How to bring your car to Austria

Hello Bhavna,

attached the reqired information of Austrian government (in German though).
The tax for imported cars depends on the horsepower of your car. If your car has more than 130 horsepowers it can become really expensive to import your own car to Austria.

BR,
Max

https://www.help.gv.at/Portal.Node/hlpd … 61530.html

Hi Maxim369,

thank you very much for your feedback. Very much appreciated.

Bhavna

Just to back up what Maxim369 has said. Welcome by the way to the Forum

You can buy cars in other countries cheap, but when you consider all the paperwork involved and then the taxes on top, it really is not worth all the hassle.

It's more of a pain if you think about bringing one over from the UK  because when you choose to sell it on you may well have difficulties in selling it as it is right-hand drive.

This link gives the information in English Importing a vehicle for personal use

Well I haven't imported my car yet. But I have been gathering info for the last 4 months.

1. If your car is from the EU, then its fairly easy. You go to the dealer, get a CoC paper, then go to the Landesregerrung. Then insure it.

2. If from outside the EU, like in my case, you also go to the dealer, and get a Technicaldatenblatt. Then go to the Landesregurring to get a "One time acceptance" for your car. Then you can pay the EuroTax + NoVA then insure it and register it.

Got rid of it was easier to expensive and impossible with RHD, the last we got from Germany was just a few hundred of extra tax since the model is in Austria, so many have various models for Austria my Van for example had smaller disc brakes in the front than Italys even though made in Italy, which gave problems on steep mountains! The Ducato flew up steep hills since so powerful but had to refrain from using brakes coming down since would overheat, so the VW Passat came from Germany for the same reason bigger discs on front since no speed limit on many Autobahns!! So be careful.

Don't believe it is easy or cheap depends on model my Saab was not sold in Austria so would have cost over 5000 Euro to convert then not even sure till test if allowed it was from UK 2003! One VW we tried to take from Germany was the same 3000 and the car worth about 2000.

Just going to jump on this thread and ask another question:

I'm hoping to move down to Austria with my car in a few weeks, but I can't find any car insurance to cover me from the moment I leave the UK to when I arrive in Austria, how did you go about it?

Hey, MarcusChavasse

Welcome to Expat.com

Personally, I would leave your car in the UK. But it all depends on your plans.
Are you planning to live in Austria on a short or long term plan? If it's just a short visit, talk to your insurer you are with now and get European cover.

Now if you really need a car to bring your belongings with you could buy a cheap car for a few hundred quid and then when you are here sell it for scrap.

SimCityAT
Experts Team

Hi, it's going to be long-term, possibly permanent. I may not even get it registered in Austria, but I'm more interested in insurance to get me from the UK to Austria for a single trip.

MarcusChavasse wrote:

I'm more interested in insurance to get me from the UK to Austria for a single trip.

Cheap car > Austria > scrap

Pay insurance till yet to Austria, cancel

But I can't find an insurance policy that will cover me. Any UK policy requires the trip to start and end in the UK, and I need a Wohnsitz in Austria before I can get insurance there.

If you can't find one, get an insurance that you have to pay monthly, get the Europe cover. Let it run out after you arrive in Austria. Then get cover in Austria, as soon as you are registered here which you must do in the first 3 working days.

Google "Stuart Collins" based in Swansea, UK.

Guys, let me chime in here and point you to this document (relevant to non EU people such as myself):

https://english.bmf.gv.at/customs/Transferring-place-of-residence-from-a-non-EU-country1.html

Basically if you're moving to Austria. You can bring in your car with no customs charges.

I agree. The rule says 1 month but I know plenty who stay far far longer. Look at foreign students from within the EU, will they change their plates? The issue seems to be in Vienna and getting parking permits here and other urban areas if on foreign plates. 9/10 you'll be hunkydory.