Importing Vehicle(s) into Australia
The Australian market has many types of vehicles available locally for purchase but many individuals and business owners discover that their desired vehicle can only be purchased overseas. To get these vehicles into Australia for use they must be imported.
Why Import Vehicles into Australia?
There are many reasons for why a person would be wanting to import a vehicle into Australia, both from a personal and commercial standpoint.
Personal Collection
If a rare vehicle becomes available overseas, such as a high performance vehicle or a hard to find vintage, importing it into Australia allows it to be part of a car lover's collection. On a more simple level, someone coming to live in Australia may just want to bring their car with them!
Unique Vehicles
Some types of vehicles are only made in small batches or in limited locations worldwide, therefore access to these vehicles can only be achieved through importation. Examples of these might be trailers designed to perform functions not able to be purchased in Australia such as amusement rides, specialised testing equipment, plant equipment, mobile display trailers and more.
Economic Considerations
With many manufacturers having long wait periods for supply of new units, many operators are turning to overseas suppliers to add to their fleet faster. Many importers have designs that can't be made locally or to the production scale required, therefore they engage overseas manufacturers to ensure that the supply can meet the demand of their designs.
Understanding Import Regulations and Requirements
The importation process first starts with the vehicle overseas and yet to be shipped to Australia.
ROVER Approval
For a road vehicle to be imported into Australia, it must have been assessed for approval through the ROVER system if it has not previously been supplied to market in Australia. This can be in the form of any of the following pathways:
Vehicle Type Approval (VTA) - This pathway is a one-off process which once approved allows for an unlimited number of vehicles to be imported. This makes it the preferred option for manufacturers and other commercial importation requirements. Vehicles coming in via this process require a VIN from the country of origin. If the applicant is importing the vehicles only, and is not responsible for the design or manufacture of the vehicle overseas, they must have a commercial agreement in place with the manufacturer allowing access to inspect the premises if required and access to quality management system information relating to the design and manufacture of the road vehicle. To find out more about obtaining a VTA, head to our Vehicle Type Approvals page
Concessional RAV Entry (CRE) - This pathway allows for a set number of vehicles to be imported. Unlike the VTA process, the vehicle(s) applying for approval do not necessarily require a VIN and can be imported without the need for any commercial agreements with the original manufacturer. Up to 30 eligible motor vehicles can be imported via one application or 4 trailers. Privately imported vehicles also fall under this category, including vehicles over 25 years old, those owned by a migrant looking to bring their vehicle into Australia and others requiring modification by a Registered Automotive Workshop. To find out more about obtaining a CRE, head to our Vehicle Type Approvals page.
Non-RAV Entry Approval - Road vehicles looking to be imported with limited or no use on Australian roads can apply for a Non-RAV Entry Approval. This might apply for vehicles imported for races/rallies, public exhibition, use in media such as film or for testing/market evaluation. Vehicles can also utilise this pathway if regular road use is required but it is significantly restricted by local authorities, for example a street sweeper.
Many applications may require evidence of compliance to one or more Australian Design Rules to be generated in Australia, such as testing by a registered test facility in Australia, replacement of components or conversions to meet Australian regulations or simply because the vehicle's situation overseas makes gathering all evidence unfeasible. An application can be completed and accepted to bring in a vehicle without the necessary evidence but this will come with conditions that need to be met prior to entry on the RAV, such as modifying the vehicle or completing the required testing.
If the vehicle has not been subject to approval through the ROVER system and it requires import approval, you will be stuck with the storage costs incurred from retaining your vehicle while the approval is processed!
Shipping
Once approval is obtained, the vehicle can be shipped into Australia. Prior to shipping, the vehicle must be subject to steam cleaning and have asbestos testing and removal completed if this is required.
Customs Clearance
At this stage an import declaration should be lodged with the Australian Border Force. In addition, this stage is where taxes such as customs duty, luxury car tax (if applicable for a motor vehicle) and goods & services tax (GST) are required to be paid.
Quarantine Requirements
A Quarantine Entry with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry must be lodged. At this stage you must also make an inspection appointment with a biosecurity officer (which you or your broker may need to be present for).
Register of Approved Vehicles (RAV) Entry
If the ROVER approval contains no conditions that would prevent entry onto the RAV if this has not been done yet or any other conditions that must be met prior to registration, the vehicle can proceed directly to getting the necessary registration.
If the ROVER approval is subject to modifications, testing or other compliance information being generated, this must be completed prior to entry onto the RAV. Depending on the approval pathway, a variation to the ROVER approval may need to be lodged to be eligible for RAV entry, such as a concessional RAV entry application for a unit waiting on results of testing in Australia.
Our Importing Services
BTT Engineering focuses on the compliance aspect of your importation via all aspects of the ROVER approval, which we specialise in. We are able to identify the appropriate pathway for a vehicle looking to being imported into Australia and then manage the submission process including all evidence required as part of the approval. We'll work alongside any customs broker you may be wanting to engage as part of the importation process and can recommend others to provide assistance if you are new to being an importer.
Why Choose BTT Engineering for vehicle importation into Australia?
BTT Engineering and our team of engineers are experts in arranging for import approval. Whether you are looking to import similar vehicles to ones we have seen before or something completely unique we are committed to ensuring that the process of importing a vehicle to Australia is easy to understand and as stress free as possible. Our team are able to work with overseas manufacturers to arrange for compliance information to be provided prior to shipping your vehicle from overseas helping to eliminate any nasty surprises when the vehicle arrives in Australia. We have facilities to complete testing to Australian Design Rules, software to carry out calculations and generate technical drawings along with an extensive knowledge of the relevant standards, making it easy to obtain an import approval.
The Vehicle Importation Process
A typical import approval process through ROVER with BTT Engineering will follow along the same process as our workflow for Vehicle Type Approvals and Concessional RAV Entry Approvals, with the steps differing depending on the information present prior to shipping:
Initial discussion of requirements
Client supplies all available existing information to support approval
BTT Engineering to review information and identify any missing or potentially insufficient evidence
BTT liaises with client to determine the client's preferred method of attaining compliance to any ADRs not yet addressed that may be required for the application
BTT Engineering arranges for any required ADR evidence to be generated if possible prior to approval
After being granted Authority to Act in ROVER, BTT submits the VTA/CRE application and handles any subsequent Requests for Information (RFIs) from the ROVER assessment team.
Client obtains the relevant approval. If all evidence has been provided, BTT does not need to do anything else in the process. If the application is for a VTA or CRE and any ADR evidence is yet to be generated, go to step 8 onwards.
Vehicle is imported into Australia after completing relevant customs duties.
BTT arrange for ADR evidence to be obtained in the form of testing, analysis, inspection, local modification as required.
Once the vehicle complies will all ADRs, the approval is varied via a submission in the ROVER portal by BTT with the additional evidence.
Final approval is granted and the vehicle is eligible to be entered on the RAV and access public roads.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes, but importing the vehicle does not guarantee registration as a road vehicle. If you can't get the necessary compliance information off your supplier, the information can be generated after the vehicle arrives in Australia or the vehicle can be modified to comply with the necessary requirements.
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Just because someone else has imported this brand before does not guarantee that the process will be straightforward, especially if you are importing a light trailer. Applicable ADRs change over time and previous applications may have been using components or parts no longer accepted for approvals. In addition, the previous importer may have made a false declaration that they have all ADR evidence for their light trailer import approval!
Related services that we can help with
For further information on some of our particular ROVER services, please follow the links below:
Contact us for an obligation free quote on vehicle importation into Australia
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