Hi,

I would like to find out more about importing a motorcycle from EU country to UK.

I’m a UK individual who is looking to buy an old, used motorcycle through eBay for my own personal use.

I’m getting a conflicting information on whether I need or don’t need to pay Import tax/vat on it.

The current owner of the bike said he purchased it in Germany and has a private invoice with all other documents to prove it.

My question here is how can I know for sure if I have to pay an import tax/vat when importing it into UK? What kind of invoice does HMRC want to see? Does it have to be a manufacturers original invoice or will the private invoice suffice? Can I request a certificate from the manufacturer of some sort that might prove that the motorcycle was purchased in Europe therefore VAT was paid?

It is an obvious fact that the bike is used and is currently registered in one of EU countries therefore the owner must have paid a VAT on it at some point in the past, right?

Also basing off what information will HMRC decide how much tax I pay? If the VAT is calculated on the sales invoice for the bike then what stops the seller putting a lot smaller total sale price than it actually cost to buy it? I'm completely at a loss here since the sale will be made via the ebay I want to make sure there are not hidden charges that will make my purchase absolutely uneconomical for what it is.

Presumably VAT is not charged on the delivery if I decide to collect the bike myself? HMRC only charge VAT on delivery when the freight company import vehicles into the UK?

Thanks,
Arthur