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Permanently importing a motorcycle into the UK (from outside the EU) Permanently importing a motorcycle into the UK (from outside the EU)
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Trip Paperwork Covers all documentation, carnets, customs and country requirements, how to deal with insurance etc.
Photo by Helmut Koch, Vivid sky with Northern Lights, Yukon, Canada

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  #16  
Old 13 May 2016
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Location: Cornwall, in the far southwest of England, UK
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Cleared Customs!
Can you believe it? I've actually received the elusive customs clearance from HMRC this morning, May-13th. 84 days after sending-in my application on February-19th.

WHAT a palaver!

The key to all this is getting the Customs & Excise NOVA (Notification of Vehicle Arrivals) reference number.

DVLA can now pick-up and get confirmation of the clearance through the NOVA service by identifying the reference number.

All I need to do now, therefore, is send-in a completed form V55/5 (Application for first vehicle tax and registration of a used motor vehicle) to the DVLA; together with
  • 1st time registration fee of £55.00
  • Original New Zealand rego certificate
I have no idea how long the re-registration process will take - but I'm not holding my breath. By the end of the month perhaps? (anyone know?)

Then get the ol' gal MOT'd and road taxed.

I'm hoping I might even be able to ride her up to the HUBBUK Meeting next month.
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  #17  
Old 13 May 2016
(aka frgich) HUBB Advertiser, Supporter
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Location: Zagreb, Croatia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Keith1954 View Post
Can you believe it 84 days
Jeebus Keith it seems like an Odyssey ! Here in Croatia we have Odyssey's cave near Dubrovnik, I can rent it for free for you

Wishing you a quicker solution so the ol' gal can be on the road again

cheers
Dooby
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  #18  
Old 29 Jan 2019
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I could do with some advice Keith1954
Hi Keith,

I'm not sure if you will see this as your thread was started a few years ago. I am possibly looking to import my 24 year old bike from Australia, where I have been living for over 12 months. While I know I will probably be VAT free and exempt from needing an IVA, I know I will need to do the catch 22 thing of getting an MOT before I can register the bike, and no doubt many other steps before I can ride her in the UK.

I'm thinking I could really do with an import agents help. I know you had to pay VAT in the end, but would you recommend using an agent? Did it make the process any faster/ easier? How did you find the agent because I am not seeing very many come up when I search? I'm ideally looking for one on the South Coast. Anywhere between Devon and Kent would suit me fine.

Were they involved in the shipping arrangements too, or did you organise that separately?

Thanks for any info you or anyone else can give me!

Poppalina (complete newbie so apologies if I don't know what I am doing)
Last edited by Poppalina; 29 Jan 2019 at 04:50. Reason: Clarity
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  #19  
Old 5 Oct 2020
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Who were the agents?
Hi Keith1954,
I read your thread with interest. I am about to move back to UK, from Canada, with my BMW, which I have owned since new 5 years ago. Please can you tell us who the agent was that you used in UK and whether you would recommend them?

JT
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  #20  
Old 6 Oct 2020
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Keith1954 View Post
I've just paid 20% VAT and 6% Import Duty (26% in total) on the current value of the bike.

You would be exempt if you qualify for transfer of residence relief. You can qualify if you can prove the following:
  • you are moving your normal home to the UK
  • your normal home was outside the EU for a continuous period of at least 12 months
  • you have owned and used the vehicle for at least 6 months outside of the EU
  • you did not get the vehicle under a duty or tax-free scheme
  • you are going to keep the vehicle for personal use for at least twelve months.


------------------------

AND I haven't finished paying yet! In addition to the import agent's fee (that is, if you employ a specialist agency), I still have to pay:

Change speedo reading from kms to miles ...... £20


There may be one other fee of £85, which will is the cost of a MSVA (Motorcycle Single Vehicle Approval) test, IF I cannot get hold of a COC (Certificate of Conformity) from the maufacturer's national agent from where the bike was first registered, which in my case is Blue Wing Honda Ltd in New Zealand.


------------------------

I guess it could have been worse, as you are obliged to notify HMRC within 14 days of bringing a vehicle into the UK permanently. If you don't then you can be fined £5 for every day you’re late telling HMRC.

I imported my bike - ferry to Plymouth from Santander, Spain - on the 21st October last year (2015), but didn't notify HMRC until 23rd March this year. Therefore I could have been facing a fine of £700 (140 days x £5).

BUT no fine has been imposed.
So, I've imported a couple of vehicles (not bikes) to the UK and the list above is what applied at the time(s). EXCEPT that I had not owned one of the vehicles for 6 months - I HAD owned it and used it for 3 months outside the EU, and the VAT was prorated for this period - so half of what it would have been for a new vehicle. The other I had owned for years, outside the EU.

re "Change speedo reading from kms to miles ...... £20" - things may have changed I suppose, however I didn't change the speedometer on the vehicle which has a Km/h speedometer and had no problem with registration and subsequent MOT tests.

I had no problems re conformity - I didn't have a certificate for either vehicle however they just looked at the windows which have the conformity data stamped in them and accepted that.
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  #21  
Old 6 Oct 2020
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jenny Thorpe View Post
Hi Keith1954,
I read your thread with interest. I am about to move back to UK, from Canada, with my BMW, which I have owned since new 5 years ago. Please can you tell us who the agent was that you used in UK and whether you would recommend them?
JT

Hi Jenny - the agent I used was: UK Import Services Ltd

As I re-call, they were reasonably competent .. but that was 4½ years ago.

Good luck with your move.

cheers

Keith
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  #22  
Old 7 Oct 2020
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I imported a Harley to UK from NZ, where I was living as a dual (NZ/UK) citizen, in 2002.
I had owned the bike in NZ for about a year when I did this.
The bike came into UK as the property of a returning UK resident (me) and I ran it around for a year on NZ plates.
This was in the days of Norwich Union's Rider Insurance policy, so insuring an overseas vehicle was no probs. So easy back then!

When the NZ registration expired, I got an MOT based on its VIN, not licence number - this is SOP.
The test centre I used didn't care/notice that the speedo was Kms only, maybe I just got lucky?
I then walked into a licensing office in Reading, Berkshire, got a UK licence plate for some fiddling fee, can't recall how much but it was way less than GBP100, no VAT, no import duty, nothing else. But you do need paperwork from HMRC proving that the bike came in to the country legally. This was supplied when it was released from the shipper as a returning resident's property.

This was 18 years ago, mind, and shit might be different now.
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  #23  
Old 7 Oct 2020
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You don't need to use a specialist importer to import your personal vehicle into the UK, you can do it yourself via a transport company such as Motofreight. It's no different from riding it in off the ferry and you can use it on foreign plates for a period of time.

The requirements for re-registering are laid out here: https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk

Clearly there are some documents you'll have to provide so it's worth getting those in advance. There is no duty or tax to pay if it's a personal import and you own the vehicle for a certain amount of time before and after import, see here: https://www.gov.uk/government/public...de-the-eu#sec4
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  #24  
Old 7 Oct 2020
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And having a KM speedo is not a problem, not an MOT or registration issue, I have registered two imported bikes with them.
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