Notifying the DVLA of Permanent Export
When a vehicle leaves the UK for twelve months or more it is a permanent export. Complete the permanent export section of your V5C, post it to the DVLA in Swansea and keep the rest of the document — you will need it for destination registration. The DVLA will cancel the UK registration and issue any road tax refund from the following month.
Do not send the whole V5C. Buyers and destination customs regularly ask for the retained portion, and replacing it after export is far harder than before. If the vehicle is leaving temporarily, for a rally or a season abroad, keep the UK registration live and consider a Carnet de Passages instead.
HMRC Export Declarations and VAT
Every vehicle leaving Great Britain needs an export declaration filed through the Customs Declaration Service. We file this as your agent using the declared value, commodity code and destination. The declaration generates the proof of export that HMRC expects if VAT is being zero-rated on a sale to an overseas buyer.
If you are a VAT-registered business selling a vehicle abroad, keep the Bill of Lading, the export declaration and the payment evidence together for six years. Private sellers do not reclaim VAT, but should still keep the export evidence — it is the simplest way to prove the vehicle left the country if a penalty notice ever arrives.
Choosing RoRo or Container
RoRo is the cheapest option for a standard running vehicle and has the most frequent departures from Southampton and Tilbury. The vehicle is driven aboard and secured on a vehicle deck; nothing can travel inside it, and access at the destination is straightforward.
Container shipping suits high-value, classic, modified and non-running vehicles, and is the only practical option where you want to ship personal effects with the car. A shared container splits the cost across two or three vehicles, typically saving 30–40% against an exclusive 20ft box while adding a week or two to the schedule while the container is consolidated.
Port Handling, Timings and Costs
Budget for four cost blocks: UK collection or delivery to port, terminal handling and loading, the ocean freight itself, and destination charges including terminal handling, customs clearance and any duty or tax. Quotes that look unusually cheap almost always exclude the destination block.
Typical UK-origin transit times run from five to fourteen days to Mediterranean ports, two to four weeks to the Gulf, West Africa and the US East Coast, and four to seven weeks to Australia, New Zealand and the Far East. Add one to two weeks for container consolidation at the UK end.
Meeting Destination Import Rules
The destination's rules decide what is possible, not the shipping line. Age limits, left- or right-hand-drive restrictions, emissions standards and pre-shipment inspection requirements all have to be satisfied before the vehicle sails, because a non-compliant car at the destination is usually re-exported at the shipper's cost.
Check the destination guide for your country before booking, and confirm whether an import permit is needed in advance — Australia, New Zealand and several Gulf and African states all require approval before shipment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long before shipping should I notify the DVLA?
Send the permanent export section as the vehicle leaves, not weeks beforehand. Notifying too early cancels the registration while the car is still in the UK, which makes it untaxed and uninsurable for road use.
Can I export a car that is still on finance?
Only with the finance company's written consent. Without a letter of no interest the carrier will not load the vehicle and destination customs may seize it.
Do I pay UK VAT when exporting a car?
A private individual exporting their own vehicle pays no UK VAT on export. A VAT-registered business selling to an overseas buyer can zero-rate the sale provided it holds valid proof of export.
Can personal items travel inside the vehicle?
Not on RoRo sailings. In a container, declared personal effects are usually permitted, but they must be listed on the packing list and may attract duty at the destination.
Exporting a vehicle this year?
We handle the DVLA notification, the HMRC declaration, the sailing and the destination clearance.