 | the vehicle has been ‘Owned and Used’ for a minimum period of twelve calendar months prior to shipment from the originating country |
| the vehicle was manufactured prior to 1 January 1989 |
| the vehicle to be imported was purchased new and was manufactured to the full Australian specification/standards |
| the vehicle was originally manufactured or sold in Australia and still has its Australian Compliance Plate fitted |
AUTHORITY FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT & REGIONAL SERVICES (DoTaRS) - a Motor Vehicle (except returning Australian Vehicles) must not under any circumstances arrive at an Australian Port without authorisation from the Administrator of Vehicle Standards, GPO 594, Canberra, ACT 2601, Tel: (02) 6274 7444, Fax: (02) 6274 6013. Authorisation is obtained by meeting certain requirements and applying using an "Application for Approval to Import A Vehicle" form. The fee for this application is A$50 and is payable by Credit Card or an Australian Cheque. Application should be made at least 4 weeks prior to the shipment of the Car and an Australian postal address should be given on the application form. An import approval requires that a copy passport ID must be certified as being true and correct by an approved professional.
WHO CAN IMPORT A VEHICLE - Personal Import approval will only be given by the Department of Transport and Regional Services to Migrants with full residency visas, or to Australian Nationals or to New Zealand Nationals, who are of driving age in Australia. You will be required to provide proof of Australian residency by way of a passport or visa. If you are a migrant you will be required to provide proof that you have been granted Permanent Resident Status in Australia. Temporary residents and Companies are not eligible. Vehicles built prior to 1 January 1989 are exempt from the Residency requirement.
RETIREMENT (410) & LONG TERM / BUSINESS (457) VISA HOLDERS - with these types of visa, rather than a permanent residency visa, a personal import approval cannot normally be granted by DoTaRS until the importer has arrived and can provide evidence that they are now living in Australia and not in the originating country. A vehicle would have to be left behind in the originating country with a friend, relative or shipping company until approval is granted for it to be imported. Once approval is given a few weeks later then the vehicle can be shipped to Australia. Some time can be saved by applying for an approval from the originating country and providing the remaining pieces of documentation as soon as possible after arrival in Australia.
HOW MANY VEHICLES CAN BE IMPORTED UNDER THE PERSONAL IMPORT SCHEME - only one vehicle built after 1 January 1989 per person per 12 months.
CARS BUILT PRIOR TO 1 January 1989 - the Australian Motor Vehicles Standards Act 1989 was amended on the 1st July 1992 with respect to older vehicles. Although an import approval is still required no other criteria need be met i.e. the car would not have to be owned and used in the originating country for more than twelve calendar months. Vehicles must have been built prior to 1 January 1989 .
IMPORTING WITHOUT APPROVAL - it is an offence to import a new or second-hand vehicle without approval and can be penalised with a fine of up to A$13,200 as well as having to re-export or scrap the vehicle. A complete vehicle cannot be imported for ‘breaking’ as ‘Parts’. Importation occurs when a vehicle is landed or brought within a port for the purpose of landing. Approval will not be given once a vehicle has arrived at an Australian port.
AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURED VEHICLES - re-imported Australian Vehicles do not require Import Approval provided they are fitted with a valid Australian Compliance Plate or have been previously Imported into and Registered in Australia but under certain circumstances Gst and, where applicable, Luxury Car Tax may still be payable but not Duty.
LOW VOLUME CERTIFICATION/SEVS/RAWS IMPORT SCHEMES - this is not normally feasible for shipments from the UK and is primarily intended for existing Australian Companies importing cars from North America and Japan.
WHAT ABOUT TEMPORARY IMPORTS - these are allowed with a DoTaRS Approval and a bond with Australian Customs or if covered by a Carnet de Passages from the RAC Tel: 01454 208000 in the UK. The vehicle must not be sold in Australia and must be re-exported back to the originating country within 12 months.
LENGTH OF COMPULSORY OWNERSHIP AFTER IMPORTATION - there is no minimum and a vehicle can be re-sold at any time without restriction after a personal import approval plate has been fitted and the vehicle has been registered.
LEFT-HAND DRIVE VEHICLES - importation is normally prohibited unless the vehicle is more than 15 years old. A concession period may be granted to Bona Fide Migrants whereby a left hand drive vehicle can be imported but would have to be converted to right hand drive within 6 months of importation.
FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES - the lower Duty Rate of 5% (and 10% Gst) is only applicable to ‘Off Road’ type cars e.g. Range Rover and not 4WD ‘Saloon’ type cars e.g. Audi Quattro.
Australian contacts for importing private vehicles