deanwili123

hi i am thinking of shipping my car over from the uk .... it will cost £1000 ish then the registration once over..... does anybody know if there is any hidden expenses i should look out for?

we are going to fill the boot with tools and home comforts which will cost loads to get shipped over so this seems feasible......

escapedtonz

Hi,
In my opinion, unless your car is new/nearly new I wouldn't bother.
The shipping costs alone are around £1500 then you have to make sure it is meticulously clean inside & out. No dirt, foliage or rust. You may have to pay the shipping company extra to do this cleaning at port before it gets loaded onto the ship and there's no guarantee NZ Maf will accept it as clean when it arrives.
You'll also need to obtain a conformity certificate from the manufacturer who've needs to be handed over to NZTA this end.

Once here customs will have a look at the paperwork and decide whether they have any further interest.
If you haven't owned the car over 12 months you will have to pay NZ GST (like UK VAT) on its value in NZ which is at 15%.
If you have proof of ownership over 12 months then import is GST free but you must declare you will not sell it for a period of 2 years.
If and when customs are happy then they will issue a clearance certificate.
Be aware you must be in NZ when it arrives in port or you must nominate someone in NZ to be responsible for the shipment.
Next it's Maf's turn. They will most certainly want to have a quick inspection which will cost you a fee. If the vehicle is found to come short of their expectations it will be handed back to the shipping company or you to put right at your cost.
If and when Maf are happy then they will issue a clearance certificate.
Next it's NZTA's turn. They have to be happy that the vehicle meets NZ's compliance laws for a number of things like frontal impact and emissions etc.
If they aren't satisfied they will give you notification of what is required in order for it to comply.
This work would be at your cost also. Once it complies then you must pay for registration and number plates then a Warrant Of Fitness.
Then you can drive away.

All the hassle, red tape and possibility of getting stung for lots of $'s just put us off bringing anything motorised.

Then on top of this the car is in mph and miles whereas NZ is kph and km.

MrsFychan

we bought ours as had no spare money to buy one when we were here. plus it wasn't much more to get a 40ft container compared to a 20.
We contacted The AA in NZ before deciding and gave them some numbers off the chassis and engine number to make sure that it would comply.

I would suggest doing that.

I would also suggest not putting anything in it to ship. We were strongly advised against it by our shipper. MAF doen'ts always look favourably on that and may then look at everything else with a fine tooth comb and may then pick up on any slight problem and charge you for it. also it will delay you getting the car and just isn't worth the possible extra cost.

escapedtonz has given a very good run down on what needs to happen before you can actually drive the car. if the car cannot be wof'ed etc at dock then you pay for the car to be transported to vehicle centre to do that.

nzl

We brought in three Bristol cars. One passed the VIN inspection with only $500 in required work. A second one was bought by a Londoner and shipped back around the world to be rebuilt by the factory. A third, a 411, was caught in a nightmare as the inspector decided the chassis did not look "factory", thus he wanted it cut apart so he could inspect it and then inspect again when it was put back again... for $20,000! So unless you really need it, buy here. BTW, the Bristol has not passed VIN. It sits in the garage until I get around to it... or it may also end up back in UK.

deanwili123

Thanks for the advice ... Ive decided to leave it as its an old car which had buts of rust so from what i have read it could end up costing way too much ... Thanks

Katej

I've got a 2011 vw polo which I've had for 10 months, hubby has a 2008 vw passat but only had it a few months... would it be worth shipping either of them to NZ. Also can anyone tell me approximately how much it would cost for a 40' container

moonie2011

Our 40ft container just cost £6,095 exc ins with PSS

RachelG12

You chose right. We are bringing our car (stuff arrives in a week, you have no idea how exciting this is). It's only a couple of years old, so worth it.
You can pick up pretty cheap second (third or fourth) hand cars. Trawl Trade Me and keep and eye out for cars 'For Sale' on the side of the Rd & in local papers.
Cars don't age the same here as in the UK (no Rd salting), so you will pay more for a second hand than in the UK, but chances are I'll run just fine, even if it's 25years old.

nzl

You need to read the NZTA rules.
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/fa...-vehicles.html

"have personally owned and registered the vehicle for personal use in a country outside New Zealand for a period of at least one year before the applicant's arrival in, or return to, New Zealand"

If you actually arrive in NZ 12 months after you bought the car, it may qualify. Your husband's VW may not unless 12 months elapse.

Also note that if you buy this TradeMe listed 2008 Passat for $20,000 you will pay a nominal sum at the Post Office to transfer the car into your name.

A quick check of eBay UK finds this similar car for £11,499 (NZ-$22,800). Not sure if this is what your car is worth or not, but if these numbers are representative, then shipping makes no sense.

If you bring a car in from overseas, you need to read this document and be prepared for a lot of work.

1) The cars must pass MAF inspection. This means they have to be clean. Clean them before loading into the container, but then offer to pay to have them MAF approved cleaned on this end. The MAF part is actually not so bad unless you have a mice colony in the engine bay or a barn-find car. It's just a serious cleaning. BTW, we find that buying three 'bug bombs' and set them off just before locking the door, and telling MAF you did so (and they will see them when the doors are unlocked) seems to buy a lot of good will for little money.

2) The cars must have a Border Inspection that looks for rust, water damage, collision damage, etc. You pay for this. If there is any potential in this area, forget bringing in the cars unless they have value being sold for parts (scrap value). This can be draconian. If you have owned the car since new and know it has a perfect history (and no road-salt rust), you may be fine. But if in doubt note that this can be a death knell.

3) You must then arrange the cars be towed to a VIN centre for the first-time inspection. This takes time, costs about $700 to $1,000 and runs the huge risk that they will find some non-compliance that requires an engineered certified repair. If they find such non-compliance, the nightmare begins. Certifiers are self-employed, and they earn more by requiring many inspections. They have no incentive to cut you a break, and could lose their license if they do so. There are some awful stories that can be told...

So, if you have a car you have owned for over 12 months from the date you actually arrive in NZ, you qualify for the migrant exemption on tax. But you still have to meet NZ standards. If the car is like new, with no crash history, never flooded or rusted, it may come in like the 80,000 used Japanese imports that the dealers import all the time. But if it is older, or there is anything questionable, you could be in for a nightmare. In any case, you still will have to pay import fees, inspections, transport, and if all goes well registration and warrant fees. If your car sells in the UK for say NZ$3,000 less than what you can buy the same car in NZ after you arrive, and if your import car will fly through the initial inspection, then it may be worth it. But if you can sell it in the UK and buy something in NZ for similar money, then it probably is too much of a hassle.

As for containers, try calling CosCo
COSCON (UK) Ltd
COSCO House, Vicarage Drive
Barking, Essex IG11 7NA, UK
Tel: 44 (0) 20 8594 8688

We find 40 footers tend to be in the US$3,000 to $4,000 range, but you need to do some shopping.

escapedtonz

No not until you've owned them 12 months each as you'll be charged 15% GST on their value to import them. This is waived when you have owned them 12 months or more but you still have to declare you won't sell them on for a period of 2 years.
You could store them back in the UK until you have owned them 12 months then ship them over to save on the GST, but you need to factor in storage costs unless you have family that can look after them on your behalf and hiring or buying a cheap car in NZ in the short term.
The cars must be rust free and impeccably clean. You will need a car detailer for this job as they clean in all the nooks and crannies.

Normal cost is around £1500 per vehicle - base shipping costs plus maybe $500-$750 minimum this end to get the compliance certificates, warrant of fitness, registration plates and rego (road tax). If either is a diesel there's also an added diesel levy charge which is basically another road tax you buy for a block of Km's. Costs around $450/$500 for 10000 Km worth.

kodachrome

Any chance you could clarify the difference between the two above?
I take it the Border Inspection is the "rust" inspection? If it fails here, you have to get it towed (to where?), professionally repaired then try again right?

The VIN inspection is a compliance check.. not a rust type check again isnt it? So its things like Seatbelt standards etc?


I'm planning to import a 20year old car, yes I know this seems like a doomed plan, but its value there is a lot more than here (and I want to keep it, its in great condition).

MrsFychan

I doubt it would met the compliance checks so could cost you small fortune to get it on the road. We dealt directly with The AA via email
they asked for the following:

Can you please tell me:

Make

Model

Type of fuel (petrol/diesel)

Date of first registration

How long you have owned it

Expected port of entry in NZ

Can you also send me a picture of the EC Type approval plate (see attachment) and perhaps a copy of the V5? We are looking for the approval number which starts with the letter “e”. This approval number tells us if your car meets some or hopefully all of the required standards. Once I know what we are dealing with, I can advise you if you need to get more information or evidence.

As an immigrant to NZ, you may meet the criteria for an immigrant exemption. This would allow the entry-certification without having to meet the frontal impact and the emission standard. All other standards have to be met.
For a petrol vehicle allow about NZ$1000 for entry-certification and first registration or about NZ$1400 for a diesel.


Other than de-registering the vehicle and making sure it arrives clean, there is nothing else you really need to do at this stage. You only need to get further evidence for the compliance standards if the car doesn’t have an “e” number.

Make sure you can prove that you own it (receipt, bill of sale) and that it was registered (V5). A V5 with your name on will do for both.

kodachrome

Actually that bit seems fine, Ive had that conversation and attained the cert of conformity and sent to the AA, who don't think I should have a problem as it fits all 3 special categories; 20years old, special interest and low volume. Basically it gets some compliance waivers and its complaint by design on the remainder.

MrsFychan

good news then. we found The AA extremely helpful