Motor Vehicle Import Approval
PERSONAL IMPORT APPROVAL FROM DEPARTMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE
All vehicles permanently imported into Australia require import approval from the Department of Transport, Regional Development and Local Government in Canberra. Import Approval should be applied for before shipment and takes 3-5 weeks. Vehicle Approval is either as a Personal Import or if the vehicle was built prior to 1/1/89. Personal Import qualification is for vehicle owners with long term residency for one car per person that has been owned & used in the overseas country for a minimum period of 12 consecutive months immediately before the applicants arrive in Australia. The application must be made within 6 months of applicants arriving in Australia.
The Application Form should be completed in conjunction with the VSB Instruction Brochure - http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/vehicle_regulation/bulletin/importing_vehicles/general/pdf/ Personal_Import_Application_1109.pdf for the form and http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/vehicle_regulation/bulletin/importing_vehicles/general/pdf/VSB10_10.pdf for the full instructions. Part 1 should have an Australian address if possible, Part 3 the car details. If time is of the essence then it can sometimes be quicker to fax (0061262746013) or email (Vimports@infrastructure.gov.au) a copy application and follow it up with the original in the post and sometimes a call or email to the Department 10 to 14 days later can get a positive reply but is generally discouraged by them. Those without permanent residency but with 410 retirement or 457 business visas can normally only obtain an approval once they have arrived in Australia and have supplied additional documentation. Companies, Corporations, tourist and short term visa holders cannot qualify a vehicle as a Personal Import.
A Personal Import Application must include copies of every page of a vehicle owners passport and their drivers licence, a copy of the purchase invoice and registration document and a statement of travel. The photo identification page of the passport must be certified by an eligible person. An eligible person can be, amongst others, a solicitor, doctor, nurse, teacher, vet, bank manager or chemist, who must certify that the photo ID is true and correct with their signature, name, address, telephone number and profession. The import approval certificate in four parts is mailed by the Department to the Australian address provided one part is for the Australian Customs Service at the entry port, one is for the Registration Authority, one is to enable a personal import plate to be issued and one is for the car owner.
The ‘Statement of Travel’ should certify the date of purchase as on the invoice, the date of registration in your name as on the registration document, the date of handover of the car for shipment and your planned departure from the UK, details of any overseas trips from the UK since the purchase date and the actual period that qualifies for the minimum 12 months period of use and ownership. An example of a statement, which can be hand-written or typed onto a separate sheet and which should be included with the application form, the A$50 fee and supporting documentation, is:
EXAMPLE:
"TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN"
Mr. John Smith,
1, High Street,
Anytown,
Buckinghamshire,
SL8 1PQ.
RE: 1999 BMW 525I SE, CHASSIS NO. WBAHD123456BJ78910.
I, Mr. John Smith, hereby certify that I purchased the abovementioned motor car in the UK on
5th August, 2002 and registered it in my name on the 6th August, 2002.
I propose to hand over my car for shipment in November, 2004 and plan to leave the UK to travel
to Australia in December, 2004.
I have ‘Owned and Used’ my car in the UK for over two years and during this time I
have been away from the UK and the car for the following periods…
October 2002 – day trip to France
November / December 2003 – 3 weeks visit/holiday to Australia
March 2004 – weekend in Paris
July 2004 – two week holiday to Spain
CERTIFIED TRUE AND CORRECT,
(signed) MR. JOHN SMITH.
PLEASE NOTE:
From time to time the Australian Customs Service conducts detailed checks against some incoming motor vehicles. To avoid delays and additional expense it is recommended that all vehicle owners keep as much original supporting documentation as is available which could include a legible copy of the page where a vehicle was advertised for sale in the UK, copies of bank statements and method of payment for the vehicle, insurance cover notes or certificates, service invoices, parking or speeding tickets, old MOT's etc.
PERSONAL VEHICLE IMPORT APPROVAL CERTIFICATE Infrastructure issues the Personal Import Approval which comprises four copies. One copy clears the vehicle from the port of entry with the Australian Customs Service. The remaining copies are signed by the Registering Authority, as a statement on compliance, at the time of inspection and then one is kept by the Registering Authority, one allows you to obtain a Personal Import Plate and the other is for your own records.
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