New van imported successfully Forums

timofleeds

Hi, I have just got back from Germany with my new Roller Team, I dealt with Brinkman Caravans in Braunschweig, they were very, very good to deal with and nothing seemed to be too much trouble. They have one or two English speakers who will help with translation and they had somebody take us to get the temporary insurance and export plates. Our hand over took around two and a half hours with a technician and a translator and they insisted on showing us everything and how to operate everything which was followed up with their own checklist that we had to sign. They had all the instruction books in English and those that did not have an English copy they had translated and printed out for us. There was a small hiccup when we saw there was no TV in the van but after declining to have one sent in the post we were offered a better spec one from the onsite accessory shop. We were not asked to pay until we were happy with the van ( we had not paid a deposit and had done the whole deal over the internet). We camped about 30km away first night so we could return to the dealers if anything was faulty but we did not find any faults so proceeded to Calais next day ( 450miles) a long drive but felt really good in the new van. We stopped at the aire on the front in Calais and endured a thunder and lightening storm all through the night so had a good test for any leaks. We paid 7euros for 24 hours but were told by the guy collecting the money that many people did not pay and if this continued they were thinking of stopping the facility as it was heavily subsidised already. It would be a shame to see this great facility go so anybody who does not pay up should have a think about it before using the site. We had a good crossing the next day and travelled up to Leeds via london and after seeing a post last week about travelling through central London this is the way we went with no problem at all, it was Sunday though so lighter traffic than normal. We arrived back in Leeds after a hectic trip but well worth the effort and would definatley reccomend self importing as a way to get a better spec van for less money or a newer van than you could at home.

Regards Tim

Freetochat

Congratulations on your purchase, that feeling of jealousy is with me.

On a side issue, when importing from Germany VAT is paid through the registration process etc., but is the 19% German VAT paid as well, or do we buy VAT free in Germany?

timofleeds

I did not pay VAT in Germany as I am VAT registered in England but as far as I understand the system you would pay VAT in Germany and then when you have paid VAT in England you can then claim back the German VAT after showing proof of payment in England. So in effect you have to have the funds to pay two lots of VAT for a short? period of time.

andyman

Good luck with your new purchase. I would like to chat with you sometime about the process.

Freetochat

timofleeds

Hi Freetochat, sorry I do not know about the used market but if you speak to Janina at

Freetochat

Thanks for the info!

beagle

congratulations!

We had similar helpful experience with Joerssens last year, after feeing pretty nervous beforehand - what had we done!! needn't have worried.

REGARDING VAT ON NEW VANS

You DON'T pay in Germany, you have to fill in a form in the UK, then they send you a bill. Note the exchange rate when you buy, if it's less favourable when you get the invoice from Customs send them proof and they'll adjust the bill. This is only for new vans, different for 2nd hand

citroennut

hi
you don't need to pay vat on second hand 'vans as long as they are more than 6mnths old or have 600miles/km on them (can't remember which!).
i have imported two 'vans, one about 3yrs ago, hymer 680 and a month ago another hymer this time a 740 on a 416 chassis and it goes like the wind Very Happy

. easy to import and register.
cheers
simon

gaspode · Moderator