Importing my car from US

Hello everyone,
I'm currently living in Ukraine and thinking to bring my car from The US to Ukraine soon and i need some information.

I have read a lot of different things online but not sure what to believe anymore! I have ran into a dead end asking the locals here as no one knows ANYTHING either :)

Well, i have a 2007 Toyota Camry, are there any restrictions on importing a car that old? "8 years old"
Another question; What are the alternatives if i do not pay customs/Duty? For example, if i go across the border once every 3 months...(Customs/taxes, etc, are outrageous here!!!)

If someone has any knowledge and willing to share i would really appreciate it!
I'm well aware this post may take a while for someone to answer but i'm patient :)

                                    Thanks in advance!

My wife is from UkraIne so Ive spent alot of time there. I dont know why you would want to bring your car from usa. Ive heard they charge huge taxes to bring in a car,but the public transportation is so good you dont even need a car. However the cars in Ukraine and Europe in general get such good gas milage. The cars in Europe are far better than US cars. Take the Ford focus for example. The European version gets 50 mpg plus. Chevy also has a little car there that get 50 or 60 mpg. The Audi A2,not available in usa has 3 different models that get 50,60 or 80 mpg. Cars in America suck! They arent worth bringing over.

hello essel from what i read and customs brokers i talk to is that once you have prc you can bring 1 auto into ukraine custom tax free, and reduced custom taxes on personal items

hi
i think the car here is very cheap , so maybe you have to buy a car from here ,

You will be better off buying a car here.

Esselchik wrote:

Well, i have a 2007 Toyota Camry, are there any restrictions on importing a car that old? "8 years old"
Another question; What are the alternatives if i do not pay customs/Duty? For example, if i go across the border once every 3 months...(Customs/taxes, etc, are outrageous here!!!)


Hi,
    i dont think there will be a problem importing a 2007 camry, but as others have mentioned,i guess its cheaper and less hassle  to buy locally then paying for the customs and going to the border every year.If you are bringing in an exotic car or something  then its a different thing.

One more thing to add.If you still insist on not having ukrainian licence plate .Lots of cars here from EU and have euro plate,and as i hear its much cheaper to get cars from neighbouring countries(Lithuania,Poland etc) but again for these cars ,you have to go to the border.

If you are going to drive any distance in Ukraine then don't bother to bring a Camry you need something with a heavy suspension like a four wheel drive. I had a BMW Combi brought in for my use. It cost me a fortune in taxes to get it into the country and licensed. I had the car put in my girlfriend's name which was a mistake to start with. That car is on it's third suspension in five years. Regular cars were not built for most Ukraine roads. Sure, if you're going to drive around town then buy a little piece of junk that gets good mileage. If you are going to do that then buy one inside the country to keep from getting a heart attack.

any more recent input from anybody? Have anybody tried doing this lately with success?
As far as I understand, one can drive imported car on American plates for a period of one year without any issues, granted you can furnish your passport or valid driver's license, local insurance to a state trooper on the freeway.
Anybody out there?

@ JackProto8 : Unfortunately, there is no recent input on this thread.  :(

Kindly note that you can create your own thread in the Ukraine forum, it will help you to have more visibility and it will also help you to communicate with active members easily.  :happy:

Thanks,

Priscilla
Expat.com team

My experience is that Ukraine is a country of trial and error so the best answer would be to just try it and see how it works out for you.

And dont forget to share your experience with us =)

Im looking a little bit more on the import of a car to UA and it doesnt look that profitable that I thought and hoped for. According to this page link the math for this example will be:

Random car 2.0l petrol engine 2009 modell
Cost of car 6000 EUR
excise rate: 100 EUR x 10 (ten years) = 1000 EUR
VAT: 2000 EUR
Total: 6000+2000+1000 = 9000 EUR

So the import cost 50% of the original price and this is only the calculation on paper. Then you need to take in other factors like logistics and other cost and all extra work you need to dedicate to this project.

My basic advice is to interact as little as possible with UA authorities so I guess this is probably not worth the hassle.

Another possibility is that you can drive around on your foreign car as a foreigner for 1 year if you have the TRP. Unfortenately only you can drive and not your UA friend.

Still UA is one big grey zone so hard to know what really is allowed and not =) Think I stick to the Metro for a while =)