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Bulgaria Fest - Task complete


The Moog

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Hmmm. All I keep seeing is 'UK residents cannot drive a car in the UK if it's on foreign plates.' Even though I know loads of people who've done it. Starting to think it's more luck than anything else. After all, I've not been pulled over by the Police since 1997, and that was for overtaking a Police car in a 30 limit. At 50. (I was young and foolish and allowed on my way with a telling off).

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Ok, Hagerty think it's absolutely fine to provide cover, but breakdown cover would not apply until UK registered.

Thats good to know then. For breakdown cover Swintons cover me personally on any vehicle, with European cover it's £12.45 a month. They came out to me in France in a Spanish registered car no question as long as it was road legal they would come out. My breakdown was just a flat battery but hopefully they would recover home if it couldn't be fixed in time for you to catch a ferry. I have broken down 3 times in France and they have been excellent everytime once supplying taxi's and a hire car to get us home then delivered the car back a week or so later.

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Hmmm. All I keep seeing is 'UK residents cannot drive a car in the UK if it's on foreign plates.' Even though I know loads of people who've done it. Starting to think it's more luck than anything else. After all, I've not been pulled over by the Police since 1997, and that was for overtaking a Police car in a 30 limit. At 50. (I was young and foolish and allowed on my way with a telling off).

 

Exactly this. A UK resident can not legally drive a foreign registered car for any reason. some folks on expat forums returning to live in UK had their cars impounded over this, but I think you would have to be pretty unlucky to get fingered for it. I personally wouldnt worry and if I were doing so I think that having the right paperwork with me to show good intention would go a long way to appeasing any curious cozzers. I know ignorance is no excuse etc etc, but playing the bumbling idiot who has done the obvious stuff correctly (insurance etc) and passes the attitude test ("sorry sir, I was unaware of..." and not "I pay your wages...catch some real" etc etc....) can go a long way to helping your case at the roadside

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Exactly this. A UK resident can not legally drive a foreign registered car for any reason. some folks on expat forums returning to live in UK had their cars impounded over this, but I think you would have to be pretty unlucky to get fingered for it. I personally wouldnt worry and if I were doing so I think that having the right paperwork with me to show good intention would go a long way to appeasing any curious cozzers. I know ignorance is no excuse etc etc, but playing the bumbling idiot who has done the obvious stuff correctly (insurance etc) and passes the attitude test ("sorry sir, I was unaware of..." and not "I pay your wages...catch some real" etc etc....) can go a long way to helping your case at the roadside

 

Which is just bloody ridiculous when you think about it. I mean sure, if you're razzing around in something on foreign plates for months, then fair enough, but if you've still got the ferry ticket and a pre-booked MOT, then where's the harm?

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Why is it done on residency? (How is that defined) Many people have homes here and abroad, and live part of the time in each place - in theory is that illegal if they bring their French motor back?

 

Googled my own answer....

 

https://expatriates.stackexchange.com/questions/50/how-long-can-i-drive-a-eu-registered-car-in-the-uk

 

Since there are no residency cards in the UK, whenever you are stopped by a police officer and he thinks you are actually a resident (for example if you have a UK driving licence, or have UK debit cards in your wallet), then he might confiscate your car which might be destroyed, unless you can prove you are not a UK resident, or you are working in more than one EU countries, and spend more than 6 months (185 days) per year outside of the UK.

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In 2010 I drove my Portuguese plate van here for about six months

before I got Brit insurance on the chassis number and  got it mot'ed. 

 

Was I a resident here ? Well, sort of, ish.  Between here and there ish.

Had a nicely vague Portuguese address that worked if anyone asked, nobody did.

I iz nauti boy, innit bro.

 

I don't know if things are tighter now, about driving foreign motors, but I tend to think 

its being a bit over thought imo. If you get insurance on the chassis number and don't take the piss 

there shouldn't be a problem.

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Late in 2012 I brought two cars over from Cyprus: my 1972 Ford Granada and my 1983 Morris Metro van.  While getting them ready for MoT I insured them both by chassis number, and was driving around on the Cyprus plates.  I got a pull at 6am on Christmas Eve (!) on my way to work in the van.  Respectful attitude and a sheaf of paperwork supporting my story meant no trouble.  I suspect the rules have changed since then though; we didn't have NOVA back then.

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Actually asked the Police what they reckoned. Got this reply: "Note that UK law requires vehicles to be licensed, registered, taxed, insured and have an MOT (if applicable) for use on the road. To avoid difficulties, importers are advised by DVLA to transport rather than drive their vehicles from the port of entry to home or first destination and to keep them off the road until they have been properly licensed and registered etc."

 

If I wasn't making a video about my exploits, I'd be tempted to chance it. 

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Actually asked the Police what they reckoned. Got this reply: "Note that UK law requires vehicles to be licensed, registered, taxed, insured and have an MOT (if applicable) for use on the road. To avoid difficulties, importers are advised by DVLA to transport rather than drive their vehicles from the port of entry to home or first destination and to keep them off the road until they have been properly licensed and registered etc."

 

If I wasn't making a video about my exploits, I'd be tempted to chance it. 

Can you not just make a video to Calais. Then stop filming and just show yourself arriving back at DW HQ? 

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Can you not just make a video to Calais. Then stop filming and just show yourself arriving back at DW HQ? 

How about having a second driver for the UK bit, that way you yourself won't be in trouble. Or are trade plates allowed for the UK leg. I know they aren't useable in Europe but might be an idea over here. Just say on the write up that you used them and don't take any pictures of the front or back of the car. It all seems a bit silly really when the car is insured for use in Europe and has a current mot and road tax from the country of origin.

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Tbh that could be a fitting end to the thread, include a test in the cost (or get a friendly tester to donate one) and see if the shit you all buy is actually roadworthy! Being us if it's not and it fails there's no tears but the hubnut video would be that little bit special if it actually does get presented for a test fresh off the ferry, and we can all have a chuckle at the fail sheets!

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Ha! Great news!

 

 


When planning a visit to Sofia, keep in mind the major national holidays (Christmas, Orthodox Easter, 1st, 6th and 24th of May, 6th of September). During these holidays the city is deserted as most citizens take advantage of the long weekend and travel on vacation. Most small shops and galleries close for the holidays.

 

S'pose with out Birmingham plane at least, there won't be much of the 24th May left when we land...

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dollywobbler, on 26 Feb 2018 - 10:06 AM, said:

Actually asked the Police what they reckoned. Got this reply: "Note that UK law requires vehicles to be licensed, registered, taxed, insured and have an MOT (if applicable) for use on the road. To avoid difficulties, importers are advised by DVLA to transport rather than drive their vehicles from the port of entry to home or first destination and to keep them off the road until they have been properly licensed and registered etc."

 

If I wasn't making a video about my exploits, I'd be tempted to chance it. 

 

They're only 'advising' you, Ian. If your insurer (presumably Hagerty) is happy to insure you on the chassis number then you are no longer driving on foreign registration, you are fully insured on a VIN plate as is the case with UK vehicles that don't have a plate for whatever reason. You are at liberty to remove the foreign plates from the vehicle if you wish - although personally I'd leave them on as decoration (and a method of deflecting plod, but mainly as decoration in a very real & legal sense on your way to your pre-booked MOT).

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A "UK resident" driving a foreign registered vehicle.

 

There isn't a specific offence covering this. You will never get dragged up to court with that on the charge sheet.

 

Breaking it down, you have other offences to consider that make it a problem (or not):

 

A) Insurance - if you get insurance for a motor vehicle which is compulsory, they can't limit the territorial cover as it has to comply for the full duration of the policy the entire territory of the Community. It's in Directive 2009/103/EC (aka Sixth Motor Insurance Directive). Any shorter period mentioned (like 30 days, 45 days) in the paperwork for EU cover is for at a level equivalent to your home country cover - but bear in mind you'll be on the bare minimum cover in each member state if outside these conditions. So if you can get insurance either on origin country registration mark or VIN/chassis number then you can't be done over on an insurance offence (S143, RTA 1988)

 

B ) VED. Most likely what you will be done for IF you don't fall in to the exemption category, that is going to/from a pre-arranged MOT. See VERA 1994, Schedule 2, Section 22: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/22/schedule/2/crossheading/vehicle-testing-etc and offences: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/22/part/III For brand-spanking new cars you may also piss-off the VAT man for something.

 

C) MOT. A possibility that it'll be something added to the list of charges.

 

So foreign or not, it's really boils down to a VED issue - use the MOT clause wisely to get from port to home.

 

[i'd drive it back bearing the above in mind.]

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We have many many EEC nationals here now and there must have been thousands of UK reg cars driven back to their country of origin. I bet 0.01% were spending their waking hours hand wringing and trawling the web about getting yanked and bum raped after crossing a border.

Why are us British so obsessed with every microscopic exact letter of the law?

Sort the Insurance/breakdown, book an MOT if it makes you feel better, and DRIVE THE FUCKER HOME FFS.

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