Importing from the UK - definitive guide (Q and A)

Lurching

Is the VRT Calculator on the ROS website to be trusted when talking about motorcycles?
Looking at the likes of a 2010 BMW S1000RR. £8,000 worth of a bike, yet calculator says VRT is €269.

Does that sound accurate? I'd imagine VRT would be a lot more on a car of similar value?
A bit odd, as you can only put in date of registration and CC. Has no idea what bike you're actually looking at.

WestWicklow1

Lurching wrote: »

Is the VRT Calculator on the ROS website to be trusted when talking about motorcycles?
Looking at the likes of a 2010 BMW S1000RR. £8,000 worth of a bike, yet calculator says VRT is €269.

Does that sound accurate? I'd imagine VRT would be a lot more on a car of similar value?
A bit odd, as you can only put in date of registration and CC. Has no idea what bike you're actually looking at.

Seems too much. For a 10 year old 1000cc it should be €135.00

They charge €2 per cc up to 350cc, then, for every cc above they charge €1.

You get discount as the bike gets older:

more than 3 months but less than a year you get 10% discount
less than 2 years, 20%
less than 3 years, 40%
less than 4 years, 50%
less than 5 years, 60%
less than 7 years, 70%
older than 10 and less than 30 years, 90%
over 30 years old has no charge

User1998

VRT Charge €2 per CC up to and including 350 cc and €1 per cc thereafter.

This is for new bikes, you then subtract depreciation.

Value doesn’t seem to play a part

A 2010 1000cc is €135

Lurching

WestWicklow1 wrote: »

less than 7 years, 70%
older than 10 and less than 30 years, 90%

User1998 wrote: »

A 2010 1000cc is €135

I guess it depends when in 2010 it was registered then to switch between the >7 years and >10 years?

User1998

Yeah sorry my calculation was for 01/01/2010.

WestWicklow1

User1998 wrote: »

Yeah sorry my calculation was for 01/01/2010.

Yep, so was mine.

Lurching

Ok, understood. Cheers.

gally74

Is there any companies still picking up in the UK yet?

User1998

Dealers are still getting new stock so I assume so

CPTM

Hi there - I'm still trying to get the log book sorted if anyone remembers my posts from way back :-( I am now 3 months here with the car unregistered. My sis is still trying to get it registered in her name, but between her catching the coronavirus and now the DVLA closed I'm not sure when it will happen. Can anyone tell me how to calculate how much I could be fined per day? What's the worst case scenario per day (Or even a ball park figure)?

Sorry also - if anyone knows whether the re-registration in her name can happen online (including the 25 pound processing cost) please let me know.

Isambard

i'm sorry to hear of your sister, I'm sure we all wish her a speedy recovery.

deezell

CPTM wrote: »

Hi there - I'm still trying to get the log book sorted if anyone remembers my posts from way back :-( I am now 3 months here with the car unregistered. My sis is still trying to get it registered in her name, but between her catching the coronavirus and now the DVLA closed I'm not sure when it will happen. Can anyone tell me how to calculate how much I could be fined per day? What's the worst case scenario per day (Or even a ball park figure)?

Sorry also - if anyone knows whether the re-registration in her name can happen online (including the 25 pound processing cost) please let me know.

Penalty is 0.1% per late day of the VRT due. So if you are registering a car 60 days later than the last day it was due to be registered, and the VRT is calculated at €5000, the penalty is €5 per day late payment, €300 for 60 days. You will of course save a couple of months on road tax as it's not due till month of registration, so if you were close to the end of a month, it would pay to dally for a couple of days into the first of next month. You will be entitled to a refund of late penalties for every day the NCT office was closed, delaying your appointment.

brendan001

Where would the nox figure be found when calculating vrt if you dont have the log book, is there a website to look it up ?

L-M

brendan001 wrote: »

Where would the nox figure be found when calculating vrt if you dont have the log book, is there a website to look it up ?

There no point looking anything up.

A car that you might think my be a 2016 Model with X engine, could be a late registered 2014 model with Y engine.

You’re fooling yourself/taking a gamble unless you can get the figure from the V5

deezell

brendan001 wrote: »

Where would the nox figure be found when calculating vrt if you dont have the log book, is there a website to look it up ?

Here,
http://www.emissionsfinder.com/

Or what the Irish revenue use if you've no NOx value on your V5

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zig2407cRrC2i6HTPlKsVQuPydMazvjM/view?usp=drivesdk

This is really difficult to navigate, but it's comprehensive.

colm_mcm

deezell wrote: »

Or what the Irish revenue use if you've no NOx value on your V5

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zig2407cRrC2i6HTPlKsVQuPydMazvjM/view?usp=drivesdk

Hold on, do Revenue actually use that if there’s no value, or is it just used for reference?
There are a myriad of almost identical specs on car models like there are with Co2 figures

I thought if you can’t provide proof then they charge you the max amount

deezell

colm_mcm wrote: »

Hold on, do Revenue actually use that if there’s no value, or is it just used for reference?
There are a myriad of almost identical specs on car models like there are with Co2 figures

I thought if you can’t provide proof then they charge you the max amount

This came from their own website, so they would be obliged to use it as a reference, in the absence of a Nox value on a foreign vehicle registration cert. It's the proof if you like, and its their own so they can hardly dispute it. If you've seen the V5 for your potential purchase and NOx is not stated, it's up to you to trawl this document for an exact match for make, model, variant, engine and date. I've found several cars on this that posters here were despairing of finding Nox values.

colm_mcm

NOx is charged on the basis of milligrams per kilometre as recorded on the Certificate of Conformity. In the case of heavy duty vehicles this will be milligrams per kilowatt hour.

Depending on documentation such as foreign registration certificates the figure may also be shown as grams per kilometre. This will not affect the tax due as Revenue will convert this to milligrams in the calculation at registration.

Used Vehicles
The foreign registration certificate (FRC), which is a mandatory document for all used vehicles, may contain a NOx emissions figure.

United Kingdom imports may have the NOx figure on the FRC if the document was issued prior to April 2019. This is usually displayed in box V3 of the V5 the UK registration certificate.

If not present on the foreign registration certificate, customers are advised to obtain the Certificate of Conformity for the vehicle. This can be obtained by contacting a main dealer or the manufacturer directly.

Revenue will also accept official written confirmation from the manufacturer or an appropriate statutory authority of the NOx emissions. These will be considered on a case by case basis depending on the documentation presented.

A NOx figure for Japanese imports can be obtained from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

If a NOx figure cannot be provided for a vehicle then a flat charge will apply. Further information can be found in Calculating the Nitrogen Oxide Charge.

I remain skeptical that a catch-all document that doesn’t relate to the individual car can be used in reality and is anything more than a guide.

Could be completely wrong of course.

deezell

colm_mcm wrote: »

I remain skeptical that a catch-all document that doesn’t relate to the individual car can be used in reality and is anything more than a guide.

Could be completely wrong of course.

You're getting into uncharted waters as Brexit approaches and V5 documents may no longer have the Nox stated, nor can the certificate of conformity be assumed to be EU compliant as is currently the case, hence you don't need a CoC currently on UK imports as they would have been registered from new in a member state. So Make/model/variant/engine/spec of a given car would have a stated Nox on its CoC when submitted for EU type approval, and that would be on record here and in the UK. I'd noticed some posters bringing in practically new cars stating that Nox was not listed. Nonetheless, it's possible to mine that excel sheet for Nox values as the apply under EU CoC, and hence UK, for cars registered while UK still in the Eu.
The choice is yours, you can ask a UK dealer to check the Nox, if its absent, you can get the full make/model/variant from the V5 and match it to the same car on the excel. Try and find it also on Emissionsfinder.com, also go to the DVLA emissions site and see can you track it down. If you get all the matching info, I'm sure you could check with the NCTS as to the validity of your findings. Last resort you can buy the CoC online, costs about €300 or thereabouts, but I've never heard of it except for non EU imports of non Eu manufactured vehicles not previously sold in the Eu. Maybe someone here with a recent UK import with no Nox on the V5 can tell us how they got on at their VRT appointment, and what figure for Nox was used.
It's always stated that a CoC is a required document for VRT registration, true for a brand new previously unregistered import, and its given many a private importer a panic attack when they read it. Don't forget that though the V5 may not state the Nox, it generally states the type approval number, which indicates that it's compliant, a number like this; *98/14*0004*01. If it's type approved then revenue can look up it's Nox.

Some further reading to fry your head,
https://www.transportstyrelsen.se/en/road/Vehicles/Importing-vehicles-and-verification-of-origin/Vehicles-that-have-EU-vehicle-type-approval/

deezell

And just to give you some comfort in addition to the above, all Euro 6 compliant cars have Nox of 80 or less, so even if this default is used, Nox charge is capped at €600.

slave1

Perhaps this was discussed but I missed it, is there a definitive date on Brexit cut off for VAT to be added to UK imports?

deezell

slave1 wrote: »

Perhaps this was discussed but I missed it, is there a definitive date on Brexit cut off for VAT to be added to UK imports?

1/1/2021 if Boris sticks to his guns

Lurching

Hi folks,
I'm having trouble working out the VRT on a 1995 Land Rover Defender (90" 2.5D passenger - not registering commercial).
First of all, the Defender isn't showing up on ROS, and secondly, I don't know the NOX numbers.

Has anyone got any guidance?

j4vier

deezell wrote: »

1/1/2021 if Boris sticks to his guns

Question; if that happens, shouldn't the buyer be exempt from paying uk vat or maybe get it refunded? Like it happens now with cars less than 6 months old.

Marcusm

Lurching wrote: »

Hi folks,
I'm having trouble working out the VRT on a 1995 Land Rover Defender (90" 2.5D passenger - not registering commercial).
First of all, the Defender isn't showing up on ROS, and secondly, I don't know the NOX numbers.

Has anyone got any guidance?

Euro 1 standards applied from 1992-1996 so your vehicle may have fallen under this. However, there was no NOx standard included in Euro1 for diesels so it may or may not have been tested and not to any standard. I presume it is not noted on the UK V5C and may not be on the certificate of conformity either as there was no applicable maximum. On this basis, it would be EUR4,850, i.e. likely not economical.

deezell

j4vier wrote: »

Question; if that happens, shouldn't the buyer be exempt from paying uk vat or maybe get it refunded? Like it happens now with cars less than 6 months old.

Yes, if the car was UK VAT qualifying, which is a small portion of cars sold, business cars, PCP lease etc. The UK revenue are not in the habit of refunding tax paid on private owned vehicles after a certain time.

deezell

Lurching wrote: »

Hi folks,
I'm having trouble working out the VRT on a 1995 Land Rover Defender (90" 2.5D passenger - not registering commercial).
First of all, the Defender isn't showing up on ROS, and secondly, I don't know the NOX numbers.

Has anyone got any guidance?

To avoid the nearly 5 grand Nox charge, import a pre April 1990 vehicle, and bring it in as a classic.

j4vier

deezell wrote: »

Yes, if the car was UK VAT qualifying, which is a small portion of cars sold, business cars, PCP lease etc. The UK revenue are not in the habit of refunding tax paid on private owned vehicles after a certain time.

Forgive my ignorance; by private owned vehicles, do you mean also cars bought from dealerships or just from private individuals looking to sell their own cars?

colm_mcm

Lurching wrote: »

Hi folks,
I'm having trouble working out the VRT on a 1995 Land Rover Defender (90" 2.5D passenger - not registering commercial).
First of all, the Defender isn't showing up on ROS, and secondly, I don't know the NOX numbers.

Has anyone got any guidance?

It’s basically off the scale for nox.

deezell

j4vier wrote: »

Forgive my ignorance; by private owned vehicles, do you mean also cars bought from dealerships or just from private individuals looking to sell their own cars?

Vat qualifying generally means a car ownd by a vat registered company as a conpany asset, or a lease or PCP car where ownership resides with a vat registered company. The dealer will be able to tell you if the car is VAT qualifying, a private individual might well try to sell you a car that is actually lease company property, none he shouldnt be doing so, as its not his. So no, a private owner will not have a car on which you can reclaim the portion of VAT. Example, last car I brought in was declared on the invoice at a price plus 20% VAT, and the owner was Mercedes UK, though the car was on the service records as belonging to an insulation company. Car was returned exactly 3 years from new, when the lease was up and the warranty expired, to be sold on by a main dealer, but not the one who originally supplied it. If I wanted I could have claimed back the UK 20% and paid the Irish 23%, and if I was a VAT registered business buying for company use I might well have had to do this.