Help with importing (1 Viewer)

Aug 28, 2020
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I am looking at importing a second hand MH from Germany. I remember reading on some thread here that I can no longer find (!) that there are some companies that help with the process, first registration etc. I would be grateful for any advice on this, or a link to previous threads on the topic
Thanks
 
Jul 29, 2013
9,048
18,083
Salisbury
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27,215
MH
Hymer B678DL A class
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since 2011
I am looking at importing a second hand MH from Germany. I remember reading on some thread here that I can no longer find (!) that there are some companies that help with the process, first registration etc. I would be grateful for any advice on this, or a link to previous threads on the topic
Thanks
There used to be a company called Bundesvan however I believe they have now closed😊
You might find this useful copied from an old thread.
Hi Beerdrinker

I copied this information from a post on here a few years ago as I was thinking of doing the same one day. Here is a copy of the post:-

  1. We imported a Frankia I 740, new from Germany, for the second time in 7 years.
  2. This time the rules and regulations had changed, and the process is a bit more complicated, but don’t let it put you off. Just follow a step by step approach and be patient. The steps you need to take may vary if you are importing from a different country or if it is second-hand.
  3. The steps we took were:
  4. 1. Find a dealer convenient to the UK, Munich is a long way, Aachen is about 4 hours from the channel ports.
  5. 2. Negotiate a Euro price net of VAT. (The Caravan Salon at Düsseldorf is best for good discounts).
  6. 3. Insure the vehicle on a VIN – Vehicle ID Number (Safeguard, Saga and Comfort will do this in theory, but see below) from arrival at the UK channel port.
  7. 4. Book a ferry advising that you will let them know the registration number on arrival.
  8. When the motorhome is ready for collection at the dealer:
  9. 5. Fly or take a train/coach to the dealer.
  10. 6. Register the motorhome for export, obtain insurance and obtain an export plate. Export plates ("Ausfuhrkennzeichen") are for vehicles being exported. The month/year on the right side indicates their maximum validity in Germany. Insurance is a separate matter - you can simply sign up for a short term insurance with the company of your choice, or have the dealer arrange it for you as most do. You do need the insurance cover and certificate before you can get the plates. As the insurance is 3rd party only we obtained 15 day insurance cover, enough to get us home.
  11. 7. Pay for the motorhome without VAT. The dealer may require you to deposit the VAT amount in their bank or in our case provide them with a Euro cheque, which they will return when you provide proof that you have paid the VAT to HM Customs and Excise in the UK (see below). Our bank would provide a Euro cheque but the amount would have been taken from our sterling bank account and credited back when the cheque is cancelled. It proved cheaper to open a Euro account, with a cheque book, depositing a nominal amount and close it again when the transaction was finished. This account also came in handy for buying Euros when the rate was good and using them to pay for the van by bank transfer.
  12. 8. Drive the motorhome or arrange for the motorhome to be transported back to the UK.
  13. When the vehicle is home:
  14. 9. Modify the speedometer to show MPH. Our Mercedes had the ability to show a digital output in MPH but the Fiat did not so we obtained a replacement dial from Lockwood (www.lockwoodinternational.co.uk) and had it fitted by a local MOT garage.
  15. 10. Modify or replace the headlights to dip to the left. Ours are Hella low beam lights that can be adjusted by releasing 3 bolts, twisting the assembly and screwing bolts back, one in a different hole. Temporary solutions such as beam benders are not acceptable.
  16. 11. Modify the rear light clusters so that rear fog light is on the right. If not possible add an extra fog light in the centre or on the right and run a wire from the fog light on left. We had the dealer switch the position of the reversing and fog lights, rewiring appropriately.
  17. 12. A local MOT station needs to check that the work has been done and write a statement or an invoice (on headed paper giving their full contact details including their MOT test station number and VAT number and registered address or Companies House number and registered address. It needs to quote the 17 digit vehicle chassis (VIN) number, be dated and make clear the garage has worked on, or inspected the vehicle for conformity.
  18. 13. It is necessary to obtain a ‘proof of ‘Mutual Recognition’ certificate from the VCA/Department of Transport (http://www.direct.gov.uk/pdfs/apply-commission-notice-motorhomes.pdf) this will require you to complete a self certification form and send it with the Original European Certificate of Conformity (with 52 numbered items confirming that the vehicle is a motorhome), the above garage evidence that the vehicle meets the United Kingdom national requirements (UK specification headlights, dual marked speedometer, suitable rear fog-light(s)) and £100 payment.
  19. 14. While waiting for the VCA to send you a certificate you can deal with the VAT payment. You must send a Notification of Vehicle Arrivals (NOVA) form to HMCE within 14 days of the import or you may be fined.
  20. You can do this online or ask the VAT helpline for a VAT NOVA1 form. You’ll need a Government Gateway account to use the online service. Vehicles can only be registered with the DVLA after you have confirmation that HMCE has processed the NOVA form. All notifications on progress are found online by checking the Nova progress periodically. The VAT receipt, sent by post, takes some time to arrive although an acknowledgement of payment received will be posted online immediately.
  21. 15. Send a copy of the confirmation to the dealer to return cheque or funds.
  22. 16. Now you can process the registration:
  23. 17. You will need to send the following by special delivery to DVLA Swansea SA99 1BE.
  24. • completed form V55/5(registering a used vehicle for the 1st time, not V55/4 (new vehicle)as the vehicle was 1st registered in Germany)
  25. • proof of ‘Mutual Recognition’
  26. • foreign registration documents or any papers relating to the vehicle
  27. • evidence showing the date the vehicle was collected (normally the invoice from the supplier)
  28. • the appropriate HM Revenue and Customs forms, showing you’ve paid VAT and/or duty (if applicable)
  29. • a copy of driving license (photocard and paper)
  30. • a current British motor insurance certificate
  31. • the cost of the vehicle tax
  32. • the new registration fee of £55.00.
  33. • an addressed special delivery envelope
  34. All being well you should receive a Vehicle Registration Certificate (V5C), commonly known as a logbook, the vehicle tax disc and your identity documents by post without too much delay.
  35. 18. Get your plates made up and away you go. Easy wasn’t it.
  36. Now for the problems:
  37. Some Insurance companies that insure on a VIN will not provide cover for driving the vehicle from the port; they will only cover whilst the vehicle is at your home. Only Safeguard would provide cover for us, others may on cheaper motorhomes.
  38. All insurers want a Thatcham approved alarm system, German dealer fitted systems are usually not approved. All insurers want the alarm fitted within 14 days but no insurer was initially prepared to cover us to drive to have an alarm fitted (safeguard eventually did agree to cover this after Vanbitz intervened with a telephone call to their contact) We had to drive on the German plates to Vanbitz as registration takes longer than 14 days.
  39. All insurers require a registration number within 30 days even though the VCA quote 5 days and the DVLA quote 4-6 weeks. Safeguard allowed us an extension but it proved unnecessary as the registration finally occurred 32 days after the German registration and 26 days into the UK insurance. The process may have been quicker, but thinking we were registering a new vehicle, we first used form V55/4. This was returned to us with a form V55/5 which we completed and resent. Our registration when it arrived, logged the vehicle as new with no previous owners!
  40. We found out that the German 3rd party insurance was good for the entire EU (including the UK) and allowed us to drive from Germany to home and to the local MOT station and back.
  41. Further details on request, Frankia or other German manufacturers.
,


Broken Link Removed
 
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Aug 28, 2020
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Hi Speve
many thanks for that detailed info.
"simple".....maybe! I wonder if its possible to get comprehensive insurance on the vin for the journey from German dealer to UK....I must admit that I would be nervous driving across europe on 3rd party only insurance......and I would be happy to pay a reasonable amount to someone used to the paperwork process to avoid hassle or time swallowing mistakes.....paperwork not being my favourite thing to be doing

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Aug 28, 2020
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Doh!...yes indeed, I have had some very useful info from Lenny on the this previously....didn't want to be a pest with follow up q's....but probably ended up being a pest anyway!...:(
 
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Aug 28, 2020
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I'm wondering if there is someone out there who will collect from vendor in Germany & bring it through the process to registration......

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Jul 29, 2013
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Hi Speve
many thanks for that detailed info.
"simple".....maybe! I wonder if its possible to get comprehensive insurance on the vin for the journey from German dealer to UK....I must admit that I would be nervous driving across europe on 3rd party only insurance......and I would be happy to pay a reasonable amount to someone used to the paperwork process to avoid hassle or time swallowing mistakes.....paperwork not being my favourite thing to be doing
Well I couldn’t on our new Hymer when we imported it 2018 I just used the export plates on third party without problems. Then when it was in UK found very hard to get an insurer for a self import that was at reasonable cost settled for Safeguard in the end, bear in mind that was for a new van a used an would probably be easier as probably less value, ours was above 80k.
It’s an easy drive from Germany as long as you take it steadily.😊
Go for it good luck.😊👍

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Aug 28, 2020
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Fair question....into UK

The van will be registered to and kept with my son who is UK resident. More convenient for us to have it there as UK I hope to explore initially and thereafter into europe. Crossing the Irish Sea is an expensive jaunt so it suits to keep in UK.
 
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OP
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Aug 28, 2020
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Well I couldn’t on our new Hymer when we imported it 2018 I just used the export plates on third party without problems. Then when it was in UK found very hard to get an insurer for a self import that was at reasonable cost settled for Safeguard in the end, bear in mind that was for a new van a used an would probably be easier as probably less value, ours was above 80k.
It’s an easy drive from Germany as long as you take it steadily.😊
Go for it good luck.😊👍

Much appreciated Speve thanks. I am definitely working from the paranoid end of the risk assessment spectrum......I did get a quote for insurance for 12 months in UK on a "for example" self import value also over 80k......it was pretty breathtaking alright but in the larger context I found it acceptable.....I have a couple of possible candidates for purchase, but covid19 travel restrictions/advisory have really put a spanner in...for now
 
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Oct 12, 2009
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Hi Speve
many thanks for that detailed info.
"simple".....maybe! I wonder if its possible to get comprehensive insurance on the vin for the journey from German dealer to UK....I must admit that I would be nervous driving across europe on 3rd party only insurance......and I would be happy to pay a reasonable amount to someone used to the paperwork process to avoid hassle or time swallowing mistakes.....paperwork not being my favourite thing to be doing

Remember if you cannot get it into UK before 31st Dec the rules may be different, as they are in many countries for imports from non-EU countries. It is the reason that I am pushing to get my import into Poland re-registered before that date.

Geoff
 
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Remember if you cannot get it into UK before 31st Dec the rules may be different, as they are in many countries for imports from non-EU countries. It is the reason that I am pushing to get my import into Poland re-registered before that date.

Geoff
Yes, thanks Geoff. That is in my mind.....

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Feb 29, 2012
358
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Reading & Surgeres France.
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Hello, not sure if this is of help but we insured on a VIN with AIB. Then once DVLA issued the number it was changed over.
I did find the process quite easy overall. We had bought our Hymer in France second hand & by the time we bought it over here it was just over 10 years old & that meant there were a lot of processes that didn't need to be carried out.
I obtained a self import pack from DVLA & went from there.
Do bear in mind that somewhere in the pack it says that it is illegal to drive a foreign registered vehicle in UK on a UK licence. Suggesting a vehicle should be transported from port of entry or driven on trade plates.
Regards.
Barrie
 
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Aug 28, 2020
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Hello, not sure if this is of help but we insured on a VIN with AIB. Then once DVLA issued the number it was changed over.
I did find the process quite easy overall. We had bought our Hymer in France second hand & by the time we bought it over here it was just over 10 years old & that meant there were a lot of processes that didn't need to be carried out.
I obtained a self import pack from DVLA & went from there.
Do bear in mind that somewhere in the pack it says that it is illegal to drive a foreign registered vehicle in UK on a UK licence. Suggesting a vehicle should be transported from port of entry or driven on trade plates.
Regards.
Barrie
Thanks for that Barrie....particularly interesting point re driving foreign reg vehicle on UK license.....though in this case I am on ROI/EU license....so I couldn't drive a foreign reg in ROI but I think okay in UK
 
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Feb 29, 2012
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If your import is over 10 years old you don't need to have lighting or speedo mods verified.
As long as the van meets MOT requirements it's OK.
Speedo is not an MOT requirement I think but comes under construction & use regs.
A fairly easy DIY job to change the facia once obtained from Lockwoods.
A certificate of conformity you can get from the converter, in our case Hymer.
Barrie

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Feb 29, 2012
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Oh & don't, as someone else has said, forget the NOVA.There is a fine process on a daily basis from the day of entry if you don't register it & DVLA won't process your application until it's done.
 
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Oh & don't, as someone else has said, forget the NOVA.There is a fine process on a daily basis from the day of entry if you don't register it & DVLA won't process your application until it's done.
Thanks again....looks like I"ll have to get my nose into the paperwork.....
 
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Feb 18, 2019
302
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N&B Clou Liner 2001
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nicholsong jongood

I'm about to bring a 2001 N+B Clou over from Poland, and having trouble finding insurance.

Adrian Flux will accept the Vin plate until the DVLA issue a UK registration, but quoted £760, and need Thatcham 1 alarm and immobiliser, Thatcham 5 or 7 tracker. Apparently their insurers don't like value over £40k.

AIB won't cover a Vin plate.

Comfort will only insure imports via a dealer, and declined last time we spoke because they weren't happy with it being stored on a working farm, with camper and motorhome storage but not locked 24/7.

Safeguard will only insure from arrival in the UK and not on a Vin plate.

Lifeguard will only insure from arrival in the UK, up to 14 days on a Vin plate, and won't quote until the date of arrival is known. Potential difficulty is that DVLA turnaround of UK registration is uncertain.

I'm waiting to hear back from Paul Bailey at Think Insurance as he's away from the office.

How did you handle it?

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Jun 10, 2010
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12,013
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N&B Clou Liner MAN
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2006
nicholsong jongood

I'm about to bring a 2001 N+B Clou over from Poland, and having trouble finding insurance.

Adrian Flux will accept the Vin plate until the DVLA issue a UK registration, but quoted £760, and need Thatcham 1 alarm and immobiliser, Thatcham 5 or 7 tracker. Apparently their insurers don't like value over £40k.

AIB won't cover a Vin plate.

Comfort will only insure imports via a dealer, and declined last time we spoke because they weren't happy with it being stored on a working farm, with camper and motorhome storage but not locked 24/7.

Safeguard will only insure from arrival in the UK and not on a Vin plate.

Lifeguard will only insure from arrival in the UK, up to 14 days on a Vin plate, and won't quote until the date of arrival is known. Potential difficulty is that DVLA turnaround of UK registration is uncertain.

I'm waiting to hear back from Paul Bailey at Think Insurance as he's away from the office.

How did you handle it?

I was lucky enough to have an accommodating vendor who put me on his insurance for 48 hours to give me time to get it home.

Going forward I was with saga, who have been good and were happy to insure on the VIN number but I wasnt allowed to drive it anywhere even for test, so that was a non starter.

Following a suggestion on here I contacted my local NFU office who suggested that they could offer me a decent deal but I would have to take my existing Motorhome ( which I still had at that time) to them to get the benefit of the NCD pay for it on a monthly basis and then as soon as I had sold the Arto I could step it down without penalty. They insured the 2 for £861 pa. I have now sold the Arto and the new payment is due imminently and I'm expecting to be paying about £450. I dint have to bother with a tracker or alarm although I think they did ask if it had an immobiliser.
 
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Feb 18, 2019
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jongood Thanks for the info and what a saga.

I spoke briefly to NFU Chichester who can offer Fire & Theft cover in the UK on a Vin plate, nothing for Europe, then quote for wider cover. So that doesn't work for my situation unless the vendor can extend their insurance for travel.

'Lifeguard' - I mean Lifesure!
 
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Jul 29, 2013
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Salisbury
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Hymer B678DL A class
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since 2011
jongood Thanks for the info and what a saga.

I spoke briefly to NFU Chichester who can offer Fire & Theft cover in the UK on a Vin plate, nothing for Europe, then quote for wider cover. So that doesn't work for my situation unless the vendor can extend their insurance for travel.

'Lifeguard' - I mean Lifesure!
If you are travelling from Poland on export plates they provide third party cover all over European Union including UK until end of year as I said earlier we used them to get home and get van sorted with alarm and mot requirements whilst applying for registration once registered getting insurance should be easier. I realise it’s a risk but it’s going to save a lot of hassle trying to get fully covered from Poland.😊

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Good to read the various scenarios described here, & I hope that you van get sorted John Russell.
It brings me back to part of my original post: is there a company in UK which will handle the import/paperwork/registration process?....I believe I did read in some thread on here (?) of one company which does facilitate the self-import process?
 
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Feb 18, 2019
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Speve Great thanks, that solves the problem. I knew it was available in Germany, but not Poland.

Got to wonder why the UK insurers can't do the same...

I'll get it UK-registered then it should be a lot simpler. Where can you buy the insurance - the local vehicle licensing office in Poland, online, or elsewhere?
 
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Jul 29, 2013
9,048
18,083
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Funster No
27,215
MH
Hymer B678DL A class
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since 2011
Speve Great thanks, that solves the problem. I knew it was available in Germany, but not Poland.

Got to wonder why the UK insurers can't do the same...

I'll get it UK-registered then it should be a lot simpler. Where can you buy the insurance - the local vehicle licensing office in Poland, online, or elsewhere?
I should just double check that as mine was a German van but pretty sure you’ll be ok🤞🤞
 
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Westbarn1

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Sep 25, 2019
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Hymer BMC-T 600
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Back to post 2 (Speve) If buying a new motorhome, in say Germany, why can’t You just pay the German VAT rate and import it as a personal vehicle? The same as you would with buying anything in EEC Europe, pre Brexit. Or is that a really stupid question?
 
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