Driving/Importing a Gibraltar-registered car in the UK

Question

I took my UK registered car to Gibraltar in 2016 and had to register it there - import it to Gibraltar - as we had planned to stay for several years.

I am a UK citizen and we kept a property in the UK whilst abroad. I gained residential status in Gib. I brought the car back to the UK to deliver some possessions 1 month ago and we have decided to stay here and sell our home in Gib.

I presumed that we could drive here on the Gib plates as it is fully insured (with green card for UK) and MoT'd on the Gib system. I intend to re-import it to the UK very soon.

What do I need to do and am I legal at the moment?

Answer 1

This UK govt page describes the steps to be taken to import a vehicle into the UK. Here's the text from that page:

How to import a vehicle

You must complete certain steps as soon as you bring a vehicle into the UK permanently.

You can pay an importer or shipping company to do them for you.

• Tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) within 14 days that the vehicle has arrived in the UK.
• Pay VAT and duty if HMRC tells you to.*
• Get vehicle approval to show your vehicle meets safety and environmental standards.
• Register and tax the vehicle with DVLA - they’ll give you a registration number so you can get number plates made up.

You must also insure your vehicle before you drive it on UK roads.

You can be prosecuted if you use your vehicle on a public road before you complete these steps, unless you’re driving it to a pre-booked MOT or vehicle approval test.