Guide · Lithuania

Driving a UK-registered car in Lithuania: how long you can keep UK plates, what registering it costs, and what to do instead

Lithuanians coming home from Britain often bring the car with them. Since Brexit that car is treated like any other import from outside the EU. This guide covers how long you can keep it on UK plates, what registering it with Regitra involves and costs, and the alternative.

Last reviewed September 2026

How long can I keep it on UK plates?

Non-residents can drive a foreign-registered car in Lithuania while its home registration, roadworthiness test and insurance remain valid. Once you are resident, the car is expected to be registered in Lithuania; in practice the UK side forces the issue as well, because a UK registration needs a UK address for the V5C, an MOT and UK insurance, all of which lapse once you have left.

Can a right-hand-drive car be registered?

Right-hand-drive cars can be registered in Lithuania (the previous refusal was overturned by the EU Court of Justice in 2014). The TA inspection will require headlamps set for driving on the right and adequate mirrors, and local buyers pay markedly less for a car with the steering wheel on the right.

What registering it involves

Customs clearance as a non-EU import (through a customs broker), paying duty and VAT.
Payment of the one-off vehicle pollution tax (taršos mokestis) for first registration.
Technical inspection (techninė apžiūra, TA) at an authorised station.
Registration with Regitra: Lithuanian plates and registration certificate.
Compulsory motor insurance from a Lithuanian insurer.

What it costs

Customs duty: 10% of the customs value, unless the car's UK origin is documented under the EU–UK agreement.
VAT: 21% on the value plus duty.
Pollution tax: from tens to several hundred euros depending on fuel type and CO2.
Inspection, translation, plates and Regitra fees, plus headlamp work for right-hand drive.

Moving home? Transfer-of-residence relief

If you lived in the UK for 12 months or more and owned and used the car for at least 6 months, you can normally bring it in free of customs duty and VAT as personal property on transfer of residence. Apply with proof of your UK residence; the pollution tax, inspection and registration costs still apply, and the car cannot be sold for 12 months.

The alternative: sell it back to the UK

Selling the car back into the UK trade avoids all of the above. We buy UK-registered cars in Lithuania as they stand, collect free from any address, complete the export paperwork, and pay in pounds sterling on collection day — into your UK bank account if you kept one.

Get a free valuation for your car in Lithuania

Free collection anywhere in Lithuania, all export paperwork handled, paid in pounds sterling (£) on the day.

Value my UK car

Common questions

The car's MOT expired while I was here. Can you still take it?

Yes. We buy cars with expired MOT or SORN and collect them by transporter, so nothing has to be driven on the road.

Is a right-hand-drive car really worth less here?

Yes — Lithuanian buyers discount right-hand drive heavily. In the UK it is the standard, so the same car fetches its full market price there.

Do I need to go to the UK for anything?

No. We collect the car and the V5C in Lithuania and notify the DVLA of the change of keeper as part of the export.

Rules, rates and thresholds change. This guide is a general summary as of September 2026, not legal or tax advice — check the current position with the registration authority or a customs agent before relying on it.

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