To register an imported car with the DVLA, you fill in the right forms, send them with your papers and a fee, and the DVLA sends back a UK logbook, the V5C, with your registration number. You then get number plates made. But you have to do a few things first, in the right order. Here is the whole thing in plain words.
Do these first, or it will not work
The DVLA will not register your car until two things are done. Miss either one and your form comes straight back to you. So sort these before you send anything:
- NOVA. You tell HMRC the car is here. This has to be done and cleared first. Do it within 14 days of the car arriving.
- Any tax. If you owe VAT or duty, you pay it. A classic over 30 years old, in its original state and of a model no longer in production, pays much less. HMRC then says the NOVA is clear.
Think of it like a queue. HMRC first, then the DVLA. Jump the queue and you go to the back.
The steps to get your number plate
Get NOVA cleared
Tell HMRC the car is in the UK and pay any tax. Keep the letter they send you. You need it for the DVLA.
Get an MOT if the car needs one
Most cars over 3 years old need an MOT. Cars built or first registered more than 40 years ago with no substantial changes do not; a V112 form is filled in instead. Some newer imports also need a test called an IVA first.
Get car insurance
You need a UK insurance policy on the car before you register it. The insurer uses the car's VIN number, not a plate, because it does not have a UK plate yet.
Fill in the right forms
There are particular forms for this. The right one depends on whether the car is used or brand new. Fill them in carefully. If the details do not match your other papers, they get rejected. When we handle your import, we prepare and pre-fill them, and you just sign and post.
Send it all to the DVLA
Send the form, your ID, the foreign logbook, the NOVA letter, the MOT if you have one, and the fee. Send originals, never photocopies. The DVLA keeps the foreign logbook.
Wait for your V5C, then get plates
The DVLA sends you a UK logbook called a V5C. This usually takes a few weeks. Once it arrives, you can get your number plates made and put them on.
Until the car is registered, taxed and insured (and has an MOT if it needs one), you cannot drive it on the road. Keep it off the road until the V5C arrives and the plates are on.
Want us to handle the paperwork?
We handle NOVA and the tax, and we prepare every DVLA form, you just sign and post. From £95.
Get my DVLA paperwork quoteWhat it costs
The DVLA first registration fee is £55, plus the car tax when you register. Number plates cost a bit extra. Any VAT, duty, MOT or IVA test are separate, and come before this step. A classic over 30 years old, in its original state and of a model no longer in production, pays far less tax than a normal car, which is the big saving.
Free VAT and duties calculator
Enter where your car was built, its age, the price and the shipping, and see the duty and VAT in pounds.
Work out my import taxNo foreign logbook? Do not panic
If you do not have the original foreign logbook, the DVLA may take other proof of when the car was made, like a dating letter, which we obtain for you. It has to be an original, not a copy.
Since Brexit we have cleared over 1,500 vehicles into the UK. If the forms feel like a maze, let us prepare them for you: we fill in every DVLA form, you just sign and post.