NOVA service UK: customs clearance and NOVA from £45

We clear your vehicle through customs and send the NOVA to HMRC, and we process the case between the two within one business day. The NOVA is from £45, not including duty and VAT.

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The outcome is HMRC's decision, and so is the timing. This page explains what you do, what we do and when you can manage without us.

What happens after you press the button

1. You send us the details. The vehicle, the VIN, what you paid and where it was built, with your documents.
2. We check the documents and tell you anything that is missing.
3. Customs clearance. We present the customs declaration. The import VAT and duty must be paid before HMRC can make the NOVA declaration (GOV.UK).
4. Within one business day, we process the NOVA. That is our own working time, not HMRC's.
5. An HMRC caseworker decides. The timing depends on the workload of the NOVA team, so nobody can promise a time.
6. You receive the NOVA reference.
7. Then the DVLA pack. We prepare every DVLA form, you just sign and post. Wait 48 hours after HMRC confirms before you contact the DVLA (DVLA leaflet INF106).

What you do

You buy the vehicle and arrange for it to reach the UK. Then you send us the details before it arrives, or as soon as it has. You pay the import VAT and duty on your own figures, because GOV.UK says you must have paid any import taxes due before HMRC can make the NOVA declaration. You check and approve what we prepare.

At the end, you receive the DVLA paperwork, sign it and post it. We do not send it for you.

What we do

1. We check the details. VIN, value, dates and where the vehicle was built. A mismatch caught here costs nothing. A mismatch found by HMRC costs time.
2. We present the customs declaration. This is customs clearance: the import declaration on which the VAT and duty are worked out.
3. We send the NOVA to HMRC. NOVA stands for Notification of Vehicle Arrivals.
4. We prepare every DVLA form. You just sign and post.

Where this fits in the whole journey, from purchase to plates, is in our guide to importing a car to the UK.

Our one business day

Between customs clearance and the NOVA, we process the case within one business day. The point is to cut the waiting: the sooner the NOVA goes in, the sooner you get your NOVA reference. This is our own working time. It is not HMRC's, and it is not a promise of when HMRC will confirm. If you want to understand the timing in full, read how long a NOVA takes.

What HMRC decides

A caseworker at HMRC decides the outcome of every NOVA. The time it takes depends on the workload of the NOVA team. Neither is ours to control, and we do not promise either one.

What we can say is that so far we have not had a NOVA rejected, because we fix the problem before it goes in. That is our record to date, not a guarantee.

If the details are wrong or missing when a case goes in, the result is delay, corrections and extra cost, and with a busy team the reference can arrive after many days. This is the main reason we prepare every case with all the details first.

What it costs

The NOVA is from £45, not including duty and VAT. HMRC lists no fee for the NOVA itself, and the duty and VAT you pay depend on the age of the vehicle, where it was built and what you paid. We break it down in how much a NOVA costs, and you can estimate your own tax with the import duty and VAT calculator.

When you can do it alone, and when an agent helps

A private importer can ask for a NOVA without an agent. GOV.UK sets out the routes: for a shipped vehicle, the shipping company or a customs agent can make the declaration (they may charge an extra fee), or HMRC's CARS team can do it on your behalf. If you bring the vehicle in yourself, you contact the CARS team. Source: GOV.UK, telling HMRC.

Doing it alone can work when your paperwork is simple and you have time to check every detail. An agent helps when:

• you have not imported before and do not know what HMRC will question;
• the VIN, value or dates in your documents do not match;
• the vehicle is a classic and you want the reduced 5% VAT rate to be applied correctly;
• you cannot afford a delay while the vehicle waits to be registered;
• you are close to the 14 days. GOV.UK says you may be fined if you are late, and publishes no amount. We help prepare the documents to try to avoid a fine, but we cannot guarantee it.

More on this choice in do private importers need a NOVA? and how to get a NOVA on an imported car.

What we need from you up front

The documents below keep a case smooth. The first four are what GOV.UK lists for the person making the declaration:

• the customs documents (C88 and E2, or your MRN) once customs clearance is done;
• the invoice or bill of sale, if you bought the vehicle in the last 6 months;
• a current valuation done in person in the UK by a garage, dealership or other recognised business, if you bought it earlier;
• a document that confirms the VIN;
• the country where the vehicle was built, because that decides the duty;
• the price you paid, in what currency and what you paid for delivery;
• the expected date and place of arrival, or the date it arrived.

Check that the VIN and the value are identical on every document. If a detail is already wrong, see how to fix a wrong VIN or value on a NOVA.

After the NOVA: the DVLA paperwork

Once HMRC has processed the NOVA, you wait 48 hours before you contact the DVLA (this is in the DVLA leaflet INF106). We prepare every DVLA form, you just sign and post. If your NOVA reference is lost, or you want to check one, see how to check a NOVA reference.

Not every vehicle is a car. We also cover NOVA for motorbikes and NOVA for classic cars.

Bought a car that someone else imported and not sure it has a NOVA? We can check it for you: send us the VIN.