To import a car from Greece to the UK, get the original registration certificate (the άδεια κυκλοφορίας) and a signed sale document from the seller. Once the car reaches Britain it is declared to UK customs, HMRC is notified through NOVA and the DVLA registers it. A historic car over 30 years old, in its original state and of a model no longer in production pays 0% duty and 5% VAT; other cars pay 20% VAT, plus 10% duty unless they were built in the EU (or another country with a UK trade agreement) and come with proof of origin.
- «Η άδεια», short for άδεια κυκλοφορίας (adeia kykloforias), the Greek registration certificate. It names the registered owner and describes the car. If the seller has already taken the car off the Greek register, you may receive a new άδεια marked «όχι για κυκλοφορία-μόνο εξαγωγή/αποστολή σε άλλο κράτος» (not for road use, export only): that is the one to keep. Make sure you get the original: the DVLA keeps it.
- The sale document: a dealer's invoice or a private sale agreement signed by both of you, with the VIN, the price and the date. Without proof of purchase, an independent valuation is needed.
If there is no άδεια at all, a dating letter is needed to prove the car's age instead, and we obtain it for you.
Deregistration in Greece, 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 on a car from Greece
Two questions decide the tax. First, is the car a historic collector's vehicle? If not, where was it built?
| The car | Customs duty | Import VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Historic collector's vehicle (commodity code 9705): over 30 years old, in original state without substantial changes, model no longer in production | 0% | 5% |
| Built in the EU (or another country with a UK trade agreement), with valid proof of origin | 0% | 20% |
| Any other origin, or no proof of origin | 10% | 20% |
Buying in Greece does not make a car EU-made. The duty preference follows the factory, not the showroom, so an American-built car bought in Athens pays the 10% duty, and a car built in the EU, Japan or South Korea only escapes it with proof of that origin. The historic rate is not automatic either: age alone is not enough if the car has been substantially modified. Our guide to working out if your car counts as a classic goes through the tests, and paying import duty and VAT shows how the two taxes combine.
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Work out my import taxBuying a classic in Greece
Greek cars are kept for a long time. ACEA, the European carmakers' association, reported in its 2026 edition of Vehicles on European Roads that Greece had the oldest car fleet in the EU, averaging 17.8 years. For a buyer, that means older models still in everyday use rather than only in collections.
The climate helps: hot, dry summers and mild winters are kinder to steel than a British winter. It is no guarantee, though. Island and coastal cars live in salt air, and a car in daily use for decades may have been repaired many times, so look underneath.
Before you pay, make sure the name on the άδεια is the person selling to you and that the VIN on it matches the one stamped on the car. Greek cars are left-hand drive, which is no obstacle to UK registration.
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From arrival to UK plates
- Customs declaration on arrival, with the VAT and any duty paid: our job.
- The NOVA notification to HMRC within 14 days of arrival: also ours.
- A British MOT if the car needs one: yours to book, and it can be done before the car has UK 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.
- The V55/5: we prepare it, and you sign it and post it to the DVLA with the άδεια, the MOT certificate or V112, photo ID, proof of your UK address, the £55 first registration fee and road tax.
Our guide to registering an imported car with the DVLA covers that last step in more detail.
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We handle the customs, the VAT and NOVA, and we prepare every DVLA form, you just sign and post. Over 1,500 vehicles cleared since Brexit.
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