Moving to the UK
Moving home? Bring the car.
Whether you're coming back after years away, moving for work, or settling here with your family on a BN(O) visa, the car you already know can come too. Usually without a penny of import tax.
The big one: Transfer of Residence
If you're moving your main home to the UK, HMRC's Transfer of Residence relief lets you bring your belongings without paying import duty or VAT. Your car counts. On a £30,000 car that's thousands of pounds you keep.
The conditions are straightforward:
- You've lived outside the UK for at least 12 months in a row
- You've owned and used the car for at least six months before you move
- You're moving your main home, not a second or holiday home
- You import it within 12 months of moving, and keep it for 12 months after
You apply on GOV.UK with form ToR1, and it needs to be approved before the car ships. We'll tell you exactly what evidence to gather and when.
Timing the move
Keep driving until your last week
Most people need the car right up to the end. So we plan backwards from the day you fly.
Eight weeks out
Get your quote and apply for ToR. It needs approving before the car ships, so this is the bit not to leave late.
Your last week
We collect the car from home and take it to the loading warehouse. It sails on the next suitable departure.
A few weeks after you land
3 to 6 weeks at sea, then customs, conversion, the test and registration. It's ready while you're still unpacking.
Worth doing the sums
Ship it or sell it?
Not every car is worth bringing. Put in your own numbers and see which way it leans. We'd always rather you made the right call than the one that suits us.
Questions
About the move
Can I drive in the UK on my Hong Kong licence?
Yes, for up to 12 months after you become resident. Hong Kong is a designated country, so you can exchange your licence for a UK one without a test within five years of becoming resident.
I have more than one car. Can they all come?
Yes, we can ship them all. For the tax, each car has to meet every Transfer of Residence condition on its own, including being yours for at least six months before you move, and HMRC decides each claim. Tell us about every car on the quote form and we will check how each one would be treated.
What happens if I move before the car arrives?
That is how most moves go. We collect the car in your last week, and it lands in the UK a few weeks after you. You can follow it in the portal and we will have it registered and ready for when you are settled.
Do I have to be a British citizen?
No. Relief depends on where you have lived and for how long, and on moving your main home to the UK. Citizenship and visa type are not part of the test.
Moving soon?
Tell us your moving date in the notes and we'll plan the car around it.