Importing your car from the UAE to the UK
The process of importing a car from the UAE is vastly similar to most other countries, but there are a few steps specific to the country.
If you’ve made the sensible decision to hand the entire import process over to My Car Import, you needn’t worry, as we’ll take care of the entire process on your behalf.
We have three decades of experience and a wealth of knowledge when it comes to importing cars from the UAE. Whether it’s from Dubai or Abu Dhabi amongst many more, we’ve imported countless cars from the UAE ranging from superminis to supercars.
What’s important for you is to choose a car import company that can handle every step of the lengthy process. Well, naturally, that’s us.
All you need to do is share the details of your car and your requirements, receive a bespoke quote, and decide if we’re a good fit. If you’re happy, as most of our customers are, we’ll give you access to a bespoke portal that will help you understand our requirements, and provide detailed information on the import process.
We have a well-established, longstanding contact base in the UAE. That allows us to effectively manage your import from the moment it leaves UAE soil to becoming legally road-registered car here in the UK.
For now, let’s guide you through the UAE to UK car import process.
Starting the import process
Once you’ve given us the green light, we’ll put you in touch with our preferred export company. In the UAE, the export aspect of the process is vastly important as your car will need export plates before it can be loaded onto a shipping container.
We’ve carefully selected car shipping specialists operating out of the UAE to handle our customers cars. They represent My Car Import so they’re on board with our strict guidelines and time constraints.
Our UAE agents will ensure that the export process is managed efficiently. You don’t need to worry about communication either, you’ll be assigned an English-speaking contact in the UAE who you can freely coordinate with at any stage of the process.
They’ll guide you through the process of applying for export plates with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and offer guidance on the location of the loading warehouse for shipping your vehicle.
If you’d prefer to have your car collected and delivered to the loading warehouse, that’s perfectly doable. It makes for a seamless process in exporting your car from Dubai.
Once your vehicle is ready for export, the shipping process can begin.
Shipping your car to the UK
Vehicles that are being exported from the UAE are shipped from Jebel Ali. It’s the largest port in the Middle East and one of the biggest in the world, connecting multiple regions via air, sea, and land.
The Jebel Ali Port has been voted as the best seaport in the Middle East many times over and will most likely continue as the best in the Middle East. So don’t worry – your car is in the safest of hands.
Now your car is ready for shipment, our main priority is to ensure the security of your car in transit. We’re also keen to get your car shipped as quickly as possible to expedite the process.
Shipping options can vary depending on your personal requirements. For some, it can be a matter of cost, others opt for the safest or quickest method.
Roll-on/roll-off shipping is a popular method for shipping cars, as it involves driving the car onto a specialized vessel. It tends to be faster than other options.
The most popular is open or enclosed shipping containers. Your car is placed inside a container for added protection, and we advise on whether open or enclosed is most suitable. It’s a safer method than Ro-Ro and ideal for classic cars, but it isn’t quite as fast due to the additional handling.
Our container rates are competitive with even standard Ro-Ro vessels, and it means your car will arrive in the UK in approximately 30 days rather than extended Ro-Ro timeframes.
Typically, our shipping container is the most popular option, and we tend to favour it over other methods.
Clearing UK customs
No one likes dealing with customs. It’s unpredictable at the best of times, and that’s usually when you’re present. When you’re in a different place to your vehicle altogether, it can be pretty stressful.
My Car Import are fully authorised Customs Declaration Service (CDS) agents. This is the UK governments new electronic system for handling customs declaration processes. For you, that means we compile and organise your customs entry on your behalf when the container arrives at port. That alone has to be worth a punt!
Being the ‘ten steps ahead’ kind of team that we are, your customs clearance and its associated paperwork will have been organised ahead of time, so you won’t incur any unwanted port storage fees. It happens often, but working with us ensures that it’s a non-issue. For customers that undertake the process on their own, they can often fall short of this aspect.
Importing a car from the UAE will mean that you’re subject to paying a 10% import duty and 20% VAT to release it from UK customs. This is calculated on the purchase amount in the country you are importing it from.
You have 14 days to inform HMRC after you bring a vehicle into the UK, and failure to do so means that you won’t be able to acquire registration. We’ll handle all this for you, so it’s not something you need to worry about.
Arriving in the UK
When your car arrives in the UK, we’ll unload it from the container and transport it to our HQ in Castle Donington, Derby.
We’ll conduct a walk-around inspection to make sure there’s no damage, and to check that we’ve got everything covered.
If we ever feel that more work is required than anticipated, we’d never jump in without your consent. We keep you in the loop and make sure you’re on board with our process.
This is when we make a start on the modifications required to ensure your car is UK compliant, a vital aspect of the process.
Modifying your car at our premises
In order to gain the necessary registration for your car to make it UK compliant and roadworthy, it will need to need to undergo an MOT, an IVA or both.
My Car Import is the only UK company to own a privately run testing facility, so your car never has to leave our site (or sight!). It also means that you’ll avoid the standard government 12-week lead times which is an added bonus.
Once your car is over three years old, it’ll need an MOT test every year to ensure it maintains its roadworthiness. An IVA test is only conducted once, however, and solely if your car is under ten years old.
As long as your car is in a good mechanical condition, it’s highly likely that it will pass both tests.
We carry out the MOT at our facility to examine the general road fitness of the car. We’ll do everything to get the car through, and once it has, we’ll submit your application to the DVLA who processes the paperwork and issues us with your new UK registration number.
If your car is under ten years old, it needs to undergo an IVA process. This is a UK specific scheme to ensure that imported cars meet the required safety and environmental standards.
Until we see your car, we can never specify the modifications you’ll need to make it UK road compliant. These requirements vary from country to country,
The IVA test is a comprehensive inspection aimed at ensuring your car meets specific British safety and environmental regulations. It applies to cars that are not-type approved which means they haven’t been certified to EU wide standards. It covers pre-inspection requirements, safety checks, emissions testing, noise level compliance, documentation inspection, physical examination and test result.
Once we’ve carried out the necessary tests and completed your cars modifications, we can apply for registration.
Registration of your car
With My Car Import, you’ll benefit from our own DVLA Account Manager who works exclusively with our clients to process registration applications far quicker than traditional methods.
Once we’ve acquired your registration, we’ll fit your new number plates, so the car is ready to hit the UK roads. You then have the option to collect directly from our depot in the East Midlands or we can arrange delivery direct to your door.
All you need to do is insure your vehicle and hit the road in your freshly valeted (you’re welcome!) supercar.
Relocating To the UK
Many of the cars that we import from the UAE are part of a wider relocation plan.
If you’re relocating to the UK, you can bring the car tax free if you’ve owned it for a minimum of six months and have lived outside of the UK for over 12 months. It is important to bear in mind that you won’t be able to sell the car for the first 12 months you’re in the UK.
For more recent car purchases, you will be required to pay import duty tax and VAT; the price of which is calculated based on the value of the car. If your car was built in the EU, you will pay a one-off £50 duty and 20% VAT. If built outside of the EU, you will pay 10% duty and 20% VAT.
If you’re importing a car that is over 30 years old, you’ll likely qualify for a reduced rate at just 5% VAT and no duty. This is based on several factors which we’ll be happy to discuss with you.
If you’re applying for the Transfer of Residency scheme (ToR), personal belongings can impact your eligibility for duty and tax relief.
My Car Import offers a unique service to pay a deposit to avoid pricey rate transfers. This allows customers to carry possessions in their vehicles during the shipping process, and it’s a great way to make the most of our container space. Our deposits are priced fairly at 65% of the total cost.
Why you should choose My Car Import
Allowing us to manage the car import process from the UAE to the UK means that you’re privy to the following services:
- Inland collection of your vehicle from the UAE
- Consolidated container shipment
- Comprehensive marine insurance
- Efficient, speedy handling of customs clearance
- Container unloading on site at My Car import
- All modifications and necessary tests to ensure UK road compliance
- Private IVA testing facility
- Fast track DVLA Registration
- Delivery to your pre-selected UK address
- Regular updates throughout
- Friendly, caring customer service from a team of car enthusiasts!
