Classic cars

How do you import an Alfa Romeo Spider to the UK?

Every 105 and 115 Series Alfa Romeo Spider, from the 1966 Duetto to the last Series 4, is now over 30 years old and the model is no longer in production, so an original car can be imported at 0% duty and 5% import VAT as a collector’s vehicle. Cars built before 1986 can also apply for the historic tax class, with no vehicle tax to pay. Watch the originality of American cars, and expect left-hand drive on anything built after 1978.

Published 26 September 2026 · 6 min read

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1. Spider series and ages

The 105 and 115 Series Spider ran for almost three decades (Hagerty):

Every Spider is over 30 years old and production ended in 1994, so an original car can come in as a collector's vehicle at 0% duty and 5% VAT, and needs no vehicle approval. Cars built before 1 January 1986 can go into the historic tax class, with nothing to pay, but you have to apply for it (GOV.UK). The MOT is a separate rule: a car built or first registered more than 40 years ago with no substantial changes is exempt, with a V112 declaration instead. Later Series 3 and Series 4 cars pay normal vehicle tax and need an MOT until they pass 40 years.

2. American Spiders and originality

Many Spiders come from the USA. Classics World warns that an American car is not automatically rust free unless it has lived in a dry state such as California or Arizona (Classics World). US cars also differ from European ones: they used SPICA mechanical fuel injection and later Bosch injection, and later cars had rubber bumpers. Converting US cars to twin Weber carburettors is common, as are exhaust swaps and cone filters.

That matters for tax. The collector's rate under heading 9705 needs the car without substantial changes to the engine, and whether a fuel system conversion counts is a question HMRC decides. Know what the car has, and keep the paperwork for any work done.

3. Right-hand drive ended in 1978

Classics World records that the last factory right-hand drive Spiders were built in 1978. After that UK cars were left-hand drive, and right-hand drive versions were conversions by Seaking, the importer's subsidiary, and the dealer Bell & Colvill. A left-hand drive Spider from Italy or the USA registers here without any conversion approval.

4. Proving age and specification

A dating certificate states the year of production and the car's original configuration. It is strong evidence both for dating the car and for showing how it left the factory, and we obtain it for you. A dating letter usually costs from about £60 to £90 through an owners' club, or from about £120 to around £300 directly from the manufacturer. It is not the customs proof of origin used to claim 0% duty, which an original classic at the collector's rate does not need. The DVLA still starts from the original foreign registration document or US title (GOV.UK). From the USA, the title plus two copies must reach US Customs at least 72 hours before export (CBP). From Italy, expect a Documento Unico or the older certificato di proprietà and libretto.

5. The import in order

1. Import declaration, claiming the collector's rate if the car is original.
2. NOVA within 14 days of arrival.
3. A UK MOT if the car needs one: cars built or first registered more than 40 years ago with no substantial changes are exempt.
4. First registration on a V55/5, then an age-related plate and vehicle tax.