MOTORCYCLE SHIPPING FROM JAPAN IS VERY COST EFFECTIVE WITH ZERO IMPORT DUTY AND ONLY 5% IMPORT VAT ON VEHICLES OVER 30 YEARS OLD
Japan has an abundance of British, European, American and Japanese motorcycles. These are often in exceptional condition as they are often stored and ridden in far cleaner and drier environments than bikes from other parts of the world.
It’s always worth checking prices of motorcycles with Japanese dealers, and eBay. You may be surprised how much lower prices can be in Japan.
Our motorcycle shipping customers seem to have very few problems with sellers in Japan, unlike many other countries. Most people seem to find Japanese sellers to be very honorable and attentive. Naturally you should always do some basic checks to give you peace of mind before transferring money.
There are no import restrictions on permanently importing motorcycles from Japan into Europe and the age of the motorcycle will dictate the amount of duties and taxes to be charged on import into the EU.
Documentation Requirements
BILL OF SALE
(Notarised)
DE-REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE
REGISTRATION DOCUMENT
(For road going vehicles)
JAPAN SHIPPING PROCESS
Collection in Japan (Optional)
Motorcycles will need to be transported to one of our shipping depots across Japan. Our motorcycle shipping depots are located in Kobe, Niigata, Fujioka, Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Okinawa
If the seller is unable to drop the bike into one of our depots, we can certainly arrange collection from across Japan by fully enclosed motorcycle truck for you. A full condition report is made on collection for your records.
LOADING, SHIPPING, UK IMPORT CUSTOMS CLEARANCES AND LOCAL CHARGES
When your motorcycle arrives into the depot in Japan, your bike will be photographed and professionally loaded into a vehicle shipping container for shipment to UK port. We will then clear through customs ready for you to collect from depot in Hampshire, GB. We can arrange forward delivery to your address in the UK or even across the European Union.
Depending on where your motorcycle is located in Japan, you will need to allow a realistic shipping time of approximately 7 weeks from Japan to Europe.
CUSTOMS DUTIES & TAXES (HMRC CHARGES)
Duties & taxes charged on permanent import of a motorcycle into the UK
You will also need to pay any import duties and VAT on import of your motorcycles into the UK/European Union. Providing your motorcycle is over 30 years old we may be able to import at the reduced levels of zero duty and 5% VAT.
*Use of HMRC deferment account charges may apply
Further information regarding the duties and taxes may be found here
DELIVERY/TRANSPORT OF THE MOTORCYCLE ACROSS THE EU (OPTIONAL)
You are quite welcome to collect your motorcycle from the UK port depot. Alternatively we can deliver by fully enclosed motorcycle truck to your address across the UK or Europe. We will gladly tailor to your requirements.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Registration document – If this is a road going motorcycle, please ensure the bike has an original registration document. Off-road only motorcycles may be shipped without this.
De-registration certificate – This is proof that the motorcycle has been de-registered before export.
We rarely hear of our customers encountering problems when they are purchasing cars or motorcycles from private sellers in the USA. Motorcycle dealers and traders should have a trading history you can check to give you peace of mind. We can certainly offer a payment on collection service to assist with this. Click here to read more.
Depending on where in Japan your motorcycle is coming from, the realistic transit times are between 7 to 10 weeks.
Please be aware that many companies will claim lower transit times in order to win your business.
It will entirely depend on a number of factors. Please send us a message and we can better advise and provide you with an accurate estimate of any duties/taxes that will be levied on arrival.
Alternatively, further information may be found here
Contact Us
If you are simply at the thought stage of a new venture or adventure, we are always happy to talk. Our knowledge of the motorcycle industry is second to none, so please feel free to run any ideas past us.
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