The first and the foremost thing to understand, while exporting a vehicle, is that the car must necessarily clear the customs at United Kingdom in order to be exported. According to the DLVA or the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency, the process of exporting a vehicle on a temporary basis for less than twelve months is simpler as the vehicle then continues to be taxable under the UK laws. However, if one chooses to permanently move the vehicle to another country, it can indeed prove to be quite a challenging task. In this regard, there are basically two types of exports which are possible for a car, from the UK: exporting permanently as well as exporting temporarily. The various steps which need to be followed for achieving both of these are stated hereunder in an elaborate manner:
1. Exporting Permanently
- Firstly evaluate the time period for which the automobile has to be taken outside the United Kingdom.
- The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency or DVLA should be contacted next in order to enquire about the exportation of the used car from UK. In order to export cars, it is generally required to complete the purple colored section which is called the “Notification of Permanent Export”. It is normally located on the registration card of the vehicle. After filling it out, it should be sent to the DVLA.
- The registration certificate should however be kept in possession for further use before exporting a vehicle. This is because it will be needed to register the automobile abroad after export of the used car from UK. A duplicate one can be easily obtained from DVLA if one has lost the original copy of this important document.
- The export cars shipper should be contacted at last in order to ship the car to the chosen country. It should however be ensured that the company guarantees the safety of the car.
2. Exporting Temporarily
- The government of the UK should be firstly paid the outstanding taxes on the vehicle if the export of the vehicle is being done for less than twelve months.
- It should also be ensured in advance that the car is kept under an insurance company n UK so that a tax renewal can be secured in the future. This proved to especially very useful when the overall taxable period comes to an end or expires while the car is still overseas due to some reason.
- The DVLA should surely be contacted if one loses the necessary registration certificate so that the licensing office can mail a new one before the export of the used car from UK. Moreover, one does not need to fill out any paperwork in relation to DVLA if it is required to export cars for lesser than a year.
- The shipping company which provides services to export cars should be contacted next in order to transport the car to the requisite destination.
Moreover, after one decides upon exporting a vehicle from United Kingdom, it is pivotal to strictly abide by the specified government procedures to export cars before finally transporting the purchased car to the requisite destination. Moreover, if one lived previously in UK and is now moving out, it becomes necessary to export the used car from UK. Exporting the used car from UK requires fulfillment of various rules depending upon whether the automobile has to be exported on a permanent basis or a temporary basis. Additionally, it should be noted that all of the countries forming the United Kingdom other than the constituent country Northern Ireland require one to follow the whole procedure. The steps listed hereunder describe the generic procedure which should be followed strictly in exporting a vehicle from the UK:
- If one is planning on exporting a vehicle for more than twelve months, the case is considered to be that of a permanent export. It requires that the notification of the permanent export section should be filled out on the vehicle registration certificate, which should consequently be sent to the DVLA. In case one loses the pivotal registration certificate, the application for the certificate of the permanent export should be filled out and provided to the DVLA before the deadline in order to export cars.
- The next step is to check whether the vehicle is under the category of personal export cars scheme in the UK. This is important, because under the personal export scheme, one is allowed to buy a car inside the UK, with intention of exporting a vehicle overseas without even paying the VAT taxes. Eligibility depends on whether the owner has already bought a car or will purchase a car in UK in addition to filling out the VAT notice number 705. In case while exporting a vehicle, it is found eligible for this scheme, a pink colored registration book will be received, indicating that the car which has been bought is tax free. However, if one is not a permanent member of EU, the vehicle has to be driven for twelve months before the exporting process, whereas an EU resident has to drive the car for six months before exporting the vehicle.
- An appropriate auto shipper should be located next in order to export cars to the other country. For this purpose, a number of UK based cargo shipping companies are available. The cargo insurance should also be bought necessarily, either in an independent manner or via the shipping company. It should also be made sure that selected shipping company should be registered to Federal Maritime Commission as well as has a functional shipping license.
- Subsequently, the export customs procedures should be completed next. It requires the filling out of the export forms over the internet or in the export office at the sea port from where the car will be transported. Most of the custom broker companies moreover also handle actual shipping procedure of the vehicle, which can turn out to be highly convenient.