To import a car from Norway to the UK, get the original vognkort (both parts) and a kjøpekontrakt from the seller, then have the car cleared through UK customs, notified to HMRC on NOVA and registered with the DVLA. A car that qualifies as a historic collector's vehicle pays 0% duty and 5% VAT. Otherwise VAT is 20%, and because Norway is outside the EU, duty is 10% unless the car has preferential origin under the UK's own agreement with Norway.
- The vognkort, del 1 og del 2. In Norway everyone, officials included, simply says vognkort: it is the vehicle registration certificate issued by Statens vegvesen, the roads authority that keeps the register, and it has two parts. Get the originals of both. Make sure you get the original: the DVLA keeps it. If it has been lost, the owner can order a new one from Statens vegvesen, which takes about a week by post, so ask before you pay.
- A kjøpekontrakt (purchase contract) naming you as the buyer, with the price and the chassis number. If there is no contract or invoice, the car will need an independent valuation.
Deregistration in Norway, any export plates and the export paperwork are handled by the seller. If you need it, we arrange the transport to the UK, and we handle the customs declaration, NOVA and the DVLA paperwork.
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UK duty on a car from Norway
| Your car | Customs duty | Import VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Historic collector's vehicle (commodity code 9705) | 0% | 5% |
| Originating under the UK agreement with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, with proof | 0% | 20% |
| No preferential origin | 10% | 20% |
For a classic the picture is simple. A car at least 30 years old, of a model no longer made, and in original condition without substantial changes qualifies under code 9705, and the origin question falls away: 0% duty and 5% VAT. HMRC's classification guidance has the full test.
Younger cars are where Norway differs from its neighbours. Norway is not covered by the UK-EU trade deal. It has its own free trade agreement with the UK, together with Iceland and Liechtenstein, and the UK Trade Tariff lists a 0% preferential rate for Norway on used cars. The catch is that the preference is for goods that originate in those countries under the agreement's rules, and very few cars are built in Norway. A German or Japanese car that has lived in Oslo does not become Norwegian for customs purposes.
Whether an EU-built car shipped from Norway can still use the UK-EU preference is a technical question about the rules of origin and how the car travelled. We check it car by car and never assume it. For budgeting on a modern car, plan on 10% duty plus 20% VAT unless we tell you otherwise.
Norwegian classics
Norway has a long history of making cars hard to buy. Statistics Norway records that the rationing of private cars only ended on 1 October 1960, and a one-off registration tax, engangsavgift, is still charged when a vehicle is first registered there. That tax does not follow the car to Britain: here you pay VAT, and duty where it applies, on what you paid.
If a car has spent most of its life in Norway, ask for its whole ownership history. It helps you judge the car, and it helps us describe it accurately to HMRC. Think winter roads treated with salt and grit, and damp coastal air: check underneath thoroughly, and ask for the reports from EU-kontroll, Norway's periodic roadworthiness test, which show how the car has been kept.
With a Norwegian car, the vognkort is the document that matters to the DVLA. Get both parts, and get the originals.
Buying a car in Norway?
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What happens in the UK
- We make the customs import declaration with the correct code and any origin claim, and arrange payment of VAT and duty.
- We file the NOVA notification within 14 days of arrival.
- If the car needs a UK MOT, it can be done before it has UK plates. Vehicles built or first registered more than 40 years ago with no substantial changes are exempt and use a V112 declaration instead.
- We prepare the V55/5. You sign it and send it to the DVLA with the original vognkort, the NOVA letter, the MOT or V112 declaration, photo ID, proof of UK address, the £55 first registration fee and the road tax.
See our guide to registering an imported car with the DVLA for the full list.
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