Archive Website of the UK government

Do you have to register your car in the UK?

Visitors coming to the UK that don’t intend living here can usually use a vehicle displaying foreign (non-UK) number plates for up to six months in a 12 month period. This can be one single or several shorter visits, adding up to a six month period. During this time the vehicle can travel displaying the non-UK plates but only provided the vehicle is still fully registered and tax paid, in the country it came from (the driver’s home country).

For anyone wishing to stay in the UK for longer than a six month period, their vehicle will normally need to be registered and taxed at Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). There are exemptions for students and workers who normally live outside the UK but are only in the UK for a set study or work period. For more information on these exemptions, follow the link below.

Displaying plates not identifiable in the UK

If you are from a country outside of the European Union (EU) driving a vehicle displaying number plates with non-identifiable numbers in the UK (such as, Arabic script), follow the link below to find out what to do.

• Getting a Q number plate during a short visit to the UK

Customs information for non-EU vehicles

If a vehicle registered outside the EU is temporarily imported for commercial or private use, the driver may be able to claim relief from customs charges. This is from a customs procedure called ‘Temporary Admission - Public Notice 308’. To find out more about the temporary admission form, or to download and print a paper version, follow the link below.

• Notice 308 Temporary Admission - temporarily importing non-EC means of transport for private or commercial use Opens new window

If conditions in HMRC Notice 308 are met, the vehicle can go through the ‘nothing to declare’ channel on arrival to the UK. For private use vehicles, the driver can fill in the HMRC notification form C110.

For more information on the C110 form or for a copy of the C110 form follow the link below. You can also contact HMRC on 0845 010 9000.

• Public Notice 308 - Temporary admission Opens new window

• Notice of arrival of a temporarily imported non-EU private vehicle Opens new window

If you are stopped by the police driving a car with non-UK plates

If the police stop your vehicle it's up to you to show you can use the vehicle in the UK without taxing and registering here. You may be asked to show proof of the length of time you have been in the UK, such as a ferry ticket or evidence that you and the vehicle are eligible for customs relief.

It is important to remember that if you become a resident in the UK, you must tax and register your vehicle in the UK straight away.

• How to register your vehicle and identity checks

UK residents driving non-UK cars in the UK

UK residents are not allowed to use non-UK registered vehicles on UK roads. The only exceptions are:

• if you work in another EU member state and use an EU-registered company car temporarily in the UK for business and private purposes
• if you lease an EU-registered car and use this temporarily in the UK

Non-EU students and workers living in the UK

Non-EU students and workers temporarily living in the UK for full-time study or a short work period may be able to use non-EU vehicles without taxing or registering them here. However, the vehicle must be fully registered in the home country. You’ll need to contact HMRC to complete a customs relief notice. For information call HMRC on 0845 010 9000.

You should contact HMRC before or upon arrival in the UK.

If when your customs relief has expired (normally at the end of the study or work period) you decide to stay in the UK you will need to register and tax your vehicle at DVLA.

For information on how to register your vehicle and find your nearest local office please click on the following link

• Registering a vehicle

• Find your nearest DVLA local office

If you are advised that a vehicle under customs relief needs to be registered and taxed in the UK, you’ll need to fill in customs form C&E 388 and send a copy to let the DVLA know about the customs restriction. You can get the form by contacting the National Import Relief Unit (NIRU).

Contact details for NIRU

NIRU
Abbey House
Head Street
Enniskillen
Country Fermanagh
BT 74 7JL