Not sure how this applies to yours? Get a quote for my motorhome import and we will tell you before you spend anything.
Who is this for?
Plenty of Brits took a UK motorhome to Spain, Portugal or France, registered it there, and now want it home. It now has foreign plates and a foreign registration, so to the UK it's an import, even if it spent most of its life here.
The good news is that the rules for a vehicle coming back are lighter than for a fresh import. The less good news is that the tax relief has conditions, and a UK number plate doesn't magically reappear.
Do I pay VAT and duty on my own motorhome?
Not if it qualifies for relief. gov.uk's table for vehicles imported into England, Scotland or Wales lists "You're returning an exported vehicle to the UK" with "No VAT or customs duty if you qualify for relief". If it doesn't qualify, you fall into the "any other reason" row, which is VAT and customs duty.
The relief is called Returned Goods Relief (RGR). According to gov.uk, all of these must apply:
- You bought the vehicle new or second hand in the UK.
- You paid VAT on it if you bought it new.
- The person importing it is the same person who took it out of the UK.
- It has not been upgraded to increase its value.
Condition 3 matters for couples. If one partner exported it and the other is now named on the paperwork, tell us before anything is shipped.
Condition 4 is worth thinking about too. The gov.uk wording doesn't list what counts as an upgrade, so if you've added kit while abroad (solar panels, new batteries, a replacement engine), make a list with receipts. DVLA also asks for evidence of any changes made to the vehicle when you register it, so you'll need that list either way.
Send us the details before you pay. We tell you what the import involves, then handle the customs, the NOVA and the DVLA paperwork.
What paperwork proves it's a returning motorhome?
gov.uk says to send the following with your import declaration:
- a completed form C179B
- evidence that you previously owned the vehicle in the UK, for example a copy of the previous UK log book (V5C), bill of sale or purchase invoice
- a copy of the current registration document from the country of export
- the C88 and E2 or Movement Reference Number (MRN) customs documents
Lost the old V5C? gov.uk gives a bill of sale or purchase invoice as alternatives.
Do I need NOVA, an MOT and vehicle approval?
You still tell HMRC. gov.uk's list for a reimported vehicle starts with "Tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) within 14 days that the vehicle has arrived in the UK." That's the NOVA, and you can't register the motorhome until it's done.
You don't need vehicle approval. gov.uk puts it simply: "You do not have to get vehicle approval." No IVA, no GB conversion certificate, no Certificate of Conformity hunt. That's the biggest saving compared with buying a motorhome abroad.
You do need an MOT first. gov.uk: "Once your vehicle has passed its MOT, you should register and tax the vehicle. You will not need to pay the £55 fee." A motorhome with no UK plates can still be MOT tested, and driving it to a pre-booked MOT is the one journey gov.uk allows before registration. If you live in the UK, though, DVLA says you must not drive a vehicle displaying foreign number plates, so read our guide on driving before registration before you plan that trip.
What does DVLA keep, and what do I get back?
For the registration, gov.uk says to send original documents: evidence of any changes made to the vehicle (for example an invoice showing a colour or engine change) and "the original foreign registration certificate (you will not get this back)". If you don't have that certificate, you send DVLA a letter explaining why. No photocopies.
Take a copy of the foreign document before it goes in the envelope.
Will I get my old UK number plate back?
Don't count on it. We haven't found any gov.uk page or DVLA leaflet that promises a reimported vehicle its original UK number. DVLA's import leaflet INF106 says DVLA "will allocate your vehicle a registration number appropriate to its age". Plan on new plates, and if it turns out otherwise, it's a pleasant surprise rather than a broken promise.
What if it doesn't qualify for Returned Goods Relief?
The usual reason is that it wasn't bought in the UK. Say you sold the old one in Spain and bought a Spanish motorhome to bring home. Returned Goods Relief is out, because the motorhome was never owned in the UK.
That's not necessarily the end of it. If you're moving back to live here, Transfer of Residence relief may cover it instead, with its own conditions (including at least 12 consecutive months living outside the UK and at least 6 months owning the vehicle before you move). Our guide on moving to the UK with a motorhome goes through them. If neither relief fits, import VAT and duty apply as for any other purchase.
What we do for you
We check whether your motorhome fits Returned Goods Relief before it's shipped, and if it doesn't, whether Transfer of Residence relief does. We make the customs import declaration with the C179B and your evidence, submit the NOVA, and prepare the DVLA paperwork for you to sign and post. If you need it, we arrange the transport back to the UK. Deregistration, any export plates and the export paperwork in the country where it's registered now are handled on that side, not by us.
Coming home with a car as well as the motorhome? Motorhome Import is run by the team behind Cars Import UK, which handles cars, so both can be handled together.
Quick answers
I bought my motorhome tax-free in the UK to take abroad. Can it come back tax-free?
gov.uk's Transfer of Residence guidance says a vehicle originally supplied under a tax-free scheme (the Personal Export Scheme) can only come back free of duty and tax if it qualifies for one of the reliefs. Send us the purchase papers and we'll tell you where you stand.
My partner exported it but we're both coming home. Does that matter?
It can. gov.uk says the person importing the vehicle must be the same person who took it out of the UK, so the import should be made in the right name.
Do I pay the £55 DVLA fee on a reimported motorhome?
No. gov.uk says you will not need to pay the £55 fee when you register a reimported vehicle. You still pay vehicle tax.
Does my returning motorhome need an IVA test?
No. gov.uk says you do not have to get vehicle approval for a vehicle being brought back to the UK. It does need an MOT before you register it.
Official sources, checked on 27 September 2026: gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/paying-vat-and-duty; gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/making-import-declaration; gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/bringing-a-vehicle-back-to-the-uk; gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/telling-hmrc; gov.uk/guidance/mot-testing-guide/h-documentation; gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk; assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6911cb91bda892e068aa6400/inf106-how-to-import-a-vehicle-into-the-united-kingdom.pdf; gov.uk/guidance/transfer-of-residence-to-great-britain.