# Export car from UK to South Africa



## VinceW (Sep 8, 2010)

Hi, I'm new to the forum and haven't worked out how to search posts yet!

I'm looking to export a car from the UK to South Africa. I know it will cost me about 60% in import tax, and about £1500 in shipping. Can anybody advise me what other costs are involved? How hard is it to get through customs? What paper work needs to be completed? How do I get the vehicle registered and tested so I can use it on the road. What are the costs involved in this? Is there a company which does all this for you? I am in the UK at present and visit SA for holidays with my girlfriend. We live in the UK but my girlfriend is from SA and all her family in still in SA.

Ideally I need somebody to pick the car up from the docks and sort out all the paper work, get the car tested and registerd if possible so I can just drive it away. Are there companies that do this?

Cheers Vince


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## zambezi.king (Oct 8, 2009)

VinceW said:


> Hi, I'm new to the forum and haven't worked out how to search posts yet!
> 
> I'm looking to export a car from the UK to South Africa. I know it will cost me about 60% in import tax, and about £1500 in shipping. Can anybody advise me what other costs are involved? How hard is it to get through customs? What paper work needs to be completed? How do I get the vehicle registered and tested so I can use it on the road. What are the costs involved in this? Is there a company which does all this for you? I am in the UK at present and visit SA for holidays with my girlfriend. We live in the UK but my girlfriend is from SA and all her family in still in SA.
> 
> ...


From what I remember from when we returned about 4 years ago...
SABS US$750
VAT 14%

Most important is the fact that if your vehicle clearence is delayed and you have to pay demurrage (and/or bribe) it could cost you thousands. If you think how much your car is worth then add all the above it is highly unlikely that it is a good idea. Car prices are pretty comparable here unless you are talking about the type of car you get there for 200 - 500 quid and run it until the MOT runs out.

We decided not to bring the car back.

Hope this helps.


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## VinceW (Sep 8, 2010)

zambezi.king said:


> From what I remember from when we returned about 4 years ago...
> SABS US$750
> VAT 14%
> 
> ...


Hi, Thanks for the reply, what is demurrage, is this where the container is not able to be put back on a ship because of the delay?

I can get a 1999 car in the uk for about £2000. the equivalent car in SA will cost about £6000 according to SA autotrader prices. is autotrader the best place to look in SA?


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## Johanna (Apr 13, 2009)

Vince, we brought a car back from the UK and had a few problems , but managed to get it through customs without paying any taxes.

It all depends on so many things, are you a Saffer, if yes, did you emigrate, how long have you had the car etc.

PM me if you want more info.

Our car was shipped from Liverpool to Port Elizabeth.

2nd hand cars are very expensive, all cars are very expensive


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## VinceW (Sep 8, 2010)

Hi Johanna,

can't see how to pm you! My girlfriend and I live in the uk, we visit SA for about 1 month in a year. Instead of keep hiring a car I was looking at the cost and thought it might be cheaper to buy one, then saw the price and thought it might be cheaper to export one!

My GF is from SA but now resident in the uk, but has an SA passport. I am from the UK and have a UK passport. We are not planning to mave to SA just visit. I expect to pay tax for importing the car but need help with collecting it, sorting out the paper work and getting it through the registration/road worthyness checks etc, any advice appreciated. Thanks Vince


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## Johanna (Apr 13, 2009)

VinceW said:


> Hi Johanna,
> 
> can't see how to pm you! My girlfriend and I live in the uk, we visit SA for about 1 month in a year. Instead of keep hiring a car I was looking at the cost and thought it might be cheaper to buy one, then saw the price and thought it might be cheaper to export one!
> 
> My GF is from SA but now resident in the uk, but has an SA passport. I am from the UK and have a UK passport. We are not planning to mave to SA just visit. I expect to pay tax for importing the car but need help with collecting it, sorting out the paper work and getting it through the registration/road worthyness checks etc, any advice appreciated. Thanks Vince


Vince, in your situation it may be better to hire a car, that way you do not have to pay extra insurance as it is covered by the motor hire company. We did that for about eleven years.... used to hire a car from Europecar ( surf the net for best prices).. it depends on where you usually go to.


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## Johanna (Apr 13, 2009)

Vince ... I think you need to post more often in order to be able to use the PM facility!


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## VinceW (Sep 8, 2010)

We're lookin at coming over in march for about 30 days and visiting Namabia with my GF's cousin. 4X4 hire is working out at about £1300 inc border crossing. I can buy a 1999 4x4 in the uk for under £2000. Works out about £5000 with shipping/import tax etc so should be able to get my money back if we sell it at the end of our trip or keep it for future use. Need a company to sort out the SA end really. Also need to know what paper works required, road worthness tests, vehicle registration etc


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## Johanna (Apr 13, 2009)

VinceW said:


> We're lookin at coming over in march for about 30 days and visiting Namabia with my GF's cousin. 4X4 hire is working out at about £1300 inc border crossing. I can buy a 1999 4x4 in the uk for under £2000. Works out about £5000 with shipping/import tax etc so should be able to get my money back if we sell it at the end of our trip or keep it for future use. Need a company to sort out the SA end really. Also need to know what paper works required, road worthness tests, vehicle registration etc


Shipping it over will be costly. You will need a clearing agent on this side. We had to get a letter of authority from what used to be the SA Bureau of Standards, now called NRCS. I am not sure that someone can receive a car on your behalf.
We had to supply loads of documentation and proof of ownership, we have dual citizenship , but as we never emigrated officially and returned, we had to comply with a lot of legal stuff.

It may be a good idea to do a google search - if you want to I can look up all the relevant telephone numbers and/or e-mail addresses.


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## Johanna (Apr 13, 2009)

Removals to South Africa | Moving to South Africa | Car Shipping South Africa


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## VinceW (Sep 8, 2010)

HI Johanna, Not going to happen by the looks of it. You need to own the car for 1 year. I was looking to buy it and ship it out. Thanks for all your help


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## Johanna (Apr 13, 2009)

VinceW said:


> HI Johanna, Not going to happen by the looks of it. You need to own the car for 1 year. I was looking to buy it and ship it out. Thanks for all your help


I thought that only applied for South Africans?
Anyway, it has been a pleasure, hope you can work something out !


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## zambezi.king (Oct 8, 2009)

Hi Vince,

In order for you not to pay DUTY you have to own the car for at least 1 year before emmigrating. Even if you somehow get the vehicle in duty free, then you will have to keep it for at least 2 years before you sell it or you will have to pay the duty.

14% VAT will always be applicable.
The SABS homologinisation (sp?) clearence certificate (+- US$ 750) is also payable for any vehicle not manufactured in or for the SA market.

I belong to another website that is purely for offroad / 4x4 activites with over 10 000 members who usually have most of the answers. Try google... 4x4 community


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## VinceW (Sep 8, 2010)

Johanna said:


> I thought that only applied for South Africans?
> Anyway, it has been a pleasure, hope you can work something out !


Hi Joanna, The link to the web site you posted states the vehicle has to be owned for a year, there is a link from their site to the import form. The form states six months but is dated 2003.

The form mentions that the car has to be built to EU regs which it will be as it is a standard production car. I think it will be too complicated to manage this from the uk. If I was emigrating and could just ship the car and sort it all out from SA then it would be possible. Import tax would have to be paid as neither my GF or I would qualify for the exemption. I new that from what I had previously read

Thanks once again for your help.

Vince


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## VinceW (Sep 8, 2010)

Are there businesses in SA that import 2nd hand cars from abroad and sell them in SA to customers? Is this possible or against SA import restrictions. As a private individual this does not look possible due to having to own it for at least 6 months prior to import. I wondered if there are different rules for a business? Obviously the cars would be subject to all import taxes.


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## zambezi.king (Oct 8, 2009)

There are such dealers but you must also note that these vehicles are considered grey imports and some of the dealers will not service or supply parts for them. Reselling them at a later date is also sometimes problematic. 

You will find the general consensus is that grey imports are a bit of a pain all-in-all. To illustrate the point we in SA know that we can get a vehicle (grey import) from Namibia, Swaziland, Dubai, Australia, Japan etc for for a massive saving... no-one ever really does this, why?

ps... demurrage is when you have your vehicle cleared but it gets stuck in customs and has problem being cleared/released. This can costs thousands if you are being scammed for a bribe or if there are actually clearing problems.


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## VinceW (Sep 8, 2010)

Thanks for the replys Zambezi king. Where is the best place to look for 2nd hand cars in SA. I would prefer private rather than a dealer. I have looked on line at autotrader.co.za Where else would you recomend? Which papers are best for small ads?. Are the auctions open to the public or trade only? Thanks Vince


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## zambezi.king (Oct 8, 2009)

VinceW said:


> Thanks for the replys Zambezi king. Where is the best place to look for 2nd hand cars in SA. I would prefer private rather than a dealer. I have looked on line at autotrader.co.za Where else would you recomend? Which papers are best for small ads?. Are the auctions open to the public or trade only? Thanks Vince


Best private would be autotrader or junkmail - don't let the title fool you 
The AA autobay if it is still running is for private and each car comes with AA inspection.

Google is your friend in this regard.

The autions are open to the public and due to the past year or two of hardship there are many bargains to be had but you take your chances there as with any auctions worldwide.

The website I suggested in a previous post also has a classified section with some excellent, kitted vehicles at good prices. Also the sellers forum reputation is at stake so you are more likely to get a good deal.

Good luck.


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## leighwallace4 (Jul 4, 2012)

*Advice to export vehicle - uk*

hi Johanna, found your comments very useful regarding exporting a UK car to SA. 
If you have any advice for me I would great appreciate it. I have been in the UK since 2000, i then moved back to sa in 2010 and came back to the UK 2012 and intend to immigrate again in September 2013 ( hahah! confused yet?!).
I am wanting to bring over a Land Rover Discovery from uk to Cape Town. I have received great quotes and advice re customs but how do you go about licencing the vehicle with the licencing department... besides needing the patience of a saint! 

thanks so much!


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## Rod Pringle (Jun 8, 2009)

VinceW said:


> We're lookin at coming over in march for about 30 days and visiting Namabia with my GF's cousin. 4X4 hire is working out at about £1300 inc border crossing. I can buy a 1999 4x4 in the uk for under £2000. Works out about £5000 with shipping/import tax etc so should be able to get my money back if we sell it at the end of our trip or keep it for future use. Need a company to sort out the SA end really. Also need to know what paper works required, road worthness tests, vehicle registration etc


Vince

We deal with many expats, and never has a single one imported a car successfully. The hassle and costs really are too much. New cars are more expensive here than UK, but only 20% or so. Remember that cars don't rust as much here, so if well kept also tend to hold their value better.
In passing I wouldn't go to the bush in a twelve-year old 4x4, unless it was a Landy and I had plenty of parts and an excellent tool kit! You certainly don't need a 4x4 to go to most parts of Namibia - very heavy on fuel and an old one will also be uncomfortable, not to say unreliable.


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## Johanna (Apr 13, 2009)

leighwallace4 said:


> hi Johanna, found your comments very useful regarding exporting a UK car to SA.
> If you have any advice for me I would great appreciate it. I have been in the UK since 2000, i then moved back to sa in 2010 and came back to the UK 2012 and intend to immigrate again in September 2013 ( hahah! confused yet?!).
> I am wanting to bring over a Land Rover Discovery from uk to Cape Town. I have received great quotes and advice re customs but how do you go about licencing the vehicle with the licencing department... besides needing the patience of a saint!
> 
> thanks so much!


Hi le
ghwallace
I agree with RodPringle.
It is going to cost you too much.
Are you a British citizen?
There are different rules as far as I remember for different people.
I can only speak from our own experience.


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## Johanna (Apr 13, 2009)

http://www.anglopacific.co.uk/documents/importing-cars-sa.pdf


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## Davidoo (Dec 20, 2013)

VinceW said:


> Hi, I'm new to the forum and haven't worked out how to search posts yet!
> 
> I'm looking to export a car from the UK to South Africa. I know it will cost me about 60% in import tax, and about £1500 in shipping. Can anybody advise me what other costs are involved? How hard is it to get through customs? What paper work needs to be completed? How do I get the vehicle registered and tested so I can use it on the road. What are the costs involved in this? Is there a company which does all this for you? I am in the UK at present and visit SA for holidays with my girlfriend. We live in the UK but my girlfriend is from SA and all her family in still in SA.
> 
> ...



Hi, 

It will be expensive to export your car to South Africa. The only way to reduce your costs is to pass with the cheapest freight forwarder company. I have worked in a british dealership. I used to pass with the freight forwarders to export cars. One of them could send 4 cars in a container thanks to a new solution. This one allowed me to pay less than usually. 

If you want more information I can search in my email to find the name of it


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## MissGlobal (Aug 4, 2012)

Forgive me for jumping in late - but if you've owned the car for 6 months and are returning to SA - don't you get a HUGE break on the taxes?


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## 2fargone (Jun 14, 2011)

MissGlobal said:


> Forgive me for jumping in late - but if you've owned the car for 6 months and are returning to SA - don't you get a HUGE break on the taxes?


I never heard this?? I wonder if anyone has a link or more information.


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