Moving to the UK on a BN(O) visa: what happens to the car

Moving country is a long list. Flights, schools, a tenancy, a bank account, and somewhere near the bottom, the car. It tends to get left until the last few weeks, which is exactly when the decisions get harder.

The good news is that the car is the most predictable part of the whole move. The rules are written down, the timings are known, and a Hong Kong car is one of the simplest vehicles to bring into the UK. This guide walks through what happens to it, in the order it happens.

One thing first. We deal with cars, not immigration. The BN(O) visa itself is a GOV.UK matter, and anything about eligibility, applications or settlement should come from there. Everything below assumes your move is going ahead and you are working out what to do with the vehicle.

Start with the big decision

Ship it or sell it. Everything else follows from that.

There is no right answer that suits everyone. A modest car with high mileage is often better sold in Hong Kong, where buyers know the model and you avoid the cost of shipping. A car you love, a spec that is hard to find in the UK, or a high-value car that qualifies for tax relief is often worth bringing.

We have written a separate, honest guide on this: ship or sell your car before leaving Hong Kong. It includes a quick tool that weighs up the main factors. If you are on the fence, start there and come back.

Transfer of Residence relief

This is the part that can change the sums completely. Normally a car imported into the UK pays 10% import duty on its value, then 20% VAT on the value plus shipping plus duty. On a £20,000 car with £1,500 of shipping, that comes to £6,700 in tax.

Transfer of Residence relief, or ToR, removes both duty and VAT when you are moving your main home to the UK. To qualify, broadly:

• you have lived outside the UK for at least 12 consecutive months
• you have owned and used the car for at least 6 months before you move
• you are moving your main home to the UK
• the car is for your private use
• you apply for ToR1 through GOV.UK, and it is approved, before the car ships

There are conditions afterwards too. You cannot sell, lend, hire out or pledge the car for 12 months after it is imported, and it needs to arrive within 12 months of your move.

That’s why the order matters. Most of the conditions are about things you have already done, but the ToR1 application is something you have to do, and it has to be done before the car leaves. Our ToR checker runs through the criteria in a couple of minutes. HMRC makes the final decision, so treat any checker as a guide rather than a guarantee.

Timing the car around the move

Let’s talk about timing, because this is where people get caught out.

A car from Hong Kong is typically 3 to 6 weeks at sea, and the whole job from the first paperwork to UK plates takes about 12 to 14 weeks. That means the car will not arrive the week you do. Most families ship the car a little before or around the time they fly, then manage without it for the first couple of months.

A sensible order looks something like this:

When	What happens
Two to three months before you fly	Get a quote, check ToR eligibility, start the ToR1 application
Once ToR1 is approved	Book collection, we arrange the container and paperwork
Collection week	We collect from your address and take the car to the loading warehouse
Within 15 days of the car leaving	Cancel the Hong Kong registration with form TD184
Car at sea	3 to 6 weeks
Car in the UK	Customs clearance, testing, registration, then delivery

Our moving-date planner works backwards from your flight date so you can see when each step needs to start. It is the quickest way to see whether your timings are comfortable or tight.

Cancelling the Hong Kong registration

Once the car has left Hong Kong for good, its registration there needs to be cancelled. That is done with form TD184 at a Transport Department Licensing Office, within 15 days of the car being permanently shipped out.

If you are flying out around the same time, this is worth planning in advance, because it is easy to forget in the last fortnight. Our guide to cancelling your Hong Kong registration with TD184 lists exactly what you need to take.

Driving when you land

Your Hong Kong licence lets you drive in Great Britain for up to 12 months after you become resident. Hong Kong is a designated country, so you can exchange it for a GB licence within five years of becoming resident without sitting a test.

Insurance is the other half. Get UK cover arranged before the car is ready to collect or be delivered, so there is no gap. We cover both in more detail in our guide to driving licence and insurance after the move.

What we do with the car

Once you have decided to ship, you can hand us the lot. We collect from your address in Hong Kong and take the car to the container-loading warehouse. It travels in a container, usually shared with other cars, or a dedicated 20ft container if you would prefer, with marine insurance in place.

At this end we are fully authorised HMRC CDS customs agents, so the customs paperwork is organised before the car lands, which avoids port storage fees. Containers are unloaded at our own facility at Castle Donington in Derbyshire. Cars under ten years old take an IVA test, and we run the first privately owned IVA testing centre for passenger vehicles in the UK, so there is no waiting for an outside slot. We then register the car through our dealer-level DVLA account, which typically takes around 10 working days.

You can follow every stage in the customer portal, and we can deliver to your new address in an open or enclosed transporter. If you are still sorting a home, we can store the car indoors or out and keep it charged and on the key until you are ready.

A few things families ask

Some questions come up again and again.

Will the car need much work? Usually very little. Hong Kong drives on the left and cars are right-hand drive, so the big changes simply are not needed. Typical jobs are converting the speedometer to read in mph and fitting or converting a rear fog light.

What about the time difference? The UK is 8 hours behind Hong Kong in winter and 7 in summer. You can call us on +44 1332 810442 from Hong Kong, or email [email protected] and we will pick it up at the start of the UK day.

What about paying? If it helps, ask us about paying in Hong Kong dollars.

Next steps

If you are still deciding, the ship or sell guide and the ToR checker are the two best places to start. If you already know the car is coming with you, Get a quote and we will come back to you with a clear price and a plan built around your move date. We’d be more than happy to help should you need it.