Website of the UK government

Please note that this website has a UK government accesskeys system.

Public services all in one place

Main menu

Motoring

Registering an imported vehicle

A vehicle that is permanently imported for use in Great Britain (GB) must be registered and taxed as soon as possible after it arrives in the country. The vehicle should not be used or kept on public roads until the registration and vehicle tax formalities have been completed.

However, if the vehicle needs to have a single vehicle approval (SVA) or MOT test in order to be registered, the vehicle may be driven to and from the pre-arranged test appointment. Thereafter, the vehicle must be kept off the road until the registration formalities have taken place.

Application for registration should be made to your nearest Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) local office. It is not possible to offer an 'over the counter service', registration usually takes between 48 and 72 hours.

Registering the vehicle as 'new'

A 'brand new' vehicle can be driven to GB and registered as 'new' provided the vehicle:

  • is registered in GB quickly after collection - this is taken to be 14 days but may be extended to one calendar month at peak periods (eg prior to 1 March and 1 September)
  • only has reasonable delivery mileage
  • has not been previously permanently registered

UK law requires a vehicle to be UK taxed and registered for road use. To avoid difficulties, importers are advised to transport, rather than drive their vehicles from the port to home or first destination and to keep them off the road until they have been properly licensed and registered.

For most new vehicles you must present evidence of type approval from the supplier or vehicle manufacturer, usually in the form of a certificate of conformity. Left-hand-drive vehicles from within the European Community (EC) will need a certificate issued by Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) under the Mutual Recognition Scheme. This will show that the required changes to the vehicle to make it suitable for use on UK roads have been made.

If the vehicle has not been subject to European type approval (intended for sale in a country outside of the European Union) it must pass a SVA test.

Registering a previously used vehicle

As part of the registration process, DVLA will need to be sure that an imported used vehicle that is less than 10 years old meets both European Type Approval standards and UK Construction and Use and Road Vehicle Lighting legislation.

Cars, motorcycles and light goods vehicles first registered in another European member state will need to have a certificate issued by VCA under the Mutual Recognition Scheme. Larger goods vehicles will need full UK Type Approval before they can be registered.

Cars, motorcycles and light goods vehicles first registered in a country outside of the European Union will need to pass the SVA test.

Vehicle registration

The following documents will need to be submitted to the DVLA local office, photocopies are not acceptable.

  • completed application form V55/4 (for new vehicles) or V55/5 (for used vehicles) a £55.00 registration fee (if applicable)
  • the required fee for the licence
  • a current British certificate of insurance
  • foreign registration document and any other papers you have relating to the vehicle
  • evidence showing the date the vehicle was collected (normally the invoice from the supplier)
  • evidence of type approval
  • the appropriate HM Revenue and Customs form
  • a current British MOT test certificate (if applicable)
  • a declaration of newness V267 (if applicable) available for download from the vehicle forms link below or a DVLA local office.
  • documentation confirming your name and address (a list of acceptable identity documentation can be found on the link below)

Please make cheques or postal orders payable to DVLA Swansea.

Registration and licensing will not take place unless you have the necessary documentation. In some cases the DVLA local office may wish to see the vehicle to check its identity.

Construction and Use Requirements

Vehicles kept or used on the public highway in the United Kingdom must at all times comply with The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 (as amended). Information about the 1986 regulations can be obtained by contacting:

The Department of Transport
Transport, Technology and Standards
Zone 2/01
Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street
LONDON
SW1P 4DR

Email: tts.enquiries@dft.gsi.gov.uk

Copies of regulations are not available from the Department of Transport or DVLA. They can be obtained from any library or ordered from The Stationery Office Ltd (TSO). You can submit an order to TSO:

  • online at www.opsi.gov.uk via the TSO online bookshop
  • by email to customer.services@tso.co.uk
  • by post to: TSO, PO Box 29, Norwich, NR3 1GN
  • Tel: 0870 600 5522. Fax: 0870 600 5533

Import information pack

The DVLA provides all the necessary information and forms required to register an imported vehicle in an 'import pack' which is available on DVLA's form ordering service.

In this section...

Additional links

Access keys