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

[Guest McF150Supercharged]

Hi again IronChef.

 

Looking at lodging my application for two cars shortly & then will talk to you regarding costs for your services to get the rest complete.

 

I have a friend who is also emigrating & I suggested rather than selling his Motorhome here in the UK, he could possibly bring it in as one of his elected vehicles?

 

The motorhomes seem very expensive in Oz. His is worth about 30k sterling & thought he could bring his.

Wondering are the add on fees prohibitive, compliance changes ( no aircon fitted at mo so no degassing issues apart from cab aircon)?

 

Any restrictions on him selling it to me on its arrival?

 

I presume a RORO is the cheaper/only way for him to ship?

 

Any help appreciated.

[Guest judyb1940]

Dear Iron Chef,

Thanks for the advice, will read what you said in a mo...but to add ....what do you mean by....' you just have to change the gearing in the odometer to km, which is usually fairly straightforward'.....I dont undestand this bit, neither does my hubby!! Can I get this straight forwrd change done in the Uk, before importing my Bettle! Thanks very much Judy

[Iron Chef]

Here's an idea, i went to a local garage/trader to day, told him my situation, he said he will/would trade in my old Polo for a newer one (£7k), and backdate the sale date by 12 months, no problem he said......I was quite surprised, i thought all data was held electronically, but he said, just tell the DVLA that i forgot to send off the documents....

 

Criteria satisfied, helo Oz....

 

That could work, or he could be wrong and you could end up with a car that can't be imported and lose thousands of pounds flogging it off in a hurry before you leave. Either way, it's not a smart move mentioning it on a public forum - last I heard, DIT had internet access too

 

Hi again IronChef.

 

Looking at lodging my application for two cars shortly & then will talk to you regarding costs for your services to get the rest complete.

 

I have a friend who is also emigrating & I suggested rather than selling his Motorhome here in the UK, he could possibly bring it in as one of his elected vehicles?

 

The motorhomes seem very expensive in Oz. His is worth about 30k sterling & thought he could bring his.

Wondering are the add on fees prohibitive, compliance changes ( no aircon fitted at mo so no degassing issues apart from cab aircon)?

 

Any restrictions on him selling it to me on its arrival?

 

I presume a RORO is the cheaper/only way for him to ship?

 

Any help appreciated.

 

Yeah RO-RO would be his only option. There would be gas in the fridge that would need to be removed too, but that's a pretty small job in the scheme of things. As long as the door is on the left or rear side of the motorhome, it should be a fairly straightforward process. Tell him to send me pics of the motorhome as well as explaining his circumstances with moving over and I can advise him more accurately.

 

Dear Iron Chef,

Thanks for the advice, will read what you said in a mo...but to add ....what do you mean by....' you just have to change the gearing in the odometer to km, which is usually fairly straightforward'.....I dont undestand this bit, neither does my hubby!! Can I get this straight forwrd change done in the Uk, before importing my Bettle! Thanks very much Judy

 

Hi Judy, normally it's just a cable that needs replacing. It's a relatively easy job to do (connects from the gearbox to the back of the instrument cluster. Your local VW dealer should be able to fix it without any dramas.

[Blackcab]

That could work, or he could be wrong and you could end up with a car that can't be imported and lose thousands of pounds flogging it off in a hurry before you leave. Either way, it's not a smart move mentioning it on a public forum - last I heard, DIT had internet access too

 

Not a chance, just wanted a reaction, i would rather stick £10k on a 20 to 1 at Chepstow..............You are right the net is global, and i am poor in cash wise, but happy with what i do not have......cheers for the advice. You are correct......................appologies for coming across as a chancer, i am not.....

[Iron Chef]

lol it's all good - I deal with chancers on a daily basis in the Japanese import world that I normally frequent. For those characters, the blunt response is usually the most effective

[Cal2]

anyway iron Chef, we're inporting the Jag as recommended by you, how do we get started - going over end of March 2012

Calx:notworthy:

[Iron Chef]

Click on the website below, have a read, then send me an email

[Guest Lpkm]

Iron chef, quick one for you..

 

Ive just got a quote for shipping my car in a shared container and my belongings in the car and they say I can pay the Australian Customs Clearance, Australian port charges and handling upfront for£495.00. Should I pay it upfront of at the port in Brisbane? Will there be any difference?

 

Luke

[Iron Chef]

Hmmm the prices should be what they are, normally they're paid in AUD, so asking for a payment in GBP sounds....interesting...

 

You're obviously going to have to pay it either way, I would personally wait until the car arrives in Brisbane, then you can pay the charge to the customs broker.

[J&T]

Hi we're due to be moving across to Perth hopefully next year (visa permitting).

 

We would like to bring our cars with us, Chysler Grand Voyager & Merc AMG E55. Would it be a worthwile exorcise or are we better off selling them in the uk and buying again in Oz? I'm aware of the import costs but not the full costs of import tax's so would like to know if its financially viable.

 

Regards

 

Jon.

[Iron Chef]

Hi Jon - definitely worth bringing the Benz, with the Voyager only if it's a late model example, or one that you've been particularly happy with and want to keep using.

[Guest parkmatt]

Hi Iron Chef,

moving back to Australia in the next 6 months, just wondering if it would be worth while bringing back my 2005 Mercedes Benz CLK220 CDi Avantgarde with me, done just under 50,000 miles. Ive had a look at some websites and cant seem to find any clk220's in Australia.. so have no idea whether thats a good thing or a bad thing! Cheers

[Guest propainter]

Hi Iron Chef, You are a wealth of info on this topic!

I am planning a possible move in january to perth. I have a 2004 hyundai santa fe 2.0l (petrol)

I am not sure if it is worth bringing it or not. It would only fetch 3000 euro in Ireland .... less than $4000. What would you suggest as the wisest move? Thanks mate!

[ABL275]

hello, i have just purchased a used car and i am in the process of gaining a 457 visa for Oz. can you tell me if the 12 month ownership and use of the vehicle has to be before i actually move over there or could i move there and wait untill 12 months has elapsed and the apply to import the vehicle?

 

thanks

I've just imported my car and moved over just on a year after buying it; the wording is a little grey in parts but essential you do need to have owned the car overseas and lived in that same overseas country for a full year prior to coming to Australia.

 

You are allowed to have taken (a limited number of) holidays and business visits outside of your home country in that time. You're also required to submit a copy of every page of your passport to support this, together with a simple schedule of countries and dates on which you were outside your 'home' country prior to coming to Australia - so they have thought of ways people might get around this.

[Guest dondearan]

Hi, has anyone every imported 2 vehicles on a 457. The regulation say 1 vehicle but I NEED to bring my BMWR1200GS Adv. and would also like to import a Smart Car which is reasonably new, has very low mileage and would cost me AUD22-24k to replace while I would sell it here for £7k.

[Mr Fabricator]

Hey Iron chef , great post ,

 

couple of questions , I would like to take my motorbike with me , ive owned it for 5 years but its a track bike and so its never had a mot or been taxed for the road , i have log book and in my name , was thinking of taking it to pieces and sending it in the container as " parts " ??

 

secondly i would like to take my daily drive , A ford transit van , yes u read that right . i bought it new , exactly 12 months ago and would like to keep it , its also a 140PS sport van 2010 model in ink blue , only 150 ever made and it'll be the only one in OZ

 

would a van still come under the same import procedure ??

 

thanks in advance .

[Guest Lpkm]

Guys do we all have to degas our air conditioning? If so where would I get this done as they need a certificate too I believe. Thanks

 

Luke

[Guest oldmarried]

Dear Ironchef,

 

Hope you get more than a medal for answering all these posts. We are in the stages of discussing a move to Sydney. We have a 2006 (new version) RAV4 2.2 Diesel. We really love it. Not least because we pull a horse trailer and would like to think that we will also take up this hobby in Oz. We have owned it for 3 years. We are not bothered about the re-sale value as we want to keep it. We paid £11K for it. Currently advertising on Autotrader for £8-9K. Will be coming on a 457 with a view to apply for PR. Moving costs paid by my sponsoring employer. Imagine we will have to pay the duty and tax, import permit fee and on the road costs. Would it be sensible to bring it and what sort of costs could we be looking at.

 

Many thanks

[Iron Chef]

Hi Iron Chef,

moving back to Australia in the next 6 months, just wondering if it would be worth while bringing back my 2005 Mercedes Benz CLK220 CDi Avantgarde with me, done just under 50,000 miles. Ive had a look at some websites and cant seem to find any clk220's in Australia.. so have no idea whether thats a good thing or a bad thing! Cheers

 

There are no CLK220s from what I can see, but they definitely sold that motor in the C-series and possibly also the E-series so you'll be fine for servicing. And yes it's worth bringing over, money-wise.

 

Hi Iron Chef, You are a wealth of info on this topic!

I am planning a possible move in january to perth. I have a 2004 hyundai santa fe 2.0l (petrol)

I am not sure if it is worth bringing it or not. It would only fetch 3000 euro in Ireland .... less than $4000. What would you suggest as the wisest move? Thanks mate!

 

Bear in mind that you'll probably spend that much again bringing it over - only bring it if you're happy with it, it's a break-even prospect, financially.

 

I've just imported my car and moved over just on a year after buying it; the wording is a little grey in parts but essential you do need to have owned the car overseas and lived in that same overseas country for a full year prior to coming to Australia.

 

You are allowed to have taken (a limited number of) holidays and business visits outside of your home country in that time. You're also required to submit a copy of every page of your passport to support this, together with a simple schedule of countries and dates on which you were outside your 'home' country prior to coming to Australia - so they have thought of ways people might get around this.

 

It doesn't matter which country it comes fron, more that you had it in the same country as where you happened to be. So, for example, you could've lived and used the car in Spain for 6 months, then brought the car with you to the UK for another 6 months and still be considered eligible.

 

Hi, has anyone every imported 2 vehicles on a 457. The regulation say 1 vehicle but I NEED to bring my BMWR1200GS Adv. and would also like to import a Smart Car which is reasonably new, has very low mileage and would cost me AUD22-24k to replace while I would sell it here for £7k.

 

Can't be done mate, sorry. Do you have a partner coming with you?

 

Hey Iron chef , great post ,

 

couple of questions , I would like to take my motorbike with me , ive owned it for 5 years but its a track bike and so its never had a mot or been taxed for the road , i have log book and in my name , was thinking of taking it to pieces and sending it in the container as " parts " ??

 

secondly i would like to take my daily drive , A ford transit van , yes u read that right . i bought it new , exactly 12 months ago and would like to keep it , its also a 140PS sport van 2010 model in ink blue , only 150 ever made and it'll be the only one in OZ

 

would a van still come under the same import procedure ??

 

thanks in advance .

 

You can bring the bike in as parts, that shouldn't be a problem. If you trawl back through this thread, you'll find another bloke talking about doing something similar with a kit car. It would need to be significantly dismantled, and the main bits would need to be sent in separate containers rather than all in one hit.

 

The Transit sounds interesting! Yes you can bring it in under the personal import scheme.

 

 

Guys do we all have to degas our air conditioning? If so where would I get this done as they need a certificate too I believe. Thanks

 

Luke

 

If the car is coming in a container with your personal effects (and you've obviously owned it for more than 12 months), then no, but if it's coming separately, then yes it will need to be de-gassed. Most workshops can do it, I think I've put a link in the first post of this thread to the paperwork. Make sure you include an invoice from the workshop that did the de-gassing, you will need it to clear customs in Australia.

 

Dear Ironchef,

 

Hope you get more than a medal for answering all these posts. We are in the stages of discussing a move to Sydney. We have a 2006 (new version) RAV4 2.2 Diesel. We really love it. Not least because we pull a horse trailer and would like to think that we will also take up this hobby in Oz. We have owned it for 3 years. We are not bothered about the re-sale value as we want to keep it. We paid £11K for it. Currently advertising on Autotrader for £8-9K. Will be coming on a 457 with a view to apply for PR. Moving costs paid by my sponsoring employer. Imagine we will have to pay the duty and tax, import permit fee and on the road costs. Would it be sensible to bring it and what sort of costs could we be looking at.

 

Many thanks

 

As a diesel it's worth bringing over, especially if you're getting your moving costs paid. I can think of plenty of better tow cars for horse trailers though! Send me an email and I'll do some costings for you.

[Mr Fabricator]

Thanks buddy , will look into it a little further , cost , worth and hastle , :-) u may be getting a call :-)

 

lee

[Guest McF150Supercharged]

Yeah RO-RO would be his only option. There would be gas in the fridge that would need to be removed too, but that's a pretty small job in the scheme of things. As long as the door is on the left or rear side of the motorhome, it should be a fairly straightforward process. Tell him to send me pics of the motorhome as well as explaining his circumstances with moving over and I can advise him more accurately.

 

 

Please don't forget me Iron Chief...I sent pics & email as requested regarding the Motor Home.

[Iron Chef]

^^^trawling through my emails now

[Iron Chef]

UPDATE: Ok I'm going in to bat for you guys (and obviously my customers) regarding de-gassing of vehicle air-conditioning systems and the granting of exemptions from having a PCE (pre-charged equipment) licence.

 

This was sent off to the Ozone section of Department of Environment and Heritage today (slightly abridged):

 

I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the requirements for importing a vehicle under the Personal Import Scheme (PIS) have been tightened dramatically since the end of 2009. As a result, applicants using this scheme must now prove that 1) they have owned AND used their vehicle for at least 12 months and 2) that they are moving to (or returning to) Australia permanently. The documentation that MUST be supplied to demonstrate they meet the requirements for an import approval are (copy-and-pasted from the application form):

 

 

• A copy of your driver’s licence.
• A copy of the purchase documents for the vehicle (in your name).
  
• A copy of the vehicle registration documents, for the past 12 months (in your name).
  
• A copy of your passport (this includes a copy of every page, including blank pages). If you hold dual passports, you should provide a copy of both passports.
  
• Your statement of travel. The statement of travel is prepared by you, and itemises any international travel you undertook during the period you owned and used the vehicle (during the past 12 months). In particular, the statement sets out any absences from your country of residence.
  

 

In addition, applicants must substantiate their intention to remain in Australia permanently by meeting a 100-point check using a combination of the following documents:

 

 

• Your employment details in Australia (eg, a letter from your employer). 50 points
• The shipment of your household goods to Australia (eg, copies of shipping documents).20 points
  
• Resignation letter from overseas employer 50 points
  
• Your residential details in Australia (eg, copies of property purchase / rental documents). 50 points
  
• Copies of other residential documents (eg, telephone and electricity accounts).10 points
  
• Recent sale/cancellation of overseas residential property 50 points
  

 

Foreign citizens can also use the following documents:

 

 

• Evidence that you have applied for an Australian Tax File Number. 25 points
• Evidence that you have registered with Medicare. 25 points
  
• Evidence that you have applied for an Australian bank account. 25 points
  
• Evidence that you have applied for an Australian driver’s licence. 25 points
  

 

As you can see, the process, and the documentation required to receive an import approval, is now quite exhaustive. In light of these changes, requiring the same documentation, proving that the importer has 1) owned the car for 12 months and 2) is bringing the car to Australia as part of their personal effects, could reasonably be considered to be no longer necessary, wouldn’t you agree? To this end, I request that you consider removing the current requirements for additional documentation to demonstrate exemption from requiring a PCE licence, and accept the vehicle import approval alone as sufficient evidence of the importer meeting the exemption requirements.

Bear in mind I’m only referring to vehicles imported under the Personal Import Scheme – this is clearly marked as such on the vehicle import approval issued by the Department of Infrastructure and Transport, which is already required as part of the clearance process. Obviously vehicles built prior to 1996 and containing CFCs would still need to have their systems de-gassed and disabled as per current regulations.

I look forward to hearing your views on the matter. I assist a large number of Australian ex-pats and overseas migrants bringing their vehicles to Australia under the PIS, and I believe that the above changes would help to streamline the importing process without compromising the integrity of the current legislation.

 

 

Let's see how far I get with it

[Kopper]

Hi Iron Chef

I have a 175 visa

I am looking to bring a Lotus Elise over to Perth in June 2013. MY10 currently 2600 miles £30,000 in White with hard and soft tops.

Is it worth buying? Always fancyed one, I would keep it for a year or so.

The main speedo is in MPH but there is a smaller digital KMH display as well, Does this pass the Aus rules or do I need to change it?

Also you stated dont tell insurance company its an PI, dont they know by the import plate.

Thanks Mate your imformation is very valuable

[Guest mikewheble]

Hi IronChef

Ok, I have finally got import license for both my Mitsubishi Raging Bull (Triton) and my wifes Mini Cooper. They are ready to be put on a ship having been de-gased and steam cleaned. I have sent you and email regarding shipping the two to Sydney...can you let me know the cost of that and getting through customs.

 

Cheers

Mike

 

PS...It took three months to get the import license so don't go by their service time of 15 days!!