Car Removals to Hong Kong: Registration Tax and Rules
Taking your car to Hong Kong? Customs charges nothing, but first registration tax is high, the car needs emissions approval, and it must pass an examination at Tsing Yi.
A few short questions. Nothing is sent until you check and confirm.
Does a UK car suit Hong Kong?
Its steering side does. “Unlike in mainland China, automobiles in Hong Kong drive on the left due to the historical influence of the British Empire.” The Transport Department sets one limit on the other layout: “Application for the registration and licensing of a left hand drive vehicle will not be accepted unless there are special circumstances.”
So a right-hand-drive British car is the sort Hong Kong expects, and the question is cost, not layout. Wikipedia counts “over 500,000 private vehicles are registered in Hong Kong” and says “Vehicle traffic is extremely congested in urban areas”.
Three departments share the work: Customs assesses the taxable value, the Environmental Protection Department approves emissions and noise, and the Transport Department examines, registers and collects the tax.
What are the steps from the ship to the number plate?
Five, in this order. The first is done before the car sails.
- Step 1, emissions and noise approval.
“You are advised to obtain approval / exemption from the Environmental Protection Department before shipping your vehicle into Hong Kong.” Proof can be a maker's document or a test report from a recognised laboratory.
- Step 2, customs.
“imported into Hong Kong are not subject to any Customs tax”, but “an importer is required to lodge with the Customs and Excise Department an accurate and complete declaration within 14 days of importation”. Separately you file Import Return CED336 with declaration CED336A “within 30 days of the importation of your vehicle”. Miss it and the importer “is liable on conviction to a fine of $500,000 and to imprisonment for 12 months”. Customs then issues a provisional taxable value notice that you show at registration.
- Step 3, examination.
The Transport Department's centre is at “2/F, Transport Department Vehicle Examination Complex, 18 Sai Tso Wan Road, Tsing Yi, N.T”. Bring the Environmental Protection Department approval letter. A pass gives “a Certificate of Roadworthiness”.
- Step 4, registration.
Apply on form TD22 to the Hong Kong Licensing Office, 3/F, United Centre, 95 Queensway. “A vehicle may be registered only in the name of an individual person aged 18 or above or of an incorporated body.”
- Step 5, tax and licence.
You pay first registration tax and registration fee, then the licence fee and the Traffic Accident Victim Assistance levy.
How much first registration tax will a UK car pay?
Often more than owners expect. Used cars are not spared: “All imported motor vehicles to be used on roads in Hong Kong, whether brand new or used, are subject to the first registration tax”.
The Transport Department prints the private car scale as “Private cars (a) on the first $150,000 46% (b) on the next $150,000 86% (c) on the next $200,000 115% (d) on the remainder 132%” of the taxable value. By that table, our arithmetic gives HK$198,000 of tax on a taxable value of HK$300,000 (HK$69,000 plus HK$129,000), and HK$313,000 on HK$400,000 (adding HK$115,000 on the last HK$100,000). The tax on a car taxed at HK$400,000 is therefore 78% of that value.
The taxable value is not the price you paid. Customs builds it by “adding up the purchase price, insurance and freight charges, brokerage / agency fees and repair charges” as you declare them, and may substitute its own figure if yours seems too low for Hong Kong.
Age helps, but only with paperwork. Where the car was registered in your name abroad, “depreciation for the vehicle may be allowed, provided that valid documentary proof like overseas registration / certificate is produced”. The rate is “for petrol-driven vehicles: 25% per annum” and “for non-petrol driven vehicles: 20% per annum”, counted from the overseas registration date to the date of import. The page states no ceiling, so ask what a long-owned car is worth in its eyes. Keep the V5C and registration history in the shipping file.
Once registered, the car is described on its papers by origin. A car you bring yourself is “the vehicle was imported by the registered owner into Hong Kong for own use.” (status D, a "Home Delivery Vehicle"), which says nothing about its condition.
What checks must the car pass?
A mechanical examination, and a paper trail that proves where you live. “all motor vehicles are subject to mechanical examination to certify that they comply with the Road Traffic Ordinance” is the rule, with an exception for type-approved new cars, so a used British import will be inspected.
The examiners look at construction, safety equipment and emissions. The guideline singles out seat belts, which must be permanently marked with a standard, and glass: “all vehicle glass shall be of such transparency that it does not obscure the view of the interior of the motor vehicle”. The guideline points to a separate notice on light transmission, so check any tint on a UK car against it.
For the application the department wants “Applicants are required to produce proof of present address (residential address and correspondence address)and provide an e-contact means (ECM)”. Third-party insurance must be in force on the road, with a stated penalty of “liable to a fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for 12 months”.
What could we not confirm?
Electric cars, shipping method and the latest procedure sheet.
- Electric and plug-in hybrid cars follow separate rules: “For importation and registration of a pure electric vehicle (PEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), please refer to” another guideline. We did not read it, and tax treatment for them is not stated here.
- The Transport Department's vehicle importation procedure PDF was saved on 5 November 2026 but could not be read as text, and Environmental Protection Department pages were not opened.
- Which sea method suits a car, port charges, shipping insurance and the date the tax table took effect are not on the pages read. Ask your mover.
- The depreciation page states no limit for older cars, so we make no estimate.
Wider background is in our guide to shipping a car abroad and the Hong Kong customs guide; the Hong Kong removals guide sets out the whole move. See also sea freight and removals costs.
Quick answers on shipping a car to Hong Kong
Can I ship my UK car to Hong Kong?
Yes.
Hong Kong drives on the left, so a right-hand-drive car suits. It needs emissions and noise approval, a Customs import return, a Transport Department examination and registration.
Is there import duty on a car in Hong Kong?
No customs tax, but every imported road vehicle, new or used, pays first registration tax at the Transport Department.
Can I get a reduction for the age of my car?
Customs may allow depreciation of 25% a year for petrol cars and 20% for others from the overseas registration date, with proof of that registration.
Describe your car and your move
Tell us the make, model and year, the fuel type, whether it is registered in your name, and when you plan to reach Hong Kong.
About International Removals Companies
International Removals Companies is an enquiry and introduction service run by DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, in partnership with AGM Group. We don't move goods ourselves: the removal company quotes for your move and carries it out, so check its credentials and terms before you book. Our service is free. Discuss the quotation and booking terms directly with the removal company.
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- In partnership withAGM Group (agm.group)