Buying a car you may never see in person until it lands is a leap of faith, and the worry is finding a problem once it is too late to walk away. Most of those problems can be spotted before any money changes hands. Some are about the car, and more of them than you would think are about the paperwork. This is the list we would want you to work through first.
- Must have
- A proper purchase invoice
- Must match
- Chassis number and paperwork
- Look for
- A clean title
- Decides test and tax
- Build date
The paperwork comes first
A car can be in perfect condition and still be a headache to import if the documents are wrong. Customs and HMRC work from the paperwork, so it has to be right before you pay.
The purchase invoice. You need a proper invoice or bill of sale. It proves the car is yours, and import VAT is worked out on it, or on a recent valuation if the invoice is more than 3 months old. It is also part of the evidence HMRC looks at for NOVA, the notification that the car has arrived.
Proof of ownership. That means the car's registration document from the country it is in, or in the USA, its title. Some countries need more before a car can leave: an export certificate from Japan, for example, or the RTA export certificate in the UAE.
The chassis number. The VIN or chassis number on the car should match the one on the registration, the invoice and any export papers. Evidence of the VIN is one of the things HMRC asks for, so a mismatch is worth sorting out before you buy, not after.
Paperwork to check
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Finance and title
Our general advice is to make sure the car has no outstanding finance before you buy it. How you check that varies from country to country, so ask the seller for proof and use whatever check is available locally. A car that is not fully the seller's to sell is not a car you want on a ship.
Title matters too. Generally speaking, a UK registration really needs a clean title to have any chance of going smoothly. With a damaged car, registration means looking at its history, the extent of the damage, the repairs done and any salvage or rebuilt titles. If a car is cheap because it has a branded title, factor in that it may not be a simple import.
Clean title first. A salvage or rebuilt title can turn a straightforward registration into a long one. If the history is unclear, ask us before you commit.
Check the build date
The build date decides which test the car needs here and what tax it pays, so it can change the whole cost of the import. It is worth confirming before you agree a price.
| Feature | Under 10 years | 10 to 30 years | 30 to 40 years | Over 40 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | IVA, or a CoC for many EU cars | MOT | MOT | No MOT needed |
| Tax from outside the EU | 20% VAT and 10% duty | 20% VAT and 10% duty | 5% VAT, no duty | 5% VAT, no duty |
The import tax calculator will run the numbers, and our guide to the IVA test explains the newer-car route.
Inspect the car, or have it inspected
If you cannot see the car yourself, our advice is to get someone you trust to look it over for you. These are the areas My Car Import checks before a car is shipped, and they make a good buyer's list too. A car that leaves in good order is less likely to need remedial work when it lands.
Condition to check
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Uneven tyre wear can point to an alignment problem, and rust underneath is worth asking about on any older car. If you are buying from Japan, our Japanese import checklist goes into that route in more detail.
Budget for the whole import
The price of the car is only the start. Shipping, import tax, testing and registration all sit on top, and changes such as an mph speedometer or a rear fog light may be needed too. Our guide on what affects the cost of shipping covers the first of those.
Questions people ask
Do I need a purchase invoice to import a car?
Yes. It proves ownership and import VAT is worked out on it, or on a recent valuation if the invoice is more than 3 months old. HMRC also uses it as evidence for NOVA.
Can I import a car with a salvage title?
It can be much harder. A UK registration really needs a clean title to go smoothly, and a damaged car means looking at its history, the damage, the repairs and any salvage or rebuilt title.
Why does the build date matter?
It decides the test and the tax. Cars under 10 years old usually need an IVA test, cars over 40 need no MOT, and cars over 30 years old pay 5% VAT and no duty.
What if the chassis number does not match the paperwork?
Sort it out before you buy. HMRC asks for evidence of the VIN or chassis number, so the car and its documents need to agree.
Found a car you like? Send us the details on the quote form before you buy and we will tell you what the import involves.
