Relocating to UK | My Car

So you have decided to make the journey and are relocating to the UK, you have organised a container to carry all of your personal effects back and your chosen shipping company say they can bring your car back for you too… but have they told you the full story about importing a car to the UK? Merely shipping a car to the UK, and shipping a car to the UK for use on UK roads are two completely different challenges.

What is required for importing a car to the UK?

• • Firstly, if you are shipping with a relocation company who do not specialise in the full service import of cars to the UK, ensure they have provided the correct marine insurance for your vehicle – you want all risk insurance which covers you not just for total vehicle loss, but also those bumps and scrapes which can be costly to fix in the UK if not insured.

Parts such as tyres or brakes can be cheaper your country to purchase – make sure you buy IVA test friendly parts though – call us for more info

• Customs clearance and unloading for cars is different to personal effects and must be done correctly using either a C384 or C104A (ToR01 from April 2017) form to ensure you a) do not pay any import duty / VAT if you do not need to and b) have the correct forms for DVLA registration sent to you
• IVA Testing – This is the main ‘hidden’ cost that you may find your relocation company did not make you aware of – this is the test required for all cars under ten years old. It is run by the organisation VOSA and is a tricky one to get through in some cases. The list of things they check can be extensive, expensive, and dangerous for your cars electronic systems if not carried out by an experienced IVA engineer. Using a company like ShipMyCar.co.uk means your car will be safely converted for UK road use, will look as similar to standard as possible (sometimes we can provide completely invisible IVA modifications), and will be carried out as cost effectively as possible
• MOT Testing – this is another test for all vehicles over three years old and checks the roadworthiness of your vehicle for example worn tyres, suspension, rust etc
• DVLA registration – to drive the car here in the UK it will need to be registered and taxed, this is a tricky procedure if you do not like paperwork!

How do ShipMyCar help?

We take over the complete process for you from door-to-door. We collect the car from your address in the country of export, put it safely in a container, straped and chocked properly to avoid movement and with no other items to fall on the car during transit.

We then correctly insure the vehicle for transit, unload it in the UK carrying out correct customs procedures, carry out all neccesary testing, registration and road tax. We even fully valet the car, provide you with ancillary services such as audio conversions, handsfree driving kits, servicing etc prior to you collecting the vehicle.

We deal with many large companies who relocate their employees and so can provide full VAT invoices for ever component of our service.

If you have already shipped the car to the UK, we are more than happy to take over the process in order to assist you to drive the car here in the UK as quickly as possible.

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