Luxembourg is close, but it is small enough that people assume nobody handles cars from there, and they worry about the SNCA side going wrong. It is a short road run to the Channel, and the Luxembourg paperwork is one notice you can often file online. The rest happens on our site.
- Usual method
- Road transport, ferry or container
- Price
- Priced per job
- Transit time
- Usually 1 to 4 weeks door to door
- Import tax
- 20% VAT, no duty if EU or UK-built
Getting the car over
There are two ways to do it. We can collect from your address in Luxembourg and bring the car to the UK by road, through Belgium or France to the Channel and across to Dover. Or, if you would rather drive it over yourself, we clear it through UK customs once you land.
| Feature | We collect it | You drive it over |
|---|---|---|
| Who drives | Our transport, door to our site | You, to the UK |
| Customs entry | We make it | We make it once you land |
| Suits | Cars needing work or an IVA test | Cars you want to use straight away |
Door to door, European moves usually take 1 to 4 weeks once collection and customs are allowed for. If you drive over yourself, our guide to driving a foreign-registered car in the UK covers the rules for using it here before it is registered.
Telling the SNCA
The SNCA, the Société Nationale de Circulation Automobile, keeps Luxembourg's vehicle register. When a Luxembourg-registered car is exported, the SNCA must be told within 5 working days. It takes a signed declaration that the vehicle is off the road for good, the Déclaration de mise hors circulation.
There are three ways to file it:
- Online through MyGuichet.lu, which needs a LuxTrust product or a Luxembourg eID card
- By registered letter to the SNCA at BP 23, L-5201 Sandweiler
- In person at an SNCA site in Fridhaff, Sandweiler or Esch-sur-Alzette, with all the supporting documents
If someone files on your behalf, they need a written power of attorney. If you paid road tax in advance, Luxembourg refunds the unused part pro rata, so the notice is worth filing promptly.
If you have a personalised Luxembourg number, the SNCA keeps it assigned to you for 36 months after deregistration unless you give it up. Handy if you might go back.
Selling to a UK buyer? The SNCA says a seller can get an export certificate when the buyer lives outside Luxembourg. The buyer uses it to register the car abroad, so ask the seller for one if you are buying there.
Import tax from Luxembourg
Luxembourg is in the EU, so a car coming from there usually pays 20% import VAT on the price plus transport. There is no duty if it was built in the EU or UK, and 10% duty on top if it was built elsewhere. Where the car was made matters, not where it was sold.
A car over 30 years old pays 5% VAT and no duty. VAT is worked out on the invoice, or on a recent valuation if the invoice is more than 3 months old. The worked examples show the sums in pounds.
If you have lived outside the UK for over 12 months and owned the car for over 6, you may import it tax and duty free under Transfer of Residence, through an HMRC application before it travels. A car that was UK-registered before may come back tax free; see bringing a UK car back home.
Customs and NOVA
We handle the customs paperwork ourselves as HMRC CDS authorised agents, which keeps the car out of storage charges. HMRC must be told within 14 days that the car has arrived, through the Notification of Vehicle Arrivals (NOVA). The DVLA will not register the car without it, and we submit it as part of clearance.
Making it UK road legal
Luxembourg cars are left-hand drive and set up for driving on the right. Before registration they usually need three changes:
- Headlight beam pattern corrected for driving on the left
- A speedometer that reads in mph
- A rear fog light, if the car does not already comply
On cars over 10 years old it generally comes down to the rear fog light. Our guide to speedometer and headlight conversions explains the work, and left-hand drive cars in the UK covers driving one here.
Testing and registration
An EU-built car under 10 years old can usually be approved with a Certificate of Conformity, which we can source. Without one, it takes an IVA test on our own lane, which runs weekly. Cars over 10 years old take an MOT, and cars over 40 need no MOT and can be delivered to your UK address before they are registered.
We run one of only seven privately operated IVA centres in Great Britain, and our dealer-level DVLA account lets us register imported cars within 10 working days. Most EU cars already in the UK can be registered remotely, so a car you have driven over may never need to visit us.
Your Luxembourg paperwork
0 of 7 done
What it costs
Luxembourg is priced per job, because the transport, the car and the work it needs all vary. Send us the details and we will price the whole thing. The estimator gives you the tax side.
For what every EU route shares, see importing a car from Europe, or the Luxembourg country page.
Questions people ask
How long does it take to bring a car from Luxembourg?
Usually 1 to 4 weeks door to door, depending on collection, the crossing and customs. If you drive it over yourself, the car is here as soon as you are.
Do I need to tell the SNCA when the car leaves?
Yes. The SNCA must be told within 5 working days of an export, by MyGuichet.lu, registered letter or in person at Fridhaff, Sandweiler or Esch-sur-Alzette.
Can I drive my Luxembourg car to the UK myself?
Yes. Arrange insurance, drive it over, and we clear it through UK customs and register it. Most EU cars can be registered remotely.
Do I pay import tax on a car from Luxembourg?
Usually 20% import VAT on the price plus transport, with no duty if it was built in the EU or UK. Transfer of Residence can make it tax and duty free if you are moving here.
Does it need an IVA test?
An EU-built car under 10 years old can usually use a Certificate of Conformity instead. Without one it takes an IVA test on our own lane. Over 10 years old it needs an MOT.
Moving a car over from Luxembourg? Send us the details on the quote form.
