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Whenever someone gets their first car, it is probably something that they grabbed while it was on sale, and it is most likely in a horrible condition. As time passes by, that car might slowly give up on you, but while using it, you finally manage to save up for a car that you have always dreamed of.
There are quite a lot of cars on the market, especially in Australia. However, if you happen to have a unique taste, which is one for classic vehicles, the odds are that you will not be able to find the dream car you are looking for within the country, and the only way you are ever going to drive that car in Australia is if you manage to import from another country.
Is importing a classic vehicle hard?
When it comes to classic car imports in Australia, the first time you see all the requirements for the procedure, you might get a bit scared. However, once you thoroughly read through all the requirements, you will realize that it is actually quite a straightforward process and that all you need to do in order to get your classic vehicle on the road is to follow the rules step by step, and it will be very easy.
Get the classic car you have always dreamed of by importing it.
Gather all the information
The first thing that you should do before you even get the vehicle that you are going to import is to get all the information that is required for the import process. Not only that, but since there are cars that are completely ineligible for import into Australia no matter what their condition is, you should make sure that you are aiming for a vehicle that is not on the banned list.
When it comes to classic vehicles, the most important thing is that the vehicle is at least 25 years old. Anything under that age is not considered a classic vehicle, and it has different rules when it comes to importing. Sometimes getting the vehicle’s age can be a bit tricky, as older documents might be difficult to come by.
If you know where to look, it can be quite easy, as you should be able to find the vehicle’s year of production on the original sales document, a deregistration certificate, or a photograph of your vehicle identification number. A chassis number or compliance plate is also useful, but only from the country that it was first registered in.
Another thing you need to gather information about its possible modifications. Any modifications on the body, chassis, drivetrain, brakes, or steering should be at least 25 years old. After obtaining this information, the application is quite easy.
How to submit an import application
If you do not feel like going through the whole application process yourself, you can always check out American car imports offered by Import Direct Car Sales for an easy importing process. Perhaps you find yourself in luck and find the exact vehicle you are looking for.
Of course, if you do want to do the importing yourself, then you will have to apply in ROVER first. Today, you can easily do this online, but it may take a couple of weeks to get your account verified, as you will have to provide 100 points of verification.
Once your account is verified, you should select ‘Single Road Vehicle Approvals’ in the new application section and fill out all the questions that you are asked. Upon completing the questions, you will need to provide all the vehicle information, like the model, Vin, supporting documentation, and anything you are asked. Once you are all done, it can take up to 30 days to get approved.
What if your vehicle has been modified?
Unfortunately, if there have been some modifications to the vehicle, it is no longer considered an older vehicle. Sometimes, you will not be able to import this vehicle at all, but it is best to check with your state what can be done in this situation.
Registering your vehicle
After you get possession of your vehicle, you have to register it before you can officially drive it around. Registering is much easier than importing it, as you will only need your vehicle’s VIN to use it on the road. Do not worry if you do not have a VIN, as the department for vehicle registration will issue you a new one.
You can get even the oldest classic cars imported if they haven’t been modified.
Final word
Importing a classic vehicle into Australia is quite an easy process. However, in order to make it easy, you need to make sure that you have all the information required for that process, which can be a bit tricky if the previous owners were not careful about keeping all the documentation.
