Gulf to UK car imports · by My Car Import
From the Gulf to your driveway.
Shipping, customs, testing and registration for cars coming home from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. Every UK step is done in-house, by the people who have imported 20,000+ cars.
- 4.8 on Trustpilot, 1,000+ reviews
- 20,000+ cars imported
- 3 to 6 weeks at sea, usually
Where you are now
Three ways a Gulf car comes home.
Almost everyone who rings us is in one of these situations. Each one is handled a little differently, so start with yours.
You are moving home
Your contract is up, the villa is being packed and the car is coming with you. If you have lived abroad for over a year and owned the car for six months, you may not pay any import tax on it at all.
Moving home with your carYou have found one out there
A GCC-spec Land Cruiser, a Patrol the UK never got, a supercar priced like it is going out of fashion. Talk to us before you pay, and we will tell you what bringing it home really involves.
Buying in the GulfIt is already here
Shipped it yourself and now it is sitting at a port or on your drive? We clear it through customs, sort the conversions, test it and get it on UK plates.
When the car is already hereThe whole journey
Eight stations, one team.
Our agents look after the Gulf end. From the moment the container reaches the UK, it is My Car Import people doing the work, start to finish. Pick the bit you need or hand us the lot.
- 1Gulf
Tell us about the car
Make, model, where it is and why it is coming. A person, not a pricing robot, builds your quote.
- 2Gulf
Settle up
Fines, tolls and any finance cleared. Nothing leaves the Gulf with money owed against it.
- 3Gulf
Export plates
The car comes off the local register and goes onto export plates. Our agents help you through it.
- 4Gulf
Collected and loaded
Picked up from your address, checked, photographed and secured in its container.
- 5Sea
At sea
Usually 3 to 6 weeks, with transit insurance available for its full value.
- 6UK
Unloaded and cleared
Unloaded at our own site in Derby and cleared through HMRC by our in-house customs team.
- 7UK
Converted and tested
Fog light, speedo and headlights sorted, then IVA or MOT in our own test lane.
- 8UK
On UK plates
Registered with the DVLA in around 10 working days, then collected or delivered to your door.
Done under one roof
We own the bits that usually go wrong.
The trouble with most imports is the handovers. A port warehouse that unloads in a rush, a customs agent who never sees the car, a test centre with a long waiting list. Each one is a chance for a delay.
So we do those parts ourselves, at our site in Castle Donington. It means fewer handovers, fewer waiting lists and one team who knows exactly where your car is.
- HMRC CDS customs entry, handled by our own customs team
- Containers unloaded at our own site, not a busy port warehouse
- The first privately owned IVA testing centre for passenger vehicles in the UK
- Headlight, speedometer and fog light conversions in our workshop
- A dealer-level DVLA account that registers cars in around 10 working days
- Indoor and outdoor storage, then collection or delivery to your door
Where we collect
All six Gulf states. Every emirate.
Each place has its own authority, its own paperwork and its own way of letting a car go. We have a page for each, written for people who are actually there.
What it costs
The tax, worked out before you commit.
Import duty and VAT are where most of the money goes, and they follow simple rules. Duty is 10% of the car's value plus the cost of shipping it. VAT is 20% of that total plus the duty.
Moving home? Transfer of Residence relief can take both to zero. Bringing a classic over 30 years old? It pays 5% VAT and no duty at all.
Worked example
- Car
- £30,000
- Shipping and insurance
- £2,500
- Customs value
- £32,500
- Duty at 10%
- £3,250
- VAT at 20%
- £7,150
- Tax to pay
- £10,400
- Moving home, ToR approved
- £0
Illustrative figures. Your quote uses your car's real numbers.
Gulf cars we see
Built for the heat. Welcome in the rain.
- Toyota Land Cruiser
- Nissan Patrol
- Lexus LX
- Mercedes G-Class
- Range Rover
- Porsche 911
- Ford Mustang
- Dodge Challenger
- Chevrolet Tahoe
- Toyota FJ Cruiser
- Ferrari
- Lamborghini
Worth reading first
Straight answers, written by importers.
Settling up before you leave
Finance, fines, tolls and insurance. Clear these first or the car goes nowhere.
Read it BuyingSalvage, flood and rebuilt cars
Why some Gulf cars have a past in an American auction yard, and what that means for registering one here.
Read it The carGCC spec, explained
What the badge on the windscreen means, and what it changes when the car is tested in the UK.
Read itQuestions answered
The ones we hear most.
How long does it take to import a car from the Gulf?
The sea leg is usually 3 to 6 weeks. Before that there is export paperwork and collection in the Gulf, and after it there is customs, any conversion work, testing and DVLA registration, which our dealer-level account turns round in around 10 working days. Your quote sets out the timings for your car.
Will I pay import tax on a car from the Gulf?
Usually 10% import duty and 20% import VAT, worked out on the price of the car plus the cost of getting it here. If you are moving home after more than 12 months abroad and have owned the car for at least 6 months, Transfer of Residence relief can mean you pay neither. Classics over 30 years old pay 5% VAT and no duty.
Can I register a left-hand drive car in the UK?
Yes. Left-hand drive cars are perfectly legal here. The headlights need adjusting so they dip the right way, the speedometer has to read in miles per hour and the car needs a rear fog light. We do all of that in-house before the car is tested.
Do you ship from countries other than the UAE?
Yes. As well as Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the northern emirates, we bring cars from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.
Who actually does the work?
My Car Import, from our site at Castle Donington in Derbyshire. We have been importing cars for over thirty years and have brought in more than 20,000 of them. Our own team unloads the container, clears the car through customs, converts and tests it, and registers it.
Ready when you are.
Tell us about the car and where it is. A real person at My Car Import builds your quote around your car, and there is no obligation to go ahead.