Guide · Updated October 2026
Bringing Your Own Vehicle to the UK for a Visit: Temporary Import Explained
If you live outside the UK, you can bring your own car, motorhome or 4x4 to the UK for up to 6 months in any 12 months without paying import duty or VAT. This is called temporary admission. The vehicle must be registered outside the UK, used privately, and leave again before the time runs out.
Time limit
6 months in total in any 12 months, in one visit or several
Duty and VAT
None, as long as the conditions are met
Who
Visitors who are not resident in the UK
Vehicle
Registered and taxed in your home country
Use
Private only: no selling, hiring or lending
How it is claimed
Form C110 if you drive in; by your customs agent if the vehicle is shipped
Who can temporarily import a vehicle?
Temporary admission is for visitors. You qualify if all of these apply:
- You live outside the UK and are visiting
- The vehicle is registered and taxed outside the UK
- It is for your own private use, not for sale, hire or lending
- It will leave the UK within 6 months in any 12-month period
Students and people on fixed-term work contracts can sometimes keep a vehicle in the UK for longer. Ask us and we will check your case before you book.
How long can the vehicle stay?
Up to 6 months in total in any 12 months. That can be one long trip or several shorter ones, and the days add up. Keep proof of the date the vehicle arrived: for a shipped vehicle, that is the bill of lading and the customs release we send you.
If you decide to stay longer or move to the UK, the vehicle has to be imported permanently and registered here. Duty and VAT are then due, unless you qualify for Transfer of Residence relief.
What happens when the vehicle arrives by ship?
If you drive in on a ferry, you claim temporary admission at the port on form C110 and use the "nothing to declare" channel.
If you ship your vehicle by RORO or container, it arrives without you. In that case it cannot be declared at the border by you in person: a customs agent declares it for temporary admission on your behalf. We can arrange this through our UK broker, or your own agent can, using your passport, title and travel dates, and tell you when the vehicle is released and ready to collect.
What documents do you need?
- Vehicle title or registration document
- Proof of ownership, such as the bill of sale
- Your passport
- Insurance valid for driving in the UK
- Your travel dates, including when the vehicle will leave
Do you need UK insurance?
Yes. You must be insured to drive on UK roads, and most home policies do not cover the UK. Visitors usually buy frontier or visitor cover for the UK and Europe: from what our customers tell us, third-party cover costs around €150 a month, and comprehensive cover costs more. We also recommend travel insurance for the trip.
Number plates and who can drive
You keep your home plates. If they cannot be read in the UK, or the vehicle is not registered, Q plates may be needed after relief has been claimed.
The vehicle is for private use. Someone else may only use it privately if you authorise it in writing, and it must not be hired out, lent for payment or sold in the UK.
Going on to Europe?
The UK and the EU are separate customs areas with their own temporary admission rules and time limits. Many of our customers tour the UK and mainland Europe on one trip and ship home from a European port such as Antwerp, Bremerhaven or Zeebrugge. Tell us your route and we will advise before you book.
How IVSS helps
- Shipping by RORO or container from North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and more
- UK customs clearance under temporary admission, done for you
- Advice on insurance, documents and onward travel in Europe
- Shipping home at the end of your trip, from the UK or a European port
Frequently asked questions
Can I bring my American, Canadian or Australian car to the UK on holiday?
Yes. If you live outside the UK and the vehicle is registered and taxed in your home country, it can enter under temporary admission for up to 6 months in any 12, with no duty or VAT, as long as it is for your private use and leaves again.
Do I pay VAT or import duty on a temporary import?
No, not if you meet the conditions: non-UK resident, vehicle registered outside the UK, private use only, and it leaves within 6 months in any 12 months.
What if I stay longer than 6 months?
The vehicle then has to be imported permanently and registered in the UK, and duty and VAT are due unless you qualify for Transfer of Residence relief.
Can I sell my car in the UK at the end of my trip?
Not under temporary admission. Selling it means importing it permanently first, paying any duty and VAT, and registering it in the UK.
Do I need a carnet de passages for the UK?
No. Temporary admission is claimed on arrival. Carnets are mainly needed for travel in parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Official sources
- GOV.UK: Temporary imports of vehicles
- HMRC: Temporary admission, eligible goods and conditions of use
- GOV.UK: Form C110
This guide summarises the rules as published in October 2026. Rules change; we confirm what applies to your vehicle when we quote.
Related routes and guides
Member of
IVSS is a member of BIFA, the British International Freight Association, and FIATA, the international federation of freight forwarders.
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Questions about your import? Call +44 203 787 4201, Monday to Friday.