Geemsee
5th October 2009, 16:09
I know there's a few blogs on the site about this subject, but thought I'd tell you about my experiences and the whys and wherefores of shipping your bike out.
First of all you need to pick a decent company, I chose Crown as I knew they had depots all over NZ and specifically, where the one was for Auckland. They came and picked the bike up from my house in England, built a crate for it and stored it free of charge at their depot in Birmingham until a container was ready to take it. This is because I only shipped the bike and a few boxes of stuff so its much cheaper than paying for a whole container. The downside is you may have to wait a few months until its called forward. Other things to be done are disconnect the battery and empty the fuel out, you don't have to empty the engine oil or other fluids, despite what I've heard elsewhere. Finally make sure its clean, you don't have to be too precious but MAFF will charge you to clean it if its covered in mud!
Document wise you need your Registration document (V5C) and possibly your receipt or bill of sale (this helps NZ customs calculate TAX {GST}) its not mandatory but it helps. Other documents are a copy of your passport photo page and a Certificate of Conformity from the manufacturer. There is a bit of confusion about the C of C from what I've read. If your bike is newish and a genuine UK bike you can get a copy from the importer or manufacturer (50 quid for a Ducati!!) if you can't get one or the bike is so old they didn't exist it isn't a total loss it will just mean that the Compliance Check in NZ will be more stringent.
Ok, so you've got your doc's and your bike has been shipped over, assuming its not been hijacked by Somalian rebels it usually takes about 16 weeks :blink:, so aim to ship it in winter is my advice!!
When the bike arrives it will need to be Customs and Maff cleared, Crown cover this in the cost (except for the cost of cleaning the bike if required!!)
It usually takes about 10 days, assuming its all ok MAFF will advise the shippers and NZ customs will require you to sign a document saying you won't sell the bike for two years otherwise you will have to pay the GST (they calculated based on the value from the bill of sale)!
So all good you can go and collect it now, probably best to get a van or trailer if you don't want any attention from the boys in blue!
The final step is to get it NZ compliance checked and registered (road taxed) for use in NZ. After a bit of research I found that VTNZ at Sylvia Park can do the whole thing for you, most compliance centres won't do your rego and plates as well so its worth finding a one stop shop. All sorted you can hit the highways!!
Cost wise Shipping was about 750-850 GBP
Conformity Check and 12 months WOF (MOT) = $190
6 months Rego (Car Tax) and New plates = $225
Hope this is of some use!!:sunny:
First of all you need to pick a decent company, I chose Crown as I knew they had depots all over NZ and specifically, where the one was for Auckland. They came and picked the bike up from my house in England, built a crate for it and stored it free of charge at their depot in Birmingham until a container was ready to take it. This is because I only shipped the bike and a few boxes of stuff so its much cheaper than paying for a whole container. The downside is you may have to wait a few months until its called forward. Other things to be done are disconnect the battery and empty the fuel out, you don't have to empty the engine oil or other fluids, despite what I've heard elsewhere. Finally make sure its clean, you don't have to be too precious but MAFF will charge you to clean it if its covered in mud!
Document wise you need your Registration document (V5C) and possibly your receipt or bill of sale (this helps NZ customs calculate TAX {GST}) its not mandatory but it helps. Other documents are a copy of your passport photo page and a Certificate of Conformity from the manufacturer. There is a bit of confusion about the C of C from what I've read. If your bike is newish and a genuine UK bike you can get a copy from the importer or manufacturer (50 quid for a Ducati!!) if you can't get one or the bike is so old they didn't exist it isn't a total loss it will just mean that the Compliance Check in NZ will be more stringent.
Ok, so you've got your doc's and your bike has been shipped over, assuming its not been hijacked by Somalian rebels it usually takes about 16 weeks :blink:, so aim to ship it in winter is my advice!!
When the bike arrives it will need to be Customs and Maff cleared, Crown cover this in the cost (except for the cost of cleaning the bike if required!!)
It usually takes about 10 days, assuming its all ok MAFF will advise the shippers and NZ customs will require you to sign a document saying you won't sell the bike for two years otherwise you will have to pay the GST (they calculated based on the value from the bill of sale)!
So all good you can go and collect it now, probably best to get a van or trailer if you don't want any attention from the boys in blue!
The final step is to get it NZ compliance checked and registered (road taxed) for use in NZ. After a bit of research I found that VTNZ at Sylvia Park can do the whole thing for you, most compliance centres won't do your rego and plates as well so its worth finding a one stop shop. All sorted you can hit the highways!!
Cost wise Shipping was about 750-850 GBP
Conformity Check and 12 months WOF (MOT) = $190
6 months Rego (Car Tax) and New plates = $225
Hope this is of some use!!:sunny: