Driving on the continent - Help urgently needed re the law

[pete m]

what is the law re MOT & Tax when you are abroad ?

Say you are living in Spain and have youre english reg car ...do you need to come all the way back to get the MOT / Tax ? This is what my MRs old man is talking about doing, will end up costing about grand all in we reckon, unless we can persuade him he doesnt need to ...

HELP !!!

Bluepete ?? Peter Henry where are you ? Choo, what happened to you ?:confused:

[Jamiebridges123]

If it's in Spain and you live in Spain, it should be registered with the Spanish version of the DVLA and should abide by the laws in said country, I think anyway..

If not, it's not like the DVLA will fine you for driving around untaxed on another continent..

[appollo1]

i believe that if you keep the vehicle with the uk plates then you have to return to the UK annually to get it MOT'd etc.

Why not just get it registered in Spain?

[pete m]

register it abroad ? what, you mean not bother to drive all the way from Malaga to N Spain, get the ferry for hrs & hrs to UK, stay in hotels while you are here, get car MOTd, TAXd and serviced by Honda dealer...and then sell it cos its too much grief !!!????!!! are you crazy ? ;)

](*,)save us ](*,)please ](*,)

[Binky]

Have they still got property in the UK or are they now soley living in Spain???

If so is there any way the DVLA can actually catch or get hold of you?

On another note, surely it's not that hard to declare the vehicle SORN'd then just register it in Spain and comply with thier road traffic laws???


If not, it's not like the DVLA will fine you for driving around untaxed on another continent..

Last time i checked we're on the same continent and both part of the EU? :p

[Red Herring]

I think part of the EU agreement is that vehicles need to be complying with the requirements of their home state, so technically I think it does need to be MOT and taxed. Given that it shouldn't be in Spain for more than 6 months without being registered there it's not normally a problem, you should just make sure you have at least 6 months MOT before travelling, (tax can be done on line). Of course, they could just take it to France for the day to re-set the Spanish clock. If they are going to keep it there they need to tell the DVLA it's been exported otherwise they will get an automatic fine when the current tax runs out.

[Ch00]

Someone called?

If the bike has left the UK for a long period and won’t be returning, the DLVA needs to be told that the bike has been exported. The bike will then need to be registered in the current country you reside.

If a foreign vehicle is brought in to the UK they have a year to resister it to the DLVA, I am sure Spain will have a similar system.

Check http://www.dvla.gov.uk for more info.

Ch00

[600+]

actually being EU :) you need to do F ALL

There is no way a Spanish copper will be able to check if you have an MOT, or how long you have had the car in Spain.

As long as you can display a tax disc with the correct date then you will be fine.

[daved407]

At the very most you can go to a EU country with 364 days Tax, Mot and insurance. Then you should re-register with them within the year.

Do Insurance companies still give out permanent Green cards? Anyhow at some point or other you will need a MOT to get Tax, insurance etc. I'm sure you need one to get the other in UK? Spain, I would guess is similer and I think without MOT, insurance is invalid. Having seen some cars in Spain surely their MOT and so on, is no worse or harder to pass than our tests.

I also believe that the inspection is confirming the vehicle is safe to drive. Imagine, carrying the burden of having hit people because you car was unfit, or even wiping out your own family in the vehicle but surviving yourself because it was unfit for the road.

Im getting used to the German system where the inspection is valid for 2 years. Small differences across the EU rules.

What I would say is register it in Spain, even if its RHD it will be possible.

[Ch00]

I think without MOT, insurance is invalid.

Not quite true. If you are fully comp the worst they can do is not pay for your costs/repair/vehicle. In this case they "may" only pay the 3rd party costs.

Ch00

[pete m]

thanks one n all ...some good advice...the main thing is whether the insurance becomes invalid cos the car is now 3 yrs old so needs an MOT...we'd love to be able to say the old man "look, you dont need to return to the UK , just sit tight and get it MOTd when you return..."