Strict rules for taking UAE vehicles into UK

It has become a tradition in recent years for sports car owners from the Gulf to head off to the cooler climes of the UK with their vehicles.

UAE-registered vehicles can be imported to the UK for up to six months with extensive papers. Photos Stephen Lock for the National

Nadeem Hanif

DUBAI // UAE motoring enthusiasts can take a car to Britain for up to six months before paying tax and registering it with British authorities, according to the UK’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

The DVLA allows owners to use a car with non-UK number plates without paying tax or registering it, but only if they are visiting for up to six months in a 12-month period and if the car is registered and taxed in their home country.

“You must tax and register your vehicle in the UK if you become a resident or your stay is longer than six months,” the DVLA states on its website.

There is also a potential relief in customs charges if the vehicle is registered outside of the European Union (EU), known as temporary admission.

The owner must fill in a C110 identification form and bring the vehicle through the ‘nothing to declare’ channel when arriving.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), however, may still require the vehicle to be registered and taxed.

Students and workers may also be able to use a non-UK number plate vehicle for a maximum of six months, without paying tax or registering it.

“If all the following apply: you’re a student or worker; you normally live outside the EU; you’re in the UK for a set study or work period and the vehicle is registered in its home country, you must contact HMRC before arrival or on arrival in the UK to apply for customs relief,” the DVLA website states.

Car owners may also have to use Q number plates if their stay in the UK is up to six months and if the existing plate displays numbers or letters that are not identifiable in the UK, for example in Arabic script.

“If your car has non-UK number plates and you’re stopped by police, you must show you can use the vehicle in the UK without taxing and registering it here,” said the DVLA.

“You may have to show proof of the length of time you have been in the UK (eg: a ferry ticket) or evidence that you and the vehicle are eligible for customs relief.”

For more details, visit www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/temporary-imports.