IVA, MOT and UK registration
Customs, workshop, testing and DVLA registration, all on our site in Castle Donington. No queue for a government test slot, and registration in around 10 working days on our dealer account.
What happens after it lands
Most of the waiting on an import happens when a car is passed between firms: a customs broker in one place, a garage in another, a test centre with a queue somewhere else. We do all of it on one site, so the car moves from one step to the next without leaving our hands.
It also means one person can answer your questions about any stage. If the speedo needs work before the test, the workshop and the test lane are on the same site.
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Customs
Our in-house HMRC CDS agents clear the car and lodge the NOVA notification, which DVLA needs to see before it will register anything.
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Workshop prep
Speedo to miles per hour and a rear fog light if there is none. It already drives on the left, so that is usually the list.
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The test
IVA, MOT or none, depending on age. Done on our own lane.
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DVLA
We send the V55/5 application on our dealer account. Around ten working days.
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Plates and delivery
Plates go on, then you collect it or we deliver it, open or enclosed.
IVA, MOT or no test at all
The test your car needs depends on how old it is.
- Under 10 years IVA
- Individual Vehicle Approval checks that a car not built for the UK market meets UK standards. We run IVA tests every week on site. Ours was the first privately owned IVA testing centre for passenger vehicles in the UK.
- 10 years and over MOT
- The same MOT any UK car takes, done before registration.
- Over 40 years No test first
- No MOT is needed before registration, and the car can be delivered to you before it is registered.
Find out which test your car needs
If it is near a boundary, the exact date of manufacture or first registration decides it.
Enter a year.
Under ten years old: IVA. Ten or more: MOT. Over forty: no MOT before registration.
The DVLA paperwork, done for you
New registrations go to DVLA on form V55/5. With it go the documents that prove what the car is, that it has been through customs and that it is safe to be on the road.
- V55/5 application
- South African registration document
- Your proof of identity and address
- NOVA reference from customs
- IVA or MOT certificate
We handle the whole bundle. Because we hold a dealer-level DVLA account, registration takes around 10 working days.
Plates, storage and getting it home
Plates
Once DVLA issues the registration number, UK plates go on before the car leaves us.
Storage
The car waits on our site between steps, so it is never parked at a port or moved between yards.
Collection or delivery
Collect it from Castle Donington, or we deliver it to you on an open or enclosed transporter. Cars over 40 years old can be delivered before registration if that suits you better.
For cars already in the UK
Perhaps you shipped it yourself, or it came over with your belongings. We can pick it up from where it is and finish the job.
Tell us whether it has cleared customs yet. If it has, have the NOVA reference ready. If not, our customs agents can do it. Then it comes to our site for prep, the right test and DVLA registration, the same as any car we ship ourselves.
- Not cleared yet Our HMRC CDS agents clear it and lodge the NOVA.
- Cleared, not registered Prep, test and DVLA on our site.
- Somewhere awkward We arrange transport to Castle Donington.
Registration questions
Does my South African car need an IVA or an MOT?
It depends on its age. Under ten years old, it needs an IVA test. Ten years or older, an MOT. Over 40 years old, no MOT is needed before registration.
What usually needs changing before the test?
Not much, because South African cars are already right-hand drive with headlights that dip to the left. The usual jobs are the speedometer, which has to show miles per hour, and a rear fog light if the car does not have one.
How long does DVLA registration take?
Once the car has passed its test and the paperwork is in, registration on our dealer-level DVLA account takes around 10 working days.
My car is already in the UK. Can you still help?
Yes. We can pick up from customs clearance, or from wherever the car is now, and do the prep, testing and DVLA registration on our own site.
Can I have the car before it is registered?
Only if it is over 40 years old. Those can be delivered to you before registration. Anything younger stays with us until it is registered.
Tell us about the car and we will price the whole import
Collection, shipping, customs, testing and registration, itemised in one quote. A person here writes it, and nothing is charged until you say go.
Ringing from South Africa? +44 1332 810442