anybody in the know???

[reidalpine]

Ok guys,anybody knows what the cost is to re-import a now Non-Ec car to Ec again?
Wont tell too much as per now but this is a French car now in Norwayland (=Non EC)
that demands a Premium price in France,so.... -Reid.

 

[uaz04]

Each country has their own rules, but the first question regarding import to any EU country would be: Is it more than 30 years old? Importing an "oldtimer" is much less expensive and can be easier.

 

[reidalpine]

Hi uaz04.Yes it is a French mid 60's model,but main thing is if Actual value/price comes into the equation ? -Reid.

 

[uaz04]

This value/price issue raises it head all the time, and you almost never know when or why! Some countries use a standard auto value calculator...but most seem totally random. The price you paid, on the contract, usually counts for little or nothing when some customs official wants to make life hard for someone.
My best advice is to ask around the Renault club scene and find an importer/used car seller who is trusted by people whom you can trust...if you know what I mean. Importers always know all the customs people, and it's their business to get through quickly and cheaply. It's well worth it to pay one of them to import it. I know a few countries where the typical duties for a car imported by a private person is almost always 50 to 75 percent higher than a regular importer pays. It's all about who they know and how often they import cars.
I have some experience with these issues, as I could always buy cars on diplomatic status, but when moving or selling them I found it was always cheaper to pay an importer or car dealer to do it.
Good luck!

 

[reidalpine]

I'm trying via a good friend in France to get the valid figures for this car. Would have been nice if they worked by standard auto calc
as you say.....If they valued it as in -65 I would be over the moon.. I will also look into importing it through a regular importer as you
might have a point there (sorry about the smoke-screen,but it will cause a right stir if I revealed more at this point) -Reid

 

[harbourseal]

If you export for example into The Netherlands, there will be no import duty on the car. From there it should be a breeze into France
Oldtimers are free to import. I don't know the rules in France.
But Isn't Norway a free trade zone for EC?

 

[reidalpine]

Hi again,the problem as i see it this car is tuned to h**** so is not anything remotely like the original
other than looks.It has all the legal stuff,belts and whistles upgraded and built to a very high standard
"Street-legal" here,but with no specific docs re. tuning.........
PS-Norway isn't free in Any respect of the word -Reid.

 

[Ricardo Mota]

Don't know how it is in the UK but in Portugal you need to pay VAT (even if was already paid for the country of origin) + emissions taxes + road tax + VAT again on top of it all.
But that's not the worst part. The worst is you then have to pay road tax as if the car was new. The portuguese government doesn't care if the car is from 1910. If it was registered in Portugal this year, it will pay taxes as if it was built this year.
This has been going on for decades. The EU even issued warnings to government officials to stop this illegal taxation or we will have pay fines to the EU, under the free trade thing.
Guess who's paying those fines plus taxes anyway...

 

[reidalpine]

Hi Richardo ! How do they do about new regulations as to E-marked lights and Co/Nox-emissions etc.?
-they don't expect an old(er) car to comply to those do they ??
If they do, you need to tell them to stop smoking their nylon-socks before panel discussions.. -Reid

 

[Ricardo Mota]

They do have a formula to calculate fees based on emissions, age, cc, etc. But not only are those fees mental, you then have to pay the same road tax for an imported car as you would for a new one.
Just as an example: let's say you bought a R4, early 90s 1100cc, from another EU country. It cost you 3000eur. Importing it will cost you 3600eur just in taxes + all other fees like customs clearance, etc.
Another example: A VW Golf diesel from 2008 would cost 7000eur. Importing it would cost 6000eur.
Don't forget we get paid 1/3 than you guys in the UK.

 

[Neil]

Absolutely spot-on Ricardo.
I believe our forum friends in the UK will accept, they ain't having such a bad deal (in comparison).
My neighbour was driving his 2006 Merc ML320 up&down the Algarve for years. And it's so true that familiarity breeds contempt. Right-hand-drive and GB plates, he rose the bar when it came to sticking out like a sore thumb!
Then one day last year, he got pulled in a routine check. Unable to provide evidence that the car had been absent from Portugal in recent history, he was summoned to attend police HQ at Portimāo next day. They in turn, made an appointment for him to visit the taxation enforcement officer at IMTT in Faro, bring €15000 with him, along with the Mercedes for examination.

Well, he didn't leave the A22 at Faro, drove straight passed, and didn't stop until he'd crossed the Spanish border. His son lives in Madrid, and the car lives there now. He appears to have " got-away-with-it ", and adopts a more pragmatic approach these days ..... 28 year-old Mercedes 250D saloon on PT plates - no hub-caps - and UV rays have totally scorched the lacquer off bonnet; roof and boot-lid.
That makes him almost invisible in these parts,

N.

 

[Neil]

Hi again,the problem as i see it this car is tuned to h**** so is not anything remotely like the original
other than looks.It has all the legal stuff,belts and whistles upgraded and built to a very high standard
"Street-legal" here,but with no specific docs re. tuning.........
PS-Norway isn't free in Any respect of the word -Reid.

Hi Reid,
please correct me if I'm wrong .... aren't pedestrians free to step off the kerb (in towns) into the path of on-coming traffic?
Certainly happened to me shortly after unloading at the Vikingskipet at Hamar, not too many years ago ,

N.

 

[Neil]

If you export for example into The Netherlands, there will be no import duty on the car. From there it should be a breeze into France
Oldtimers are free to import. I don't know the rules in France.
But Isn't Norway a free trade zone for EC?

Hello harbourseal,
if I can just tack this to your thread ..... Anyone need clarification on a specific (importing into UK) issue can eMail:- ptutechnicalsupport@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

I found them helpful, as opposed to the guidance notes which are lengthy, complex and crammed-full of stuff that we need never worry over,
thanks, N.

 

[Ricardo Mota]

Hi Neil,
I know a few people that do that. They tell police they are on holidays. I know a few that came from France +20 years ago. Still have French plates.
Your friend did the right thing. Also, his 'new' Mercedes is built like a tank

 

[Potty]

They do have a formula to calculate fees based on emissions, age, cc, etc. But not only are those fees mental, you then have to pay the same road tax for an imported car as you would for a new one.
Just as an example: let's say you bought a R4, early 90s 1100cc, from another EU country. It cost you 3000eur. Importing it will cost you 3600eur just in taxes + all other fees like customs clearance, etc.
Another example: A VW Golf diesel from 2008 would cost 7000eur. Importing it would cost 6000eur.
Don't forget we get paid 1/3 than you guys in the UK.

Totally agree with you Ricardo, importing a car into Portugal is very very expensive, especially if you owned the car less than a year and then it is a long process to matriculate it.
But then there is no need to import a R4 into Portugal, when as you probably know if you look at the online classifies such as olx, custo justo and stand virtual there are always around 30-40 for sale and then you have the countless car showrooms who don't advertise who usually have one somewhere.
When I'm out and about I usually see around 5 or 6 a day...so many here we don't even wave to each other

 

[Ricardo Mota]

Hi Potty,
Yes, if we talk about R4s there's no need to import one. However, most cars are a lot cheaper abroad. I've had a few cars from Germany and i can tell you it's not so hard to import them. And even with high import fees, i much prefer to get a used one from the germans than from a portuguese seller (that came from Germany or France anyway).

I like your idea. I'm going to start waving to other R4 drivers when i go for a ride on mine
Who knows, maybe we can start the trend

 

[AdamWilkes]

I try waving at other R4 drivers, but in the two years I've owned mine, I have seen just one R4 car (we all waved) - didn't see any at a few classic car runs I have been to either !