To import a car from Italy to the UK, get the original Italian papers (the libretto and certificato di proprietà, or the Documento Unico) and an invoice. In the UK it clears customs, goes through NOVA within 14 days and is registered with the DVLA. Import VAT is 20% and duty is 10%, unless the car was built in the EU and you prove its origin.
NOVA from £45 (duty and VAT not included). We process between customs clearance and NOVA within one business day.
The Classic Import Co. is a trading name of Imexs Brokerage LTD, company no. 13989357. Over 1,500 vehicles cleared since Brexit.
Get a free quote for my Italian import
Free and no obligation.
Buying a car in Italy? Get a free quote for your car import from Italy →
A car that can qualify as a collectors' piece (Tariff heading 9705) pays 0% duty and an effective 5% VAT instead: it has to be at least 30 years old, in original condition without substantial changes and of a model no longer in production. Is it an older Italian car, such as an Alfa Romeo Spider or a Lancia Fulvia? Read our guide to how to import a classic car from Italy. This page is for any car from Italy.
What you need from the seller
- The libretto and the certificato di proprietà, or the Documento Unico. The libretto is what everyone in Italy calls the registration document, officially the carta di circolazione. It describes the car and shows the chassis number and the date of first registration. The certificato di proprietà (CdP) says who owns it: ACI says it has been issued in digital form (CDPD) since 5 October 2015. Since 1 October 2021 a single paper, the Documento Unico (DU), replaces both for new transactions, and older papers stay valid until the next one.
- Which part the UK needs. The DVLA asks for an original non-UK registration document and keeps it. For an Italian car that is the libretto, or the DU. The certificato di proprietà on its own proves ownership but not the age of the car, so ask for the libretto as well.
- An invoice or bill of sale showing the price you paid. GOV.UK asks for the invoice or bill of sale if you bought the car in the last 6 months, and for a current in-person UK valuation if you bought it earlier.
Deregistration in Italy, any export plates and the export paperwork are handled by the seller. If you need it, we arrange the transport to the UK, and we handle the customs declaration, NOVA and the DVLA paperwork.
Photograph every page of the papers before they leave your hands, because the DVLA keeps the original registration document. If it is lost, the DVLA's leaflet INF106 says to send a letter explaining why, together with a dating certificate, and we obtain the dating certificate for you. Our UK documents checklist has the full British list.
The chassis number must match everywhere
Check the chassis number (the VIN) on the car, on the libretto or DU and on the invoice before you pay. The DVLA leaflet INF106 says it will not register a vehicle if the details in the application do not match those given to HMRC, and the Historic and Classic Vehicles Alliance says the VIN must be identical across the V55/5, the original registration document and the NOVA, "otherwise your application will be rejected" (HCVA). One wrong character is enough.
Copy it from the papers, never from memory, and compare it with the number stamped on the car. If the numbers differ, ask the seller to explain before any money moves. If a NOVA was already sent with a wrong number, see how to fix a wrong VIN or value on a NOVA.
How the tax is worked out
Three steps, in this order:
- Find the customs value. It is the price of the car plus the cost of getting it to the UK border (delivery costs to include). A price in euros is converted to pounds at HMRC's monthly rate (UK Trade Tariff exchange rates).
- Add the duty. Customs duty on a car is 10% of that value, or 0% if the car was built in the EU, or in another country with a UK trade agreement, and you hold the proof of origin. A car that can qualify as a collectors' piece pays 0% whatever its origin. The rates are in the UK Trade Tariff, heading 8703 (cars) and heading 9705 (collectors' pieces).
- Add the VAT. VAT is charged on the customs value plus the duty (working out the VAT value), at 20%, or an effective 5% if the car can qualify as a collectors' piece.
The same steps with a round number, to show the method (£10,000 is an illustration, not a typical price). Your own figure comes from the price, the transport and the month's exchange rate:
| Illustration: customs value £10,000 | Duty | VAT | Tax in total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built in the EU, origin proved | £0 | 20% of £10,000 = £2,000 | £2,000 |
| Built outside the EU with no trade deal, or no proof of origin | 10% = £1,000 | 20% of £11,000 = £2,200 | £3,200 |
| Can qualify as a collectors' piece | £0 | 5% of £10,000 = £500 | £500 |
On top of the tax come the UK fees: the DVLA's £55 first registration fee, road tax, and an MOT if the car needs one. To see your own figure, use the import duty and VAT calculator; the guide to the taxes on an imported car explains each one.
Send us the papers before you pay
Send us the car, the price and the VIN from the Italian papers, and we tell you what the import will involve. Our NOVA service starts from £45, excluding duty and VAT. See how our NOVA and customs clearance service works.
Get a free quote for my Italian importFree and no obligation.
Which car is yours?
Duty depends on where the car was built, not on where you bought it. An Italian badge does not make a car EU-built, and a car sold by an Italian dealer can have been made in another country.
| Your car | Duty | VAT | Also check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can qualify as a collectors' piece (heading 9705): at least 30 years old, original, model no longer in production | 0% | 5% | You need to be able to show the car is original. See importing a classic car from Italy and how to work out if a car counts as a classic. |
| Built in the EU, with proof of origin | 0% | 20% | The proof of origin must be ready before the customs declaration. |
| Built in a country with a UK trade agreement (for example Japan), with proof of origin | 0% | 20% | The agreement applies to the country where the car was built. |
| Built elsewhere (for example the USA), or no proof of origin | 10% | 20% | Duty is added to the value before the VAT is worked out. |
| Needs vehicle approval | As above | As above | GOV.UK lists cars over 10 years old as exempt, but not an imported car first registered on or after 1 March 2001 with EU type approval. The DVLA will not register a car that needs approval without proof; we obtain the certificate of conformity for you. See Fiat certificate of conformity. |
| A Vespa or other Italian motorbike | Different rules | See importing a classic Vespa or Lambretta. | |
Rates: UK Trade Tariff. The classic row applies only when all three conditions are met.
An Italian car is left-hand drive, which the DVLA registers, and its speedometer reads in km/h. If the car needs vehicle approval, GOV.UK says an EU-registered left-hand drive car also needs a certificate of GB conversion IVA, which has a £100 fee. A car first used on or after 1 April 1984 must have a speedometer that can show miles per hour as well (regulation 35 of the Construction and Use Regulations). Our guide to registering a left-hand drive car covers the rest.
Can you drive it home?
Not safely, and not freely. GOV.UK says you can be prosecuted if you use a vehicle on a public road before you complete the import steps, unless you are driving it to a pre-booked MOT or vehicle approval test. The DVLA leaflet INF106 adds three points:
- a UK resident must not drive a vehicle displaying foreign number plates;
- you must register, tax and insure the vehicle before using it on UK roads;
- to avoid difficulties, transport the vehicle from the port to your home rather than driving it, and keep it off the road until it is registered, taxed and insured.
When you do insure it, INF106 says to use the VIN or chassis number. Our guide to a car in the UK on foreign plates explains what happens when this goes wrong. We organise the transport to the UK if you need it.
Not sure how to get the car home? Get a free quote for your Italian import →
The UK steps
- Customs. We make the import declaration, and the VAT and any duty are paid. For a shipped vehicle GOV.UK says the shipping company or customs agent files it for you. Read more on finding a customs agent.
- NOVA. We notify HMRC within 14 days of the car arriving; the 14 days start when it crosses the border. The outcome is a decision of an HMRC caseworker and the timing depends on the NOVA team's workload. See how to get a NOVA, how long a NOVA takes, what a NOVA costs and what to do if it is late.
- MOT. The car gets a UK MOT if it needs one. Cars under 3 years old do not need one, and vehicles built or first registered more than 40 years ago with no substantial changes are exempt, with a V112 declaration instead. See the MOT on an imported car.
- DVLA. We prepare every DVLA form, you just sign and post: the V55/5, with the original libretto or DU, the MOT certificate if one is needed, photo ID, proof of your UK address, the £55 first registration fee and road tax. Allow 48 hours after HMRC confirms before you contact the DVLA. See how to register an imported car with the DVLA.
Bringing a car over from Italy?
We handle the customs, VAT and NOVA, and we prepare every DVLA form, you just sign and post. Over 1,500 vehicles cleared since Brexit, from £95.
Get a free quote for my Italian importFree and no obligation.
If you want the whole journey in one place, read importing a car to the UK. If you are comparing countries, the other guides are listed below, and there is one for classics from anywhere in the EU.