Hi, you may find that if you are in the process of applying for permanent residency that you do not qualify for the temporary car import permit, and have to go for the permanent one - I'm not sure on that...I am entering on a defacto spouse visa which is valid for 2 years, after which I have to apply for the permanent visa...with regards to the car that I am shipping in a couple of weeks however my current visa is classified as "permanent" (but I am not sure if this is just because of my visa type which may be different from your situation). Note: The car is in my name and not my Ozzie partners, and I rec'd the import permit pretty easily and quickly (but thinking about it we needed an Oz address for it to be sent to - my partner is already in Perth ahead of me so perhaps all that helped).....best to check out the govt website and speak to the guys directly - they have been pretty friendly and helpful with our queries...Also, I recommend you go to the Karmanshipping company website (they are London based) - they provide a list of their preferred agents for each of the main regions in Oz....the Perth agent had a really good website and he has been really helpful with our questions too (without us even signing a contract with him yet) so perhaps they will be able to give you more accurate and uptodate info as the rules may differ depending on what state you are going to aswell....
Whatever you do though, you must make sure you get the import permit (whichever type is relevant to you) before you even think of shipping the car, as any cars arriving without one get destroyed....Hope all this helps!
Good luck, Angela.
OK - my car (Saab 9-3 cabrio) is here and I wanted to pass on the costs in order to dispel myths.
Shipping with Karman - £1290
Shipping Insurance based on Australian value = £20,000 - £400
Import Duty - $4300
Port and customs charges - $2600
Compliance/Rego/TPFT Ins - $2320
So all in it has cost me $13000 or about £5600.
No issues with compliance either.....please note John S.
