Category: Import Regulations

It was officially confirmed today that the old import scheme and the interim bridging scheme have both been extended by 12 more months to ease the troubled and delayed transition to the new import scheme. The new deadlines are as follows: Old SEVS – Import Approval application by 30 April 2023, compliance plate fitted by 30 June 2023. Interim SEVS – Import Approval application by 30 Ma...

Latest News 4 April 2022 – the 12 month extension detailed below also applies to the old SEVS. The Govt. has made an absolute mess of the transition from the old to new import scheme (SEVS), to the point where compliance for many popular import models ran out in Oct 2021 and is still not available at the end of March 2022 ! A 12 month “Interim scheme” was intended to bridge the g...

The new SEVS import scheme started in June 2021 and is managed by the ROVER system. To be eligible for import under SEVS a vehicle model: – Must not have been sold new in Australia (in the same configuration) – AND meet one of six import criteria. Before you can import a vehicle the model must be approved for import AND compliance must be available. Check the approved vehicle import ...

The world has been a wild ride since 2019, with uncertainty, transport delays, supply shortages and rapid market changes now things we accept as normal. The secondhand car market has been affected in significant ways, most notably the large price rises on classic cars – particularly anything with a petrol turbocharged engine and manual transmission. What does this mean for importing cars to ...

Changes to the import regulations for Australia have been dragging on for so long (over 6 years) that some people may not realise that many popular older models will soon become impossible to import. A whole range of models will be blocked from 1 April 2022, including petrol / diesel people movers like the Nissan Elgrand, Toyota Estima, Mitsubishi Delica, Toyota Alphard and Toyota Vellfire. Petrol...

After an extended transition phase, the new Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 (RVSA) finally replaced the old Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989 (MVSA) on 1 July 2021. Import approvals will no longer be issued for vehicle models under the old regulations after 31 March 2022 and those vehicles must have a compliance plate fitted by 30 June 2022. More info: Last Chance for Old SEVS models An online sys...

2023 Update, 2020+ Nissan Ariya is available for import: Nissan Ariya Import Information. Nissan Japan is now taking pre-orders for the new 66kWh and 91kWh Nissan Ariya electric vehicle. The Nissan Ariya is a sedan / SUV crossover style vehicle with better range and performance than the current  62kWh Nissan Leaf. Both the standard 66kWh battery model (B6) and the 91kWh extended range and perfor...

Whew, we’ve hardly had a chance to catch our breath the last 12 months. We have been so busy sourcing cars it has simply left no time for Blogging or FB. Time then perhaps for a quick catch up in between the avalanche of auction inspections, bidding, emails, phone calls and SMS ! Here are our quick thoughts on the last year and what we expect in the next year… The global pandemic triggered...

The old SEVS WILL END in the next 12 months. This has been coming for awhile, so what does it actually mean ? Let’s start with what we know. Many popular import models from the last 20 years will no longer be possible to import. The last import approvals will be issued for old SEVS models on 31 March 2022 and the compliance plate must be fitted to the car by 30 June 2022. Petrol and diesel ONLY ...

The 62kWh Nissan Leaf full model range has just been approved for direct import to Australia right up to new 2020 models. At the time of this post, prices for 0 to 15,000 km 62kWh Leafs in new to near new condition ranged from about $42,000 to $51,000 complied, plus on road costs. Obviously this compares very well with the Nissan Australia new price for the lower power / range 40kWh model, which r...

The latest list of approved models under transitional SEVS arrangements is now available. These are models NEVER BEFORE eligible for import to Australia and include hybrid / electric vehicles as well as significantly different versions of locally sold models. NOTE:  Inclusion in this list is just the first step to importing one of these vehicles – a compliance package must then be approved...

The latest list of approved models under transitional SEVS arrangements is now available. These are models NEVER BEFORE eligible for import to Australia and include hybrid / electric vehicles as well as significantly different versions of locally sold models. NOTE:  Inclusion in this list is just the first step to importing one of these vehicles – a compliance package must then be approved...

With full compliance estimated to be just 3 to 4 weeks away for Subaru Forester STi import to Australia, we are now taking orders ! Forester STi import has been one of the most common requests we have received for any model over the years and now it is finally possible. The Forester was only sold in STi specification for the Japanese domestic market. It was produced in relatively limited numbers...

2021 UPDATE – Sorry, we are no longer taking orders for the R35 GTR as the prices are now too high in Japan for viable import. With full compliance estimated to be just 3 to 4 weeks away for R35 GTR import to Australia under the new SEVS, we are now taking orders ! R35 GTR import has been one of the most common requests we have received since this model was released 13 years ago. Those follo...

Import Honda Civic Type R FD2 to Australia – just added to the list of approved models under transitional SEVS arrangements on 2 April 2020. The ruling covers the October 2006 to December 2011 Honda Civic Type R FD2 4 door sedan. Browse the last 3 months of Honda Civic Type R FD2 auction sales in Japan Free trial our auction alerts system for the Honda Civic Type R FD2 View example Honda C...

The latest list of approved models under transitional SEVS arrangements is now available. These are models NEVER BEFORE eligible for import to Australia and include hybrid / electric vehicles as well as significantly different versions of locally sold models. NOTE:  Inclusion in this list is just the first step to importing one of these vehicles – a compliance package must then be approved...

More models added 26 March 2020 – latest update here Things are finally moving ! – A new list has just been published showing the first vehicle models to be approved by the Australian Govt. under transitional SEVS arrangements. These are models NEVER BEFORE eligible for import to Australia and include hybrid / electric vehicles as well as significantly different versions of locally sol...

Looking for a classic car under the new 25 Year Rule, perhaps something like this 1992 Lancia Delta Integrale Collezione 4WD auctioned in Tokyo on 21 November 2019 ? Good News ! We can source it for you from Japan. Vehicles are inspected in person just for you on auction day – we check running condition as well as inside, outside and underneath – with more pictures provided and detai...

Looking for a quirky 600cc kei car like this cute 1997 Mazda Autozam Carol that looks like a Bentley compact ? Good News ! Any kei car is now possible to import to Australia – right up to new models currently on sale in Japan – under the new import regulations. The only conditions are that the same model was not sold new in Australia and the Micro-car (kei-class car) criteria are met...

Guidelines are now available setting out how SEVS will work (for the import of vehicles NEWER than 25 years) while we transition from the old (MVSA) to the new (RVS) vehicle import regulations. Transition period 10 Dec 2019 –> 1 July 2021. Main points: – creation of separate online registers for vehicles approved (and denied) under the new RVS criteria – how to apply for a mod...

2021 UPDATE – From 1 July 2021 import approvals under the 25 Year Rule are handled by the new ROVER system. In December 2019 the Aust Govt. provided a 25 Year Rule Vehicle Import – Guidance (PDF) setting out how the new 25 Year Rule would operate under interim arrangements, the type of vehicles that can be imported under this option, and how to apply for an Import Approval. The new ...

Some important points to bear in mind when selecting vehicles to import under the new 25 Year Rule for car imports to Australia which STARTS on 10 Dec 2019: – Prices are rising fast on all classic vehicles The USA has their own 25 Year Rule which allows the import of RHD vehicles. Unlike Australia, American buyers have no reference point for pricing of Japanese imports so are prepared to sp...

Just confirmed – the new 25 Year Rule for car imports to Australia WILL START on 10 December 2019. Quick summary from today’s official update received today from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development: – The 25 Year Rule will start on 10 December 2019 (applications for import approval won’t be accepted before this date) – Vehicle...

The Road Vehicle Standards Legislation Amendment Bill 2019 was passed today and gives the Govt. a new flexible deadline to implement the vehicle import regulation changes of up to 1 July 2021 (rather than 10 December 2019 as originally legislated). Behind the scenes the Govt. is indicating to industry stakeholders that it will implement parts of the changes early, such as allowing additional model...

Well… we suspected this was coming from the lack of progress updates from the Govt. in recent months. Before going on, it has to be said – they’ve ONLY had 5 years to prepare for this. * Deep breath * OK, so moving on… Here is what we are dealing with -> the Govt. has officially announced it is unable to meet the 10 Dec 2019 implementation deadline and needs more time. W...

2021 UPDATE – Sorry, we are no longer taking orders for the NSX as the prices are now too high in Japan for viable import. Want to import Honda NSX to Australia under the 25 Year Rule and not sure where to start ? YES – The new 25 Year Rule has been confirmed and will allow the import of vehicles – including the NSX – that are over 25 years old, from 10 December 2019. Thi...

So, the new import regulations 2019 were finally released with some major improvements bound to put a grin on enthusiasts’ faces. YES – We have secure indoor storage available now for anyone wanting to get a jump on the market prior to 10 December 2019, which is only 10 months away and will be on us before we know it. Bear in mind that some classics may take months to source so it̵...

Lots of interest lately in the 2007 – 2010 Honda Civic Type R FD2 and whether this model will be eligible for import to Australia under the new SEVS from December 2019. LATEST UPDATE 3 April 2020 – Civic Type R FD2 now approved for import View inspection pics for another auction example The Honda Civic Type R FD2 was a relatively rare model with approx. 13,000 units made during the a...

Thanks to some pre-emptive changes ahead of the new SEVS regulations which will apply from 10 December this year, we can now import a growing range of secondhand and new hybrid and electric vehicles. Australia is lagging well behind most other high carbon footprint countries on reforming the transport sector to combat climate change, so the new regulations are a very welcome step in the right dire...

This seems to be dragging on doesn’t it ? Here’s the latest on the new import regulations which are set to apply from 10 December 2019. 10 days ago we requested an update from the Govt. – today we received the reply which you can read in full below. But first, bear in mind that the Road Vehicle Standards Bill 2018 that was passed into law last year deals only with top level ma...