How to import a vehicle or car permanently into England,Wales and Scotland UK
When your vehicle arrives in the UK it must be declared to HM Revenue and Customs and where necessary Import Duty and Vat paid this must be done within 7 days of arrival.
See Vat and Duty Page for more Information
Next you will need to register your vehicle with the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in the UK how you go about this depends on where the vehicle has originally come from and whether it is right or left Hand drive and the age of the vehicle.
If your vehicle is right hand drive (RHD) built to UK specification and has come from another country within the European Union (EU) you should be able to obtain a COC (Certificate of Conformity) from the vehicles manufacturer which you can then use a proof that the vehicle conforms to UK vehicle standards.
If your vehicle is left hand drive (LHD) or has come from out side of the European Union (EU) it will need to undergo an SVA (Single Vehicle Approval) or IVA (Individual Vehicle Approval) run by the Vehicle operator Services Agency (VOSA) to make sure that it conforms to UK vehicle standards it is normal for most vehicles to require some modifications to enable them to pass this test.
See SVA/IVA Page for more information
If your vehicle is over 3 years old from the date of first registration in its country of origin it will also need a UK MOT (Ministry of Transport Test) to check that the vehicle is in a roadworthy condition and that Co2 Emissions are of an acceptable level this needs to be carried out no matter where your vehicle has originally come from.
See MOT Page for more information
Now that you have either an SVA/IVA certificate or COC (Certificate of Conformity) and an Mot (Ministry of Transport Test) if required you are ready to register your vehicle with the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to do this you will also need a valid UK certificate of insurance and the original registration certificate or title from the previous country of registration, proof of address and proof that you have paid all necessary Import Duty and Vat.
Once you are in possession of all these items you can take them to any DVLA local office throughout the UK when you get there you will be asked to fill out an V55/5 for used vehicle registration form or V55/4 new vehicle registration form and in the case of new vehicles you will need to fill out a declaration of newness once completed hand these in and at this point you will need to pay the appropriate registration fee normally £55 and the Fee for your Road Tax (See road tax page for rates) once all of this has been done you will be issued with a registration number relating to the age of the vehicle within 3 working days this can be collected or posted to you once you have this you will need to get number plates made up and fitted to the vehicle then in about 6 to 8 weeks you will receive an V5c registration document through the post.
