- Form
- TD184
- Deadline
- Within 15 days
- Where
- Any TD Licensing Office
- Official source
- Transport Department
Paperwork at the Hong Kong end is the bit that tends to get forgotten. The car has gone, you have a hundred other things to do, and a form at a government office feels like it can wait.
It cannot wait long. But it is also not complicated. Form TD184 is how you cancel a car’s Hong Kong registration once it has been permanently shipped out, and this guide walks through it step by step.
A word before we start. The Transport Department is the official source for TD184 and everything to do with Hong Kong vehicle registration. Rules and office arrangements can change, so check the current details at td.gov.hk before you go. What follows is a practical summary, not a replacement for their guidance.
Why it needs doing
A car registered in Hong Kong stays on the register there until the registration is cancelled. When the car has been shipped out permanently, the registration needs to be closed off with the Transport Department.
It is a tidy-up job, but an important one. It means the car’s Hong Kong record matches reality, and it avoids loose ends after you have moved.
It is also a separate job from anything that happens in the UK. Cancelling the Hong Kong registration does not register the car here, and registering it here does not cancel it there. The two run side by side, one with the Transport Department in Hong Kong and one with the DVLA in the UK. We handle the UK side completely. The TD184 is the one piece that needs you, or someone acting for you, at a Licensing Office.
The 15-day window
TD184 needs to be submitted within 15 days after the car has been permanently shipped out of Hong Kong.
That is the part to plan around. If the car ships a week before your flight, you will most likely be doing this during your final days in Hong Kong. If the car ships after you have left, you need a plan in place in advance. Our moving-date planner puts this step on your timeline so it does not sneak up on you.
A practical tip. Once we confirm the car has been shipped, note the date and count fifteen days forward in your calendar straight away. Then pick a day well inside that window for the office visit, rather than the last one. Final weeks in Hong Kong fill up quickly with farewells, handovers and packing, and a quiet morning at a Licensing Office is much easier to find if you have already booked it in.
What to take
Take the originals. Copies will not do for the registration document or licence.
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Completed form TD184 | Available from the Transport Department |
| Original Vehicle Registration Document | The VRD, in the registered owner’s name |
| Original vehicle licence | If it is still valid |
| Shipping document | Showing the car has been shipped out |
| Identity document | Your own identification |
The shipping document is issued once the car has been shipped. We will make sure you have what you need from our side once the car is loaded at the container-loading warehouse.
Step by step
The process itself is short.
- Wait until the car has been permanently shipped out of Hong Kong and you have the shipping document.
- Fill in form TD184.
- Gather the original Vehicle Registration Document, the original vehicle licence if still valid, the shipping document and your identity document.
- Take everything to any Transport Department Licensing Office within 15 days of the car being shipped.
- Keep any receipt or confirmation you are given, and keep copies of what you submitted.
That’s it. The office handles it from there.
If you have already left
This is the question we get most. You have flown, the car has shipped after you, and the 15 days are ticking.
The Transport Department sets the rules on who can submit TD184 for you and what they need to bring. We are not going to guess at them here, because getting it wrong would cost you a wasted trip and possibly the deadline. Check with the Transport Department directly, or ask us and we will talk it through with you.
The best fix is to plan ahead. If you know the car will ship after you leave, tell us early. We can line up the timing so that you, or whoever the Transport Department allows to act for you, has the documents ready on the right day.
Keep the originals safe
The Vehicle Registration Document is one of the few documents in this whole process that really matters. Before the car is collected, put the VRD, the vehicle licence and your identity document somewhere you will not pack into a shipping crate by mistake.
It sounds obvious. It happens more than you would think, usually in the last few days when everything is going into boxes.
How this fits with the rest of the import
TD184 is the Hong Kong end. At the UK end, the car goes through customs, light conversions, testing and DVLA registration with us at Castle Donington. We are fully authorised HMRC CDS customs agents, so the UK paperwork is organised before the car lands. You can see all of it on the documents page, and our deregistering in Hong Kong page has more on the Hong Kong side.
Next steps
If the car is not booked yet, Get a quote and we will build the TD184 window into your plan from the start. If you are already mid-move and unsure about the paperwork, call us on +44 1332 810442 or email [email protected]. We’d be more than happy to help should you need it.
Questions
People also ask
When do I need to submit TD184?
Within 15 days after the car has been permanently shipped out of Hong Kong.
What do I need to take with me?
The completed TD184, the original Vehicle Registration Document, the original vehicle licence if it is still valid, the shipping document and your identity document.
What if I have already left Hong Kong?
The Transport Department sets the rules on who can submit for you, so check with them or ask us. We can talk through the options before the car ships so the deadline does not catch you out.
Where do I get the shipping document?
It is issued when the car is shipped. We will make sure you have what you need once the car has been loaded.
