# Shipping Car to Cyprus, good idea? Advice?



## Arranexpat

I have had conflicting advice regarding shipping my car over. Some have said that cars here are very expensive and I would be best shipping the car I still have in the UK. Others have said I will be slammed with tax. It is in Scotland just now. Any advice from someone who has already done it?


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## olibs

Well you have come to the right place I have just done it today and collected my car. It is really really easy I paid around £1000 to do it in total and Found it easy I wouldn't get a clearing agent either as thats around 100 euros for a few hours work.


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## BabsM

Arranexpat said:


> I have had conflicting advice regarding shipping my car over. Some have said that cars here are very expensive and I would be best shipping the car I still have in the UK. Others have said I will be slammed with tax. It is in Scotland just now. Any advice from someone who has already done it?


It is true, secondhand cars are more expensive here so if you are expecting to lose a lot if you sell your car in England then shipping it is worth serious consideration. If you are coming here to work then you may well end up paying excise duty. If you are coming as retired then you may be able to get exemption. 

We shipped our Land Rover over in our container. The shipping agent was supplied by the removal company and was absolutely super. He arranged all the paperwork and the fees in advance so our visit to Limassol Customs to collect the car was just a paper stamping exercise. There was a lady there who was not using an agent and she was given a terrible run-around. Unfortunately she couldn't speak Greek and was having difficulty understanding where she was supposed to go and what she was supposed to do. Based on what we saw, we would recommend using an agent!

We have just got our letter telling us that we have been granted tax exemption and can now go and get our car registered. It has taken 5 months to get this far. All we have paid to get the car and the furniture cleared and out of customs is 272 Euros


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## olibs

I have to diagree my Mother and I went no agents just the two of us and we walked in asked the people were we need to be went up get stamped went to pay the charges for storage then to the security for a pass I would say it took us 2 hours max.


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## BabsM

Arranexpat said:


> I have had conflicting advice regarding shipping my car over. Some have said that cars here are very expensive and I would be best shipping the car I still have in the UK. Others have said I will be slammed with tax. It is in Scotland just now. Any advice from someone who has already done it?


It sounds to me as if Olibs Mum's car was in a bonded pound. If you are coming to Cyprus on holiday regularly you can bring a car over and leave it in a bonded warehouse and use it for 163 (might be 183)) days a year without paying duty. All you pay are the storage charges for the time when you can't use it. Many people do this and I gather the storage charges are very reasonable.

What we have done is to officially export our car from the UK to Cyprus as we now live here permanently. This means it will be re-registered with a Cypriot number plate. When we have completed the process I will document the procedure on the website as people often ask how to do it. In the meantime, if you want to know more please feel free to PM me.

Babs


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## Graham Liggins

*Tax will almost = cost of Car, think about it.*



Arranexpat said:


> I have had conflicting advice regarding shipping my car over. Some have said that cars here are very expensive and I would be best shipping the car I still have in the UK. Others have said I will be slammed with tax. It is in Scotland just now. Any advice from someone who has already done it?


Shiped my car to Cyprus Via Southampton, Gramaldi Lines cost £450 + £180Agents fee for receiving it in Limmasol, then import duty. Import duty can cost you more tha the value of the car, example, if you have a 2ltr car the rate will be £6 per cc, 2000 x 6 = £16,000 if it is over 5 years old + 25% more = £20,000 is it worth it? please find out if these rates are still operating after entering the EC, by the way that was Cyprus Pounds Luckly my car is only 1.1 ltr at 50p per ltr, they have a sliding scale, they do not want imports, they want you to purchase Cyprus Cars from Cypriots, cant blame them for that can you?


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## BabsM

Graham Liggins said:


> Shiped my car to Cyprus Via Southampton, Gramaldi Lines cost £450 + £180Agents fee for receiving it in Limmasol, then import duty. Import duty can cost you more tha the value of the car, example, if you have a 2ltr car the rate will be £6 per cc, 2000 x 6 = £16,000 if it is over 5 years old + 25% more = £20,000 is it worth it? please find out if these rates are still operating after entering the EC, by the way that was Cyprus Pounds Luckly my car is only 1.1 ltr at 50p per ltr, they have a sliding scale, they do not want imports, they want you to purchase Cyprus Cars from Cypriots, cant blame them for that can you?


The rates have changed. They can be found along with the rules and other info on the Cyprus Ministry of Finance website, customs & excise section. 

They are based on the cc. The sliding scale is as follows
0 - 1650cc Eu 0,51
1651 - 2250cc Eu 3,42
2251 - 3000cc Eu 5,98
exceeding 3000cc Eu 7,69

As you say, you multiply your cc by the relevant charge. On top of this you will have to pay for a new MOT, your car tax and to register the car. 

Registration for our Freelander is going to cost Eu 985  We paid Eu 34 for the MOT and Eu 109 to the clearing agent for completion of the SAD form and to acquire the C72. Which you must do to get your car released from the C104O, before you can get your MOT done and the car registered. I suspect that the SAD form could be completed yourself but Larnaca Customs insisted we went to a Clearing Agent. Prior to that we paid Eu272 when our container came in with the car on board. Getting exemption from Excise Duty has cost us nothing but a bit of time, photocopying and 2 visits to Nicosia.


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## Arranexpat

It is quite pricey then. My car is 4 year old Honda Accord 2000 cc. I might be better flogging it in the UK after all.


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## DonnaWestBrom

Arranexpat said:


> It is quite pricey then. My car is 4 year old Honda Accord 2000 cc. I might be better flogging it in the UK after all.


I have the same problem. My car will be 3yrs old when we move and also a 2litre engine. I'm 43 and too young to retire! Not sure if i'll take a couple of years off until we get settled.
I don't understand why some people manage to get tax exemption and others don't. I've read that if you retire to Cyprus you are fine and pay hardly anything but if not..... you pay over the top tax. 
What happens if we prove we don't need income for a few years.... would we be exempt then???
I love my car but its looking like i'm not going to be able to take it with me, therefore i'll loose whatever i choose to do.


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## BabsM

To get the exemption you need to be able to prove that you are receiving a pension. Its not enough to just claim that you don't need to work, you need to provide proof. However, an occupational pension is enough.

The 900 Euros that I was talking about was the charge for registering a car. You have to pay the charge even if you get exemption from Excise Duty.


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## DonnaWestBrom

BabsM said:


> To get the exemption you need to be able to prove that you are receiving a pension. Its not enough to just claim that you don't need to work, you need to provide proof. However, an occupational pension is enough.
> 
> The 900 Euros that I was talking about was the charge for registering a car. You have to pay the charge even if you get exemption from Excise Duty.


"Its not enough to just claim that you don't need to work, you need to provide proof" hmm confusion!

Anyways, although i may or may not take my car, i'm still counting down the days till we move  
It maybe less stressful just simply buying a new car over there. We'll be in Paphos, can you recommend any car places??
(A nice hard top convertible car for me and preferably a nevada truck for hubby)


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## alan&sue

What about a private registration. Can you transfer a U.K. private reg. onto a car in Cyprus, or is it only valid in the U.K.?


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## Veronica

DonnaWestBrom said:


> "Its not enough to just claim that you don't need to work, you need to provide proof" hmm confusion!
> 
> Anyways, although i may or may not take my car, i'm still counting down the days till we move
> It maybe less stressful just simply buying a new car over there. We'll be in Paphos, can you recommend any car places??
> (A nice hard top convertible car for me and preferably a nevada truck for hubby)


You need to provide proof of income which needs to show that y ou do not need to work at all. It isnt good enough to have some money in the bank if it isnt enough to live on indefinitely. So your pensions and maybe investments would need to provide enough income to live on.
If you decide to buy over here and are going to be in Paphos I would highly recommend the Honda garage at the bottom of the Polis road, near the big papantonio supermarket. Marios, the owner, is a great guy and is very helpful.


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## BabsM

alan&sue said:


> What about a private registration. Can you transfer a U.K. private reg. onto a car in Cyprus, or is it only valid in the U.K.?


Someone has asked this question before. No, you cannot transfer a UK registration plate, cherished/personal or otherwise, onto a car in Cyprus. 

You need to put your personal/cherished plate onto retention in the UK, before the car leaves otherwise you will lose it when you car is registered in Cyprus.


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## grumpy

We brought ours also from Southampton. A 52 plate civic diesel. It cost £390 (plus VAT) with Grimaldi via Andrews shipping. Collection at Limassol was easy. However there is a Car Tax calculation spreadsheet which calculates your tax liability for you. It establishes a basic amount then applies discounts (not additions) depending on several factors such as car type, engine size, emission rate etc. I have a copy here on my machine, if you want it just pm or email me and I will happily forward it.

Incidently contrary to some peoples experiences, I have had no problem with the attitude of the officials.


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## alan&sue

BabsM said:


> Someone has asked this question before. No, you cannot transfer a UK registration plate, cherished/personal or otherwise, onto a car in Cyprus.
> 
> You need to put your personal/cherished plate onto retention in the UK, before the car leaves otherwise you will lose it when you car is registered in Cyprus.


Thanks for that info. It's very helpful.


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## Arranexpat

It's going to cost between 3500 and 4500 euros tax plus around £1000 shipping, a bit much for a four year old car. Most of the shipping cost is getting it from Scotland to Bristol or Southampton. Looks like I'm going to have to flog it and get abanger here for a while.


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## grumpy

Arranexpert, we drove the car down to Southampton ourselves and used it as an opportunity to say cheerio to family (but they still caught up with us).


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## asha

BabsM said:


> It sounds to me as if Olibs Mum's car was in a bonded pound. If you are coming to Cyprus on holiday regularly you can bring a car over and leave it in a bonded warehouse and use it for 163 (might be 183)) days a year without paying duty. All you pay are the storage charges for the time when you can't use it. Many people do this and I gather the storage charges are very reasonable.
> 
> What we have done is to officially export our car from the UK to Cyprus as we now live here permanently. This means it will be re-registered with a Cypriot number plate. When we have completed the process I will document the procedure on the website as people often ask how to do it. In the meantime, if you want to know more please feel free to PM me.
> 
> Babs


i am moving to cyprus in september can you please recomend reputable firm in uk who would ship the car. i also would like to put my tv and few other things in the car. many thank asha


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## asha

this is all so confusing as i am coming to live in cyprus from september and was told that if i can prove that car was mine here in uk for last 6 months i do not have to pay duty and also if i get residency of cuprus i will not have to pay duty. before i book my car any advice will be appreciated.

asha


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## grumpy

Yes there are rules and regs. Firstly we used Andrews shipping based in London to book our car onto Grimaldi lines from Southampton, Grimaldi only deal via agents so I used that one.

Do not put ANYTHING in your car, firstly for safety reasons the vehicle is left unlocked on board and you may be carrying something dangerous and/or toxic etc. Secondly if its a TV, or anything of value, it will probably disappear before the ship hits Limassol.

This is my experience of importing a car from the UK.

Step 1, Download and read the two articles, spreadsheets and .docs located here.
Import duty and rules. CUSTOMS & EXCISE - Vehicles
Then the registration and road tax items Department Of Road Transport - Registration
These are accurate and useful to enable you to calculate the amounts you will have to pay.

Step 2. Go to Road Transport Department Just off Mesoghi road on the left as you leave Paphos past the Anavargos junction), Park in public car park, go straight to room 8. Take your vehicle along with the log book if owned for over 6 months in UK. If less than 6 mths log book and purchase invoice. These guys will check your logbook and issue a certificate of CO2 emmissions which you MUST have before proceeding any further.

Step 3. Go to the new government buildings behind the court Neofytou Nikolaidi (round from Neils office), park wherever you can find a space. The Customs office is on the first floor in the building set back from the main road (there is a signpost showing the way to go). Go straight into the office at the end of the hallway (if its occupied they will tell you to take a seat, but they then know about you). You will need the Log book, (if less than 6 mths owned the sales invoice, this must be countersigned by a notary to confirm the sellers signature!!), bill of lading from the shipping company, form C104, the yellow one from the immigration at the port. your insurance document.
Be patient as the officers are under a great deal of pressure, do not become aggressive. The officer will fil in a bundle of forms for you, tell you the taxation due and then you must go to the cashier to pay. Credit card or cash needed for this.

Step 4. Proceed to a private MOT station for an inspection, take the customs form and also any manufacturers spec booklets as the inspector needs to locate and record the engine number, this MUST tie up with the log book and body plate on the car. I usd the MOT only station (so no jobs needed, on the Polis road just north of Carrefour). He will issue a certificate.

Step 5. Go back up to the Road Transport Dept. DO NOT parkin the car park. Take your vehicle to the garage entrance and stop there, then enter the original office (room 8) from the garage side, whereupon you will have your vehicle tested and measured by the relevant officer (ask for Thomas and/or Marios if possible). He will prepare the documents allowing you to go to the cashier to pay for the Registration duty and road tax (at same time). These girls will process your docs and issue a new Cyprus Log book for your car and a Tax disc. You will need 2 €1.71 registration stamps here, so buy these at a post office BEFORE you start.

Step 6. Take your new vehicle number and go to the car number plate sales shop (GT Tuning, Old Chloraka road) owned by Thomas' mum . She will make you your new plates for €20. Screw the new plates on and heypresto, your nearly legal.

Step 7. Inform your insurance company of the change of car reg plate number, and NOW your legal.

Altogether the system works well. You can do it in a day (excepting computer etc breakdowns). Be polite. 
All the public servants I met and had dealings with were polite, pleasant, tried very hard and I have to commend. Only one to aviod is the cahsier at the road traffic dept with the red hair and largish waistline (she is a rottweiller).

This whole system is organic so is constantly changing be it in huge leaps and/or little tweaks, so read the online info first. You can pm for other information.

Exemptions to the import tax are possible, but it means regular trips to renew and the sale of the car is more difficult.


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## fordk9

olibs said:


> Well you have come to the right place I have just done it today and collected my car. It is really really easy I paid around £1000 to do it in total and Found it easy I wouldn't get a clearing agent either as thats around 100 euros for a few hours work.


Can you advise how you did it, what company you used, I am just about to do it.

Thanks


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## deb49

BabsM said:


> It is true, secondhand cars are more expensive here so if you are expecting to lose a lot if you sell your car in England then shipping it is worth serious consideration. If you are coming here to work then you may well end up paying excise duty. If you are coming as retired then you may be able to get exemption.
> 
> We shipped our Land Rover over in our container. The shipping agent was supplied by the removal company and was absolutely super. He arranged all the paperwork and the fees in advance so our visit to Limassol Customs to collect the car was just a paper stamping exercise. There was a lady there who was not using an agent and she was given a terrible run-around. Unfortunately she couldn't speak Greek and was having difficulty understanding where she was supposed to go and what she was supposed to do. Based on what we saw, we would recommend using an agent!
> 
> We have just got our letter telling us that we have been granted tax exemption and can now go and get our car registered. It has taken 5 months to get this far. All we have paid to get the car and the furniture cleared and out of customs is 272 Euros


Hi Babs,
Can you tell me the name of the container company you used. We don't know whether to share a container and have the shipping company do all the work or whether we would be better having our own container. We are shipping most of our furniture over and there's more than I thought! We have been quoted £1200 for 6square metres, but I think there is a lot more to send than I originally told them.
Deb


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## geopopo

I have a quick question here. I have been reading the link that was given above "Vehicles from member states of the European Union - Under relief from excise duties and VAT".

I am a Greek-cypriot who has been living abroad for over 10 years. I am now about to graduate from the UK and I have found a job in Cyprus as well as an appartment. Does that mean that if I a) Buy a new car in Cyprus from lets say VW I do not pay any VAT on my purchase? b) I can import a car from the UK and not pay any tax upon arrival in Cyprus? 

I am asking as I fall under both being a graduate and also as a repatriate who has been abroad for over 10 years. On the hand I get 5000 euro tax exemption on the other hand I can be granted full relief...well thats the way I understood it at least. Can anybody clarify what benefits I can receive based on my status?

So just to mention again, I am greek-cypriot, never lived in Cyprus, 22 years old, recent graduate, male, just found a job and apartment in Cyprus. What benefits am I entitled to with regards to purchasing a new car in CY or importing a second hand car from the UK?


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## Cheshire_lad

BabsM said:


> It sounds to me as if Olibs Mum's car was in a bonded pound. If you are coming to Cyprus on holiday regularly you can bring a car over and leave it in a bonded warehouse and use it for 163 (might be 183)) days a year without paying duty. All you pay are the storage charges for the time when you can't use it. Many people do this and I gather the storage charges are very reasonable.
> 
> What we have done is to officially export our car from the UK to Cyprus as we now live here permanently. This means it will be re-registered with a Cypriot number plate. When we have completed the process I will document the procedure on the website as people often ask how to do it. In the meantime, if you want to know more please feel free to PM me.
> 
> Babs


Babs,

We find ourselves in a similar situation with the car. We want to bring it over ahead of Retirement (and it's a Land Rover).

can you tell me : if I opt for the 183 days/ bonded warehouse option, what is the situation with Road Tax and MOT ?. Clearly It's unworkable to take it back to the UK for an MOT. is the car then subject to Cyprus Road Tax and MOT ?

regards
Ian


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## Veronica

Cheshire_lad said:


> Babs,
> 
> We find ourselves in a similar situation with the car. We want to bring it over ahead of Retirement (and it's a Land Rover).
> 
> can you tell me : if I opt for the 183 days/ bonded warehouse option, what is the situation with Road Tax and MOT ?. Clearly It's unworkable to take it back to the UK for an MOT. is the car then subject to Cyprus Road Tax and MOT ?
> 
> regards
> Ian


If you are using it on the Cyprus roads you will certainly need to pay your road tax here. If you contact Gwennys red tape services they shoudl be able to tell you exactly what the situation regarding tax. You may find you will only pay 6 months tax per year as you are not here permanently but they will be able to tell you.

This is their website, you may find more info there and thier contact details are on it.

Car imports, Importation Duty, Car Registration, Customs and Excise, Passport Renewals, Driving Licences, Alien Cards, Immigration Permits, Paphos, Pafos, Cyprus

Veronica


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