Getting Your Car Into Australia

Australia is a big place, so if you’re taking a trip or moving there you’ll want to know how to get around. Sure, you could rent a car or even buy a new one, but you have your own car, and you love that car. So how do you get that car into Australia?

You might smugly point out that you have a Saleen Aquada Water Car, so you’ll just drive it there. Well, firstly, I’m really not convinced those things are ocean ready. Secondly, even if somehow you do get your amphibious vehicle to shore, there are going to be a variety of legal requirements you’ll have to meet, so you might want to read this article anyway.

Bringing Your Vehicle to The Country With A Carnet

One of the easiest ways to get your car into the country is with a CPD Carnet. A carnet basically amounts to a passport for your car, motorbike or campervan. It contains information about your vehicle including make, model, colour, engine capacity, seating capacity, registration number, owner and value.

You’ll need to get hold of it before your vehicle arrives in Australia, and should be able to get one of these at home. In the UK, organisations like the RAC can help you out. To obtain the carnet you’ll need to give the issuing organisation a deposit that amounts to the market value of the vehicle (or 26% for a motorcycle). This will be returned to you when you return the carnet to its issuing organisation.

Once you have your carnet it is valid for 12 months. While it’s in the country you can’t lend, sell, mortgage, hire, exchange or give away the vehicle, and when the 12 months is up the vehicle must be out of the country. You will also be unable to leave your car alone in the country.

Bringing Your Vehicle to The Country With A Carnet

If don’t want to go to the trouble and expense of getting a carnet, or for some reason are unable to, there are other ways to legitimately bring your car into the country. There are provisions under sections 162 and 162A of the Customs Act that can allow you to bring your vehicle into the country without a carnet. These are more restrictive however, and will only really be appropriate if your vehicle meets Australian Design Rules or is more than fifteen years old when it is brought into Australia.

If you bring a vehicle into Australia without a carnet you will have to provide security to the Australian Customs Service on arrival. Then, the vehicle will be held until Customs and Department of Transport and Regional Services requirements are fulfilled. You will also have to pay a fee for a Vehicle Import Approval which you will have to get hold of before you bring your vehicle into the country.

This can be acquired from the Administrator of Vehicle Standards. Applications can take up to 21 work days to process, so if you’re planning on taking this approach you should apply well in advance.

Home But Not Yet Dry

Once your vehicle is in the country, Customs and the Australian Quarantine Inspections Service will both need to inspect it.

You will also have to make sure that you can afford the various taxes and duties appropriate to vehicle imports. This will include Goods and Services Tax, although there are some exceptions for the vehicles of disabled persons. Otherwise, the GST will equal 10 percent of the value of the taxable importation, or VoTI.

The value of the taxable importation is the customs value of the vehicle, plus any duty payable on the vehicle and the amount paid to transport the vehicle along with the amount the vehicle was insured for during transport.

As well as GST, there’s a good chance your car will be subject to Luxury Car Tax if it is a vehicle designed to carry a load of less than two tonnes and fewer than nine passengers, if it is about a certain value. The LCT amounts to 33 percent of the VoTI.

Once you’re cleared the inspection, and the taxes are paid, you’re free to start your Australian road trip!

Useful links

RAC Website: http://www.rac.co.uk/plan-a-trip/carnet-de-passage/

Australian Automobile Association: http://www.aaa.asn.au/

Australian Government: http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/vehicle_regulation/bulletin/importing_vehicles/index.aspx

Australian Customs: http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page4371.asp#duty

-Chris Farnell