How do you import a car from Switzerland to the UK?

To import a car from Switzerland to the UK, you need the original Swiss registration document, the Fahrzeugausweis (the carte grise in French-speaking cantons), and a signed bill of sale. Switzerland is outside the EU, but on the UK side the process is the same as for any other car: customs clearance, a NOVA notification to HMRC and DVLA registration. A historic collector's vehicle (over 30 years old, in its original state and of a model no longer in production) pays 0% duty and 5% VAT; otherwise VAT is 20% and duty is usually 10%, because very few cars sold in Switzerland were built there.

Deregistration in Switzerland, 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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Duty and VAT

The UK rate depends on what the car is and where it was built, never on the fact that it was bought in Switzerland. And because Switzerland is not in the EU, the UK-EU trade agreement does not help a Swiss purchase.

Collector's vehicles. A car at least 30 years old, in its original state without substantial changes to major components, and of a model no longer in production is classified under code 9705. It pays 0% duty and an effective 5% VAT whatever its origin, which makes the origin question disappear for most Swiss classics.

Everything else. The UK Trade Tariff shows a 0% preferential rate for Switzerland on cars, but only for cars that originate in Switzerland under the UK-Switzerland agreement's rules of origin, backed by proof of origin. Swiss-built cars are rare (Monteverdi, built near Basel, is the best-known marque), and a German or Japanese car does not become Swiss by being registered in Zurich. For budgeting, treat a modern car from Switzerland as paying 10% duty and 20% VAT unless a valid preference claim has been confirmed for that specific car.

Swiss classics

When you look at a Swiss classic, check where it was first sold: many cars on Swiss roads were imported from Germany, Italy or further away, and the history before the first Swiss registration is the part most likely to be missing.

The Veteranenfahrzeug entry in the Fahrzeugausweis is the Swiss equivalent of classic status. Cantonal road traffic offices grant it only to cars first registered more than 30 years ago, in original configuration and very good condition, after an inspection. That makes it useful evidence for HMRC's collector's test, though it is not the same test and does not decide it. Veteran cars are not in everyday use and have a limited annual mileage, so budget for recommissioning a car that has done little running.

If the car is not yet 30, or has been modified, our guide to tax on a 30-year-old car explains where the line sits.

The UK steps

• Customs: we file the UK import declaration, and the VAT and any duty are paid on arrival.
• NOVA: we notify HMRC through NOVA within 14 days, which the DVLA needs before it registers the car.
• MOT: a UK MOT if the car needs one, which can be carried out while the car is on foreign plates. A car built or first registered more than 40 years ago with no substantial changes is exempt (you sign a V112 declaration instead), and a car under 3 years old does not need one.
• V55/5: we prepare it; it goes to the DVLA with the original Fahrzeugausweis (cancelled or not), the MOT certificate or V112, photo ID, proof of UK address, the £55 first registration fee and road tax.