Hello all. We've been reading all the posts about importing an RV into the UK but none seem to answer our particular questions. We are US citizens and we want to ship an RV to Europe to keep there for perhaps 5 years while we use it as a "vacation" home. When we're done we're thinking we'd like to sell it in the UK rather than ship it back. This would likely be a rig that's over 10 years old when we sell, perhaps a year 2006 or older vehicle. It would be no more than 25 ft long and 7.5 ft wide, a small rig similar to the Winnebago View or the older Vista. We'll have had it in the EU for several years. We would have done all the "convenience" conversions; propane, electrical, water and sewer before shipping
1. Is it even possible for us to sell it?
2. If we sold it in the UK would we or the buyer need to pay the VAT (17.5%) and customs duty (10%) even though it's already there and it's effectively a used vehicle?
3. Would these be paid on the selling price or the value the rig had when we originally shipped it?
4. We're reading that there is some sort of new test that may or may not be required as of April 2012. If this is true would it apply to older vehicles and what does it entail?
5. From what we've researched it seems that a US rigs typically sell at anywhere between 107% to 125% of their US value as expressed in pounds. In other words a $20,000 unit may sell at 20,000 GBP*1.25 = 25,000 GBP. Correct?
We understand the primary safety conversion that must be done involves the lights, in particular the rear lights. Some of the terms used in the forums are different from ours so we wanted to make sure we understand the conversion requirements.
For the headlights we could either attempt to pivot them to the proper alignment or attach plastic lenses that redirect the beam. No changes on the turn signal are required.
For the rear:
The reverse lights, colored white in the US, need no changes at all.
The brake lights, turn signal, and the nighttime taillights must all be physically separate lenses, bulbs etc., not just a change from dim to bright. The red color is still correct.
You have some sort of extra "fog" light? What color? Where is it mounted? Does it turn on at the same time as the headlights and running lights?
Running lights.
In the US we have 4 to 5 along the top front and back edges. Is this sufficient? Sometimes we have ones on the top corners of each side but that's not always the case. Are these required? Typically these are red, is this correct in the UK? These running lights turn on only when the headlights are turned on and are not turned on separately. Do these need an individual switch?
1. Is it even possible for us to sell it?
2. If we sold it in the UK would we or the buyer need to pay the VAT (17.5%) and customs duty (10%) even though it's already there and it's effectively a used vehicle?
3. Would these be paid on the selling price or the value the rig had when we originally shipped it?
4. We're reading that there is some sort of new test that may or may not be required as of April 2012. If this is true would it apply to older vehicles and what does it entail?
5. From what we've researched it seems that a US rigs typically sell at anywhere between 107% to 125% of their US value as expressed in pounds. In other words a $20,000 unit may sell at 20,000 GBP*1.25 = 25,000 GBP. Correct?
We understand the primary safety conversion that must be done involves the lights, in particular the rear lights. Some of the terms used in the forums are different from ours so we wanted to make sure we understand the conversion requirements.
For the headlights we could either attempt to pivot them to the proper alignment or attach plastic lenses that redirect the beam. No changes on the turn signal are required.
For the rear:
The reverse lights, colored white in the US, need no changes at all.
The brake lights, turn signal, and the nighttime taillights must all be physically separate lenses, bulbs etc., not just a change from dim to bright. The red color is still correct.
You have some sort of extra "fog" light? What color? Where is it mounted? Does it turn on at the same time as the headlights and running lights?
Running lights.
In the US we have 4 to 5 along the top front and back edges. Is this sufficient? Sometimes we have ones on the top corners of each side but that's not always the case. Are these required? Typically these are red, is this correct in the UK? These running lights turn on only when the headlights are turned on and are not turned on separately. Do these need an individual switch?
