Buying A Car From Uk

[mikko]

There has been a lot of discussion lately in a finnish car import scene about exporting cars from UK. Now when €-£ is high it would even be a bid cheaper than importing them directly from japan and one could see the product before buying them is huge advantage versus japanese imports.

But, some say that getting the registration papers is some how delayed? That some papers are left to uk and send later ? Is this true and why if?

And how about the insurance, anyone has info about that? We have totally different insurance and registration system here in finland and I must say that I am bit confused about your different license plates and all :)

My turbo altezza is leaving japan soon, but I am still after a cheap manual mk4 twinturbo supra and getting one from uk would be easyer and much much faster!

[Steviewevie]

I have no idea about the registration papers, sorry. But what is it that you want to know about insurance/plates ?

[Steve ( West Mids )]

Normally if you buy a car from a dealer in the UK you don't get the V% ( registration document ) straight away in comes in the post from DVLA a few weeks later. If you buy private then you should receive the V5 with the car. Is this what you are referring to?

[Steviewevie]

I guess that if a car is being exported from the UK though, you have to send the V5 (registration document) back to the DVLC (UK vehicle licencing centre) and wait for an export certificate. Of course I have no idea what this means in terms of the import process in Finland, e.g. whether you have to wait for this paperwork before you can get the car through customs ? Googling on this, it looks like you can apply for the export certificate (which you can do in person at a regional UK licencing office) up to 14 days before the car ships out.

[mikko]

Do you have somekind of temporately or export license plates? Like buying from germany I can take export plates to the car and they have own insurance and I can just drive the car thru europe back to finland.

When buying from private, could I use his plates and insurance when driving back here and send the plates possibly back?

How can I trust that I get the V5 by mail? I must speak to someone experienced in uk-importing :)

[steve2006]

I don't know how much telephone costs are in Finland but it may be worth ringing the UK DVLA as they are quite helpful.

www.dvla.gov.uk.

I have just looked at my vehicle registration document (V5) and there is an "Export" section (VSC/4) but it says this will NOT produce an export document.It also says to retain the other sections of the V5 as this will be needed by the licencing authority of the country the car is being exported to.

Obviously I am not familiar with Finish car registration proceedures but if you import a car into the UK from an EU country you have to register it with the UK DVLA within a certain time.

I would make enquiries at your Vehicle registration department in Finland.

Have a look at this link

http://www.expat-finland.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14

[Bazza]

Exporting a Vehicle on a Permanent Basis

If you’re taking your car with you for a period of over 12 months, you must let the DVLA know of your plans. If you have a V5 registration document then it’s fairly simple to let the DVLA know you’re exporting your vehicle. All you have to do is fill in section C with the intended date of export and then return this to the DVLA office. If you take it into a local office, then you will often be given the export certificate over the counter. If you send it away, you will receive a certificate of export, also known as a V561 certificate through the post. Obtaining this certificate normally only takes around 2 weeks, if you are the registered keeper of the vehicle. This is the official paperwork needed to take your car abroad and you will sometimes be required to surrender this in your new country. If you have a V5C registration certificate then you need to notify vehicle exports on the purple section. This is what you need to have with you when exporting and you should always keep it handy in case you need it.

Exporting a Vehicle on a Temporary Basis

If you are taking your vehicle out of the country for less than twelve months, this is considered only temporary. In these circumstances, you don’t need to fill in any forms; you must however ensure that you take your V5 certificate or registration document with you. Many people will also put a GB sticker on their bumper just so that people are aware that the car is ‘foreign’. You are required to do this unless your car has the new Euro plates attached or you’re travelling within the EU. It is also important to ensure you have the correct insurance and the car travelling abroad is the right one that is on the paperwork. The chassis number and all other details must be correct.

Your Vehicle Export and Your New Country

In many countries, you will need to obtain an import permit to allow your vehicle entry. You will often need to pay customs duty, GST and luxury car tax where applicable. In some countries your car will need to pass through strict quarantine laws and of course a vehicle inspection. It can be very expensive and laborious to export your car and getting it can take quite some time. You will also need to pay a shipping company to get your car abroad if you are travelling overseas where there is no way of driving it across. Again, this can be expensive, but if you truly love your car this is the only way of taking it with you. It certainly is cheaper to simply buy new, however exporting it can be done as long as you obtain the correct paperwork and ensure it’s all correctly handled by a professional company.