How do I get a NOVA on an imported car?

To get a NOVA on an imported car, you notify HMRC within 14 days of the vehicle arriving in the UK. HMRC then reviews it and either accepts it or asks for more, and it cannot be cleared until any duty and VAT due have been paid. Only when it is accepted, and cleared, will the DVLA register the car. For a car declared at customs, the order is: pay the tax, notify HMRC, get the NOVA cleared, then register. Here is how each step works.

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What a NOVA is, briefly

NOVA stands for Notification of Vehicle Arrivals. It is how you tell HMRC that a vehicle has come into the UK from abroad. Think of the NOVA team as HMRC for cars: they are the part of HMRC that confirms an imported vehicle's tax position is in order before it can be registered.

If you want the fuller picture of what it is and why it exists, we cover that in what NOVA is, and how it works. This guide is about the process: how you actually get one.

The process, step by step

1. Clear customs and settle the tax. When the car arrives, it is declared to customs and any duty and VAT are paid. This comes first.
2. Notify HMRC of the arrival. Within 14 days of the car arriving, HMRC is told the vehicle is here, with its details and evidence that the tax has been dealt with.
3. HMRC reviews it. They either accept the notification, or come back asking for more information or evidence about the vehicle.
4. The NOVA is cleared. Once HMRC is satisfied, the notification is cleared. This is the green light the DVLA needs.
5. Register with the DVLA. With the NOVA cleared, the DVLA registration forms can go in. Once the car is registered, it can be taxed and given its number plates.

Why you pay the tax first

This trips people up, because it feels backwards. You might expect to be told a figure and then pay it, and that is only how it works for a car driven in without a customs declaration. For a car declared at customs, the duty and VAT are worked out and settled as the car is cleared, and the NOVA then confirms to HMRC that everything is accounted for.

So the tax is not the outcome of the NOVA. It is the thing the NOVA checks. Get the figure wrong at the customs stage and it is the NOVA review where it surfaces. This is exactly why knowing your duty and VAT before the car ships matters so much.

How long it takes

There is no fixed processing time, and anyone who promises you one is guessing. A straightforward case, where the paperwork is clean and the tax is clearly in order, can clear quickly. A case where HMRC wants more evidence, about the value, the age or the origin of the car, takes longer.

The outcome, and the timing, are HMRC's to decide. The best you can do is give them a clean case with nothing to question.

That is the real value of getting the earlier steps right. A NOVA backed by correct figures and complete documents gives HMRC no reason to pause. A rushed or inaccurate one invites questions, and questions mean delay.

What happens if you miss it

Miss the notification, or leave it too late, and the whole registration stalls. The DVLA will not register the car until the NOVA is cleared, so a late NOVA means a car you own, that is sitting in the UK, that you still cannot legally drive.

It is one of those steps that is simple when done in order and painful when skipped. The full sequence, from the border to the number plates, is set out in our guide to getting a V5C for an imported car.