Importing to the UK

How do you import a motorhome or campervan to the UK?

You import a motorhome or campervan the same way as a car: an import declaration with any duty and VAT paid at the border, a NOVA notification to HMRC within 14 days of arrival, vehicle approval if it is under 10 years old, a UK MOT if it needs one, and then first registration with the DVLA on a V55/5. What changes is the detail: how the vehicle is classified for tax, how DVLA records the body type, and whether its weight takes it beyond a normal car licence.

Published 25 September 2026 · 8 min read

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1. The process in six steps

Whether it is a German motorhome, a Japanese pop-top or an American RV, the official import process runs in the same order:

1. Import declaration, with any duty and import VAT paid.
2. NOVA, within 14 days of the vehicle arriving in the UK.
3. Vehicle approval, if the vehicle is young enough to need it.
4. MOT, if the vehicle needs one.
5. First registration with DVLA on form V55/5.
6. Tax and insurance, then UK plates.

2. Duty and VAT on a motorhome

Motor caravans sit inside heading 8703 with passenger cars. The UK Trade Tariff gives new motor caravans their own commodity codes (such as 8703 32 11 00 for a new diesel between 1,500cc and 2,500cc), while a used motorhome goes under the "used" code for its engine type and size, such as 8703 32 90 00.

The rates on those codes are the same as for a car:

Two points catch people out. First, origin means where the vehicle was built, not where you bought it. An American RV bought from a dealer in the Netherlands is still American for duty purposes. Second, the 0% rate is a claim you make, not an automatic discount. For goods from the EU, the UK and EU trade agreement needs either a statement on origin from the exporter or evidence held by you as the importer.

Import VAT is due even if you already paid VAT in Europe when you bought the vehicle. Some reliefs can change the picture, most commonly transfer of residence relief if you are moving to the UK with a vehicle you have owned and used abroad.

3. Vehicle approval and the 10 year rule

According to the DVSA exemptions list, cars and light goods vehicles over 10 years old do not need vehicle approval. DVLA describes a motor caravan as a special purpose M category vehicle, so most older motorhomes fall into that age exemption and skip approval altogether.

A motorhome under 10 years old usually needs approval before it can be registered. The routes are:

• Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA), an inspection at a DVSA test station. Motor caravans are on the list of vehicles that can go through the simpler basic IVA.
• GB conversion IVA, for vehicles that have already been approved and registered in the EU.
• A Certificate of Conformity, where the vehicle has a type approval that DVLA accepts.

4. Getting "motor caravan" on the log book

The V55/5 asks for the type of body. For a motorhome, most people want "motor caravan" on the V5C, and DVLA has a clear idea of what that means. Its published guidance on motor caravans says the body type must describe what the vehicle looks like in traffic, and lists the external features it expects to see:

• 2 or more windows on at least one side of the main body, not counting the cab doors
• a separate door into the living accommodation
• motor caravan style graphics on both sides
• an awning bar on either side
• a high-top roof (a pop-top elevating roof does not count)

Inside, DVLA expects seats and a table, sleeping accommodation, cooking facilities and storage, fixed to the vehicle. That guidance is written for vans being converted in the UK, where the evidence is a checklist plus labelled photos of the interior with the bed and table set up, all four sides of the exterior, and the VIN plate.

Good to know: the same guidance says the body type does not affect insurance category or speed limits, and a vehicle recorded as a van can still be used as a camper.

5. Weight, licences and MOT

Big motorhomes are heavy, and weight changes who can drive them. Under the UK licence categories, if you passed your test on or after 1 January 1997, category B covers vehicles up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass. Between 3,500kg and 7,500kg you need category C1. Drivers who passed before 1997 should check their licence record, as older licences carried different entitlements. The V55/5 also has extra questions for vehicles over 3,500kg.

For registration, DVLA asks for a UK MOT if the vehicle needs one. Vehicles under 3 years old do not, and vehicles built or first registered more than 40 years ago with no substantial changes are exempt (you sign a V112 declaration instead). Motor caravans are tested as class 4, the same class as cars, and the test can be done on foreign plates because it is recorded against the VIN.

6. Documents checklist

Gas, electrical and habitation checks are sensible for your own safety and often asked for by insurers, but they are not on DVLA's registration list.

7. Where motorhome imports go wrong

Self-builds and conversions. A van converted abroad may still be a panel van on its foreign papers. Keep every receipt and photo of the conversion.

American RVs. These pay the full 10% duty, as there is no preferential rate for US-built vehicles. Check the weight plate against your licence before you buy, and make sure the vehicle can pass a UK MOT before you commit. See our USA import guide for the shipping paperwork side.

Japanese campers. Japanese pop-tops and small campers are right-hand drive, which helps, and Japanese-built vehicles can qualify for 0% duty with proof of origin. The Japan import guide covers the Japanese paperwork side.

Damage history. DVLA cannot register an imported vehicle that has been classed as seriously damaged abroad, meaning the equivalent of a UK category A or B write-off. Check the foreign papers before you pay, not after.

The Classic Import Co. handles the paperwork: the customs declaration, duty and VAT, NOVA, and a DVLA registration pack ready for you to sign and send. If you need it, we arrange the transport too. We prepare every DVLA form, you just sign and post.