Registration and paperwork · BMW and MINI

How do you get a BMW Certificate of Conformity for a UK import?

We obtain it for you as part of the import. A Certificate of Conformity is available for a BMW or MINI originally made to be sold in the EU, and usually costs from £120 to around £385, depending on the make, model and year. BMW says cars built before 1 January 2000 generally had no CoC, and cars made for markets outside Europe never have one.

Published 27 September 2026 · 5 min read

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1. Why you need it

To register an imported car under 10 years old, the DVLA needs proof of vehicle approval. For a car registered in the EU, the European CoC is that proof (GOV.UK), and it also supplies the type approval number and technical data for form V55/5. An older car needs no approval (GOV.UK exemptions list).

2. Getting a BMW CoC

We obtain the CoC for you as part of the import, and the same goes for a MINI. All we need from you is the 17-character VIN and the country where the car is registered. A CoC usually costs from £120 to around £385, depending on the make, model and year.

3. Which BMWs have a CoC

• Cars built before 1 January 2000 generally did not have one (BMW Motorrad bikes before 1 January 2004).
• A car made for a non-European market has no CoC, even if it was built in a European factory. Under 10 years old, such a car needs IVA instead.
• Some early CoCs did not include emissions data, which matters if you need to prove a car meets the London ULEZ standard.

4. Classic BMWs: proving the age

A BMW over 10 years old needs proof of its age, not a CoC. The DVLA uses the original foreign registration document, or may accept other dating evidence if that does not show the date (GOV.UK). When the foreign papers do not show the date, a dating letter proves the car's age, and we obtain it for you; it usually costs from about £60 to £90 through an owners' club, or from about £120 to around £300 directly from the manufacturer. For an E30 M3 or a 2002, see our model guide.

5. Left-hand drive BMWs

A left-hand drive BMW under 10 years old also needs a GB conversion IVA certificate: the CoC plus a garage invoice showing the headlamps dip to the left, an mph speedometer and a correctly placed rear fog light. Details in our Certificate of Conformity guide.