# how to import car



## Guest (Apr 5, 2010)

Hi there everyone,

I am moving to cyprus in june and i am really stuck on how to go about importing a car over. Firstly does anyone know of a decent reasonable company i can use to ship it over. I have read some of the threads already on here, can i take a new car over straight away if i have just bought it out right or do i need to wait a certain amount of time before it can go over. Is it true that all cars are different prices for tax when you register it over there (eg engine size or make) how long does it take usually to get shipped over, do you need to pay road tax over there what forms do i need to fill in. what insurance companies are the best to use paphos area. Any other info will be appreciated thanks

Marc


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## BabsM (May 24, 2008)

lyndamarcx said:


> Hi there everyone,
> 
> I am moving to cyprus in june and i am really stuck on how to go about importing a car over. Firstly does anyone know of a decent reasonable company i can use to ship it over. I have read some of the threads already on here, can i take a new car over straight away if i have just bought it out right or do i need to wait a certain amount of time before it can go over. Is it true that all cars are different prices for tax when you register it over there (eg engine size or make) how long does it take usually to get shipped over, do you need to pay road tax over there what forms do i need to fill in. what insurance companies are the best to use paphos area. Any other info will be appreciated thanks
> 
> Marc


If you have read the relevant threads about importing and re-registering cars then you will know the answers to a lot of what you are asking!!!! 

There are a number of recommendations for shipping companies on the forum. We imported ours in our container using Burke Brothers of Wolverhampton. Someone else recommended Britmovers. Alternatively our neighbours just contacted the ro-ro company in Southampton (Grimaldi Lines, I think they are called) and got all the information about documentation from them.

I believe you can buy a new car and get it shipped by a decent car showroom in the uk, If you have the option, pay the VAT here, ours is 15%. Speak to your car salesman he should know how to go about this.

It takes around 2 weeks for a container ship to get from Tilbury to Limassol, depending on which and how many ports it stops at on the way.

When the car arrives you will have to go to customs at the port and complete a form to obtain a C104 which will have to be renewed until you get a letter telling you you can re-register the car.

Yes of course you will have to pay road tax in Cyprus! Unless you want to pay an arm and a leg I suggest you bring a car with an engine less than 2 litres.

Insurance companies: Kentriki, Gan, through your bank. There are plenty.


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## Guest (Apr 6, 2010)

Hi BabsM, 

Thankyou very much for your reply....I did read the other threads and got loads of Info from them and Grumpy (Doug) sent me a calculator to work out tax etc for importing which I found very helpful. Thank you to everyone.

I have contacted Burke Brothers in Wolverhampton and was really impressed with the company so far? who are getting back to me with quotes etc I also spoke to Bob at Britmovers who passed me onto Aspin Freight who I also found really nice and is also getting back to me with quotes etc. So once again Thankyou.

Just counting down the days now.

Lynda x


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## Guest (Apr 6, 2010)

BabsM, 

I forgot to mention our car is a 2000cc engine so I guess we are going to have to pay an arm and leg for tax and import duties etc...


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## Geraldine (Jan 3, 2009)

lyndamarcx said:


> BabsM,
> 
> I forgot to mention our car is a 2000cc engine so I guess we are going to have to pay an arm and leg for tax and import duties etc...


Hi, 

I got a quote from Burke Bros, I, too, thought they were very professional. I am going to use Gwendys Red Tape Services for all the paperwork that you need to get the car on the road.

Geraldine


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## Guest (Apr 6, 2010)

Geraldine said:


> Hi,
> 
> I got a quote from Burke Bros, I, too, thought they were very professional. I am going to use Gwendys Red Tape Services for all the paperwork that you need to get the car on the road.
> 
> Geraldine


Can I ask Geraldine how much did you get quoted and what for?

Ive just got a quote back from Aspin Freight who quoted door 2 door ( I Live in Glasgow) with our personal belongings which is not much at all and for me to drive my car to Liverpool Docks £1859 plus vat with all the goods in a 20ft container.... I thought this was quite steep so I just hope I get a better quote from Burke Bros tommorow.

I thought maybe 1K for a 20ft container so I was quite shocked.

Thanks guys regards Lynda


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## AnnieG (Feb 25, 2009)

lyndamarcx said:


> Can I ask Geraldine how much did you get quoted and what for?
> 
> Ive just got a quote back from Aspin Freight who quoted door 2 door ( I Live in Glasgow) with our personal belongings which is not much at all and for me to drive my car to Liverpool Docks £1859 plus vat with all the goods in a 20ft container.... I thought this was quite steep so I just hope I get a better quote from Burke Bros tommorow.
> 
> ...


Hi Lynda,

I'd be really interested in what company you go with eventually as we are just outside Glasgow too so would help me add them to my list for when we manage to sell our house and move out to sunny Cyprus!!

Thanks

AnnieG


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## BabsM (May 24, 2008)

lyndamarcx said:


> Hi BabsM,
> 
> Thankyou very much for your reply....I did read the other threads and got loads of Info from them and Grumpy (Doug) sent me a calculator to work out tax etc for importing which I found very helpful. Thank you to everyone.
> 
> ...


As I say, we used Burke Bros. they did a complete pack/unpack service complete with the car paperwork. We were happy with their professionalism. They arrived when they said they would, did what they said in the time they said and it all arrived safely including a piano and the car. 

On the morning they started to pack I was in tears & panicking as there was so much to do and i just wasn't ready. They came in, took over and all I had to do was tell them where each box would go and make tea/coffee. Watching them load the car was fascinating! They did it on site, outside the house after everything was loaed. When they left, the house and the road were tidy and I didn't even have to sweep! This end all we had to do was to go to customs with their Cyprus representative, who had already completed the paperwork, and sign a few papers.
We paid around £3500 for a 40' container with the full pack/unpack service


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## Cheshire_lad (Aug 21, 2009)

We've just shipped 950 cu ft of stuff with Burke Bros, from Cheshire and the bill was £3500 inc vat. (In fact it's bobbing somewhere on the Med as I write this)

The contact you need is Chris Starkey, and (for us) he compared the cost of sending our stuff with a 20ft container, and found that sending it Groupage was £500 cheaper.

We had quotes from Peter Morton in Paphos, M&S Shipping in Essex, Aspin in Liverpool, Tradelines in Liverpool and found Burke's not to be the cheapest by far, but they have a good reputation, and were recommended to us several times.

So....I think that a figure of around £1k is a touch optimistic.

Separately 9and we decided not to do this) we had a quote from a shipping line in Bristol, as a RoRo deal of £860. Bristol to Limassol

regards
CL


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## Cheshire_lad (Aug 21, 2009)

Sorry folks,

I really must read the thread Title and not go bumbling off with a different Topic

Apologies
CL

(When all else fails, read the instructions)


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## Geraldine (Jan 3, 2009)

Hi,

My quote was for the car only, a Suzuki 1600 jeep, going in a shared container, me driving it down to Wolverhampton....£1,349.

I didn't ask for a quote for my furniture etc, as not sure what I am taking as yet, but I would be packing/unpacking it myself to save costs, I'm hoping that the bits I have would also go in a shared container. I have no doubt that I shall use Chris at Burkes for that too, but will ask about the 'Groupage' package when the time comes.

Geraldine


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## BabsM (May 24, 2008)

Geraldine said:


> Hi,
> 
> My quote was for the car only, a Suzuki 1600 jeep, going in a shared container, me driving it down to Wolverhampton....£1,349.
> 
> ...


Just a word from the wise.... do beware of sending cars on their own in a shared container, unless you know the party you are sharing with. The last thing you want is to find you have to wait forever whilst customs checks and disentangles your legit car's status from that of the stolen car that was sharing the container with you! Unless you are using a reputable shipping firm in which case you should be OK.


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## Geraldine (Jan 3, 2009)

Babs, 
Thanks for the warning, never thought of that!


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## Geraldine (Jan 3, 2009)

Geraldine said:


> Babs,
> Thanks for the warning, never thought of that


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## BabsM (May 24, 2008)

Geraldine said:


> Babs,
> Thanks for the warning, never thought of that!


There was a big scandal here last year when 100 stolen Mercs (or was it BMWs) were shipped to Cyprus in containers. I think the majority were found. But having discovered this kind of thing on such a scale, customs are more careful now


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

BabsM said:


> There was a big scandal here last year when 100 stolen Mercs (or was it BMWs) were shipped to Cyprus in containers. I think the majority were found. But having discovered this kind of thing on such a scale, customs are more careful now


I think it was a variety of prestige cars. Apparently there are quite a lot of stolen cars on the island.


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## BabsM (May 24, 2008)

Veronica said:


> I think it was a variety of prestige cars. Apparently there are quite a lot of stolen cars on the island.


Yes I heard there were a lot too. A neighbour was offered a cheap car recently that had supposedly come in on a container.... without any documents from England.... without the yellow c-form. 
wonder how that got in!!!!!!


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