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Import Approval For Motor Cars Entering Australia

All motor cars imported into Australia will need to go through Australian Customs at the port of entry to gain clearance into Australia. To gain clearance you will need to have in your possession an "Import Approval" which you must have prior to shipping & issued from the "Vehicle Safety Standards Branch" (VSSB). There are many schemes where a vehicle maybe granted import approval and you should check this before you consider exporting it from the UK.

The following persons are not eligible to import a vehicle under the Personal Import Scheme:

• visitors
• temporary residents
• foreign diplomatic personnel
• companies and
• corporations

To be eligible for a personal import the following mandatory criteria must be satisfied:

1. the vehicle has been owned and used by the applicant for a continuous period of at least 12 months (3 months where ownership and use of the vehicle commenced before 8 May 2000);
2. at the time the vehicle is imported, the applicant is:
   i. an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident; or
   ii. a person who has applied to become an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident;
3. the applicant is of an age that entitles him or her to hold a licence or a permit to drive a road vehicle of that type;
4. the applicant undertakes to comply with any requirements as to road safety that are imposed in respect of the vehicle by the Administrator; and
5. the applicant has not imported a road vehicle owned by him/her within the year ending on the day on which the vehicle in respect of which the application is made is landed in Australia.

If an applicant has imported a vehicle under any other provisions in that time, approval will not be granted.
The criteria outlined at (a) to (e) are mandatory criteria as included in Regulation 13 of the Motor Vehicle Standards Regulations 1989. The criteria will be strictly enforced.

One vehicle per person is permitted entry in any one year period, subject to import approval and payment of Duty and GST. Upon applying for Import approval you must enclose the following documentation with your import approval as this is required by the Australian Department of Transport.

• every page of your passport including all blank pages
• statement of travel. This involves supplying details of any absences from your main country of residence during the relevant qualifying period for ownership and use of the vehicle. If your travel was for business reasons you must supply a letter to that effect from your employer.
• purchase documents (Copy of Certificate/Invoice/Receipt of Purchase)
• overseas registration documents in your name
• driver's licence
• a $50 application fee must also be provided
• "Vehicle Import Approval Application"

This information is meant as a guide only and is correct at the time of writing however, PSS cannot accept liability for any inaccuracies in this information and we always advise our clients to check with the appropriate government departments listed on our website.

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