Moving from Australia to the UK is a big job, and the car can feel like the piece most likely to go wrong. It is on the other side of the world for two months, and it has to be on the right paperwork at both ends. The way to shrink that worry is to put the car jobs in order alongside the rest of the move, and that is what this checklist does.
For the shipping route itself, ports, containers and what the car needs once it lands, see our guide to shipping a car from Australia. This page is about fitting the car into the move.
- Time at sea
- 6 to 10 weeks
- Collection to UK plates
- 10 to 16 weeks
- Guide shipping price
- From £3,200
- Tax if you are moving
- Often nil under ToR
Why the order matters
Two things set the timetable. The first is the distance. From the day the car is collected to the day it is registered here, allow around 10 to 16 weeks, so you will be without it for a while at one end or the other.
The second is Transfer of Residence, the HMRC relief that lets your car in with no import VAT and no duty. It has rules about how long you have owned the car, when you apply and when the car arrives. Miss one and the car pays 20% VAT and 10% duty on its value plus the shipping.
Months before the move
This is the stage where a bad decision is easiest to make and hardest to undo.
Early decisions
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The 6-month ownership rule is the one that catches people. Trading up a few months before you fly feels sensible, but the new car will not qualify for ToR and pays tax at the normal rates.
Most cars from Australia travel in a shared container with other customers' cars, which keeps the price down. A dedicated 20ft container costs more but holds only your car. Our comparison of container, RoRo and air sets out the trade-offs.
Before the car ships
The ToR application goes to HMRC online, on form ToR1, before the car ships. HMRC gives you a reference, and we use it to clear the car through customs tax free. Without it, VAT and duty are due when the car lands.
If the car is leaving before you do, the form asks whether your goods will be shipped before you move. Answer yes. If you are not in the UK yet, it asks for your expected arrival date.
Your ToR evidence
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Keep one bill in your name. HMRC wants proof of your overseas address dated within the last 3 months. If you cancel every utility before you apply, you can be left without it. Use exactly the same name on every document and on the form.
Packing the car
If you are moving house anyway, the car is useful space. You can ship personal belongings inside it, as long as you give us a valued inventory of what is in there, because customs will want to see it. The same items go on the possessions list for your ToR application.
Our guide to preparing your car for shipping covers the rest of the prep, from a low fuel level to condition photos.
Collection day
Our partner hauliers collect from anywhere in Australia and take the car to the nearest major port, where our chosen specialists load it. You do not need to drive it across the country yourself.
On collection day
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Before you sell up, ask your state registration authority what they need when a car leaves Australia for good. The rules are theirs, and they vary.
While it is at sea
The crossing takes around 6 to 10 weeks. My Car Import's online portal shows where the car is in the process, so you are not left guessing while you settle in.
Use the time to sort the UK end. You will need insurance in place before you collect the car, and you will need a way to get around until it is registered. Our guide to insuring an imported car is a good place to start.
Once it lands
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On arrival
Customs and NOVA
As HMRC CDS authorised agents, we clear the car using your ToR reference and tell HMRC it has arrived, within the 14 days GOV.UK sets.
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At our site
Unloading and changes
Our own team unloads the car. Most Australian cars need a rear fog light and, under 10 years old, a speedo in mph.
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At our site
Testing
An IVA test for a car under 10 years old, an MOT for 10 to 40 years, and no MOT over 40.
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Within 10 working days of a pass
Registration
We apply to the DVLA through our dealer-level account and fit your plates.
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Collection
Tax, insure, drive
Collect it from Castle Donington or we deliver it to your UK address.
Australian cars are right-hand drive, so the list of changes is short. Shipping a Car is part of My Car Import, and every test happens on our own site. We are one of only seven privately operated IVA centres in Great Britain.
Do not be tempted to drive it before it is registered. GOV.UK says you can be prosecuted for using an imported car on a public road before it is registered, taxed and insured, unless you are driving to a pre-booked test.
The first year
A car that comes in under ToR has one more rule. For 12 months after your move, you cannot sell it, lend it, hire it out or use it as security. Do any of those and the VAT and duty can become payable. If you think you might sell soon after arriving, factor that in before you ship.
If ToR does not fit
Without ToR, a car from Australia pays 20% import VAT and 10% duty, worked out on its price plus the shipping. A car over 30 years old pays 5% VAT and no duty. If the car was UK registered before it went out to Australia, it may come back tax free with the UK purchase invoice and old V5C. See bringing a UK car back home, and our cost guide for Australia for the sums.
Questions people ask
How far ahead should I plan shipping my car from Australia?
Allow around 10 to 16 weeks from collection to UK registration, and apply for Transfer of Residence before the car ships. Get a quote early so you can fit the collection date around the rest of the move.
Can I buy a new car in Australia just before I move?
You can, but it will not qualify for Transfer of Residence unless you have owned and used it for at least 6 months before you move. It would pay 20% VAT and 10% duty instead.
Can I pack belongings in the car?
Yes, as long as you give us a valued inventory of everything inside, because customs will want to see it. List them on your ToR application too.
Can the car arrive before me?
Yes. Answer yes to the question on the ToR1 form about goods being shipped before you move, and make sure the car lands within 12 months of your move.
Can I sell the car soon after arriving in the UK?
Not if it came in under Transfer of Residence. For 12 months it cannot be sold, lent, hired out or used as security, or the VAT and duty can become payable.
Got a moving date? Send us the car and the date on the quote form, and we will fit the shipping around your move.
