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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
   
Location: bishop, ca | Anyone care to comment upon how easy, or difficult, it is to import
and to register an 'old/used' car into your country?
I know that Jim Hoek (Netherlands) had a tough time registering a late model
Dodge pick up, there, and the the N.L. wanted info on the truck's OEM equipment
and/or what the manufacturer's suggested retail value on it was, originally, with
those options on it...huh???
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Expert
Posts: 1480
Location: Australia | all i can say is that it is a headache and a half... adriana |
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Location: Parts Unknown | Piece of cake compared to going ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day. 
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 7206
Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada | Not a big problem for myself when I imported my 1960 Saratoga to Canada two years ago. First I Had to register in advance with US Customs, filling out the correct documents, copy of bill of sale, and copy of title, for export out of the USA. They must have the documents at least 72 hours in advance before they allow the car out of the USA, but I had already filled them out and faxed them there a week ahead of time. I had the car shipped by transport carrier from L.A. to Blaine, WA ( border town ). The car arrived too late to cross the border on the Friday it arrived in Blaine, so I Had to contact a storage facility there. The owner of the storage compound met the transport driver when he arrived with the car, backed the car off the truck and stored the car for the weekend for me all for $100.00. I went over on the following Monday morning to Blaine, picked up the car from the storage compound and paid the gentleman, then drove the car straight to US Customs at the border, checked in and completed the sign off. Then I had to proceed through Canadian Customs where they charged me the taxes due. Neither USA or Canada Customs even bothered to come out and inspect the car, which was quite a surprise. I then got back in the car and proceed to drive home - half hour to the ferry to Vancouver Island, another 1.5 hours on the ferry and then home. I had also bought a temporary insurance certificate from the local insurance broker that allowed me to drive the car from Blaine, WA to my home. I think it was about $25.00 for the insurance. When I got it here I then had to have the car inspected for road worthiness at a designated facility, but they failed 2 of the ball joints. About a week later it was completed, insured and on the road.
Edited by imopar380 2010-02-11 12:50 AM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 467
Location: Sweden | Sweden has a very liberal import law when it comes to classic cars (older than 30 years) the only thing you need to have is a
title and bill of sale. When the car comes to Sweden you need to pay 12% in customs and 25% in tax on the total amount including
the transport.
Before you start to use the car it need to be inspected (Light and brake Test) by the Swedish authorities!
Edited by 1960ny 2010-02-11 1:50 AM
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Expert
Posts: 3575
Location: Netherlands | 6% tax here on old cars. (25 years and older.)
Title or registration is needed here too.
On new(er) junk you let 'them' steal another 45% 'BPM' tax AND 19% regular tax over the car's original stickerprice.
All cars older then 25 years, but not newer than from 1986, are roadtax excempt and need to pass a 2-yearly 'APK' (general periodic checkup).
Cars made before 1960 are also excempt of these APK-checkups.
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Expert
Posts: 1480
Location: Australia | 1960ny - 2010-02-11 1:49 AM
Sweden has a very liberal import law when it comes to classic cars (older than 30 years) the only thing you need to have is a
title and bill of sale. When the car comes to Sweden you need to pay 12% in customs and 25% in tax on the total amount including
the transport.
Before you start to use the car it need to be inspected (Light and brake Test) by the Swedish authorities!
wow you guys have it easy over there!
they can not deny you import approval on a car pre 1989, but they have the right to send it back if it does not conform, hense if it is too dirty etc... customs inspected and cleaned my suburban 4 times, charging me each time... it was also held in a lock down before that as there was a problem with the container. you pay GST on the cars value and also part of the shipping cost... then when it gets here, before you can get a LHD vehicle registered it must be stock standard exactly how it left the factory and in perfect condition. rip in your seats get them redone, paint not shiny enough get it resprayed, a few dings or rust get it repaired... you must be able to prove the cars originality... you also must pass the mechanics/ brakes, this is the only part i understand... so yeah, no beautiful sunbaked paint or original patina over here, as it is not too their liking...
adriana |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1048
Location: PL / EU | In Poland, it was easy but changed for the worse.
Formerly - cars 25 years and older - 7% VAT only. Now it has to be a customs duty of 10%, VAT 22% , excise tax 13%. New and old as well. Apparently EU law.
You must have a title and a Bill of sale.
Antique license plates (yellow)- one of the technical review of a lifetime. (you need a document from the Office of Historical)
Standard license plate (white)- the technical review once a year.
Edited by RDP 2010-02-11 11:55 AM
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Location: Parts Unknown | And to think we just drive them as if they are ordinary cars here !!!!! 
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 7206
Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada | suburban61 - 2010-02-11 4:30 AM
1960ny - 2010-02-11 1:49 AM
Sweden has a very liberal import law when it comes to classic cars (older than 30 years) the only thing you need to have is a
title and bill of sale. When the car comes to Sweden you need to pay 12% in customs and 25% in tax on the total amount including
the transport.
Before you start to use the car it need to be inspected (Light and brake Test) by the Swedish authorities!
wow you guys have it easy over there!
they can not deny you import approval on a car pre 1989, but they have the right to send it back if it does not conform, hense if it is too dirty etc... customs inspected and cleaned my suburban 4 times, charging me each time... it was also held in a lock down before that as there was a problem with the container. you pay GST on the cars value and also part of the shipping cost... then when it gets here, before you can get a LHD vehicle registered it must be stock standard exactly how it left the factory and in perfect condition. rip in your seats get them redone, paint not shiny enough get it resprayed, a few dings or rust get it repaired... you must be able to prove the cars originality... you also must pass the mechanics/ brakes, this is the only part i understand... so yeah, no beautiful sunbaked paint or original patina over here, as it is not too their liking...
adriana
It sounds to me like the mechanics and body shops over there are in bed with Australian Customs authority - makes you wonder eh? . "Make work projects ! " |
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Expert
Posts: 1480
Location: Australia | i dont think so because no one wants to know about a big old car... they are only interested on quick insurance jobs... trying to find someone to do the body work and paint on my suburban was so hard... the people who specialize in it, either dont want to do it or charge you through the roof... its harder and harder to find anyone who wants to do it... but lucky enough i did eventually find someone to do the body job and someone to paint it for reasonable prices, so i thank my lucky stars...
doctor desoto, nothing like rubbing salt into the wound... if i was in the states id own 10 suburbans by now...
adriana |
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Location: Parts Unknown | suburban61 - 2010-02-12 3:08 PM
doctor desoto, nothing like rubbing salt into the wound... if i was in the states id own 10 suburbans by now...
adriana :)
******************************************
Nothing I know of keeping you from coming here.
I'd always welcome a looker with a good attitude ! We could use a whole army of Adrianas here !
You could buy all the different colors and options and do an "American Chopper" kinda show with a crew restoring all your Suburbans and you talking to the camera about all things "fabulous".
Bring it on, girl, ... I just like to listen to you Aussies talk.  |
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Regular
Posts: 75
Location: Sarpsborg, Norway | Importing older cars to Norway is easy, almost the same rules as Sweden. It needs to be older than 30 years to classify as a classic car. You need Bill of sale and Title, 25% sales tax on value on Bill of sale and the shipping cost. No customs fees To register it you need some documention on the technical stuff on the car and a approx $600 registration fee. Cars made after 1972 you need to document brakes and lights seatbelts and such, much easier with pre 72 cars. Really cheap insurance on classics.
But when we come to new or newer cars it gets crazy. Still pretty easy to import, but now the taxes starts. There is a tax for engine displacement, a tax for weight of the car and a tax for how many KW (or horsepower) All these taxes works together and escalades when the car gets heavier and more powerfull. A newer Corvette will have about $150 000 just in taxes! The whole idea is to get people to drive extremly small and eco friendly cars. You see that the 4,5 million people here in Norway are supposed to save the planet, that's why our goverment say we don't need cars, and if you dare to buy one it better be a Prius or a car smaller than a VW Golf.
So after leaving your first born at the customs the big circus start to get it street legal. Some years ago our politicians made some laws so it would be really easy to register an American made car here in Norway. Basically, if it's been titled in the US or Canada it's legal here in Norway if you have white running lights in front and yellow turning signals all around the car. Then the bureaucrats started to interpret these laws and today it is practically impossible to use those laws. It has to be exactly like it left the factory, forget about aftermarket wheels and god forbid if you get wider tires. If you want to respray the car you need to get it inspected if you change the color. If you want to convert it to run on LPG, thats a big NO, NO. I know some of the people that have worked toward the goverment about these laws, and one of the bureaucrats admitted they had been looking into forbidding these cars to run on studded winter tires since it was not an option from the factory! But they understood that was to push the envelope too far.
So to cut it short, super easy on a car older than 30 years and a huge pain in the back for newer than 30 years (and super expensive) |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 375
Location: milano, italy | Besides transportation costs, we have to pay 10 % taxes, plus 20% more taxes on value of the car, including costs of transportation. If the car costs 10.000$ and 5000 transportation, you pay taxes on 15.000 $ value. 10% is 1500$, you add to 15.000 so you get 20% of 16.500, that makes 3300$. 1500 plus 3300 makes 4800 $ in taxes alone.
For registering is not so complicated. Our Historical Club (ASI) issues a technical sheet with all datas of the car, and car must conform to datas on the sheet. No wide tires, no bigger engines. Car must aso conform to rules for lights, that means amber turn signal all around, plus side markers used as turn signals.
After this, you can drive on the street. If you want to change engine later, nobody will ever check. Car must be checked annually to see if brakes, tires, and lights are ok.
There is no road tax and insurance for historic vehicles is very low.
For modern cars, is a real mess. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 7206
Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada | antonellomopar - 2010-02-12 1:59 PM
Besides transportation costs, we have to pay 10 % taxes, plus 20% more taxes on value of the car, including costs of transportation. If the car costs 10.000$ and 5000 transportation, you pay taxes on 15.000 $ value. 10% is 1500$, you add to 15.000 so you get 20% of 16.500, that makes 3300$. 1500 plus 3300 makes 4800 $ in taxes alone.
For registering is not so complicated. Our Historical Club (ASI) issues a technical sheet with all datas of the car, and car must conform to datas on the sheet. No wide tires, no bigger engines. Car must aso conform to rules for lights, that means amber turn signal all around, plus side markers used as turn signals.
After this, you can drive on the street. If you want to change engine later, nobody will ever check. Car must be checked annually to see if brakes, tires, and lights are ok.
There is no road tax and insurance for historic vehicles is very low.
For modern cars, is a real mess.
So does that mean you have to put amber turn signals and side marker lights on a classic car?? |
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Location: Bjorneborg, Finland | 1960ny - 2010-02-11 10:49 AM
Sweden has a very liberal import law when it comes to classic cars (older than 30 years) the only thing you need to have is a
title and bill of sale. When the car comes to Sweden you need to pay 12% in customs and 25% in tax on the total amount including
the transport. Before you start to use the car it need to be inspected (Light and brake Test) by the Swedish authorities!
Almost same methods in your eastern neighbour, but no need to pay customs duties for 30 years or older cars imported outside EU, if they were original and in good working condition. This is based on EU directive 9705 00 00 90 and it should be a valid rule in your country too? We add "only" 22% VAT. There's also an automobile tax based on "equivalent" new car's regular tax minus the age deduction. So, lets say if I imported a '61 300G from the US, this tax would be based then on a brand new 300-C, but almost 50 years of its age deduct the tax to the nominal sum, like 70 euros.. This would be the only tax, if I bought a 'G' from Sweden and got it licensed on the road (except VAT included for registration fees. The tentacles of VAT is everywhere, hey why can't Americans use it to eliminate US government's great deficit?).
Edited by spinout 2010-02-13 8:36 AM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 375
Location: milano, italy | @ Ian: so says the law. But you can always take them off after car has been inspected.... |
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Veteran
Posts: 155
Location: Hellertown, PA | In France it is also easy to export some american cars older than 30 years old, easy to register them and only 5,5% taxes on bill of sale plus shipping.
But car must be inspected in France and inspection are really much harder than here in PA for example, battery must be secure, good tires of same brand and design,brakes, shocks are tested with some machines, no leaks, exhaust must not have any holes, no frame rust, everything must work...
Car must have license plate even is it is a US one and you can drive it for 1 month when it arrive in France( it give you time to register it , get it inspected etc..)
This is my business.
For newer cars , less than 30 years old, it is more 10% custom taxes 19,6% vat, and a lot more difficult to register. |
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