How long does it take to import a car from the USA?

After “how much?”, this is the question we get most, and the honest answer is a range. A good part of the job is a ship crossing the Atlantic, and ships run to their own timetable. What happens either side of the crossing is mostly paperwork and workshop time, and that is the part that can be kept moving or allowed to stall.

The figure we work to is 8 to 16 weeks from collection to UK registration. A driveable car on the east coast, with clean paperwork and a straightforward conversion, sits towards the shorter end. A car that is a long way inland, leaves from the west coast or needs parts ordering in will sit further along.

Where the weeks go

Stage	Typical timing	What happens
Quote and purchase	Before the clock starts	You send the vehicle, we come back with an itemised landed cost, you buy the car and get us the original title and bill of sale.
Collection and inland haulage	Week 1–2	Collected from the dealer or seller and trucked to the nearest sensible east or west coast port.
Waiting for a sailing	Schedule dependent	The car is booked onto the next suitable vessel, or into a container. No sailing leaves every day.
Ocean transit	Typically 4–6 weeks	Container or roll-on roll-off. East coast departures are generally quicker than west coast.
Arrival and customs	On arrival	Customs entry, duty and VAT settled and NOVA filed with HMRC, so it is not sitting in storage at the dock.
Conversion and IVA or MOT	Around week 9–11	Lighting work in our workshop, then IVA in our own lane (under ten years old) or an MOT (ten and over).
DVLA registration	Around week 11–12	Application submitted, V5C issued in your name, UK plates fitted.

The week numbers are for a straightforward import and are typical rather than guaranteed. Our how it works page goes through the same stages with what we need from you at each one.

Finding and buying the car

This happens before the clock starts, and it is the stage you control completely. Some people have a car lined up the day they call us; others spend weeks finding the right one. Either way, send us the listing before you pay. We only import clean-title vehicles, and checking the title status, history and specification up front is far quicker than finding a problem once the car is at the port. Our guide to buying a car in the USA covers what to check.

Collection and inland haulage

Once the car is paid for and we have the original title and bill of sale, we arrange collection and haulage to the export port. The US is a big country, so a car sitting near the coast moves quicker than one in the middle of it. We ship from the east and west coasts, and route each car to whichever makes sense for where it is.

Waiting for a sailing

Cars do not board the day they arrive at the port. Each one has to be booked onto a suitable vessel, and export paperwork has to be in order before it can leave. Roll-on roll-off sailings run to a schedule; container shipments depend on loading, and if you are sharing a 40ft container to cut the cost, on the other vehicle being ready too. This is one of the stages that makes the overall range as wide as it is.

Ocean transit

The crossing itself is typically 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the departure port and the sailing schedule. East coast departures are generally quicker than west coast ones. Whether the car goes in a container or on a roll-on roll-off vessel affects the cost and how it travels more than how long it takes; our shipping page and the guide to container or roll-on roll-off compare the two.

Arrival and customs

On arrival we file the customs entry, settle the 10% duty and 20% VAT (or claim the relief if one applies), and submit the NOVA notification to HMRC. NOVA is the step that gates everything after it: the DVLA will not register a vehicle without it. We aim to clear the car promptly so it is not running up storage charges at the dock. The guide to UK customs, duty and VAT has the detail.

Conversion, IVA or MOT

American cars are built to US standards, so most need some work before their test. Lighting is the usual job: headlight beam pattern, a rear fog lamp and side repeaters. US cars already read in miles per hour, which saves the speedometer work that slows down imports from elsewhere.

A car under ten years old then needs Individual Vehicle Approval; one that is ten or older needs an MOT instead. We run our own IVA lane at Castle Donington, so the test happens on our timetable rather than waiting for a DVSA slot. See IVA or MOT? and converting a US car for what each involves.

DVLA registration

With NOVA done and the test passed, we submit the registration application. The DVLA issues the V5C in your name and we fit UK plates. From there it is yours to collect from Castle Donington, or we can arrange delivery. More on this stage on our registration page.

What slows it down

Title problems. The car cannot leave without the original title, and it has to match the vehicle and the seller. A missing, duplicate or incorrect title has to be sorted in the US before anything moves. Our guide to US export paperwork explains what is needed.
A loan still on the car. If the seller has finance outstanding, the lender may hold the title or be recorded on it, and that has to be released first.
Sailing schedules. Vessel availability and port congestion can add or take away a week or so. We tell you the vessel and the expected arrival date, and update you if it slips.
A Transfer of Residence application left late. If you are moving here and claiming relief, HMRC says to get your reference number before the goods are shipped. A car that lands before the approval does has to wait for it.
Parts for the conversion. Newer cars with integrated lighting units take more work to convert than older ones with separate lamps, and if a part is not on the shelf we wait for it.
A non-running car. It cannot go roll-on roll-off, so it has to go in a container, which can affect how quickly it gets a place.

What keeps it moving

Most avoidable delays start before the car is collected, so the best thing you can do is front load the paperwork:

Send us the listing before you buy, so the title and specification are checked first.
Get the original title and bill of sale to us as soon as the car is paid for.
Make sure any loan is cleared and the lien released before collection.
If you are relocating, apply for Transfer of Residence relief before the car ships.
Tell us about any extra work you want doing while the car is with us, so it is planned in rather than added at the end.

The UK end is under one roof

Customs, the workshop, the IVA lane and the DVLA application are all handled by us, so nothing waits for a slot at somebody else’s facility. That is the part of the timeline we can tighten, and it is why the range is driven mostly by the US side and the sea.

Planning around a move

If you are moving to the UK, you and the car will travel on very different timetables. You can fly in a day; the car will follow some weeks later. Plan for a period without it at this end, and arrange insurance before you collect. Our guide to moving to the UK with your car covers Transfer of Residence relief and how to time the application.

For a timeline on a specific car, send us the details. Your quote sets out each stage and what it costs, so you can see the whole job before you commit.