If you are leaving Singapore, the car usually raises two questions. How do you get it off the LTA's books, and what will it need once it reaches the UK? The first is now an online job we can guide you through, and the second is a short list, because Singapore cars are already right-hand drive.
- Shipping time
- 4 to 8 weeks
- Method
- Shared container
- Deregistration
- Online with the LTA
- Guide shipping price
- From £3,175
LTA deregistration
Before a car leaves Singapore it has to be deregistered with the LTA, the Land Transport Authority. That is now an online process, and we can send you a guide that walks you through it step by step, so you are not left working it out on your own.
Your Singapore paperwork
0 of 5 done
Our full list of documents to ship a car to the UK explains what each one is for.
Ports and shipping
Cars can leave from any of Singapore's main terminals, including Pasir Panjang, Keppel and Tanjong Pagar, as well as Jurong Port. We ship in shared containers, so your car travels with other customers' cars and you pay a lower rate than for a container on its own.
Shipping takes around 4 to 8 weeks. The container comes to our site in Castle Donington, where our own team unloads it. When your car is checked in, we make a video that shows you the car and walks you through the next steps, so you can see it has arrived safely even if you are still overseas.
If you are weighing up methods, our guide to container, RoRo or air sets out the differences.
From Singapore to your drive
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Before it sails
Deregistration and loading
You deregister the car with the LTA online, using our guide, and it is loaded into a shared container.
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4 to 8 weeks
Shipping
The container sails from Singapore and comes to our site in Castle Donington.
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On arrival
Customs
We handle customs clearance ourselves, so the car does not sit at the port running up storage fees.
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At our site
Check-in, changes and testing
You get a check-in video, then our team makes the changes the car needs and tests it on our own lane.
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Within 10 working days
Registration
Our dealer-level DVLA account lets us register the car and fit your UK plates.
Making it UK road legal
Singapore drives on the left, so its cars are right-hand drive and need far less work than a left-hand drive car. The common changes are:
- A rear fog light, the most common change
- A speedometer converted from km/h to 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 takes an MOT, with similar changes made first. A car over 40 years old does not need an MOT test, and can be delivered directly to your UK address.
Shipping a Car is part of My Car Import, and we run one of only seven privately operated IVA centres in Great Britain, with the DVSA visiting weekly. We test every week on our own site, so your car is not waiting in a queue somewhere else. The IVA test explained guide covers what happens on the day.
What it costs
As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping a car from Singapore starts from around £3,175. That is shipping only. It excludes registration, other services, import tax and any remedial work the car needs.
Singapore is outside the EU, so a car bought there pays 20% import VAT and 10% import duty, worked out on the price of the car plus the transport costs, with VAT on top of the duty. A car over 30 years old pays 5% VAT and no duty.
If you are moving to the UK, have lived outside it for at least 12 months and owned the car for at least 6, Transfer of Residence means you can import it tax and duty free. You can try the numbers for your own car below, or use the import tax calculator.
Sort the deregistration before shipping day. The car cannot leave Singapore until the LTA side is done. Ask us for the guide as soon as you have booked, so it is not a last-minute job.
Questions people ask
How long does it take to ship a car from Singapore to the UK?
Shipping takes around 4 to 8 weeks in a shared container. After that the car clears customs, then is changed, tested and registered at our site.
How do I deregister my car with the LTA?
LTA deregistration is now an online process. We can send you a guide that walks you through it before the car is shipped.
Which ports do you ship from in Singapore?
Cars can leave from the main terminals at Pasir Panjang, Keppel and Tanjong Pagar, or from Jurong Port.
Does a Singapore car need changes for the UK?
Usually only a few, because it is right-hand drive. The most common is a rear fog light, plus an mph speedometer on cars under 10 years old.
How much does it cost to ship a car from Singapore to the UK?
As a guide, built from a year of real jobs, shipping starts from around £3,175. That excludes registration, other services, import tax and any remedial work.
Ready to move the car? Send us the details on the quote form and we will price the whole job, from Singapore to your drive.
