be paid when I try & eventually register the vehicle ? & Any costs ?

I would have thought that who ever I buy the vehicle from if not already registered in the UK would supply me with paperwork to say the import duty is paid, but would I expect the same paperwork if its been declared as “spares” ?

I ask this as I seem to recall some years ago different taxation/duty costs for spares, against a full vehicle?

Also – age related plates………..any problems here ? As I don’t want to be issued with a Q plate

I’m sure there’s a simple answer to all this – all advice much appreciated

Thanks

[Nick Johns]

Any imported vehicle offered for sale has had any custom/shipping dues paid at port of arrival before its released to the importer, if it has any registration documents from country of origin with year of manufacture that is acceptable with dvla to issue an age related number, but otherwise in the case of no documents it has to be verified by an approved club, MVT for military vehicles, to ascertain year of manufacture, assuming it has a chassis number again for the issue of age related number, Q plates are only issued if the year cannot be established ie. no chassis number..

Edited October 7, 2012 by Nick Johns

[Minesweeper]

I think it best to appoint an Agent to act for you if you are not accustomed to doing this. I bought a 1951 MG TD from a Dealer in California who was used to dealing with exports to the UK and he was able to suggest an Agent to me.

 

The Agent will "hold your hand" through the whole process and point out any potential problems before hand so that you can deal with them before you are faced with them at the last moment. In my case, for instance, the Agent said that whilst my car looked like an MG and had MG written all over it by way of badges and so on, Customs would not believe that it was an MG unless I had a letter from one of the UK MG Car Clubs certifying the age and that it was a genuine MG, which could be presented to them as the car came in to the UK!

 

Depending on what you buy, you could be faced with VAT and also Import Duty - together with all handling fees and so on. When you have decided what you want to buy, you can telephone Customs and Revenue and they will let you know on the phone what rate of VAT you may be faced with on the age of the car that you are buying..........

 

There is more to it all than this brief note - but good luck with it!

 

Tony

[Gordon_M]

You need to watch the price bracket.

 

Importing a vehicle will cost £2500, so it isn't worth buying something that is near scrap, but on the other hand it you spend £7500 then the dockside total here will be £10000 and you will be paying loads of cash for customs clearance and VAT.

 

Make no mistake, you will be paying, no way to avoid it, legally or otherwise. You should only buy a vehicle with a "TITLE" ( equivalent of our V5 or V55 ) as without that it won't get out of the US. Forget about crating, you just need a slot in a consolidated container shipment, that's cheapest.

 

You can save some money by getting missing bits fixed or replaced before shipment, otherwise you will be importing spares and paying tax every time.

 

A good shipping agent, like Kingstown Shipping, can do local uplift in the US, shipping, local delivery here - you just buy something with a title and pay the money.

 

If you buy something as scrap or parts you will not get a C&E 386 form showing duty paid on import, and you will never be able to road register it.

[david56]

There is a huge difference from bringing in stuff from the EU and Non EU.

 

From outside the EU you will need an agent though this usually comes from the shipping company. It is not simple to do it yourself and if anything goes wrong the Quayside charges can mount up very rapidly. You will have to pay duty and VAT. the goods will not leave the port/ bonded warehouse until Customs are paid up and satisfied . You will need a commercial invoice from the supplier given to the shipping agent preferably while the goods are at sea

 

From the EU its easy there is no VAT on import of vehicles over 6 years old.

 

A new thing to watch out for is some countries in the EU have a scrappage scheme and there is no universal "roadworthy condition" provision. It may be impossible to register any vehicle that has been scrapped so make sure that you get the current registration document if not get a very good reason.

[Bazooool]

Thanks for all the very good advice

 

Just to clarify ...........im not looking to import myself but looking to buy from one of the dealers that do, so it seems the all important thing is title deeds/paperwork & maybe something to say theres no duty to be paid on it

 

Thanks once again

[Gordon_M]

Well, you can find a trustworthy dealer ( ) but there is really nothing to stop you doing it yourself, via a shipping agent, as long as you note the advice given above.

 

If you just want to look at what is available, and get something with the right paperwork immediately, but maybe pay a little more, go to a dealer.

 

If you want a specific type of vehicle in a specific condition, just buy on E-Bay ( using the links here, of course ) or via a US dealer and get it freighted over, using a good shipper and remembering about the title.

 

Gordon