Import a SL 280 in UK

[Filippo]

Hello to all,

I have a SL with Italian plate here in UK and thinking now to register it in UK and ask for a UK plate.

I read various discussions on the web and seem not that difficult. The only document I don't have is the certificate of conformity. My car is originally registered in Italy.

Do you know where I can find this document?

thanks

Filippo

[jameshoward]

I'm not sure, but...

Having brought a US car into the UK, all I needed was a bill of sale and an MOT certificate to get it registered. I don't think you want to get too drawn into the whole more modern-day certificate of conformity thing.

I'd suggest you get an MOT done, get the car insured in the UK, get a bill of sale or proof of ownership and then send off for a registration to the DVLA.

But others may have better knowledge. What's for sure is that the government has closed all DVLA offices and so life has become harder than it used to be when it comes to registering cars. Nevertheless, you should be able to get some advice from...somewhere.

[AGT]

Filippo

Like James says it is usually easy although it is a shame that the local registration offices are closed. Often the staff were car enthusiasts who really tried to help.

MoT then insurance and then complete a form which you will get from the DVLA. You can use the information on this site to find out approximately when your car was first registered. Enter that date (confidently) on the form and you will get a registration number correct for the age of the car. If you indicate any uncertainty with age you will get a "Q" registration plate which does not look so good and which some insurers don't like.

Be careful where you take your car for its MoT. The rules from 2013 are tighter and supposedly don't let you tape your headlights if they dip the wrong way.

You don't need a certificate of conformity in the UK for an old car. I re-registered a 1976 Citroen 2CV three years ago and that does not conform with anything!

I am not sure if you need a bill of sale if you have an Italian registration document in your name. You should take a colour copy of your Italian registration certificate before you send it off to the DVLA as you will not get it back. It might be useful later.

You should also weigh up how long you may want to use the car in the UK. The UK is one of the easier countries to re-register into and you might find that trying to put it back onto an Italian plate could be a real headache. I re-registered my Pagoda in France and it was like joining the French civil service for a month.

Good luck.

Andrew
1966 230SL
1989 420SL

[Filippo]

Many thanks for your help. Very useful and very happy to know that no conformity certificate is required.

Thanks Andrew for your comments. I was thinking the same thing: to register a car in Italy is a real pain.......however I'm not sure that if I register the car in UK automatically the car will be cancelled from the Italian registers. I think you have to do it manually by bringing your old plates to the Italian DVLA that will scrape them and remove the car form the register.

I did something like this for my Vespa. However I'm not sure it’s the same think for a car.

Thanks

Filippo