8 replies to this topic

[ex911driver]

Hi all , just wondered what the legality of buying a British registered car  in Europe that has run out of tax and Mot  is.
Can i drive it back across Europe  and back to my house if it is booked in for an Mot ? Or will it need trailering once in UK?
Thanks

[Exocet]

I think they state that you can't take the mick when driving a car to an MOT. I.e, you can't live in Land's End and book an MOT in John o'Groates. I also don't believe it's legal to drive a car without tax at any time.

But hey, hopefully an expert will have a definitive answer

[kwk2]

Lots of questions then:
Where did you buy it and was it exported properly and on a permanent basis?
If it wasn't, is it still on it's UK plates?
If it is, has the owner SORN'd it?
If he hasn't, somebody will be liable for the back duty and will probably have been receiving letters.
If everything has been done correctly, then you can drive it back but you must then go to a local office for it to be registered again here.
Not from my experience by the way, my wife works at the DVLA.

[Tim Williams]

As far as I know there is no mileage limit on how far you can drive to an MOT but from another country may be taking the piss. You can drive to and from a test center without tax but the car must of been booked in for the MOT.

[Sir Drivealot]

Mine is currently offshore at the moment with no MOT. (ran out a while ago, and work went on longer than I expected)

From what I've been lead to believe (reliable source) If your MOT is pre-booked in a reasonable place (probably near where you live) and you are not being silly (go directly there), then It will probably be OK. the car WILL need to be roadworthy (obviously) for insurance purposes, but as MOT is no proof of road worthiness (as it states) anyway you should be OK insurance wise. Most policies do not specifically require an MOT, only road worthiness if you actually read them.

I am however not sure if the fact you have bought the car abroad rather than being the person having used it abroad changes any of this.

I've taken enquiries all the way to the EU admin in Brussels about what to do with mine. As I am out of the UK for more than 6 months, yet have no residence or even a home in any other country they eventually declared that I should keep the vehicle UK registered and "legal" despite it being out of the UK and in other countries for more than the 6 months permitted before needing to register it in the country where you "reside" for the majority of the year.

So far since November mine has been in Spain, Portugal, and France. It may probably end up spending 9 months in Russia soon, it would be daft in the extreme to register it every time a job takes over 6 months in any state. (although a large pile of different plates for it may be of use . . . LOL)

[ex911driver]

Thanks for all the replies , the car is still on UK plates , the tax and Mot ran out in October 2010,I looked on DVLA  vehicle enquiry site and it says the vehicle is exported .
I have read that you can re- register a car easily if it has not been out of the UK for more than 12months . I have just had a quote to deliver the car to me  at the cost of 1200 euros.
Also you cannot Sorn a car when it is abroad , it needs to be taxed or after 12 months registered in that country!!

Edited by ex911driver, 07 June 2011 - 17:56 .

[fuzzypicture]

ex911driver, on 07 June 2011 - 17:52 , said:

Thanks for all the replies , the car is still on UK plates , the tax and Mot ran out in October 2010,I looked on DVLA  vehicle enquiry site and it says the vehicle is exported .
I have read that you can re- register a car easily if it has not been out of the UK for more than 12months . I have just had a quote to deliver the car to me  at the cost of 1200 euros.
Also you cannot Sorn a car when it is abroad , it needs to be taxed or after 12 months registered in that country!!

In Malta they have been impounding uk plated vehicles which do not show a current uk tax disc, not sure how the rest of Europe see's it but might be worth checking the countries you will be passing through.

Joe

[fuzzypicture]

kwk2, on 06 June 2011 - 18:56 , said:

Not from my experience by the way, my wife works at the DVLA.

SV or LV?

Joe

[Sir Drivealot]

ex911driver, on 07 June 2011 - 17:52 , said:

, it needs to be taxed or after 12 months registered in that country!!

6 months in the EU.

If it were 12 months I'd never have had an issue as my contracts tend to run for 6 to 9 months.

As it is, any vehicle spending more than 6 months out of any 12 in any EU country should be registered in that country.

Similarly any person RESIDING for more than 6 months out of any 12 should register as resident in that country.

All this requirement coming down to "primary place of residence.

My problem comes with the word "residing" as in that being in a hotel (or various) with a bag of clothes and a laptop, whilst all my personal effects, bills, bank account, and personal connections remain at my UK address, does not constitute residing.

It is also worth noting that it is IMPOSSIBLE to re-register a UK car in Poland. (although they are in trouble about this with Brussels).

You also need to be a UK citizen, and have owned the car "in your name" for 12 months prior to re-registering the car abroad. (if not you will be charged a local import fee (tax), which in many EU countries can be significant)