Importing a car when
moving as a permanent residence to Greece (Zakynthos)
All the
information I have given below relates to my own experience.
I have read & been told other stories that are different and
have come to the conclusion that each government office in
Greece has its own set of rules or interprets the same set
of rules differently. My car was imported in September 2005.
We first came to Zakynthos in March 2005, found somewhere to
live, got a tax number, residence permit and then returned
to UK to organise shipping our household effects and visit
the Greek Embassy.
The car I imported was a year old
and had been purchased in Belgium and first imported into
the UK. (We planned this as I wanted to have a left hand
drive car and it is nearly impossible to buy a new one in the UK).
We understand that you cannot
import a van or truck (pick-up) under this scheme. There may
be some rules about the age of the vehicle.
These
are the steps, not necessarily in order. There are some
potential Catch 22 situations.
Visit
the
Greek Embassy
for a certificate of change of residence. Only one is
allowed per family.
Drive,
or ship,
the car into Greece.
Update Feb. 2007 - it was
reported in the local newspaper that when you bring your
car into Greece you should register it with customs at
your point of entry. This also applies to tourists
who are only here for a few weeks. We do not know
anyone who has done this but recommend that you keep
ferry tickets and boarding cards as proof of date of
entry.
Get a
5 year
Residence Permit. -
We have heard reports that this could take longer
than the one month allowed for the customs paperwork to
be started.
Visit
Customs within one month of the car arriving in Greece.
Use a customs agent who specialises in importing cars,
unless you have someone who speaks very good Greek and
is used to dealing with government officials. Zakynthos
Customs sent us to a customs agent in Patras.
Pay reduced
Registration Taxand have an entry in the owner's (and
spouse's) passport by Customs.
Update August 2007 - We
have been told that this is now zero.
Take
vehicle to
KTEO,
the government test station for a MOT test.
Visit
Vehicle Registration at the Transport Department. 4
visits were necessary, see details
here.
Send
export slip from UK vehicle registration document to
DVLA.
It may also be possible to get a refund on UK car tax.
Payment of Tax -
No longer required. Fee for
the import agent was about 250.
KTEO
Step one it
to have the vehicle tested at KTEO. The fee for this is 23.50. The
receptionist did not speak very much English. I could have
had it tested right away but I had not thought to take my
passport. I went back in an hour and waited for about an
hour while 3 or 4 other cars were tested. It passed.
Visiting Transport
Department (My experience in Zakynthos)
I
visit Γραφείο
Συγκοινωνιών (transport department). It is next
to the National Bank on the second floor at the rear of
the building housing the customs office. We found the
correct office & the officer spoke reasonable English. I
am told to go to the Piraeus Bank & pay the 75 fee & on
the way back buy a folder to contain all the paperwork.
Fee
paid, back to the same office. He takes all the
paperwork in my nice new folder & tells me to phone him
in 2 days.
The
paperwork was ready, I collect a form & go to the local
tax office to pay the annual car tax. For my car this is
372. I now have the 05 sticker for my windscreen. Note:
It is the middle of September and I have to pay for the
whole of 2005 and then in January pay for 2006. There is
no reduction for a part year.
I take
the paperwork back to the transport department and
collect my number plates (red on white to denote a tax
concession). I am told that I cannot sell the car for
one year and when I sell it I must obtain paperwork from
customs.
Insurance
All that
remains is to unscrew the UK plates, screw on the Greek ones
and put the tax sticker on the windscreen. I must also
arrange Greek insurance before I take the car on the road
with Greek plates. In order for the fully comprehensive
insurance to be accepted by the insurance company, my car
must be photographed by a local bodywork shop.
DVLA (uk)
I
have sent the export slip from
my UK registration document to DVLA. I have also downloaded
a form from the internet (DVLA V14) to claim a refund on my
UK road tax. My UK insurance company will not cancel my
policy until they receive the Certificate of Insurance from
me. That could take a few weeks knowing the speed of the
postal service.
Note:- sometime
later I got a "Failure to Tax a Vehicle" form sent to my old
address in the UK . This matter was settled as they
accepted my argument that since they refunded my Tax, they
must have acknowledged my vehicle being exported.
Information about Special
Car Tax/Registration Tax
No longer
relevant when using this scheme.
I hope the
information above will be of some help. We would
however strongly advise anyone to think very hard before
importing a car as it is not easy and fraught
with obstacles along the way. Second hand cars are fairly
expensive, small new cars are similar price to UK and larger
cars are more expensive.
