Transporting your car to Oz - everything you need to know!

[Guest Guest67761]

Hello Iron Chef,

 

I am still considering importing a car to Oz having being living here for the past 6 months on the 457 visa, and claiming LAFHA. As it stands I qualify as a temp resident, with 3.5 years left on my visa. After reading Section 162 - Import Declaration Required/VIA Required my query is:

 

1: Do I still have to have owned the car for 12 months prior to importing even tho I am classed as a temp resident, and considering at time of import it will be my intention to export the car again?

I understand that I will have to put down a security deposit and export the car again, however if I become a permanent resident I will have to pay duty & tax etc.

 

2: If during the course of my 457 visa if I was to secure permanent residency, can I then apply to keep my car in the country? & pay the relevant charges taxes etc.

Therefore avoiding the need to own the car for 12 months prior to importing.

 

3: Which government agency would be best to secure confirmation of this in writing prior to commencing any importation process. (Department of Transport and Regional Services? )

 

For what its worth, I could make the argument that I drove a company car for 6 years in Ireland, before getting my redundancy. I will be back home on 2/3 occasions in the next 12 months and can provide evidence of this to support my claim that I am living between both countries while on my 457 visa.

 

Thanks for your help and I look forward to your response in due course.

 

You MUST have owned and used the car overseas for at least 12 months prior to you moving to Australia if you are wanting to import through the "personal import scheme" which allows you to bring a car you already own regardless of make or model. On the otherhand if you want to bring in a vehicle which you have not owned and used overseas then it would need to meet the SEVS import laws which are much tougher and only allow certain models to be imported. Either of these schemes would allow you to keep and/or sell the car here in Australia.

 

If you are looking at bringing a car here for a short period and then re-exporting you could look at importing it on a Carnet which is basically a passport for temporary entry for your car. Under this law you must re-export the car when the time is due.

 

In order to qualify for a personal import approval you must have lived exclusively overseas with the car for at least 12 months, and then be moving to live exclusively in Australia now. Also note that you can only apply for a personal import up to 6 months after arrival in Australia, any longer and there is a very high chance that your application would be rejected unless you have a very good reason for the delayed application.

 

You can contact (Department of Infrastructure and Transport (formally DOTARS) on +61 2 6274 7111 and ask for the Vehicle Imports Section.

[Guest Guest67761]

Please can someone help or clarify for me please.

 

We will have owned our car for 12 months on 16/03/2013 and want to fly to Perth on the 17/03/2013. Some people I have spoken to said there is no way I can even apply until the 12 months is up. I am so confused as we need to leave ASAP but also really wanna take our car out with us as well.

 

Anyone who has any advice or been in a similar situation would love to hear from you.

 

Thanks Jo

 

Hello Jo,

 

You must have owned the car and lived overseas with it for at least 12 months, so on 17/03/2013 you will qualify. You can't submit your application until the 12 month qualifying time, and you can submit your application up to 6 months after arrival in Australia so as long as you leave the UK after the 12 months then you will have time to get the application submitted after you arrive in Australia - as long as you have someone who can look after the car in the UK after you leave.

 

I hope this clarifies the situation and gives you the good news you wanted.

 

Best wishes,

 

Craig

[chandi]

Hello Jo,

 

You must have owned the car and lived overseas with it for at least 12 months, so on 17/03/2013 you will qualify. You can't submit your application until the 12 month qualifying time, and you can submit your application up to 6 months after arrival in Australia so as long as you leave the UK after the 12 months then you will have time to get the application submitted after you arrive in Australia - as long as you have someone who can look after the car in the UK after you leave.

 

I hope this clarifies the situation and gives you the good news you wanted.

 

Best wishes,

 

Craig

 

Hi! I know this is what DIT will tell you if you ask them, but hypothetically, would it not be possible for Jo to apply, say, one month before he qualifies, anticipating the processing (waiting) time? Or would they actually need the passport copies taken after the end of the "qualifying period"?

 

In this kind of borderline case, it is pretty risky to move before they give the ok coz there is no coming back.

Factors that might affect the ultimate decision :

 

1. International travel that wasn't compensated for (Jo> yes, they ask for that(*), which means no more travel for you

till you relocate if you need to stick with the given schedule!)

2. Date of purchase is earlier than the date of registration, and the date of purchase was used for calculating the

qualifying period by the client (but DIT would start counting from the date of registration (?))

 

 

* This has affected my plans a lot, and I am pretty pissed off coz they never mentioned compensation.

I am drafting a letter of objection right now about this, and would love to have more signatures on it.

Jo> Please PM/email me and lets talk about it.

[Guest Guest67761]

Hi! I know this is what DIT will tell you if you ask them, but hypothetically, would it not be possible for Jo to apply, say, one month before he qualifies, anticipating the processing (waiting) time? Or would they actually need the passport copies taken after the end of the "qualifying period"?

 

In this kind of borderline case, it is pretty risky to move before they give the ok coz there is no coming back.

Factors that might affect the ultimate decision :

 

1. International travel that wasn't compensated for (Jo> yes, they ask for that(*), which means no more travel for you

till you relocate if you need to stick with the given schedule!)

2. Date of purchase is earlier than the date of registration, and the date of purchase was used for calculating the

qualifying period by the client (but DIT would start counting from the date of registration (?))

 

 

* This has affected my plans a lot, and I am pretty pissed off coz they never mentioned compensation.

I am drafting a letter of objection right now about this, and would love to have more signatures on it.

Jo> Please PM/email me and lets talk about it.

 

Traveling is not a real issue as long as its reasonable holiday or work travel and you can provide information to that effect, as long as it appears that you live and work in the UK and don't fly around the world more than anyone else would. So ducking over to France for a weekend would be no trouble, but going for a month could alter their decision on your application.

Obviously if you are cutting it fine on the 12 month qualifying period then they will be looking at your application more closely than most so it's always best to include a detailed cover letter and any other details of frequent or prolonged travel out of the UK during the qualifying period (letters from your employer if travel was for work, even photos to prove that your 3 weeks in Italy was a family holiday!)

 

You can't complete the application until you have owned the car for at least 12 months otherwise you would have to answer the question "Have you owned the vehicle (while overseas) for a continuous period of at least 12 months?" with a NO and therefore would not be eligible for the personal import approval. It must be at least 12 months to the day that you sign the application then it will take 3-6 weeks to process, unfortunately that is just how it works.

 

The qualifying period starts from when the car was registered in your name and available for road use (eg. road registered) so if it was not registered and/or not in your name for a couple of weeks after purchase then the qualifying period would not start until that time.

[Iron Chef]

Iron Chef have sent you an email to your ironlady address, hope this is the right one? I have a motorbike to import and I have booked my flights for the 1st May 2012. Its a 1997 Kawasaki ZX7R and I need to get a steer on costs left to pay and what are my next steps.

 

Got it

 

 

Is that so ALL the time? At least for SEVs, I heard they don't revalue unless the invoice is at an unreasonably low price??

 

For SEVS you're buying the car with the intention of importing it to Australia, that's why they take the invoice value for those vehicles. For personal imports, the car is initially bought for your own use, and will be at least 12 months old by the time it comes to Australia.

 

Please can someone help or clarify for me please.

 

We will have owned our car for 12 months on 16/03/2013 and want to fly to Perth on the 17/03/2013. Some people I have spoken to said there is no way I can even apply until the 12 months is up. I am so confused as we need to leave ASAP but also really wanna take our car out with us as well.

 

Anyone who has any advice or been in a similar situation would love to hear from you.

 

Thanks Jo

 

Just to clarify what Craig has already written, yes the 12 month rule is hard and fast but you can send the application in a few weeks early in anticipation that you will have owned it for 12 months by the time they get around to processing it. Either way, if you're cutting it that fine in terms of timing, you'll need to finish off sending it over from Australia - you won't be able to put it on a boat until you have the import approval, and there's no guarantee they won't ask you for more information.

Edited April 7, 2012 by Iron Chef

[tdk43]

Just a quick question, got our import approval, car on route. Do you know of any restrictions that means we can't sell it straight away once we have paid all the money? Thanks

[Iron Chef]

There are no restrictions on when you can sell it, but it's worth registering it first if you can, as it may create hassles for the buyer if it's not.

[tdk43]

Thanks! Do you know anyone who wants a C55 AMG lol?!

[Kopper]

Hi Iron Chef

I am unclear about taking a small 110cc quad bike and an adult water jet ski with trailer (not sure of engine size) with me. I dont have any paperwork for them as it was given to me secondhand. Do I need to get import approval? If so what paperwork do I need? Also when I send for approval for mine and my wifes cars can I email both applications together to avoid sending joint name supporting evidence twice.

Thanks in advance

[tdk43]

Hi Iron Chef

I am unclear about taking a small 110cc quad bike and an adult water jet ski with trailer (not sure of engine size) with me. I dont have any paperwork for them as it was given to me secondhand. Do I need to get import approval? If so what paperwork do I need? Also when I send for approval for mine and my wifes cars can I email both applications together to avoid sending joint name supporting evidence twice.

Thanks in advance

 

From what I read a motor vehicle is pretty much anything with an engine. So I would say you will need approval. And as far as I know seen as you are only allowed one vehicle per applicant, your twk cars will be the limit.

 

Could be wrong though, but am I pretty sure I am not.

 

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

[JoandGareth]

Hello Jo,

 

You must have owned the car and lived overseas with it for at least 12 months, so on 17/03/2013 you will qualify. You can't submit your application until the 12 month qualifying time, and you can submit your application up to 6 months after arrival in Australia so as long as you leave the UK after the 12 months then you will have time to get the application submitted after you arrive in Australia - as long as you have someone who can look after the car in the UK after you leave.

 

I hope this clarifies the situation and gives you the good news you wanted.

 

Best wishes,

 

Craig

 

Hi Craig,thanks for the advice. Does that mean I can fly out on the 17th March and still qualify? If I submit my application as soon as I get to Perth how long will the import approval take to come through? Is there any chance that they might decline me? Once I have approval how long will it take to get to Perth and through all the checks?? I'm just trying to weigh up if it's worth the hassle or just sell it?

 

Thanks Jo

[JoandGareth]

Sorry I jut have one more question. What date do the dept who approve the import use on the V5. The date the vehicle was acquired or the date near the doc ref no. I.e we acquired the vehicle on 16/03/2012 and the date near doc ref no is 02/04/2012.

 

Thanks Jo

[chandi]

Traveling is not a real issue as long as its reasonable holiday or work travel and you can provide information to that effect, as long as it appears that you live and work in the UK and don't fly around the world more than anyone else would. So ducking over to France for a weekend would be no trouble, but going for a month could alter their decision on your application.

Obviously if you are cutting it fine on the 12 month qualifying period then they will be looking at your application more closely than most so it's always best to include a detailed cover letter and any other details of frequent or prolonged travel out of the UK during the qualifying period (letters from your employer if travel was for work, even photos to prove that your 3 weeks in Italy was a family holiday!)

 

 

 

Hi, thanks a lot for the elaborate reply. Just need to confirm: when you say "no trouble", do you mean they wouldn't ask for compensation with extra time (in the UK in your example)? I have done two trips, 7days(to Melb for visa activation) and 12days(baby born overseas) each...It would mean a lot if i didn't need to. But again, we'll only know for sure by applying and then it would be too late?

[Guest Guest67761]

Hi, thanks a lot for the elaborate reply. Just need to confirm: when you say "no trouble", do you mean they wouldn't ask for compensation with extra time (in the UK in your example)? I have done two trips, 7days(to Melb for visa activation) and 12days(baby born overseas) each...It would mean a lot if i didn't need to. But again, we'll only know for sure by applying and then it would be too late?

 

I have not heard of anyone needing to stay longer to make up for time spent out of the UK unless it was more than a fair amount of time spend abroad and/or not considered to be a normal vacation. With that said it's hard to say because they do change the requirements every now and then, and it also depends to a small degree on who picks up your application to process on the day - some go through quickly and easily without any trouble and others can be put under more scrutiny.

If you were to provide a cover letter to explain that you were in Australia to get your visa paperwork done and that you were only there for the minimum time required, and that you made a second trip for the birth of a baby, including some evidence of these times, then you shouldn't have a problem however I can't say for sure in this case so you should contact the DIT directly to confirm your specific situation if you are unsure.

 

Keep in mind that most people are not moving to Australia on the exact day they have owned a vehicle for 12 months so it's not a really common scenario and it could raise an eyebrow and cause them to look into the paperwork a little harder. When you are cutting things this close it's always a good idea to call or email the DIT to give details of your specific situation and get advice from them to avoid any surprises.

[Guest Guest67761]

Hi Craig,thanks for the advice. Does that mean I can fly out on the 17th March and still qualify? If I submit my application as soon as I get to Perth how long will the import approval take to come through? Is there any chance that they might decline me? Once I have approval how long will it take to get to Perth and through all the checks?? I'm just trying to weigh up if it's worth the hassle or just sell it?

 

Thanks Jo

 

You should be able to fly out of the 17 and still quality. You can apply once you arrive in Australia however if they do decide that you have failed to meet the minimum 12 months qualifying period once you are in Australia then there is not much you can do about that, so if you do need to fly out of the UK as soon as possible then I would strongly suggest that you contact the DIT by phone or email and get some confirmation based on your specific situation that you will meet the necessary criteria. If you have spent some time abroad and they determine that you need to stay in the UK longer to compensate for that time overseas then you can at least address that before you fly out.

 

Sorry I jut have one more question. What date do the dept who approve the import use on the V5. The date the vehicle was acquired or the date near the doc ref no. I.e we acquired the vehicle on 16/03/2012 and the date near doc ref no is 02/04/2012.

 

Thanks Jo

 

They should use the date that you took ownership of the vehicle. If you acquired the vehicle on March 16th but then only had the ownership transferred to your name on April 2nd then the time would start from April 2nd most likely. On the other hand if you actually took legal ownership on March 16th but the copy of the V5 you have was just printed a couple of weeks later then that should have no bearing on the dates - I guess this would be similar to owning a car for years and getting a replacement V5 printed up that might show a different date, although I am not completely sure how the V5 is done in that respect.

Again if you have any doubts its best to confirm directly with the DIT to be 100% sure, and if possible ask them to put it in writing (email or letter) so you can reference it when you submit the application if required.

 

I hope this helps but please remember that any information we provide is only from our experiences. We can't say for sure what the DIT might actually require so it's always best to communicate with them directly if you are in that grey area.

 

Craig.

[pwkl]

Sorry I jut have one more question. What date do the dept who approve the import use on the V5. The date the vehicle was acquired or the date near the doc ref no. I.e we acquired the vehicle on 16/03/2012 and the date near doc ref no is 02/04/2012.

 

Thanks Jo

They use the date you acquired the vehicle. The other date is the document issue date, and it's when the V5 was processed. I had to replace my V5 as I took my private plate off before shipping and the document date was only a week before I applied for my permit.

[chandi]

Keep in mind that most people are not moving to Australia on the exact day they have owned a vehicle for 12 months so it's not a really common scenario and it could raise an eyebrow and cause them to look into the paperwork a little harder. When you are cutting things this close it's always a good idea to call or email the DIT to give details of your specific situation and get advice from them to avoid any surprises.

 

I did check with DIT some time back and they are the ones who said overseas travel time needs to be compensated for. (However,

I was referring to my wife's case which was a 3month+ absence due to labour). When I mentioned their brochure "Importing Vehicles to Australia"(VSB10) has an example of an applicant who qualifies for the permit "in spite of infrequent use", I was told to mention that when

I apply! (which means I won't get a clarification before that)

 

Anyway, I emailed them today and asked how it works in my case. Let's see what they have to say.

 

I have not heard of anyone needing to stay longer to make up for time spent out of the UK unless it was more than a fair amount of time spend abroad and/or not considered to be a normal vacation.

The problem with this observation is, like you have pointed out, most people don't cut things this close, and thus they have some extra time to compensate for a few short trips. Hence, they will never know.

[Guest Guest67761]

I did check with DIT some time back and they are the ones who said overseas travel time needs to be compensated for. (However, I was referring to my wife's case which was a 3month+ absence due to labour). When I mentioned their brochure "Importing Vehicles to Australia"(VSB10) has an example of an applicant who qualifies for the permit "in spite of infrequent use", I was told to mention that when

I apply! (which means I won't get a clarification before that)

 

Anyway, I emailed them today and asked how it works in my case. Let's see what they have to say.

 

The problem with this observation is, like you have pointed out, most people don't cut things this close, and thus they have some extra time to compensate for a few short trips. Hence, they will never know.

 

I would agree that a 3 month absence would normally cause the DIT to reject the application, so asking for additional time as compensation to make the total period of ownership up to 12 months is quite good as I have seen applications flatly declined for less. With that said, traveling for 3 months to give birth would not be considered normal travel due to both the long timeframe and unusual circumstances, therefore it could be subject to special consideration as it obviously was in your case. Most people would not need to compensate for normal holidays overseas regardless of it they were cutting it fine with the 12 months. Even with a week or two away from home multiple times during the 12 month qualifying period it would still appear as though they are living in the country where the car is located, however traveling for 3 months to give birth in another country basically means that you are living in that country at that point.

 

It sounds as though you are on good footing with your application if they have asked for additional time and you are able to meet that request so you should get it through. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

Once again I strongly suggest that anyone cutting it fine on the 12 month qualifying period and/or with unusual circumstances like long periods of travel should seek further advice from the DIT directly if you are in doubt.

[Guest Big Steve]

They use the date you acquired the vehicle. The other date is the document issue date, and it's when the V5 was processed. I had to replace my V5 as I took my private plate off before shipping and the document date was only a week before I applied for my permit.

 

You can also substantiate the date you first had use of the vehicle with your insurance paperwork. In theory that date is the date you acquired it - not the date the DVLA got to know about it.

[chandi]

 

It sounds as though you are on good footing with your application if they have asked for additional time and you are able to meet that request so you should get it through. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

 

Yes, that is true for my wife's car, since we had it for almost 2yrs. Just submitted the application for that last week. The issue is with my car, and will let you know how it goes. Thanks for all the tips and info.

[JoandGareth]

We had a reply from DIT and they definately use the date you acquired the vehicle. So in my case they said I can apply anytime from the 17/03/2013 onwards. Does anyone know of any other reasons they might refuse approval as I am going to leave my car in the uk pending approval.

[chandi]

We had a reply from DIT and they definately use the date you acquired the vehicle. So in my case they said I can apply anytime from the 17/03/2013 onwards. Does anyone know of any other reasons they might refuse approval as I am going to leave my car in the uk pending approval.

In spite of the vehicle not being officially registered in your name yet?? Would you mind quoting the reply if it was an email?

I am quoting what i was told here:

 

 

Q. For the purpose of satisfying the minimal length of ownership ofthe vehicle, does ownership begin from the date of purchase (wherethe date of registration is two weeks later), as shown on the dealer'sinvoice?

 

A. The 12 months will start from date of registration.

[Guest Guest67761]

You need to be careful with interpretation of terms, for example "acquired" to most people means the day you purchased the car, however as far as the DIT are concerned this means the date that you took ownership which can be proved on paper by way of the car being transferred or registered in your name. Although a receipt of payment, copy of bank transfer or similar for the day you purchased the car is helpful, its not your car in the eyes of the DIT until it's in your name on the V5 so that would be the real date at which they start counting.

There is of course some grey area as with anything so if you have a sales contract from a used car dealer, receipts, insurance paperwork, etc then you could well use the date you first got the car even if the ownership wasn't actually transferred for another week, but don't count on it just to be safe.

 

And remember everyones application is different. If there is nothing to raise suspicion about your application then they could be a little "friendly" with regards to things like the 12 months ownership, otherwise if they have their reservations for some reason then they could make it difficult by forcing you to jump through all manner of hoops to meet every criteria to the letter.

[Guest Guest40562]

Hi, thanks for all the in of iron chef

do you know of anyone who can give an approximate customs valuation using photos etc before i bring my car into oz? Also I understand if the car is worth over a certain amount, then there is a luxury goods tax also??

thanks

[JoandGareth]

You need to be careful with interpretation of terms, for example "acquired" to most people means the day you purchased the car, however as far as the DIT are concerned this means the date that you took ownership which can be proved on paper by way of the car being transferred or registered in your name. Although a receipt of payment, copy of bank transfer or similar for the day you purchased the car is helpful, its not your car in the eyes of the DIT until it's in your name on the V5 so that would be the real date at which they start counting.

There is of course some grey area as with anything so if you have a sales contract from a used car dealer, receipts, insurance paperwork, etc then you could well use the date you first got the car even if the ownership wasn't actually transferred for another week, but don't count on it just to be safe.

 

And remember everyones application is different. If there is nothing to raise suspicion about your application then they could be a little "friendly" with regards to things like the 12 months ownership, otherwise if they have their reservations for some reason then they could make it difficult by forcing you to jump through all manner of hoops to meet every criteria to the letter.

 

On our V5 document it only has the date you acquired the vehicle in our case it states 16/03/2012 the other date is the 02/04/2013 which is near the doc ref no. Which I believe changes everytime you make a change I.e move address etc. as far as I can see there is no other dates on the v5 and believe me I have checked it lots I times lol.