Importing from germany ... anything changed?

[CazPaul]

I don’t think you will need the IVA or headlights or Speedo for van 15 years ish old, we required nothing in 2018 for a 2005 van.

 

[SandraL]

But vehicles are in the free trade aggeement.

But thats not what that gov uk website says, unless when you call the helpline it is 0%......


Duty is charged on vehicles imported to:

• England, Wales and Scotland from outside the UK
• Northern Ireland from outside the UK or EU

HMRC will tell you how much you have to pay.

The rates you’re charged depend on the type of vehicle and where you imported it from. You can call the helpline to check rates.

How you pay depends on where you’re importing the vehicle from.

 

[CazPaul]

So if Tam buys from Germany 15 years old ish, has to pay vat in UK, then part exes back to Germany in 2 years and I then buy it from the person/dealer he pxed with. I then pay vat to import to UK as well
That seems crazy you could have vat paid 5 times on one van in theory

 

[Lenny HB]

But thats not what that gov uk website says, unless when you call the helpline it is 0%......

0% means no duty in my book.

 

[Lenny HB]

I don’t think you will need the IVA or headlights or Speedo for van 15 years ish old, we required nothing in 2018 for a 2005 van.

I did say depending on age not sure but I think 20 years is the cut off.

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[Lenny HB]

So basically if i buy a van around £10k its going to cost me around another £3 -3.5 to get it to uk mot and register it

Which to be honest makes it not worthwhile

More like £2 - £2½k.
But with the pound going up you will be buying it a bit cheaper.

 

[tacr2man]

With vehicles if you owned and used outside of UK for a period there was a considerable drop in duty payable , certainly the case with USRV .

 

[EuroTrotters]

Providing they accept the value as your invoice it will be 20% and that will be offset buy the rising pound.
Depending on age you may need an IVA inspection that's £200 & new headlamps, & mph speedo dial also rear fogs will need to conform to UK standard.

I’m not sure what the import duty and VAT is for importing into the UK. I thought it would now be like importing from the US.

What I do know, as I’ve just managed to avoid it. Importing a car from the UK to Spain will now attract import tax.

I did not have to pay as we could prove the car was in Spain in December 2020 by the ITV (MOT).

I have been told by my importing agent that if we took another car over, becoming residents. We may be able to rage it as “fixtures/furnishings” . I’m not soon though.

 

[Lenny HB]

With vehicles if you owned and used outside of UK for a period there was a considerable drop in duty payable , certainly the case with USRV .

Tam will have to get tempory residency in Germany for 6 months.

 

[Ditcha]

0% means no duty in my book.

The 0% is when a new vehicle is being imported into the country by the sole importer, ie Audi Germany supply to Audi UK = 0% duty howeverJoe public or the "end user" pays vat and duty on a import, but if he purchased new here he pays the vat but no duty.

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[Ditcha]

Anyway give it sometime to settle then we're there's a will there's always a way

 

[Northernraider]

More like £2 - £2½k.
But with the pound going up you will be buying it a bit cheaper.

Well i was meaning overall costs compared to a uk purchase.

at 20% just the vat would take a 10k van up another 2grand

Then with the other costs involved such as export plates /insurance for the europe side then any changes required for mot and the wasted class7 mot required to get it registered within allocated time etc .....

At the minute and subject to change ive the 3 following vehicles to consider

2007 vario 816 7.5tonne panel van in germany 347000km at €11300 which is £9980 roughly.

2000 vario 814 7.5tonne panel van in uk 200000km £6-7000

2004 vario 814 7.5 tonne minibus in uk 406000km currently at £3300


The engines are good for crazy miles ....general consensus is the older ones are more robust and less electronics etc



I want to budget around 10k for the actual base van ...that includes it being in a good solid roadworthy condition so the cheaper ones include getting them to that stage , minibus includes removing and welding up exsisting windows to make it a panel van etc


Of course others may come up here and there

 

[Abgs]

But vehicles are in the free trade aggeement.

From my googling I 'think' that means there will be no duty @10% if they are European produced - (maybe rules of origin of the individual components might be factor in decdicded whether the vehicle is European). However, I can't see how we'd get away without paying VAT @20% of the value unless the dealer will supply it German VAT free for export.

 

[Lenny HB]

, I can't see how we'd get away without paying VAT @20% of the value unless the dealer will supply it German VAT free for export.

That wouldn't make a lot of odds if the VAT is only on the differential.

 

[Ditcha]

Can,t see a German retailer not having to pay German vat on any goods they sell, why would they?

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[Ditcha]

Well i was meaning overall costs compared to a uk purchase.

at 20% just the vat would take a 10k van up another 2grand

Then with the other costs involved such as export plates /insurance for the europe side then any changes required for mot and the wasted class7 mot required to get it registered within allocated time etc .....

At the minute and subject to change ive the 3 following vehicles to consider

2007 vario 816 7.5tonne panel van in germany 347000km at €11300 which is £9980 roughly.

2000 vario 814 7.5tonne panel van in uk 200000km £6-7000

2004 vario 814 7.5 tonne minibus in uk 406000km currently at £3300


The engines are good for crazy miles ....general consensus is the older ones are more robust and less electronics etc



I want to budget around 10k for the actual base van ...that includes it being in a good solid roadworthy condition so the cheaper ones include getting them to that stage , minibus includes removing and welding up exsisting windows to make it a panel van etc


Of course others may come up here and there

Option 3 for me if mileage is of no concern, what difference is a 816 to a 814?

 

[Ken Hall]

I may be misunderstanding the first post. but even with insurance on the VIN, it is not legal to drive a vehicle of any sort in the UK unless it is registered i.e. has a DVLA registered number plate. It isn't possible to register a vehicle with DVLA until it is physically in the UK.

Each time we import a vehicle whether new or used, we have to have it driven to our hard standing by a driver with a trade plate. Fortunately the owner of the garage that services our car, drives our imports from Hull to Whitby for £50 and we ferry him about. It's worth cultivating a friendship with one such person, if you plan to import.

 

[Northernraider]

Option 3 for me if mileage is of no concern, what difference is a 816 to a 814?

The 816 has the bluetech engine ... slightly more bhp but lots more electrics and requires adblue ....its euro 4 green wheras the older ones are euro 2 and 3

Probably a few other differences too but personally id prefer to keep it simple
The 814 is generally the most sought after

 

[Northernraider]

I may be misunderstanding the first post. but even with insurance on the VIN, it is not legal to drive a vehicle of any sort in the UK unless it is registered i.e. has a DVLA registered number plate. It isn't possible to register a vehicle with DVLA until it is physically in the UK.

Each time we import a vehicle whether new or used, we have to have it driven to our hard standing by a driver with a trade plate. Fortunately the owner of the garage that services our car, drives our imports from Hull to Whitby for £50 and we ferry him about. It's worth cultivating a friendship with one such person, if you plan to import.

It can be driven on the export plates to either the residence address or to an mot station.

It cant be registered with dvla until it has a current mot

But if its roadworthy in the departing country and on export plates and has a valid uk insurance on vin number then its allowed to do that one journey.

 

[Northernraider]

Option 3 for me if mileage is of no concern, what difference is a 816 to a 814?

This is the current 3 options

German panel van

Uk panel van

Uk minibus

As you can see cosmetically with exception of windows which id be removing and plating the overall body design hasnt changed from 2000 right up to the last off the production line

Any of these would work in my camper design ....all would require bodywork and paintwork regardless.

And the oldest has the least miles

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[Ditcha]

This is the current 3 options

German panel van View attachment 463520

Uk panel van View attachment 463521

Uk minibus
View attachment 463522


As you can see cosmetically with exception of windows which id be removing and plating the overall body design hasnt changed from 2000 right up to the last off the production line

Any of these would work in my camper design ....all would require bodywork and paintwork regardless.

And the oldest has the least miles

First one looks in good nic from the pics but the mini bus looks the better of the other 2 have they all got a sliding side door

 

[Tony50]

So more benefits of brexit then

Im not sure how much more good news i can take.

I feel so much better off now everything is so much more complicated and expensive ....i can see why people wanted it.

I agree with you but our poor old country needs the money !!

 

[Ken Hall]

Many thanks for your response. I was under the impression that it was the case, that a vehicle could be driven to an EU destination address while on German export plates within a specific timescale, but as the UK is no longer in the EU, does that mean that it is no longer an option? Hence my point about the necessity for DVLA registration. I'd value you views on this. Many thanks

 

[Lenny HB]

I may be misunderstanding the first post. but even with insurance on the VIN, it is not legal to drive a vehicle of any sort in the UK unless it is registered i.e. has a DVLA registered number plate. It isn't possible to register a vehicle with DVLA until it is physically in the UK.

It is completely legal to drive it from the port to home or a place of testing providing it is insured. To be legal you should drive it without any number plates. However, our Belgium dealer fits a set of false plates as there is far less chance of getting stopped.

 

[Tony50]

This is the current 3 options

German panel van View attachment 463520

Uk panel van View attachment 463521

Uk minibus
View attachment 463522


As you can see cosmetically with exception of windows which id be removing and plating the overall body design hasnt changed from 2000 right up to the last off the production line

Any of these would work in my camper design ....all would require bodywork and paintwork regardless.

And the oldest has the least miles

What I can tell you about these models they are noisy , and a sod to work on, if you buy one , and God forbid the Head gasket goes, PM me , because Mercedes Dealership said you have to take the engine out to do it , you don't. good Luck after saying that it's a good size van to convert

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[Northernraider]

First one looks in good nic from the pics but the mini bus looks the better of the other 2 have they all got a sliding side door

The van in germany has a side sliding door which in truth i didn't want

The uk panel van has no side doors you enter through a sliding front passenger door and a tilting front seat
I like this idea as id also be blanking off the rear doors and fitting a boot hatch like the minibus . Or this pic for an example ....

The minibus itself has a barndoor behind the drivers door which is the type i wanted originally and it has no rear doors just a half height hatch like the van pictured above



But it also has the highest miles at nearly 274k



Basically my ideal is to have a panel van ....barn door entrance or like the uk panel van just cab door entrance. Ill be blanking rear doors as ill be carrying a motorbike on the rear and the bed will be accross there anyway.

 

[CazPaul]

Option 2 would be my choice, less electrics, less miles, personally I don’t like the minibus type with all the windows in each side.

 

[Rob Turner]

Option 3 for me if mileage is of no concern, what difference is a 816 to a 814?

20hp

 

[Northernraider]

Many thanks for your response. I was under the impression that it was the case, that a vehicle could be driven to an EU destination address while on German export plates within a specific timescale, but as the UK is no longer in the EU, does that mean that it is no longer an option? Hence my point about the necessity for DVLA registration. I'd value you views on this. Many thanks

To be honest thats part of the problem as everything is still unclear. But ive imported one from Switzerland and one from California previously but they were 30 + years old so no vat or duty etc

I collected both from ports with no plates on them but insured on vin chassis numbers and drove them 4 or 500 miles north to scotland with no uk plates or mot .... both were tax excempt anyway

But this was a long time ago hence me asking the situation now


From information i read last night on line the concensus was if the vehicle is road legal in the country of origin ...then it simply required uk insurance to drive it from port to residents address or an mot station

 

[Northernraider]

Option 2 would be my choice, less electrics, less miles, personally I don’t like the minibus type with all the windows in each side.

Yes id be removing them

The minibus appeal is mostly the price and the fact it has no back doors but does have the side barndoor

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