Importing from the UK - definitive guide (Q&A)

pablo128

mickdw wrote: »

The main dealers here must be rubbing their hands together.
Captive customer base again.

The golden age is over. All we'll get now is jap import Prius's.

BTH

pablo128 wrote: »

The golden age is over. All we'll get now is jap import Prius's.

Am I getting the wrong end of the stick or is this all based on a no deal brexit on 31 Jan, which is very unlikely.

What's more likely is a withdrawal agreement gets passed and we have a transition period until the end of 2020 at the very least, during which nothing will have changed.

User1998

BTH wrote: »

Am I getting the wrong end of the stick or is this all based on a no deal brexit on 31 Jan, which is very unlikely.

What's more likely is a withdrawal agreement gets passed and we have a transition period until the end of 2020 at the very least, during which nothing will have changed.

Yeah, all this VAT talk and end of imports etc. is all based on a no deal brexit. Imports have supposedly been coming to an end for years now and here we are importing more cars than ever.

mgn

User1998 wrote: »

Yeah, all this VAT talk and end of imports etc. is all based on a no deal brexit. Imports have supposedly been coming to an end for years now and here we are importing more cars than ever.

https://www.revenue.ie/en/customs-traders-and-agents/brexit/information-for-businesses/vrt-implications-of-trade-with-the-uk/vrt-implications-of-importing-cars-from-the-uk.aspx

Why are revenue saying February 1st so.

BTH

mgn wrote: »

https://www.revenue.ie/en/customs-traders-and-agents/brexit/information-for-businesses/vrt-implications-of-trade-with-the-uk/vrt-implications-of-importing-cars-from-the-uk.aspx

Why are revenue saying February 1st so.

The previous version of that page stated 31 October 2019. What happened to that??

BTH

mgn wrote: »

https://www.revenue.ie/en/customs-traders-and-agents/brexit/information-for-businesses/vrt-implications-of-trade-with-the-uk/vrt-implications-of-importing-cars-from-the-uk.aspx

Why are revenue saying February 1st so.

"In the event of a no-deal Brexit the procedure for importing vehicles will change. In that event, from 1 February 2020 if you acquire a vehicle from the UK you must declare it to customs. It can then be declared for pre-inspection or registration."

Key here is No-deal Brexit. That's not going to happen on 31Jan.

ELM327

deezell wrote: »

post #9165 says otherwise;
"Deezell is right. It's based on the invoice selling price (converter to euro) minus VAT, shipping charges, storage charges or anything else that might be thrown on an invoice."

If you don't have some documentation to prove you are entitled to an export vat refund, have already received the refund, or are being invoiced only for the VAT free amount, it could be problematic for an individual. Businesses don't import with the local sales tax of other countries on the goods they bring in. Even tourists can get tax refunds before they leave, and present sales tax free receipts at their home destination. Cars are an odd case, as UK tax rules prevent the refund of residual VAT on most car sales, so you either won't see the residual VAT declared on the invoice, or wont be able to obtain a sale with the VAT deducted before export. Yet another complication, but I'm taking the above post at face value. It may be that private individuals will be asked to pay the 23% on the full tax inclusive price, but if the car is VAT qualifying, and VAT is not included in the export sale price, then Irish VAT should only apply to the import cost. Like I say, lets see who can do this, probably the big dealers with accounts in the UK. Perhaps importing will be too costly or complex for the private individual, but still possible via a dealer.

Thats the situation now, but it will not continue if UK is outside the EU
Only EU to EU imports will have mutual tax recognition and tax free export/import

mgn

BTH wrote: »

"In the event of a no-deal Brexit the procedure for importing vehicles will change. In that event, from 1 February 2020 if you acquire a vehicle from the UK you must declare it to customs. It can then be declared for pre-inspection or registration."

Key here is No-deal Brexit. That's not going to happen on 31Jan.

That's what i thought until i seen that.
How long would it take revenue to update their site, 5 minutes but the couldn't be bothered.

BTH

mgn wrote: »

That's what i thought until i seen that.
How long would it take revenue to update their site, 5 minutes but the couldn't be bothered.

I presume they cant update it yet because officially the UK will crash iut with no deal on 31Jan, until the withdrawal agreement passes. Once that passes (probably this week) then theyll be able to update.

heffo500

If buying a car from a main dealer in the UK which will be covered under warranty by Hyundai over here, Would you still get the RAC to inspect the car?

User1998

mgn wrote: »

https://www.revenue.ie/en/customs-traders-and-agents/brexit/information-for-businesses/vrt-implications-of-trade-with-the-uk/vrt-implications-of-importing-cars-from-the-uk.aspx

Why are revenue saying February 1st so.

Well if you actually read the article you’d see it says “In the event of a no-deal Brexit the procedure for importing vehicles will change”

mgn

User1998 wrote: »

Well if you actually read the article you’d see it says “In the event of a no-deal Brexit the procedure for importing vehicles will change”

I did read the article and as BTH pointed out it needs to be updated but cant be done before the withdrawal agreement is passed.
Read what it says in the paragraph before the bit you referred to.

mickdw

How does one tax a car after buying in UK and taking the v5 away in your hand?
Dealer didn't appear to think it was possible.

bfa1509

I think there is no way the government will do anything significant that will threaten the money-making machine that is the VRT. I think people will still be importing cars for years to come. I think they will change the name "Vehicle Registration Tax" to "Vehicle Import Tax" which will include the VAT and customs duty. But who knows!

pablo128

mickdw wrote: »

How does one tax a car after buying in UK and taking the v5 away in your hand?
Dealer didn't appear to think it was possible.

The dealer I bought the car off taxed it there and then online for me, and gave me a printed receipt in case I was stopped. Actually he insisted it was taxed before I left.

pablo128

bfa1509 wrote: »

I think there is no way the government will do anything significant that will threaten the money-making machine that is the VRT. I think people will still be importing cars for years to come. I think they will change the name "Vehicle Registration Tax" to "Vehicle Import Tax" which will include the VAT and customs duty. But who knows!

They get vrt from new cars too.

mickdw

pablo128 wrote: »

The dealer I bought the car off taxed it there and then online for me, and gave me a printed receipt in case I was stopped. Actually he insisted it was taxed before I left.

Were you taking v5 with you also?

pablo128

mickdw wrote: »

We're you taking v5 with you also?

Yes. This was back in September. I bought the car in Glasgow and they had never sold a car for export before so I had a bit of a job convening them to hand me the v5. All done and dusted now though.

I'll be honest, if they hadn't taxed it, I'd have taken a chance driving to the ferry without tax.

bazz26

Tax on UK cars being bought from dealers for export is hit and miss. Some dealers will not let the car leave their forecourt without it being taxed first, some will get you to sign a waiver that you were told it needed to be taxed while others won't care once it drives off their premises.

mickdw

bazz26 wrote: »

Tax on UK cars being bought from dealers for export is hit and miss. Some dealers will not let the car leave their forecourt without it being taxed first, some will get you to sign a waiver that you were told it needed to be taxed while others won't care once it drives off their premises.

Dealer told me they need a declaration signed that it is being transported.

pablo128

mickdw wrote: »

Dealer told me they need a declaration signed that it is being transported.

It's a minimum 6 months tax you have to put on it. That was 60 something pounds on the car I bought, it could be less or more depending on the car. And I believe you can claim some of it back too. I never bothered.

trellheim

Anyone any ideas re buying cars built in the UK post brexit like Qashqai ? Their certs will not be from EU country...

trellheim

Anyone any ideas re buying cars built in the UK post brexit like Qashqai ? Their certs will not be from EU country...

bazz26

Plenty of other cars built outside the EU that are still sold here. It's not a new concept.

Old diesel

pablo128 wrote: »

They get vrt from new cars too.

Yes but VRT on 2nd hands is is an additional revenue stream as you are getting money of people who wouldn't have bought new.

I suspect we will see more Japanese imports coming in if UK imports slow down a bit.

There's a dealer in Dublin called Carland who are bringing in some.

They even bought in Mk 6 Golfs as 2nd hand jap imports.

I'm sure others are at it too - it's an obvious source of supply.

heffo500

heffo500 wrote: »

If buying a car from a main dealer in the UK which will be covered under warranty by Hyundai over here, Would you still get the RAC to inspect the car?

Anyone got an opinion on this?

Thanks

P_Cash

heffo500 wrote: »

Anyone got an opinion on this?

Thanks

Not sure if you know what warranty is.

I just bought a 3yr old mondeo. The second of which I had RAC check out.

The main reason for rejecting the first one would not be covered under any dealer warranty.
A lot of respraying, badly done. Panels removed and badly put back, misalignments everywhere.

So, sure. I wouldn't take a car from the UK without one.

deezell

Well Brexit deal is voted in, and the leave date is set in stone as the end of 2020, which I assume is the end of the effective transition period. Johnson wants all traces of EU contamination removed from his new 'empire' by then, and if it wreaks havoc on UK trade and commerce so be it. What it should mean is that car importing stays the same, assuming mutual VAT rules apply for next year at least.
The exchange rate might be bullish for some time, but as the clock ticks down on December 2020, and the engine room of Britain's economy (London) faces into the abyss, there may be a period when the £ wavers and importing becomes good value again.
After 2020, who knows, but it can't be much different than importing from Japan.

pablo128

The base price in Japan is far cheaper though.

The end of 2020 might suit me. I want to replace my own car, but I have to pay off herselfs one first. If I can get it mostly paid by September or so, I'll get a top up loan.

Let's see what happens.

mickdw

Got an inspection done on a 530e I've a deposit on in UK and I'm disgusted. Dec 18 car at main dealer. Terrible condition. Multiple scratches on doors thst are beyond polishing. back bumper all scratched with grass in boot. Wheels with kerb rash and 2 tyres with lumps out of them from the kerbing.
Basically not prepared at all.... and dealer putting pressure on to hand over.