Not sure how this applies to yours? Get a quote for my motorhome import and we will tell you before you spend anything.
Is there duty on a VW California built in Germany?
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles builds the California in Hanover. Motoring press coverage of the 200,000th California in July 2023 put production at the Hanover-Limmer site and the main plant in Hanover-Stöcken since 2004, and in September 2026 reported that the California is now built entirely at the Hanover main plant.
That matters because UK duty depends on origin, not on the country you buy in. The UK Trade Tariff lists 10% as the standard rate for these vehicles and 0% as the preferential rate for goods of EU origin. The 0% only applies with proof, either a statement on origin from the exporter or the importer's knowledge. Where a car is assembled and where it "originates" under the trade deal are not automatically the same thing, so we check the paperwork before you pay. The detail is in our guide to origin and 0% duty.
VAT is separate: 20% import VAT is due on every California you bring in, whatever it cost and wherever it was built.
I have read that buying abroad saves money. Is that still true?
Much of the advice on owners' forums, including VW California Club threads from 2015 to 2017 on buying a California in Germany, Austria or Spain, was written while the UK was in the EU, so check it against the current rules. Today gov.uk says that if you are not VAT registered you pay VAT and customs duty on a vehicle you import, and that you must pay them before you can register it.
So compare prices with UK import VAT, any duty, transport and the conversion work added, not the European sticker price alone. If you have not paid yet, see paid VAT abroad: do I pay UK VAT?.
Send us the details before you pay. We tell you what the import involves, then handle the customs, the NOVA and the DVLA paperwork.
Is it new or used? The paperwork is different
New. gov.uk lists form V267, "sometimes called the 'declaration of newness'", among the extra documents for registering a new vehicle, along with evidence of the date you collected it, such as the supplier's invoice.
Used. For NOVA, HMRC wants the invoice or bill of sale if you bought the California in the last 6 months. If you bought it more than 6 months ago, it wants a current valuation "carried out in-person in the UK by a garage, dealership or other recognised business". DVLA also wants the original foreign registration certificate, which you will not get back, so make sure you leave with the originals.
What has to change on a left hand drive California?
If it was registered in the EU and is under 10 years old, gov.uk says you need a European Certificate of Conformity and, for a left hand drive vehicle, a certificate of GB conversion IVA from the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA). The fee is £100.
The question owners ask on the VW California Club forum is whether the settings built into the van are enough. The VCA motorhome form answers it in its own terms:
- Headlamps: it accepts original headlamps adjusted from right dipping to left dipping "through a standard feature of the vehicle". Beam benders and deflectors are not acceptable. Owners mention a travel mode on LED headlamps; whether yours has one, and what it does, is for the garage to confirm.
- Speedometer: it accepts a digital speedometer that is "permanently, re-programmed, through a standard feature of the vehicle, to display the vehicle speed in mph". Secondary devices, handwritten changes and stickers are not accepted.
- Rear fog lamp: two fog lamps (one each side), a single one on the centre line, or one on the rear right hand side.
Each change needs evidence on a detailed garage invoice. The full list is in our left hand drive guide.
My California is over 10 years old. Does it still need approval?
The VCA motorhome form says a vehicle over 10 years old, based on the date of first registration, "is exempt from this VCA procedure". So no GB conversion IVA.
There is a second rule to check. gov.uk says you need vehicle approval to tax a vehicle first registered on or after 1 March 2001 with EU type approval if it is a light passenger vehicle, a car or minibus with 8 passenger seats or less, "with a CO2 emissions figure in g/km". European registration certificates have a field for the vehicle category (field J) and one for CO2 in g/km (field V.7). If your California's papers show a passenger category and a CO2 figure, send us a photo of both sides before you buy and we will tell you which side of the line it falls on. We obtain the Certificate of Conformity if you need one.
Can I drive it on a normal car licence?
Check field F.1 on the European registration certificate, the maximum technically permissible laden mass. If you passed your test on or after 1 January 1997, category B covers vehicles up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass for petrol and diesel, and gov.uk says that includes hybrids. Above that you need C1: see motorhomes over 3,500kg.
What we do for you
Before you pay, we look at the listing and the papers: origin for the 0% claim, age, weight and what the left hand drive conversion needs. We make the customs import declaration, work out and pay the VAT and duty, submit the NOVA and prepare your DVLA pack: we fill in the V55/5, you sign it and post it. We obtain the Certificate of Conformity if you need one and arrange transport from the EU if you want it. The headlamp, speedometer and fog lamp work is done by a garage; we handle the paperwork around it. For the general EU route step by step, see importing a motorhome from Germany.
Quick answers
Is a VW California from Germany duty free?
Only with proof of EU origin, such as a statement on origin from the exporter. The standard rate is 10%. Import VAT at 20% is due either way.
Is setting the digital speedometer to mph enough for VCA?
The VCA motorhome form accepts a digital speedometer permanently re-programmed to show mph through a standard feature of the vehicle, with garage evidence. Stickers and add-on devices are not accepted.
Does a 12-year-old California need GB conversion IVA?
No. The VCA form exempts vehicles over 10 years old from the date of first registration. Check the 1 March 2001 rule on gov.uk for taxing it, which depends on the vehicle category and CO2 figure.
Do I need form V267 for a new California?
Yes. gov.uk lists form V267, the declaration of newness, among the documents for registering a new imported vehicle.
Official sources, checked on 30 September 2026: trade-tariff.service.gov.uk/commodities/8703329000; gov.uk/guidance/proving-originating-status-and-claiming-a-reduced-rate-of-customs-duty-for-trade-between-the-uk-and-eu; gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/paying-vat-and-duty; gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/telling-hmrc; gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/registering-an-imported-vehicle; gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/getting-vehicle-approval; assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/61f7d351e90e0768a3523237/application-for-gb-conversion-iva-motor-homes.pdf; legislation.gov.uk/eudr/1999/37/annex/I; gov.uk/driving-licence-categories.