--- title: "Moving to the UK from Canada with your car | Shipping a Car" url: https://shippingacar.co.uk/moving-to-the-uk-from-canada-with-your-car/ description: "Moving from Canada to the UK with your car: bring it or sell it, Transfer of Residence, east or west coast shipping, left-hand drive changes and timing the move." --- - [Home](https://shippingacar.co.uk/) - [Guides](https://shippingacar.co.uk/blog/) - Moving to the UK from Canada with your car # Moving to the UK from Canada with your car For someone moving home the tax is often nil and the work is a known list. How to fit a Canadian car into the move. By My Car Import, 19 October 2026 · 7 minute read Moving from Canada to the UK, the car tends to be the decision people put off longest. It is left-hand drive, it was built for North American roads, and the fear is a big tax bill followed by a long list of work. For someone moving home, the tax is often nil, and the work is a known list. This guide sets out how to fit the car into the move. For ports, shipping methods and costs in more detail, see our guide to [shipping a car from Canada](https://shippingacar.co.uk/ship-a-car-from-canada-to-the-uk/). This page is about timing and the move itself. Time at sea 2 to 6 weeks Guide shipping price From £2,175 Tax if you are moving Often nil under ToR Left-hand drive Legal, lighting work needed ## Bring it or sell it Start with the tax, because it usually decides the question. Under Transfer of Residence the car comes in with no import VAT and no duty. Without it, a car from Canada pays 20% VAT and 10% duty on its value plus the shipping, and the sums look very different. Then think about the work. Canadian cars are built to North American lighting rules, so almost every one needs some lighting changes before its test. Tell us the exact model on the quote form and we will tell you what to expect, so the decision is made on real numbers. Last, get a UK insurance quote. Left-hand drive cars can be insured here, but prices vary between insurers, and it only takes a few minutes to find out where you stand. Our guide to [left-hand drive cars in the UK](https://shippingacar.co.uk/left-hand-drive-cars-in-the-uk/) covers day-to-day life with one. ## Transfer of Residence from Canada To bring the car in tax free, you need to have lived outside the UK for at least 12 months in a row, owned and used the car for at least 6 months, and be moving here to live for at least the next 12 months. The car has to arrive within 12 months of your move. If you have a cottage or second place in Canada, note that GOV.UK says relief does not cover goods brought from a second or holiday home. The car needs to be the one from your main home. You apply to HMRC online with form ToR1, before the car ships. HMRC gives you a reference, and we put it on the customs declaration to clear the car tax free. Our guide to [Transfer of Residence](https://shippingacar.co.uk/transfer-of-residence/) covers the relief in full. Your ToR evidence 0 of 6 done - Passport photo page - Proof of your Canadian address, dated within the last 3 months - Proof of your UK address, or a statement from where you will first stay - The car's provincial registration - Proof of purchase, showing how long you have owned it - A list of your possessions, including anything packed in the car **Keep one bill in your name.** HMRC wants proof of your Canadian 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. ## East coast or west coast Where the car is changes the timing more than anything else. We collect from anywhere in Canada through our Canadian agents, from a home or a dealer, with open or enclosed transport, and the car is insured while it is moved to the port. Ports include Halifax, Saint John, Montreal, Quebec, Hamilton, Vancouver and Prince Rupert. A car leaving the west coast has further to go, because the ship routes through the Panama Canal before it crosses the Atlantic. Across the country, the sea leg is around 2 to 6 weeks. Our guides to [British Columbia](https://shippingacar.co.uk/ship-a-car-from-british-columbia-to-the-uk/) and [Ontario or Quebec](https://shippingacar.co.uk/ship-a-car-from-ontario-or-quebec-to-the-uk/) cover each side. | Feature | RoRo | Container | | Speed | Generally faster | Can take a little longer | | Car must run | Yes | No | | Sealed in transit | No | Yes | Once the car is on the ship, marine insurance covers it to its full replacement value. Your Canadian policy will not cover it at sea, so do not cancel one before the other is in place. ## Before you leave Canada The Canadian side 0 of 8 done - Check the 12-month and 6-month ToR rules against your dates - Get a quote, so you know the collection date and the lighting work - Apply to HMRC with form ToR1 and send us the reference - Clear any finance, or get the lender on board first - Registration and bill of sale or purchase invoice ready - Ask your provincial registry what it needs when a car leaves Canada for good - Keep Canadian insurance running until the car is collected - Photos of the car before collection If there is still a loan or lease on the car, talk to the lender before you book. Our guide to [shipping a car with finance outstanding](https://shippingacar.co.uk/shipping-a-car-with-finance-outstanding/) explains why it matters. ## How the move lines up - 1 Months before ### Decide and check ToR Confirm the 12-month and 6-month rules, get a quote and a UK insurance quote. - 2 Before it ships ### Apply for ToR Send form ToR1 to HMRC. If the car goes ahead of you, say so on the form. - 3 Collection ### To the port Our Canadian agents collect the car and take it to the port, insured on the way. - 4 2 to 6 weeks ### At sea Longer from the west coast, because the ship goes through the Panama Canal. - 5 On arrival ### Customs and NOVA We clear the car with your ToR reference and tell HMRC it has arrived. - 6 At our site ### Lighting, test, plates Lighting work, an IVA or MOT on our own site, then DVLA registration within 10 working days of a pass. ## Making it legal here Your car does not need converting to right-hand drive. What changes is the lighting, because Canadian and UK rules differ: - Amber rear indicators, because North American cars usually flash red at the back - Side markers at the front of the doors - A rear fog light - Headlights adjusted or replaced for driving on the left A car under 10 years old also needs a speedometer that reads in mph, which is a more common job on Canadian cars than American ones. It then takes an IVA test. A car between 10 and 40 years old takes an MOT, and one over 40 needs no MOT. Shipping a Car is part of My Car Import, and we run one of only seven privately operated IVA centres in Great Britain. Our guide to [converting an American car for UK roads](https://shippingacar.co.uk/converting-an-american-car-for-uk-roads/) goes through each change, and the same rules apply to Canadian cars. ## The first months in the UK Until the car is registered, taxed and insured, it cannot be used on a public road here, apart from driving to a pre-booked test. GOV.UK says you can be prosecuted otherwise, so plan another way to get around while the car is at sea and in our workshop. Have UK insurance ready for the day it is registered, then tax it. Our guides to [insuring an imported car](https://shippingacar.co.uk/insuring-an-imported-car/) and [road tax for imported cars](https://shippingacar.co.uk/road-tax-for-imported-cars/) cover both. For 12 months after your move, a car that came in under ToR cannot be sold, lent, hired out or used as security, or the VAT and duty can become payable. ## What it costs As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping a car from Canada starts from around £2,175. That is shipping only. It does not include registration, testing, import tax or the lighting work, which varies a lot from car to car. Our [cost guide for Canada](https://shippingacar.co.uk/cost-to-ship-a-car-from-canada/) explains what moves the figure, and a car over 30 years old pays 5% VAT and no duty if ToR does not fit. ## Questions people ask Not if you qualify for Transfer of Residence: 12 months living outside the UK, 6 months owning and using the car, and moving your home here. Apply to HMRC before the car ships. Otherwise it is usually 20% VAT and 10% duty. No. Left-hand drive cars are legal here. It will need lighting work: amber rear indicators, side markers, a rear fog light and headlights set up for driving on the left, plus an mph speedo on cars under 10 years old. Longer than from the east, because the ship routes through the Panama Canal. Across Canada the sea leg is around 2 to 6 weeks, before customs, work, testing and registration. Either works. Apply for ToR before it ships, tell HMRC on the form if it will arrive first, and make sure it lands within 12 months of your move. Yes. It is insured while it is moved to the port, and marine insurance covers it to full replacement value once it is on the ship. Planning the move? Tell us the car and your dates on the [quote form](https://shippingacar.co.uk/quote/) and we will set out the plan, from your driveway in Canada to UK plates. Shipping is half the job ## Then My Car Import puts it on UK plates. Shipping a Car is part of My Car Import, so when the container is unloaded the car is already where it needs to be. It goes straight into testing and registration on the same site, with no extra transport and no waiting for a test slot somewhere else. [Quote for the whole import](https://shippingacar.co.uk/quote/) [Registration at My Car Import](https://mycarimport.co.uk) - **One of only seven** privately operated IVA centres in Great Britain - **The only privately owned** MSVA test centre in Great Britain - A **dealer-level DVLA account**, so we register imported cars within 10 working days - **In-house conversions** and test preparation, from lights to speedos ## More guides - [Moving to the UK from Dubai with your car Leaving Dubai usually comes with a deadline. How to line the UAE paperwork, the shipping and the UK tax and testing up with your move. Read it](https://shippingacar.co.uk/moving-to-the-uk-from-dubai-with-your-car/) - [Moving to the UK from Hong Kong with your car Most Hong Kong cars we import come over as part of a family move. How to fit the car into yours, from ToR evidence to UK plates. Read it](https://shippingacar.co.uk/moving-to-the-uk-from-hong-kong-with-your-car/) - [Moving to the UK from New Zealand with your car The car makes the longest trip of anything you own, but it is a simple one to bring in. Most of the risk sits in a few dates you control. Read it](https://shippingacar.co.uk/moving-to-the-uk-from-new-zealand-with-your-car/) ## Tell us about your car Where it is, what it is and when you need it here. We will price the whole import, from collection abroad to UK registration with My Car Import, not just the boat. Rather talk it through? Call 01332 810442