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                                   Registering your Imported Citroen H van

 

You first need to notify HMRC that you have imported a vehicle using Notification of Vehicle Arrivals (NOVA)

You have 14 days to notify HMRC after which there will be a charge of  £5 a day for every day you are late.


If you buy a van in the UK that has never been notified to HMRC, you are responsible for the late notification costs, which if it's been in the UK for some time, could be thousands.

NOVA was introduced in April 2013, vehicles imported prior to this date that then change hands multiple times during protracted restorations may be able to use a partially completed NOVA1 paper submission. This website carries further Info : http://fbhvc.co.uk/about-us/news/_article/22/hmrc-issues-guidelines-for-registering-restoration-projects-imported-prior-to-nova/


 

Once you have the correct Nova documentation, then get an MOT. For the MOT you will need the engine size in CC which should be on the import documents, examples are : H78 or HZ78 van = 1,911cc, for a HY 72 it will be 1,628cc and for a HY78 or HZ78 it will be 1,911cc. 

Also for the MOT your will need documented proof of Year. Acceptable documents are the French Carte Grize or a letter from the Citroen Car Club, once you are a member.  See the Citroen Car Club website  http://www.citroencarclub.org.uk/drupal/node/17  for details of how to join.

The Citroen Car Club costs only £35 a year yet gives you access to a wealth of Technical Knowledge, magazines, events, etc.



Once you have these documents you can apply for Registration and Tax using the form V55/5 which you request online and takes about '10 days' just for the forms to arrive. https://forms.dft.gov.uk/order-dvla-forms/

We ordered two lots of forms, one didn't turn up at all and the other set took nearly a month. Suggest you order in plenty of time.

The form is so hard to complete that I always end up ruining the first one. I now order two lots to different addresses each time I order. Go on the website, complete the fields and Submit then Click Back arrow and re-submit.


The DVLA are used to dealing with registrations of new vehicles or those less than 10 years old, you need to state clearly (and show with photos) it is a Classic vehicle. The details on the form are very different for a Classic.



If you want them to be helpful get them on your side before they even unfold the Form, Include Pictures of the Van. It straightaway tells them it's not the normal boring SVA based modern vehicle.

We suggest you write in  box 11 something like,
"Type approval not required Classic vehicle".

Then in box 50, "Type approval not required, Citroen H Van manufactured in France 19xx and covered under Old Classic Vehicle EU import regulations". 


Anything else that mentions SVA, write something like, "See item 11/50".


Attach Photos of outside of the van, including the Chassis number plate in the Cab, the weight plate, etc photos of these all reduce the chances of it being needed to be inspected and/or rejection. See the Dimensions page for details of the weights, where to find them and what they mean. 
There is little point including photos that are not good quality. Having a request rejected causes lots of delays and a lot of inconvenience. Good, quality photos are worth the investment. 


Any suggestions/feedback welcome to help make this as good a guide as it can be. 




 


 


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