Transporting Motor Vehicles from the USA to Australia
In Australia, you may find that shipping in some products like a motorized vehicle can be a little stringent. This is because several prerequisites will need to be met first. First of these is obtaining a Vehicle Import Approval (VIA) form from the Vehicle Safety Standards branch of the Australian Department of Infrastructure and Transport. Only after the form is obtained can you make arrangements for your vehicle to be transported to the Land Down Under.
Without a valid VIA, you are advised not to attempt importing a new or used vehicle to Australia. This is considered an offense under the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Standards Act of 1989 and the Motor Vehicle Standards Regulations 1989. If the imported automobile reaches Australia prior to getting a VIA, storage fees and a few other charges will be incurred up until the time the item gets customs clearance.
Needless to say, it would be easier to secure a VIA if you are an Australian citizen or one who has a pending application for Australian citizenship. On the other hand, if you are a tourist visiting Australia or one who only holds a temporary resident status, bringing in an automobile will still be allowed entry tax-free provided a valid VIA can be presented. However, there is the provision that the vehicle can remain in Australia for only 12 months and after a security of undertaking has been executed. The security cost should be equal to the duty charges applied which consist of the GST (goods and services tax) and the LCT (luxury car tax) and can be made in cash or in the form of a guarantee.
After one year, the car will have to be removed from Australia after an appropriate deadline has been set unless an extension has been requested and granted accordingly. In this regard, an application for extension will need to be submitted to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Australian customs office. The application should be made before the temporary permit to stay expires.
Apart from the VIA, you are also required to get in touch with the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) to allow your car to be properly inspected upon arrival. In many cases, particularly when it comes to second-hand cars, steam cleaning will be performed to enable the imported vehicle to meet the required standards. As such, appropriate charges will be applied.
A few other charges, aside from the GST, LCT and quarantine fees, will also need to be looked into before making that decision to ship a car to Australia. These include freight and insurance, storage and delivery, logistic services, entry processing fees, wharf and transport charges, and all other costs that will be charged in order for your automobile to comply with State or Territory registration laws. To clarify though, the LCT is usually inclusive of your GST charges and will not be applied if the vehicle in question is a motorcycle or anything similar.
After all applicable taxes and charges have been paid, you will then be given an authority to deal (ATD) which will entitle you to have the vehicle delivered to your residence in Australia. Even then, you are expected to comply with all existing Australian road safety rules as imposed by the administrator of Australian Vehicle Standards.