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Australia
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Rules,
regulations & information
The Australian Government is continually updating the rules,
regulations and duty rates for motor vehicle imports. It is important
that any advice received is current and that confirmation of any
information or procedures is checked with the appropriate Authority in
Australia.
COMPLIANCE
TO OR EXEMPTION FROM AUSTRALIAN DESIGN RULES
– converting a vehicle to full Australian Safety and Emission
Control Standards is very difficult and too costly but is not required
if one of the following conditions are met:
- the vehicle has been
‘Owned and Used’ for a minimum period of twelve
calendar months prior to shipment from the UK
- the vehicle was manufactured prior
to 1st January, 1989
- the vehicle to be imported was
purchased new and was manufactured to the full Australian
specification/standards
- the vehicle was originally
manufactured or sold in Australia and still has its Australian
Compliance Plate fitted.
AUTHORITY
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT & REGIONAL SERVICES (DoTaRS)
– a Motor Vehicle (except returning Australian Vehicles)
should
not arrive at an Australian Port without authorisation (a Personal
Import Approval) from the Administrator of Vehicle Standards, GPO 594,
Canberra, ACT 2601, Tel: (02) 6274 7444, Fax: (02) 6274 6013.
Authorisation is obtained by meeting certain requirements and applying
using an "Application for Approval to Import A Vehicle" form. The fee
for this application is A$50 and is payable by Credit Card or an
Australian Cheque. Application should be made at least 4 weeks prior to
the shipment of the Car and an Australian postal address should be
given on the application form. An import approval requires that a copy
passport ID (photo page) must be certified as being true and correct by
an approved professional.
WHO
CAN IMPORT A VEHICLE
– Personal Import approval will only be given by the
Department
of Transport and Regional Services to Migrants with full residency
visas, or to Australian Nationals or to New Zealand Nationals, who are
of driving age in Australia. You will be required to provide proof of
Australian residency by way of a passport or visa. If you are a migrant
you will be required to provide proof that you have been granted
Permanent Resident Status in Australia. Temporary residents and
Companies are normally not eligible however each application is decided
on it’s own merit. Vehicles manufactured before 1989 are
exempt
from the Residency requirement. Married couples were only one person
has Residency can sometimes import one vehicle even if the vehicle is
UK Registered in the non-residents name.
RETIREMENT
(410) & LONG TERM / BUSINESS (457) VISA HOLDERS
– with these types of visa, rather than a permanent residency
visa, a personal import approval sometimes cannot normally be granted
by DoTaRS until the importer has arrived and can provide evidence that
they are now living in Australia and not in the UK. A vehicle would
have to be left behind in the UK with a friend, relative or shipping
company until approval is granted for it to be imported. Once approval
is given a few weeks later then the vehicle can be shipped to
Australia. Some time can be saved by applying for an approval from the
UK and providing the remaining pieces of documentation as soon as
possible after arrival in Australia. There are some scenarios that
enable an import approval to be obtained before leaving the UK.
CARS
OLDER THAN 1989
– the Australian Motor Vehicles Standards Act 1989 was
amended on
the 1st July, 1992 with respect to older vehicles. Although an import
approval is still required no other criteria need be met i.e. the car
would not have to be owned and used in the UK for more than twelve
calendar months. Vehicles must have been manufactured prior to 1st
January, 1989.
IMPORTING
WITHOUT APPROVAL
– it is an offence to import a new or second-hand vehicle
without
approval and can be penalised with a fine of up to A$13,200 as well as
having to re-export or scrap the vehicle. A complete vehicle cannot be
imported for ‘breaking’ as
‘Parts’. If a car
arrives at the Australian port without an approval then it cannot be
imported until one is obtained and port storage costs would be
incurred. Only one vehicle manufactured after 1988 per person per 12
month period can be inported. Married couples can normally import two
vehicles even if both are UK Registered in one persons name.
AUSTRALIAN
MANUFACTURED VEHICLES
– re-imported Australian Vehicles do not require an Import
Approval provided they are fitted with a valid Australian Compliance
Plate or have been previously Imported into and Registered in Australia
but under certain circumstances Gst and, where applicable, Luxury Car
Tax may still be payable but not Duty.
LEFT
HAND DRIVE VEHICLES
– importation is normally prohibited unless the vehicle is
more
than 15 years old. A concession period may be granted to Bona Fide
Migrants for newer vehicles whereby a left hand drive vehicle can be
imported but would have to be converted to right hand drive within 6
months of importation.
7
WHAT
ABOUT TEMPORARY IMPORTS
– these are allowed with a DoTaRS Approval and a bond with
Australian Customs or if covered by a Carnet de Passages from the RAC
Tel: 01454 208000 in the UK. The vehicle must not be sold in Australia
and must be re-exported back to the UK within 12 months.
LOW
VOLUME CERTIFICATION / SEVS / RAWS IMPORT SCHEMES
– this is not normally possible for shipments from the UK and
is
primarily intended for existing Australian Companies importing cars
from North America and Japan.
DUTIES
AND TAXES
– There are no Duty Free schemes or tax concessions. The
'Import
Duty' and 'Goods and Services Tax' can sometimes be levied on the UK
Purchase Price (less any depreciation allowance) but more likely will
be on the Australian ‘as landed’ Value which can be
as low
as 50% of the actual Australian Market Value. The rates, payable to the
Australian Customs Service, at the Australian entry port, are:
- Vehicles up to 30 years old: 10% Duty + 10% Gst
- 4wd ‘Off Road’
Vehicles & Commercial Vehicles: 5% Duty + 10% Gst
- Vehicles over 30 years old
& Motorcycles: 0%
Duty + 10% Gst.
The Duty is levied on the ‘Customs Value’ only. The
Gst is
levied on the ‘Customs Value’ + the Duty + the
total Cost
of Shipment to Australia figure. The lower Duty Rate of 5% (and 10%
Gst) is only applicable to ‘Off Road’ type cars
e.g. Range
Rover and not 4WD ‘Saloon’ type cars e.g. Audi
Quattro.
LUXURY
CAR TAX (LCT) AND DEPRECIATION ALLOWANCES
– This is an additional tax and is levied at a rate of 25% on
all
Vehicles, except Motorcycles and some Commercial vehicles, with a
current Gst Inclusive value in excess of A$57,123 (figure set annually
by the Australian Taxation Office). LCT is only payable on the amount
in excess of a Gst inclusive 'break point' and will only be levied in
very few instances as the ‘break point’ only
relates to
cars with a customs value over about £19,000/A$45,000.
Depreciation Allowances only apply to the UK Purchase Price valuation
method and if a vehicle was purchased before 2nd March 1998.
PERSONAL
VEHICLE IMPORT APPROVAL CERTIFICATE
– DoTaRS issues the Personal Import Approval which comprises
four
copies. One copy clears the vehicle from the port of entry with the
Australian Customs Service. The remaining copies are signed by the
Registering Authority, as a statement on compliance, at the time of
inspection and then one is kept by the Registering Authority, one
allows you to obtain a Personal Import Plate and the other is for your
own records.
ADDITIONAL
STATE REGISTRATION AND SAFETY COMPLIANCE
– most modern cars do not require expensive modifications to
bring them up to an ‘Acceptable Standard’. Consult
the
State or Territory Registering Authority of where you intend to
register your vehicle for their local requirements. The general
modifications that are sometimes required (differs from state to state
and normally always more cost effective to have carried out in
Australia) are:
- seat belts – to
be fitted to all seat positions
- child safety restraints –
anchorage points to be fitted to each rear seating position
- windscreens – heavily
tinted windscreens and windows are not allowed
- head restraints – the
front seats must have built in standard fitment head restraints
- alarm immobiliser –
approved system to be fitted
- rear vision (wing) mirrors
– normal
flat non-tinted mirrored glass only is acceptable, (i.e. not convex).
- speedometers normally to be in
kilometres per hour only.
Not all states have all these requirements. Some states require a full
engineers report to be carried out prior to allowing Registration
rather than just a Roadworthy Test.
PERSONAL
IMPORT PLATE AND STAMP DUTY –
once a vehicle has been registered the 3rd copy of the import approval
is sent to the engraving company listed who will supply a Personal
Import Plate which is affixed under the bonnet. In some states there is
a Stamp Duty of between 2% and 5% of the vehicles value payable upon
Registration. Number plates are normally supplied by the Registration
Authority. There is no minimum length of compulsory ownership after
importation and a vehicle can be re-sold at any time without
restriction once a vehicle has been registered.
WHAT
VEHICLES MAY BE WORTHWHILE TAKING TO AUSTRALIA –
Some European models of Car have never been sold in Australia and so
spares may not be available and any future sale may be difficult.
Japanese and Korean cars are sold in Australia at keen prices to
compete with the locally assembled Fords and Holdens. Ford models in
Australia are normally completely different to the Ford models sold in
the UK. Motor Caravans are very expensive in Australia, they are not so
readily available as in the UK and the quality may be lower. Rust free
‘Prestige Cars’ with air-conditioning, e.g. Audi,
BMW,
Jaguar, Land Rover, Lotus, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Saab and Volvo
manufactured in the early 2000’s with a current UK value of
between £4,000 and £8,000, and which are still in
good
condition, are financially most worthwhile considering shipping as are
many European models of car that have depreciated significantly in the
UK. The most common shipping makes apart from the
‘prestige’ models are Alfa Romeo, Chrysler,
Citroen,
Peugeot and Renault. Makes that are not normally shipped are Fiat,
Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Kia, Lexus, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Rover,
Seat, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota. Almost all small engined (less than
1600cc) vehicles from any manufacturer are not normally shipped.
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