Importing a Vehicle from
New Zealand to Australia
AUTOHUB offers professional international car shipping services around the world, including from New Zealand to Australia.
Exporters & Importers
Exporting/Importing a Vehicle from New Zealand to Australia
If you want to export or import a vehicle from New Zealand to Australia, AUTOHUB are the experts! Here is everything you need to know when exporting or importing a vehicle from New Zealand to Australia.
Import permits are mandatory for all road vehicles imported to Australia. There are a variety of different import permits available for different types of cars, unfortunately not all cars can be imported to Australia. Below is a list of the Vehicle Import Permits available, please read carefully before you make any purchase and prior to shipping your car to Australia.
The two most common schemes used are to assist people who are migrating to Australia to bring their vehicle, and also for classic historicial manufactured prior to 1989.
Types Vehicle Import Permits (VIA) available in Australia
Classic cars – Vehicles manufactured prior to 1989 which do not have any major modifications can be imported under the pre-1989 scheme. Any modifications should be reported to the department of infrastructure to determine if approval will be granted
Migrating to Australia – if you are migrating to Australia the government has put in place an Import permit specific for your situation. As long as you have lived overseas and owned your car for more than 12 months to be eligible under the Personal Import Scheme and you can only import one vehicle every 5 years.
Enthusiast Cars – SEVS permits is for Enthusiast cars, only certain cars are approved on the SEVS list which you can find out if your vehicle is already approved on the RAWS Australia website. If its not approved already you can apply to the RVCS to have make & model of the vehicle you are wanting to import to Australia added to the list.
New cars and any vehicle manufactured post 1989 – Any vehicle manufactured after 1989 which is not eligable for one of the other import permits available is required to get complied to Australian standard by a RAWS approved workshop. The RAWS Workshop must issue you the Import permit and handle the conversation to Australian Standards.
Race Cars – Vehicles non designed for public road use and specifically for racing have there on permit. Vehicles entering Australia for a race must provide the details of the race and driver to gain approval
Off Road Vehicles – Vehicles not designed to go on public roads still require an Australian Vehicle Import Approval https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/vehicles/imports/not_need_approval.aspx to gain clearance into Australia. The vehicle must be for designed for off road use and can never be registered for use on public roads in Australia.
Temporary Imports – For Temporary Importation you must have a Carnet de Passages. The car must not be sold in Australia and must be re-exported back to the originating country within 12 months. You will also have you pay a bond or have a bank guarantee covering the import taxes for Customs.
Additional Import Permits – There are also several other discretionary vehicle import permits for exhibitions, military forces, special purpose vehicles and repairs available. Please contact us for any further advice or information.
Air Conditioning – All air conditioning units must also get a seperate CFC Permit or have the gases removed from the unit prior to Shipping to Australia & then declared to customs
Left Hand Drive Vehicles – The same Import Permit schemes above apply to left hand drive cars as for right hand drive cars but only cars older than 30 years can generally be registered as a left hand drive vehicle in most states of Australia.
Please see here for additional terms and conditions for importing vehicles into Australia as set by the Australian authorities: View Here
What Happens if I Import a Car Without Approval?
Importing a vehicle is an offence without a valid import approval. Penalties for this offence can be a fine of up to A$13,200. You cannot gain customs clearance in Australia without a Vehicle Import Permit, Customs bond storage is expensive if you do not receive your permit prior to the arrival of your vehicle.
What Import taxes apply to cars Imported into Australia?
Import Duty 5%:
Import Duty is applicable on vehicles that do not comply with Schedule 4 or any of the Free trade Agreements we have in place
Vehicles that are 30 years or older are duty free as per the following item from Schedule 4(please note that the vehicle must comply with the following):
SCHEDULE 4: Item 41D 941 (* )
Vehicles of an age of 30 years or more, being:
(a) utilities or pick-ups, having a g.v.w. not exceeding 3.5 tonnes classified under 8704.21.10 or 8704.31.10 of Schedule 3; or
(b) passenger motor vehicles
RATE: Free
Australia has Free Trade Agreements with Japan & the USA which means any vehicle built in the USA or Japan and is shipped to Australia directly from the country of manufacturer will allow you to avoid paying any duty by simply filling in one extra document.
Luxury Car Tax:
Applies on vehicles that exceed the allowable Luxury Car Tax threshold to see the current LCT threshold please CLICK HERE based on the vehicle sell price less duty, GST or LCT. Luxury Car Tax is payable at 33%
Import GST
10% GST applies on all imported vehicles
The only exemption is vehicles that are solely designed for people with a disability.
Does quarantine need to inspect my vehicle?
All used cars vehicles are subject to a mandatory Australian Quarantine Inspections unless processed by an Approved Offshore Biosecurity provider. Approved Offshore Biosecurity providers still have a 5% inspection rate so Australian quarantine can audit there system. All vehicles must be clean and free of quarantine risk material prior to arrival in Australia to avoid quarantine cleaning upon arrival.
Common quarantine problem with vehicles
1. Soil around wheels, muffler, guards, mud guards
2. Spare tyres and boot
3. Engine bay and/or radiator
4. Dirt underneath of the car or vehicle
5. Leaves seeds and soil in the Interior of the car or vehicle
If your import car or vehicle is found to have quarantine matter by the quarantine officer it will be directed to quarantine cleaning. This can involve steam cleaning/high pressure cleaning, disinfecting and vacuuming which is all at the importers cost.
Asbestos in used Motor Vehicles
In 2017 Australian Border Force changed the import requirements for used vehicles. Now all vehicles need to be tested for asbestos before gaining customs clearance in Australia. Australia has a ZERO tolerance, which means many countries do not comply with our standard and the countries which do only started from around the year 2000. Classic/vintage cars are high risk for asbestos so AUTOHUB NZ can provide contacts for pre-shipment inspection and certification of vehicles at risk of containing asbestos so affected parts replacement can be performed prior to shipping.
In Trade
Services provided by AUTOHUB
Here at AUTOHUB, we take care of motor vehicle traders who use our services regularly. Over 1,100 importers choose AUTOHUB for their vehicle shipping and to provide trade rates, we require a genuine Motor Vehicle Traders Register (RMVT) number.
A total logistics package from selling agent to compliance
Regular vessels monthly NZ to major Australian ports
Full insurance NZ to Australia, while in our care provided survey facilities are available
Guaranteed fixed price for mobile passenger cars under 20cu.m.
Email notice of ETA the day shipping is booked by your agent
Secure credit card payments online and by phone
Email alert if there is a change of ETA
Volume rebated discounts
Online track and trace
Online invoice history
Testimonials
See What Our Clients Have To Say
Brian Wright
Smithburn Motors
We use Autohub for our vehicle logistics both from Japan and the United Kingdom. It’s a one stop shop and saves us as a small business a lot of time not having to deal with multiple suppliers.
Kyoko A.
Thanks for your great customer service, we don’t get this kind of first response anywhere else.
Thank you so much.
Clement. N
Thank you for your excellent customer service care, you made it all sound easy and effectively answered my queries.
My contacts are as per below and I will be looking forward to hearing more from you closer to the ETA of the vehicle.
Bei
B & Z Trades
We have always enjoyed a good working relationship with Autohub over the years.
They have teams that are always attentive and quick to solve any queries or questions I may have.
AUTOHUB Rewards Program
AUTOHUB will reward REGISTERED MOTOR TRADERS by recognizing both volume and loyalty.
Click to see how you can earn AUTOHUB reward points.
AUTOHUB volume rebates
AUTOHUB recognises Registered Motor Vehicle Traders who ship larger volumes by offering an open and defined system for lower charges. We do this by offering a volume discount on vehicles shipped.