V55/4 or V55/5 Form: Which One Do You Need for an Import?
V55/4 or V55/5 comes down to one question: has the vehicle ever been registered? If it has, anywhere in the world, you use the V55/5, and that includes every used import. The V55/4 is only for a new vehicle that has never been registered, such as a new import or a newly built kit car.
GOV.UK puts it in two lines: "Fill in the V55/4 form to register a new vehicle, including new imported vehicles and newly-built (kit) cars", and use the V55/5 "to register a used vehicle, including: used imported vehicles; older vehicles that have never been registered; vehicles that have been brought back to the UK after being exported" (GOV.UK, new registrations). The two forms look almost the same on paper, so the wrong one is an easy mistake.
Not sure which form your vehicle needs? We check it and prepare the right one.
What is the difference between the V55/4 and the V55/5?
The V55/4 is the "Application for first vehicle tax and registration of a new motor vehicle"; the V55/5 is the same application for a used motor vehicle. Both are two pages, both carry the date code 9/23, and both warn on page 1 that "incomplete forms will be rejected".
- The title: "registration of a new motor vehicle" on the V55/4, "registration of a used motor vehicle" on the V55/5.
- The reference: V55/4 or V55/5 in the top right corner. Each has its own guide, V355/4 or V355/5.
| What changes | V55/4 | V55/5 |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | A new vehicle, never registered: new imports, new kit cars | A used vehicle: used imports, older never-registered vehicles, vehicles brought back after export |
| Proof of newness | A certificate of newness, or a declaration of newness for an imported vehicle | Not needed |
| Date boxes | No date of original registration | Boxes 24 to 26: original registration, year of manufacture, UK registration |
| DVLA guide | V355/4 | V355/5 |
Which form do you need for a used imported car?
The V55/5. A car bought second-hand abroad has been registered in its home country, so it is a used vehicle to the DVLA, even if it has covered few miles. With it go the original foreign registration document, which GOV.UK says you will not get back, and the papers the guide lists for your vehicle. Our guide to the V55/5 form, box by box shows where each answer comes from.
When does an imported vehicle count as new?
Only when it meets every condition in the DVLA's leaflet INF106. The vehicle must be registered within 14 days of the date you collected it, have only the mileage needed to deliver it, not have been permanently registered before, and be a current model or one that stopped being made within the last 2 years. Then it goes on the V55/4 with the certificate or declaration of newness that GOV.UK lists.
A demonstrator or a car registered abroad for a few weeks fails the third test. That is the V55/5, whatever the mileage says.
Why do the date boxes matter?
Because only the V55/5 asks for them, and they decide a lot. The V55/4 has no box for an original registration date: a new vehicle has none. The V55/5 asks for three dates.
- Box 24, date of original registration: the date the vehicle was first registered, in any country.
- Box 25, year of manufacture.
- Box 26, date of registration in UK.
The DVLA uses the vehicle's age evidence when it issues a registration number, and without proof of age INF106 says it allocates a "Q" number.
A vehicle that is new in one country and used in another? Send us the registration papers and the invoice. We tell you which form applies, prepare it and check it against what the DVLA asks for. The DVLA makes the decision, and you send the pack in.
Check my vehicle's form before I post itFree price first. No obligation.
What happens if you send the wrong form?
It comes back. Both forms say incomplete forms will be rejected, and a form that does not fit the vehicle cannot be completed properly. In our experience a clean application reaches the V5C in about 4 to 8 weeks, and one with a missing or wrong document can take twice as long, because the wait starts again when you resend. GOV.UK itself says the V5C "can take up to 6 weeks" on a good day (GOV.UK, registering an imported vehicle).
What goes with either form?
The same core list, from GOV.UK's new registrations page:
- payment for the vehicle tax, and the new registration fee of £55 "if you have to pay it";
- a photocopy of your photocard driving licence, or one document proving your name and one proving your address;
- proof of vehicle approval if the vehicle is under 10 years old, unless it is exempt; INF106 adds that some older vehicles first registered abroad on or after 1 March 2001 may still need it;
- evidence of a current MOT if the vehicle is over 3 years old.
Both go to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BE. For an import, the NOVA must be processed by HMRC first: our guide on who files the NOVA and when covers that step.
Where do you get the V55/4 and the V55/5?
From GOV.UK. The V55/4 page was last updated on 15 May 2025 and offers the form with its guide, V355/4. The V55/5 page was last updated on 20 October 2025, with the guide V355/5.
Frequently asked questions
Is the V55/4 or the V55/5 for a used imported car?
The V55/5. GOV.UK lists used imported vehicles among the vehicles that use form V55/5. The V55/4 is for a new vehicle, including a new import and a newly built kit car.
When can an imported vehicle use the V55/4?
Only when it counts as new. DVLA's INF106 lists the conditions: it is registered within 14 days of the date you collected it, it has only the mileage needed to deliver it, it has not been permanently registered before, and it is a current model or one that stopped being made within the last 2 years.
What happens if I send the wrong V55 form?
Both forms carry the same warning: incomplete forms will be rejected. A form that does not match the vehicle comes back, and the wait for the V5C starts again once you resend it.
Right form, right papers, posted once
The DVLA keeps the original foreign registration document, so you want to send it once. We prepare your DVLA registration pack on the right form and check it against what the DVLA asks for. The DVLA makes the decision, and you send the pack in.
Get it right first time: let us prepare your packFree price first. No obligation.
Sources: GOV.UK, new registrations; V55/4 form page; V55/5 form page; GOV.UK, registering an imported vehicle; DVLA leaflet INF106 (10/25). Read on 11 November 2026.