Hi all,
I'm a U.S. student who will be moving to Leeds for the PhD in September 2016 (on a Tier-4 visa, then). My program will run through September 2019 - though I'm hoping to find a job in the UK or Europe after I finish.
I'm not planning to bring much with me - just a few suitcases with clothes, books, and miscellaneous items, and maybe I'll look into shipping my desktop computer and monitor (though that will likely be too costly). I'm also hoping to bring my two cats to the UK with me a few months after I make the initial move.
What I mean to ask about now is shipping and importing a motorcycle. I have a 2013 Honda CBR250R (with ABS, if that's relevant) that I purchased new in July 2013. I'd like to bring it to the UK with me, if that's feasible. I expect it might cost about $500-700 to ship it out of the New York City area, but I have no idea whether I will be liable for VAT/duties/other tax, inspection fees, paperwork fees, etc. I think my model bike is sold in the UK, so perhaps it won't cost much to import it, besides shipping?
Does anyone have any experience with this? (I've spent a good bit of time on the UK gov't websites, but can't really find information that will help determine whether and how much I'll have to pay for VAT/duty, other fees, etc.)
Thanks very much!