Exporting Cars to the UK Safely

Import a car from anywhere overseas

First Base Freight have been importing cars, motorhomes and caravans back to the UK for many years by roll on/roll off or by container services. Our professional imports team will handle everything from delivering your vehicle to the port of departure right up to the delivery of your vehicle back to your home or place of work here in the UK.

There has been a trend developing across the world that is seeing people that emigrated overseas many years ago deciding to move back to their original roots here in the UK. There has been a massive downturn in the market of people exporting from the UK in 2015 however, we are seeing a continual growth of people shipping their vehicles back home for many different reasons whilst settling back in the UK after a long time away.

The majority of the world is currently in a recession which is forcing a lot expats to consider their future. This recession is forcing many people to return back home to the UK as life is becoming harder and harder to cope with in what was once the main destination to emigrate to.

I’ve just bought a vehicle overseas, how do I ship it to the UK?

We can ship a car from anywhere overseas even if you have just purchased it from say, ebay or a private seller for example and deliver it to your door here in the UK. We work closely with a network of reliable partners across the world and can arrange to have your vehicle collected and delivered to the port and have it shipped back to the UK by either roll on/roll off or by container services every week on fast, reliable vessels. We can deliver your car by transporter to anywhere throughout the UK for you, be it to your home address or to a garage so that you can get it MOT’d and registered with the DVLA. We will even register your vehicle for free with NOVA (notification of vehicle arrival), the car team at HMRC. The NOVA registration takes approximately 7 days and vehicles cannot be registered with the DVLA until NOVA have confirmed that they have registered it on their system first.

Understanding how to Import a Car into the UK

Importing vehicles and/or household goods back in to the UK can be a tedious and tiresome process if you do not know what to do. Our experience enables us to confidently offer you a first class service from start to finish. Let us help and assist you with either your vehicle import or your household goods, we will always endeavour to keep you fully informed from the moment of collection right up to the point of delivery. We will even help you complete any documentation that may be required – it’s all part of the service.

Can I Get VAT At The Reduced Rate of 5%?

Understanding UK vehicle imports – Some Duty and taxes may apply on imports coming in to the UK at 20% so please bare this in mind when purchasing anything from overseas. You can get a good idea of charges for VAT and Duty by going to the VAT & Duty Calculator. In certain circumstances we can apply for reduced VAT for your vehicle import. Vehicles must be over 30 yrs of age, no longer in production and have not been modified in any way for your vehicle to qualify. We we complete the import clearance in to the UK it is then that you will be notified of any charges from the HMRC (if at all these are applicable). We will send you an invoice and pay this directly to HMRC on your behalf and leave you with a copy of the customs entry for your records.

I have a carnet can you still import my vehicle for me?

The simple answer is yes, we will arrange the shipping for you and deal with UK customs clearance on your behalf. We will pay all the local arrival fees as set out by the shipping line and charge you a small fee plus their charges for doing so. Fees are different and vary depending on which shipping line is used, how the vehicle is imported such as roll on/roll off or by container. We will need to have your carnet couriered to us so that we can send it to customs, they will either need to see sight of it or will stamp it for you upon receipt. Once your vehicle is imported we will have the carnet couriered back to you in the UK where you will then be able to claim your deposit back.