Do you want to import a car from Japan?

If so, here's how:

• Find an exporter of used cars from Japan. (See the Exporters page for a list of Japan Used Car Exporters).
• Choose the used Japanese car you want. (See the Cars page).
• Contact the exporter and offer to purchase the car from Japan.
• A Pro-Forma Invoice will be issued by the Exporter, usually by fax.
• Sign and return the Pro-Forma Invoice - you have agreed to purchase the car!
• Send payment for the car to the Exporter by Telegraphic Transfer via your bank.
• Exporter will book the vehicle onto a ship from Japan and clear the car for shipping - known as FOB.
• A short while after the ship has sailed from Japan the Exporter will send by Special Air Post the shipping documents and car documents to you by courier.
• At this point you may be asked to pay the balance of any outstanding amount owed to the Exporter (as you have received confirmation from the Exporter that the car is on board ship from Japan and on its way).
• Instruct a Shipping Agent who will handle the arrival of the car in the UK and the clearance through customs. (See the Freight page for a list of Freight Forwarders and Shipping Agents).
• When the car arrives, the Shipping Agent will clear it through UK Customs.
• Pay the shipping fee, which is calculated on the cubic meterage of the vehicle.
• Pay the 10% Import Duty and 17.5% VAT.
• Pay the Customs Duty.
• Pay the Shipping Agent for their Services.
• The car is released from Customs and available for collection.
• Register the car and pay the registration fee.
• Prepare the car for the SVA Test or MOT test. (i.e Change Speedometer to Miles Per Hour, Fit Rear Fog Lights etc.).
• SVA test and/or MOT the car.
• Tax and Insure the car for use on the road.
• Drive and enjoy your imported Japanese Car!

What might go wrong?

Not wanting to worry you, but clearly, there is a lot of potential for mishaps and disappointments along the line.

A way to avoid this is to do your research thoroughly and choose a Japanese Car Exporter, and Shipping Agent who you are certain are trustworthy and able to do their job.

How can you know? I hear you ask...... Well, do the research!

Japanese Car Auctions Trade Associations: When you visit their web-site see which trade associations they belong to. Then visit the trade association's home page and see if they are listed. Caveat Emptor, of course - don't be quick to trust, make sure. (See JUMVEA below - a good place to start).

Testimonials and References: You might also like to check their testimonials and references page. You are considering spending a lot of money with them, why not ask them for a reference or testimonial that you can check. Being able to get feedback from someone who has already used the company and had a positive experience will be a big plus in helping you to make a buying decision. Any legitimate company ought to be able to provide you with a previous happy customer (or more than one) that you can contact and ask what the experience was like. Testimonials can be pretty useless otherwise, unless there is the opportunity to check them out yourself.

Pay for your Japanese Car by Credit Card: You might also want to consider paying for your car by credit-card, which should give you some protection, (Check with your credit card company). The downside to this is that you will limit the available Japanese exporters you can use and also the few that do accept credit cards will charge a surcharge - typically 6.5% or more.

The Japan Used Motor Vehicle Exports Association (JUMVEA) - The Japan Used Motor Vehicle Exports Association (JUMVEA) is a Japanese Trade Association for Car Exporters from Japan that has a list of accredited members who currently export used cars from Japan.

Typical Costs

To help, I've worked out what I think the typical costs might be for a Japanese import car that costs approx. 500,000 Yen FOB in Japan (Roughly £2,500) and another that costs approx. 100,000 Yen FOB in Japan (Roughly £500) - Note: These are imaginary cars and imaginary figures - they are presented here for information and as a guide only. Want to view our disclaimer?

Example 1 - Vehicle Under 10 years old
Purchase Price in Japan 500,000 Yen FOB

• £2,500 Purchase of the car FOB in Japan
• £ 700 Shipping Cost
• £ 320 Import Duty 10% of above two (FOB Purchase Price plus Shipping Cost)
• £ 616 VAT 17.5% of above three (FOB Purchase Price plus Shipping Cost plus Import Duty)
• £ 200 Shipping Agent Fee
• £ 50 Customs
• £ 38 Car Registration Fee
• £ 300 SVA Preparation
• £ 180 SVA Test
• £ 30 UK Number Plates
• £ 40 MOT Test
• ======
• £4,974 Grand Total
• ======

Example 2 - Vehicle Over 10 years old
Purchase Price in Japan 100,000 Yen FOB

• £ 500 Purchase of the car FOB in Japan
• £ 700 Shipping Cost
• £ 120 Import Duty 10% of above two (FOB Purchase Price plus Shipping Cost)
• £ 231 VAT 17.5% of above three (FOB Purchase Price plus Shipping Cost plus Import Duty)
• £ 200 Shipping Agent Fee
• £ 50 Customs
• £ 38 Car Registration Fee
• £ 200 MOT Preparation
• £ 30 UK Number Plates
• £ 40 MOT Test
• ======
• £2,109 Grand Total
• ====

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