To import a car from Austria to the UK, get the original Zulassungsschein and part II of the Zulassungsbescheinigung from the seller, together with a signed Kaufvertrag showing the price. Once the car reaches Britain it is declared to UK customs, notified to HMRC through NOVA and registered with the DVLA. 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 10% unless the car was built in the EU (or another country with a UK trade agreement) and that origin is claimed properly.
- The Zulassungsschein and part II, officially the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and Teil II. Ask for both parts by name. Austrians still say Zulassungsschein for part I, and the government portal lists it as "Zulassungsbescheinigung (früher: Zulassungsschein)". It can be issued as a chip card, so it may look like a bank card rather than a paper form. Part II is a paper document kept at home with the car's approval papers, not in the car. Make sure you get the original: the DVLA keeps it.
- A Kaufvertrag (bill of sale) or invoice with both parties, the date, the price and the chassis number (Fahrgestellnummer). If there is no invoice, an independent valuation is needed instead.
Deregistration in Austria, 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.
Importing a car from Austria? Get a free quote for your car import from Austria →
Austrian NoVA is not UK NOVA
This one confuses people on both sides. Austria has a registration tax called NoVA (Normverbrauchsabgabe), charged when a car is first registered there. The UK has NOVA, the Notification of Vehicle Arrivals we file with HMRC once your car has arrived. Same letters, completely different things, and only the second one is part of our job.
Duty and VAT
The UK tax does not depend on the car being sold in Austria. It depends on two things: whether it is a collector's vehicle, and where it was manufactured.
| The car | Customs duty | Import VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Historic collector's vehicle (code 9705) | 0% | 5% |
| Manufactured in the EU (or another country with a UK trade agreement), origin properly claimed | 0% | 20% |
| Any other origin, or origin not proved | 10% | 20% |
A collector's vehicle under code 9705 must be at least 30 years old, in its original state without substantial changes to major components, and a model no longer in production. It then pays 0% duty and 5% VAT whatever its origin. For any other car, 0% duty needs preferential origin under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement: built in the EU under the agreement's rules of origin, with proof of origin. An American car that spent its life in Vienna pays 10%; a Japanese-built car pays 0% only with proof of Japanese origin.
Graz has a long history of building other people's cars, which can help with origin. The Mercedes-Benz G-Class was built there from the start (sold in some markets as the Puch G), and the Graz plant also assembled European-market Chrysler Voyagers, Jeep Grand Cherokees and the first BMW X3. Those were built in the EU, whatever the badge says. Origin still has to be claimed and supported, not assumed.
Bringing a car over from Austria?
We handle the origin claim, the customs and the VAT, and we prepare every DVLA form, you just sign and post. Over 1,500 vehicles cleared since Brexit.
Get a free quote for my Austrian importAustrian classics
Beyond the familiar German makes, Austria is the natural place to look for its own vehicles: Steyr-Puch 500 and 650 models (Austrian-built cars based on the Fiat 500), Haflinger and Pinzgauer off-roaders, and early Puch G models. Porsche's first cars were also built in Gmünd, in Carinthia, before production moved to Stuttgart.
Some Austrian cars are approved as a historisches Fahrzeug (historic vehicle), which means someone has already checked them against an originality standard. That is a useful signal, but it is not the same test as HMRC's code 9705, so it supports a classic claim without settling it. Historic cars in Austria may only be used on a limited number of days a year, so many have covered little distance lately: allow for the usual problems of a car that has mostly stood still, such as tyres, brakes, fuel system and seals.
Not sure whether your car meets the UK classic test? Our guide to working out if a car qualifies as a classic walks through it, or send us the details.
The UK steps
- Import declaration: we declare the car to UK customs and the VAT and any duty are paid.
- NOVA: we notify HMRC through NOVA within 14 days of arrival.
- MOT: a UK MOT if the car needs one, which can be done on the 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, and it goes to the DVLA with the original Zulassungsbescheinigung, the MOT certificate or V112, photo ID, proof of UK address, the £55 first registration fee and road tax.
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