What is NOVA and do you need it for an imported motorcycle?
NOVA, the Notification of Vehicle Arrivals, is how you tell HMRC that an imported vehicle has arrived in the UK. gov.uk says you have 14 days after bringing a vehicle in permanently, you cannot register it with DVLA until NOVA is processed, and you may be fined if you are late. The one exception for motorcycles is an engine of 48cc or less (7.2kW or less if electric), which can be registered without telling HMRC first.
- Deadline: within 14 days of the bike arriving.
- Who files for a private rider: your shipping company or customs agent, or HMRC's CARS team.
- You need: the customs documents, the invoice or a valuation, and proof of the frame number.
- Late: gov.uk says you may be fined. It gives no amount.
Not sure how this applies to your bike? Get a price for your bike and we tell you what applies.
Who can make a NOVA declaration for a private rider?
For a private individual, gov.uk's route depends on how the bike arrives. If it is shipped, the NOVA declaration can be made by your shipping company or customs agent, who may charge an extra fee, or by HMRC's CARS team on your behalf. Either way it has to be done within 14 days of the bike coming in.
If you bring the bike in yourself, you must contact the CARS team within 14 days. HMRC then tells you whether you owe VAT or customs duty. If you do, you hire a shipping company or customs agent to make the import declaration, and you send the documents to the CARS team so they can make the NOVA declaration. gov.uk says you must have paid the import taxes before HMRC can do that.
The online NOVA service described on gov.uk is for VAT-registered companies. Private riders use the routes above.
What do you need to make a NOVA declaration?
Whoever files needs four things, according to gov.uk:
- the C88 and E2 customs documents, or your MRN (Movement Reference Number) import document;
- the invoice or bill of sale, if you bought the bike in the last 6 months;
- a current valuation, if you bought it more than 6 months ago, carried out in person in the UK by a garage, dealership or other recognised business;
- a copy of an official document confirming the VIN or frame number, for example a registration or title document, or an export certificate.
You may read online that a valuation is needed once the invoice is more than 3 months old. gov.uk says 6 months. And the valuation has to be done in person in the UK, so a quote by email from the country you bought in will not do.
Send the make, model and year and we start from there.
Does a small moped or scooter need NOVA?
gov.uk says a vehicle with an engine of 48cc or less (7.2kW or less if it is electric) can be registered without telling HMRC first. The line is 48cc, not 50cc, so read the engine size on the papers before you assume a small scooter qualifies. Anything bigger follows the normal route.
When can you apply to DVLA after NOVA?
Not before NOVA is processed. gov.uk says you cannot register the vehicle with DVLA until it is, and its registration page asks for confirmation that your NOVA application is processed. HMRC guidance (INF106, November 2025) says to allow 48 hours after HMRC confirms your NOVA before you contact DVLA.
The rest of the DVLA process is in our registration guide. Until the import steps are complete, gov.uk says you can be prosecuted for using the bike on a public road, unless you are driving it to a pre-booked MOT or vehicle approval test.
What happens if NOVA is late?
gov.uk says "you may be fined if you're late telling HMRC". It gives no amount. You may see daily or fixed figures quoted online, but we have not found any on gov.uk, so we do not repeat them. If you are close to the 14 days, or past them, tell whoever is filing straight away and do not wait to see what happens.
What if the bike was imported years ago and NOVA was never done?
This is a real situation: riders ask on owners' forums about classics brought in a decade or more ago. The honest answer is that gov.uk covers the 14 days only. It does not say what HMRC or DVLA will do about a bike brought in long ago, and cases like this are individual. We do not guess, and we do not repeat forum replies that nothing will be due, because that is not a fact anyone can promise.
What we can do is look at it with you. Send us what you have: when and how the bike arrived, any registration papers, an old invoice, and who has the bike now. We will tell you what we see and what the next step looks like. See also our guide to bikes with no papers and proof of age.
What do we do for you?
We make the customs import declaration, work out and pay the import VAT and duty, and make the NOVA notification to HMRC, so the 14 days are not yours to watch. Then we prepare your DVLA pack: we fill in the V55/5, you just sign and post. We do not test, modify, buy or sell bikes, and a garage or the DVSA test station handles anything the bike needs. Our guide to duty and VAT explains what is paid at the border.
Deregistration in the country you buy in, any export plates and the export paperwork are handled by the seller. If you need it, we arrange the transport to the UK, and we handle the customs declaration, NOVA and the DVLA paperwork.
Quick answers
Is NOVA the same thing as the customs import declaration?
No. gov.uk lists them as separate steps: the import declaration and payment of VAT and duty come first, then you tell HMRC through NOVA within 14 days.
Do I send a NOVA form to DVLA?
gov.uk does not list one among the documents for DVLA, but you must have confirmation that NOVA is processed before you register.
What if I ride the bike in myself through the Channel Tunnel or by ferry?
gov.uk says you must contact HMRC's CARS team within 14 days. HMRC then says whether you owe VAT or duty.
Is there a fee for NOVA?
gov.uk says a shipping company or customs agent may charge an extra fee for making the NOVA declaration.
Official sources, checked on 3 October 2026: gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/telling-hmrc · gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/registering-an-imported-vehicle · gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk · assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6911cb91bda892e068aa6400/inf106-…