Not sure how this applies to yours? Get a quote for my motorhome import and we will tell you before you spend anything.
What does the law actually say about using it before registration?
The official import guide on gov.uk lists the steps for bringing a vehicle in permanently: import declaration, VAT and duty, telling HMRC (NOVA), vehicle approval, registering and taxing with DVLA, then insuring. Right at the top it says: "You can be prosecuted if you use your vehicle on a public road before you complete these steps, unless you're driving it to a pre-booked MOT or vehicle approval test."
DVLA says the same thing from its side. According to INF106, after notifying HMRC "you must register, tax and insure your vehicle before using it on UK roads". Its practical advice is to transport, rather than drive, your vehicle from the port to your home or its first destination, and to keep it off the road until it has been registered, taxed and insured.
Registered, taxed, insured: miss any one and it stays parked.
Can I insure an imported motorhome on its VIN?
Yes, insurance before registration is a real thing, and DVLA mentions it. INF106 says that for GB and NI vehicles you'll need to insure the vehicle using the vehicle identification number (VIN) or chassis number, and suggests contacting the British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) for more information.
Here's where people get caught. An insurer being happy to cover a motorhome that has no UK registration yet does not change the gov.uk rule. The policy covers the vehicle; the law still decides whether you're allowed to use it on the road. Insurable is not the same as drivable.
Some owners have also found that not every insurer will quote on a VIN, so if you do need cover (for storage, or for the trip to a booked test), sort it before the motorhome lands, not the morning you need it.
Send us the details before you pay. We tell you what the import involves, then handle the customs, the NOVA and the DVLA paperwork.
Can I drive it home from the port, or to a converter, "just once"?
You'll read on forums and on some insurance pages that you're "allowed one trip home or to a converter". There's no such rule in the official guidance. The only journey gov.uk allows before the steps are complete is driving to a pre-booked MOT or vehicle approval test. Home isn't on the list. Neither is the garage that's going to swap your headlamps, unless that garage is also where your booked test is.
The other one doing the rounds is "I'm insured on the VIN for 28 days, so I can drive it for 28 days". That's a statement about how long the insurance lasts, not about what the law lets you do. The prosecution line on gov.uk doesn't come with a 28 day grace period.
And even the MOT exception needs thinking about if you live here. INF106 says plainly: "If you're a UK resident you must not drive a vehicle displaying foreign number plates." Both rules apply at the same time, so before you plan to drive a foreign-plated motorhome to a test, talk to us about how that trip should work. Often the simple answer is to put it on a transporter to the test too.
Can it have an MOT before it has UK plates?
Yes. DVSA's MOT testing guide says a test certificate must be issued if, among other things, "The vehicle is not registered in the UK", "The vehicle is imported" or "There is no VRM on the vehicle as presented". So a motorhome can go through an MOT on its VIN, before DVLA has given it a number.
Motor caravans are MOT class 4, and the maximum fee is £54.85 according to gov.uk's MOT fees table. For motorhomes under 10 years old that were first used abroad, the tester may tell you that it needs an Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) test instead of an MOT before it can be registered. Our Certificate of Conformity guide explains when a motorhome needs approval.
How long will it be off the road?
Longer than people hope, so plan for it. You can't register until HMRC has processed your NOVA, and DVLA's INF106 asks you to allow 48 hours after HMRC's confirmation before you contact DVLA. Then gov.uk says "It can take up to 6 weeks for your registration certificate (V5C) to arrive", and "You need the V5C to get number plates made up."
So line up somewhere off the road to keep it while the paperwork runs: a driveway, a storage site, a friendly farmer.
What if I'm bringing it over myself on a ferry?
If you're a UK resident who has bought a motorhome abroad, the foreign plates rule means you shouldn't be the one driving it off the boat. That's why DVLA's advice is to transport it. Deregistration, any export plates and the export paperwork in the country of purchase are handled by the seller. If you need it, we arrange the transport to the UK, and we handle the customs declaration, NOVA and the DVLA paperwork.
What we do for you
We arrange transport to the UK if you need it, so the motorhome arrives without anyone driving it on foreign plates. We make the customs import declaration, work out and pay the import VAT and duty, submit the NOVA to HMRC, and prepare the DVLA first registration pack: we fill in the V55/5, you sign it and post it. If a garage has to make changes before an approval test, the garage does the work and we handle the paperwork around it. You end up with a registered motorhome that you can tax, insure and drive legally.
Quick answers
Can I drive my imported motorhome on the VIN insurance while I wait for the V5C?
No. Insurance on the VIN only covers the vehicle; gov.uk still says you can be prosecuted for using it on a public road before registration and tax, except on the way to a pre-booked MOT or vehicle approval test.
Can I keep my motorhome on foreign plates if I live in the UK?
No. DVLA's INF106 says a UK resident must not drive a vehicle displaying foreign number plates. If you've moved here or you live here, the motorhome needs registering in the UK.
Can I park it on the street outside my house while I wait?
DVLA's advice in INF106 is to keep the vehicle off the road until it's registered, taxed and insured, so off-street storage is the safe option.
Official sources, checked on 27 September 2026: 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/mot-testing-guide/h-documentation; gov.uk/getting-an-mot/mot-test-fees; gov.uk/guidance/mot-testing-guide/appendix-3-grounds-for-refusal; gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/telling-hmrc; gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/registering-an-imported-vehicle.