NOVA late: what happens after the 14 days, and what should you do?

If your NOVA is late, tell HMRC now. The 14 days have passed, and the DVLA will not register the car until HMRC has processed the NOVA. GOV.UK says you may be fined if you are late, and it publishes no amount.

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Is there a fine for a late NOVA?

GOV.UK says it plainly: you may be fined if you are late telling HMRC. DVLA's leaflet INF106 says the same thing in other words: if you do not notify HMRC within 14 days of the vehicle arriving in the UK, HMRC may issue a late notification penalty.

Neither document gives an amount, and we do not know how HMRC works one out. Some websites quote daily or fixed figures. GOV.UK publishes none, so we do not repeat them, and you should be careful with anyone who does. Whether a penalty is issued at all is HMRC's decision.

When do the 14 days start?

The 14 days start when the vehicle crosses the border into the UK. GOV.UK puts it as 14 days after you bring a vehicle into the UK permanently. It does not wait for your invoice, for your shipping agent to send papers, or for you to find time. A car that landed on 1 October and has no NOVA on 16 October is late.

For the full picture of the deadline and the common mistakes, read 5 things to know before you apply for NOVA.

What should you do first if your NOVA is late?

1. Notify now. The car cannot be registered until HMRC has processed the NOVA.
2. Use the true arrival date. Give the real day the vehicle crossed the border. HMRC and the DVLA compare what you tell them, and the DVLA will not register a car whose details do not match what HMRC was given (INF106).
3. Keep your evidence. This is our advice, not a GOV.UK rule: keep the ferry or tunnel booking, the shipping line's arrival notice, the customs documents (the C88 and E2, or your Movement Reference Number), your invoice and any emails that show when the car arrived.
4. Do not drive it. GOV.UK warns that you can be prosecuted if you use the vehicle on a public road before the import steps are done, unless you are driving it to a pre-booked MOT or vehicle approval test (GOV.UK).
5. Do not send the DVLA application early. The DVLA needs HMRC's confirmation first, and then a wait of 48 hours (INF106). Our page on checking a NOVA reference explains how the DVLA sees it.

Would you rather not do this alone? Let us handle your NOVA: we submit the customs declaration and the NOVA, and we prepare every DVLA form, you just sign and post.

NOVA HMRC contact number: who do you contact?

It depends on how the vehicle came in. These are the routes on GOV.UK:

The CARS team can be reached by email at ecsm.nchcars@hmrc.gov.uk, or by post to HMRC CARS team, Business, Tax and Customs, HM Revenue and Customs, BX9 1EH. For general help with importing a vehicle, the imports and exports helpline is 0300 322 9434, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Say that the vehicle arrived on a given date and that you are late, and have the vehicle's VIN, your documents and your arrival evidence to hand.

If you have not used a customs agent and tax is due, GOV.UK says you will need one to make the import declaration, and the tax must be paid before the CARS team can make the NOVA declaration. Who files in each case is explained in do private importers need a NOVA.

What happens at the DVLA while your NOVA is late?

Nothing, because the DVLA cannot start. GOV.UK says that before you can register an imported vehicle you must tell HMRC and get confirmation that your NOVA application is processed, pay any VAT and customs duty, and have proof of vehicle approval. A late NOVA therefore holds up the V5C, the registration certificate that can take up to 6 weeks to arrive after you apply. The whole route is in how to get a NOVA on an imported car.

What do we do if you are already late?

We start from the true arrival date and the papers you have. We check what is missing, then we prepare the customs declaration and the NOVA with the real dates and details. Between your customs clearance and your NOVA we process within one business day, which is our own working time and not HMRC's. The sooner a NOVA goes in, the sooner you can have the reference.

We also help prepare the documents so that the fine is avoided where possible. We cannot promise that: whether a penalty is issued, and the final result of your NOVA, are HMRC's decisions, and how long HMRC takes depends on how busy its NOVA team is. We prepare every DVLA form, you just sign and post. NOVA costs from £45, not including duty and VAT; see how much a NOVA costs.

Mistakes that make a late NOVA worse

• Waiting until you have "all the papers". Notify with what is true and correct, and add what is missing as you get it.
• Changing the arrival date to look on time.
• Sending the DVLA a VIN, value or date that does not match the NOVA. Wrong details need an amendment; see NOVA wrong VIN or value.
• Paying a site that promises "no fine". No one can promise that.

A late NOVA is still a problem you can fix. Tax and rates depend on the car, so use our VAT and duty calculator to see what the customs side will be.