Most of the Hong Kong cars we import come over as part of a family move. So if you are packing up a flat, sorting schools and working out where to live, you are in good company. The car feels like one more thing that could go wrong, but it is one of the more predictable parts of the move once the jobs are in the right order.
This page is about fitting the car into the move. For the shipping route itself, see our guide to shipping a car from Hong Kong.
- Paperwork to UK plates
- Around 12 to 14 weeks
- Time at sea
- 3 to 6 weeks
- Guide shipping price
- From £2,425
- Tax if you are moving
- Often nil under ToR
BN(O) visa and the car
Many people moving from Hong Kong come on the British National (Overseas) visa. GOV.UK says you can apply from outside the UK if your permanent home is in Hong Kong, for either 2 years 6 months or 5 years. After 5 years living here, you can apply to stay permanently.
The visa is a Home Office matter, and the car's tax is an HMRC one. HMRC's Transfer of Residence guidance has no separate rules for BN(O) movers, so the same conditions apply to you as to anyone else moving their home here. Sort the visa first, then the car follows the normal route.
Transfer of Residence from Hong Kong
Transfer of Residence, or ToR, lets your car in with no import VAT and no duty. 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. Your belongings can come in more than one shipment, as long as each one lands inside that window. GOV.UK also says relief does not cover goods brought from a second or holiday home, so the car needs to be the one from your main home in Hong Kong.
Without ToR, a car from Hong Kong pays 20% import VAT and 10% duty, worked out on its value plus the shipping. A car over 30 years old pays 5% VAT and no duty. Our guide to Transfer of Residence covers the relief in full.
Do not trade up just before you go. A car bought in the last few months before the move will not have the 6 months of ownership ToR needs, and pays tax at the normal rates. If you want a different car, buy it early or buy it here.
The ToR evidence
You apply to HMRC online with form ToR1, and HMRC gives you a reference. We need that reference on the customs declaration to clear the car tax free, so apply before the car ships.
Your ToR evidence
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Two small things trip people up. Keep at least one bill running in your name until you have applied, because you need one dated in the last 3 months. And use exactly the same name on every document and on the form.
If the car is going ahead of you, the form asks whether your goods will be shipped before you move. Answer yes. If you do not have a permanent UK address yet, give the address where you will stay first.
Before you leave Hong Kong
The order is simple. Decide on the car, get a quote so you know the dates, apply for ToR, then book the shipping. The car travels in a shared container with other customers' cars, which keeps the price down, and it stays sealed in for the whole voyage.
If you are packing belongings with the car, every item has to be declared. Customs in both Hong Kong and the UK want a detailed packing list, so write it as you pack rather than afterwards. The same items go on your ToR possessions list. Our guide to personal belongings in a shipped car sets out what is sensible to send.
Once the car has been permanently shipped out, its Hong Kong registration is cancelled through the Transport Department. If 60 days or more are left on the vehicle licence, you can apply for a refund of the unexpired part. The Transport Department answers questions on this on 1823, so check what they want from you before the car leaves.
Before the car is collected
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How the weeks fall
From the first paperwork to UK plates, allow around 12 to 14 weeks. Most families plan for a spell without the car at one end, and it helps to know which end that will be.
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1 to 2 weeks
Paperwork and ToR
Your ToR1 application to HMRC, and the documents we need from you.
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1 to 2 weeks
Booking and preparation
We book the car onto a shared container and get it ready to load.
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3 to 6 weeks
At sea
The container sails from Hong Kong and comes to our site in Castle Donington.
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Around 3 days
Customs and NOVA
As HMRC CDS authorised agents, we clear the car with your ToR reference and tell HMRC it has arrived.
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1 to 2 weeks
Changes and testing
A rear fog light and, under 10 years old, an mph speedo. Then an IVA test or MOT on our own site.
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Within 10 working days of a pass
Registration
We register the car with the DVLA and fit your UK plates.
Very little work at this end
Hong Kong drives on the left, so your car is already right-hand drive. Hong Kong cars are also no longer checked for headlight compliance, so the headlights stay as they are. The usual list is a rear fog light, fitted or converted, and a speedometer in mph on cars under 10 years old.
A car under 10 years old then takes an IVA test, a car between 10 and 40 years old 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, so the work and the test happen on one site. Our IVA test guide explains what the examiner checks.
The first months in the UK
Until the car is registered, taxed and insured, it cannot be used on a public road, apart from driving to a pre-booked test. GOV.UK says you can be prosecuted otherwise. Plan another way to get around for the first few weeks, especially if you arrive before the car does.
Use those weeks to line up the UK end. You will need insurance in place before you collect the car, and our guide to insuring an imported car is a good start. Once it is registered, you tax it like any other UK car, and road tax for imported cars explains how the rate is set. Your driving licence is a separate question from the car, and GOV.UK has a tool for checking how long you can drive on yours.
One rule carries on after the plates go on. For 12 months, 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. If you think you might sell it soon after arriving, factor that in before you ship.
What it costs
As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping a car from Hong Kong starts from around £2,425. That is shipping only. It excludes registration, other services, import tax and any remedial work. The import tax calculator gives a rough figure if ToR does not fit, and shipping costs compares routes.
Questions people ask
Do BN(O) visa holders get Transfer of Residence?
The visa does not decide it. HMRC has no separate ToR rules for BN(O) movers, so you qualify in the same way as anyone else: 12 months living outside the UK, 6 months owning and using the car, and moving your home here.
How long does it take to bring my car from Hong Kong?
Allow around 12 to 14 weeks from the first paperwork to UK registration. Around 3 to 6 weeks of that is at sea.
Does a Hong Kong car need its headlights changed?
No. Hong Kong cars are no longer checked for headlight compliance. The usual changes are a rear fog light and, on cars under 10 years old, an mph speedometer.
Can I ship belongings with the car?
Yes, but every item has to be declared, and customs in both Hong Kong and the UK want a detailed packing list. List the same items on your ToR application.
Can the car arrive before me?
Yes. Answer yes to the question on form ToR1 about goods shipping before you move, apply before it ships, and make sure it lands within 12 months of your move.
Got your moving date? Send us the car and the date on the quote form and we will fit the shipping around the rest of the move.
