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We are due to move to Melbourne in around 3 months time. Whilst the move is planned, we didn’t anticipate such a quick timeline. We have just got a new car on finance in the uk, and given we will be stung financially if we hand it back, would like to take it with us. However, we’ve seem that you need to have owned the car for 12 months, and at the point of moving we will have owned it for only 6. Is there any way around this? I have relatives I’m guessing could import it but that would be quite complicated as I’d need to sell it to them? Any ideas?

Hi Guys. I know the general consensus is to buy when you're out there but I've been checking out the costs of used cars - they're massive in comparision to the UK. For example, the 2002 Audi A4 TDi Avant I run around in here that is worth approx £6k would cost at least $18k. A difference of approx £3k sterling. Has anyone imported their car? If so what sort of costs are we talking of? All the best.

I will soon be applying for a Prospective Marriage Visa (subclass 300) to marry my Australian girlfriend. Thanks to this forum, I now appreciate that it will typically take 8-9 months for the visa to be granted, so we will bear this in mind when booking the wedding date. We plan to settle and live in Australia permanently and will be applying for the Temporary Partner visa (subclass 820), and in due course, the Permanent Partner Visa (subclass 801). am very unclear though when I may import my personal effects into Australia. Obviously, I cannot do this on the Visitor Visa, which I currently have. But.... Can I import my belongings once I have entered Australia on my PMV? Or do I have to wait until I have married and applied for my Temporary Partner Visa (820)? If the latter, do I have to wait until my Partner Visa is actually GRANTED until importing my personal effects, or may I import my belongings as soon as the Visa application has been made (bearing in mind it might take several months before the visa is granted). Any personal experiences of this and advice would be most welcome. At the moment I am in a quandrary, trying to anticipate how much storage time I should arrange before my stuff can leave the UK. Many thanks.

Hi Folks, I've been reading lots of threads about importing cars from the UK but am still a bit confused about costs, in particular: If we imported a Land Rover Freelander (that we had owned for 12 months) that cost about £21,000 to buy here would we pay luxury car tax as well as import duty and GST? Would the import duty be 5% or 10%? What percentage would GST be? Would we be likely to run into compliance problems? Would there be a market for the car if we later decided to sell it in Oz? How much trouble would we have getting parts/maintenance? I would be really grateful for any help anyone can give, we need to decide soon if we should take a car with us or not.

Hello again guys Following on from my previous thread about car insurance, I have been looking at the cost of buying a motor in Australia compared to England at a rate of 2.25 I think that you pay a lot more in Aus for a car compared to the UK. So i am now looking into exporting a car from the UK. But I have to factor in the associated costs to see if it would be worth while or not. Can any who has gone through this experience give me a guide as to the costs associated along with time scales Thanks in advance Mark

I emigrated in 2008 on a partner visa and only just getting around to shipping personal possessions which I have left with my dad. It is only 2 boxes containing, crockery, cutlery , records and a guitar ive completed the relevant forms, posted them to my dad and he and he is obtaining quotes but one potential shipper is claiming I need to pay for customs inspection fees of around $120. I have contacted customs and they never mentioned this, I just need the paperwork. Who is correct? can anyone who has imported personal goods explain the process as Customs are not very helpful thanks

Hi all, I am posting this as there is so much miss information on this site about the process of how to import your car into WA I want to help others to ensure they do not suffer the problems of people claiming they will register their cars for them and then not doing anything to help. The process is a problem as there is nobody who can tell you exactly what you need to do so here it is. The process is as follows: 1) Obtain visa entitlement to live in Autaralia 2) Obtain import approval - you will be sent one copy of the import approval to a UK address 3) Valet and stem clean the car before shipping in the UK. Especially underneath and all the seeds in the radiator and plant matter under the bonnet. 4) Once you have an Oz address request the four original copies of the import approval be sent to this address. 5) Ship vehicle. 6) Shipping agent clears cars with customs and you pay duty and GST plus luxury car tax 7) Quarantine inspect vehicle and pass or request further cleaning. If cleaning required expect to pay about A$300 and wait a week for re inspection 8) Once cleared the vehicle can be moved by transporter or by personal temporary movement permit - either 48 hour permit or 28 day. 9) Arrange vehicle inspection at department of transport "pit" 10) If it fails carry out modifications required 11) Re inspection - it will fail this as you still have one more hurdle to go! 12) If everything is ok as inspection you send the completed import approval off stamped by the pit inspection for a personal import plate (pip) 13) Send off application for PIP 14) Receive PIP in post and affix to car 15) Book re inspection at pit 16) Receive final "green" form that everything is now in order and vehicle has passed pit inspection 17) Register vehicle and pay registration fee (varies according to weight of vehicle) and receive registration plates 18) affix registration plates and drive car away! Notes: a) In WA temporary movement permit covers third party insurance only b) If you want fully comp insurance Shannons are good and will insure the car on a VIN number only. c) Re inspection fee is A$60 d) Don't expect anyone to know what they are doing !!!

Hello I have the bmw 530 i e60 in uk but the car is registered under my friend's name so I can't proof that I own the car for at least 12 months . I use this lovely car during my stay in Uk because I live in Poland. I'm moving to Australia in a few months and I'd like to take this car with me considering that this model is twice more expensive in Oz. Is there any way to bypass this 12 months regulation ??? Do you have any ideas how can I resolve my problem ? Thanks in advance bye

Ok, After almost having our cars on the road... here is an update for all of you's who are thinking of bringing the car over We shipped to Melbourne Victoria (I am saying this as prices and procedures may vary for each state) we shipped 2 cars and household belongings into a 40foot container (high cube) Paid £6900 with John Mason Other charges on this end for the cars: we paid for the cars to get valued here, as customs will take the value you paid for when you bought the car in UK. We bought new and only had the 1 invoice, so you can expect the tax you pay on that. Application form to import the vehicle to Oz: $50 per car Valuation: $220 per car (Lancer valued at $10500 and L200 at $12000) Quarantine Inspection Fee: $760 (for the entire container) Import Duty: $1038 (for both cars) GST: $2353 (for both cars) Cleaning Costs: $1020 (for both cars, incl also towing car to cleaning site) Unregistered Vehicle Permit for 21 days: $62.60 per car (for Victoria) VASS Engineer to get import Sticker: $750 (for both cars) Roadworthy Certificate: $100 each car Appointment Fee: $15.60 Inspection by VIC roads: $24.90 Registration by VIC Roads: $191.60 Transport Accident charge: $366 Insurance Duty: $36.60 Number Plates: $31.20 Motor Vehicle Duty: $424 http://webapps.vicroads.vic.gov.au/vrne/VRCALC.NSF/fee?OpenForm&V=3030&V1=N&V1A=N&R1=$366.00&R3=$36.60& Since July this year they have gone very stricked on the RWC (MOT equivilent) we have to change our windscreens as the L200 only lets 68% of daylight through and it should be 70. My Lancer had a repaired chip - was ok to get MOT in UK but here the windscreen needs replacing. The L200 has shown rust under the car from the Salt we get during Winter. This needs to be attended - we still waiting for RWC for L200. My Lancer has tinted windows which is standard from Mitsubishi as we bought it - it is to dark here, however we managed to get the Certificate without chaning anything. Our cars both had Child restraints adaptors so we did not need to get them. They are very very harsh here for Roadworthyness and you need to consider paying up before you get it on the Road here. Phone around as not all garages to RWC for imports a list of the VASS engineers can be found here (for VIC only) http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/53CADBC4-D8FF-41DA-8EE6-BE54CDCC84FC/0/VICROADS_n1013642_v1_VASS_List_for_Publication_3_Oct_2011.pdf But don't be fooled, second hand cars are fairly expensive here. My partners car same age, mileage etc would go between $30.000 - £35.000 and my lancer around $22.000 - 25.000. So think twice if it is all really worth it. We love our cars and they have all the gadgets, full leather, low mileage etc, so for us was the only option. Just as a reminder, If we would have sold in UK we would maybe get £8000 for the Lancer and $6500 for the L200. So now we broke but happy (almost once we get the L200 on the road):goofy:

If you transport a car in the same container as your other goods, does the container get de-contaminated in Oz? Just wondering :confused: thanks Cal

Hi, Could you please give me advise on importing a Mazda RX8 from Ireland to Perth? Im wanting to know how much would it cost to import my car and to get it registered etc because to buy the same model, year km's etc over here seems to cost around $18,000??!!! http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/images/smilies/chatterbox.gif Make: Mazda Model: RX8 60,000 km's Year: 2004 Value: €4,500 / $6,500 Bought the car 3weeks ago Any help would be much appreciated

Hello everyone! Im trying to import my cat to Australia and I am a little confused with the paper work that need to be done. I have finished off with the RNATT and have the declaration form of an official vet. What confuses me is step 17 in the link below: http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/cat-dogs/countries/cat4/info-pack-4#5 It says that 4 days prior to export that I must bring the animal and all documentation (e.g. vaccination certificates, laboratory reports) to this inspection. The animal must be free from clinical signs of infectious or contagious diseases. Do I have to take it to an Official Government Veterinarian???? I'm asking because There isn't an OGV in the city I live in. Please help me understand this step. Eager to get replies that have dealt with the paper work themselves since it's expensive to get a company to do this for me. Thanking you in advance XX

I have a Porsche Boxster which I'm keen to export to Australia from the UK when I move to Australia (ACT) later this year / early next year. However, I'm unsure about the costs to modify to meet the Australian Standards and the impact to the future car value as it'll be an import versus an Australian registered vehicle. I would appreciate any thoughts if anyone has exported a Porsche/similar vehicle and whether you feel it's worth the costs and hassle of importing versus buying a similar vehicle when I get there. Thanks, Richard

Hi PIO, does anyone know what the link is for shipping a motorcycle, been given one but can I find it. cheers, Troy

I was wondering if anyone knew the costs involved in shipping a brand new moto x bike from America to Australia ? We are Australian residents and i know there is a tax payable when you havent owned the bike for 12 mths or more, but im wondering if anyone knows a rough figure as it is a while since ive had any dealings with customs. For the shipping itself we have been quoted around $2000, when this is added to the price we can get the bike for it is STILL working out cheaper than buying new here. (thank you exchange rate,lol) Will there be any other costs involved? As its a moto x will the spec have to be changed or anything like a road bike would ? Thanks in advance for any help Cal x

Anyone have any experience of this? It's a 50cc off-road quad.... ??? Shipping companies don't seem to have a clue! Thanks

Hi I am going to Perth in October with my husband who is a joiner and my 4 children 13,11,6,4 my two youngest are really looking forward to it eldest two not so much. Want to bring our car over and looked at the forms a bit mind boggling as to the extra info they want for 100 points. Has anyone filled the forms in and can give me some advice on the extra info i need as i am not gonna have it all before we get to Perth. Thanks:jiggy:

I am going to Australia in October on a working holiday but have a potential sponsor lined up. Would it be possible for me to import a Nissan Navara on this type of visa? And would I be able to re-sell the motor? They seem to be far more expensive in Australia than here in UK. Thanks in advance, Dave :hug:

I race in the UK and although won't be keeping that going in OZ I'd still like to bring the bike to do the odd track day at Eastern Creek. However, the race bike has no V5 so is this likely to cause an issue at all? I also have a stock road bike - is it worth bringing that too or selling in the UK? It's only worth about £2K in the UK cheers

Has anyone managed to import a car on a 457 Visa when they have not owned it for a full 12 months BEFORE they moved to OZ? Unfortunatley when I relocate to Melbourne at the end of July I'll only have owned the vehicle for 10 months :-( So I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience? Fergal

We have just had our 1st shipper in to give quotes on moving our worldly possessions and have a query regarding our car. The shipper said he had never heard of requiring 100 points to gain the import certificate. It is quite clear on the site that you must supply certain documents and we are surprised that he knew nothing. I have tried looking for info on PIO but get bogged under with Migration Info threads... With requiring 100 points we do not qualify for importing our car as although we are selling a property we are not selling our residential house (just yet), we do not have jobs (yet!!), we do not have a rental in Oz (again yet!!) therefore we have no bills etc to submit. We also cannot supply evidence of applying for Medicare, Oz driving license or a TFN until we get to Melbourne. We already have bank accounts so we get 95 points. Is there anything else we could supply tgo get ourselves another 5 points? Please help, my OH loves his BMW and is disabled so the car is adapted specially for him so we really need to take it!!! Any answers gratefully received, thanks!!!

Does anyone have any experience of bringing a cow skin rug through customs in Australia or a woven cane laundry hamper? Are they likely to be confiscated or treated at cost. If so is the cost worth it?

Hi there We are moving to Mandurah WA this July, and we have already applied for 2 car permits to import both of our cars. My partner has a cool Suzuki Intruder C800 cruiser and we'd also like to take that. Does anyone know if we would be able to import this too in addition to the cars? If so, do we need to apply for an import licence as before or not? Also any ideas of cost of duties and charges etc when we arrive in Oz? I think that we could fit it into the container. Would be great to hear your advice. Thanks Ali

Hi guys, I do understand that you need to have owned a vehicle for 12 months prior to importing. But... Im over here on a 457 for 4 years and hopefully will get pr/856 in this time. Im really missing being on a bike and would ideally like my old one back (or a replacement). If I bought a motorbike whilst on a trip to the uk and stored it at my parents, then shipped it over after obtaining pr and had theoretically owned it for a year would I be breaking the rules? If i could find the same bike here i would'nt worry but they are like the proverbial hens teeth over here!

Hi, Just wanted to ask, has anyone ever imported a car in a container without the help of an agent? If so how easy was it or is it worth biting the bullet and paying an agent to do it for me?