The DVLA sends you the V5C after you register the imported car. But you cannot just ask for it. Four things have to happen first, each one unlocking the next. The easiest way to understand it is to work backwards, from the V5C you want, down to where it all really starts.
Let's work backwards
You want the V5C logbook. So what does the V5C need? And what does that need? Follow the chain down and it suddenly makes sense.
- You want the V5CThis is the UK logbook. The DVLA sends it after they register the car. It is the goal, so it comes last.
- For the V5C, you need DVLA registrationYou apply on a V55/5 form. But the DVLA will not register the car unless the step below is done.
- For registration, you need NOVA clearedNOVA is HMRC saying "this car is here and sorted." No cleared NOVA, no registration. But NOVA needs the step below.
- For NOVA, you need the tax paidHMRC works out your VAT and any duty. Once it is paid, NOVA clears. But you cannot pay until the step below.
- For the tax, you need customs clearedThe car has to be declared at customs first. That is what tells HMRC the value and sets the tax. This is where it all begins.
The V5C is the top of a ladder. Customs is the bottom rung. You cannot jump to the top, you climb one rung at a time.
Now the same chain, forwards
Read the ladder from the bottom up and you have the real order you do things in:
- Clear customs. The car is declared when it arrives in the UK.
- Pay tax. VAT and any duty. A classic over 30 years old, in original condition and of a model no longer in production, pays just 5% VAT and no duty.
- Clear NOVA. HMRC must be told the car has arrived within 14 days, and NOVA clears once any tax is paid.
- Register with the DVLA. Send the V55/5 form and your papers.
- Get your V5C. It can take up to 6 weeks to arrive. Then you can order plates.
Almost everyone who cannot get a V5C is stuck on a lower rung. NOVA not filed. Tax not paid. Customs not done. The DVLA is not being difficult, it simply cannot register a car that has not cleared the steps below. Fix the lower rung and the V5C follows.
Want the V5C without the ladder?
We handle customs, the duty and VAT, and NOVA, and we prepare every DVLA form, you just sign and post. From £95.
Get my free V5C paperwork quoteWhat about the plates?
Plates come after the V5C, not before. The V5C shows your UK number, and that number is what goes on the plates. So the full order is: customs, tax, NOVA, DVLA, V5C, then plates. Six steps, one after another.
No foreign logbook?
If you do not have the original foreign logbook, do not panic. The DVLA may take other proof of the car's age, such as a dating letter that confirms when the car was made. It has to be an original, not a copy, and we obtain it for you.
Over 1,500 vehicles cleared since Brexit, from £95. If you would rather not climb the ladder yourself, we handle every rung up to the DVLA: we prepare every DVLA form, you just sign and post.