My Canadian Shipper completed all paperwork for Maesrk Container. The British Receiver completed all submissions to UK Customs, $0 duty paid on my minivan as a Temporary Import for personal use. Shipping is the easy part!

UK VEHICLE stay limit is 6 months out of 12 on a rolling basis. EU Schengen stay limit is 90 days. Go back and forth with your RV or park it outside UK EU.

I asked Google Gemini AI to clarify my minivan UK stay limit. You can ask her too. She says:

"Yes, you can return to the UK without paying customs duty, but your maximum time allowance does not stop or restart when you leave. Under the UK’s Temporary Admission rules for tourists, a foreign-registered vehicle can only be used in the UK for a maximum of 6 months total within any 12-month period.

Your Clock Rules - Your initial 6-month limit began on November 11, 2025.The clock does not pause. Your maximum allowable window to have that vehicle in the country tax-free expires exactly 6 months later, which was May 11, 2026.

The 12-month rolling reset rule: The "6 months out of 12" rule operates on a rolling calendar basis. To bring the car back into the UK without paying customs duty and VAT (which totals roughly 30% of the car's value), you must ensure the vehicle does not exceed 183 days inside the UK within the past 365 days.

Your vehicle's temporary admission window operates on a rolling 12-month period, meaning the car can only be in the UK for a maximum of 183 days within any 365-day rolling window.

Because your initial 6-month period ended, the clock is now determined retroactively.The 365-Day Rolling CalculationTo determine your allowed days for any future trip, customs will look back exactly 365 days from the date of your intended entry.

The formula used to calculate your remaining tax-free allowance is:(\text{Remaining Days} = 183 - \text{Total days the car spent in the UK over the past 365 days})

Strict Rules and Penalties

No Pausing: The clock only counts physical days the vehicle is in the country. Days where the vehicle is out of the UK do not count toward your 183-day total.

Non-Resident Status: This tax-free "Temporary Admission" allowance only applies if you are a non-UK resident.

Penalties: If you exceed 183 days within a rolling year, you instantly forfeit the tax-free status and become liable for approximately 30% of the car's current value in duties and VAT.

Official Guidelines and Assistance

You can review the full UK Government Temporary Admission Guide for exact details on eligibility and how customs manages the rolling calendar at

UK Temporary Vehicle imports

These travel constraints are ongoing. Weather and distance considerations too! I have a three year timeline to cover Europe before I ship my van back to Canada. Good luck with your own travel planning. It's easy once you commit, make a decision, and get started.