Graham Smith

OK, let's see if I have it right..... We're leaving for France first , then within a few days I'll come back to England to pick up the Spitfire. I'll have to tax and insure the Spit for the trip through England, so for that I'll have to use my temporary address here in the UK - my daughter's address, which will be where we'll stay for a few days until we move. Just before we leave I send off the tax form to reclaim the tax, and show the car's being exported. Once we arrive I will have a few weeks' grace in which to re-register the car, sort out its CT test, insurance and so on. I don't need to drive the Spit during this time anyway. So long as I can produce the required forms (as indicated on the FAQ section) the re-registry is straightforward. I don't need to show that VAT has been paid as it is a collectors' car bought second-hand. Is this all correct? Please tell me if there's anything else I've forgotten.[8-)] Re the Jazz - it'll have UK tax and insurance that won't have expired, although we'll have left the address shown on both. Do I have to change this before I go, or what? If I haven't got valid UK tax or insurance, I'm driving illegally on the way to Dover, so how do I sort this out? As for registering the Honda in France, I'm told that there are few if any Jazz's though there are Honda dealerships and as it's a newish car there shouldn't be trouble registering it. Obviously I have all the documents for it including those relating to its purchase a year ago. Do you anticipate any problems?[8-)]   PHEW!

The place I got my information from was POIPlace, that gives you overlays for the TomTom to show all the speed cameras in the UK. They DON'T give any for any other EU locations other than Holland, because they say it's illegal in most countries to use any device that warns you about speed cameras - fixed or otherwise. 'Course, they could be wrong.....[;-)]

Nice one. Er... correct me if I'm wrong, but I was told that if I enter these locations into my TomTom satnav, and I'm caught using it, I'm breaking the law, unlike in the UK. Any information?

Mind if I join in? My situation is this: My '75 Spitfire is currently being restored ready to be MOT'd, taxed and insured so that when I move to France in the next month or so, I can drive it there. I realise that I'll have to fill out the tax form to show it's being permanently exported BUT since the move is dependent on the time of the sale of our house here, I might only get two weeks' notice in which to get everything done before we go. Can I take the Spit as it is, with British documentation, then send off the UK tax forms later, or has it simply GOT to be done beforehand? If I send off the tax form just before moving, will they send the required documents to me in France? I'm getting really worried about the whole process! I've a Honda Jazz as well, but from what I've read elsewhere, that will be a bit more straightforward.

Before driving in France, which I didn't do until quite recently, I was VERY apprehensive about ALL aspects of it, having heard all the horror stories about PaD in particular. Consequently I have always been pretty careful about roads joining from the right. I always look for the white lines across the junction, and even when I see them I'm cautious if I see a car approaching. Better safe than sorry. Incidentally, I haven't actually come across any specific PaD's around the area I drive in - the Indre area around the La Brenne.

Thanks to everyone for the help. I'll be looking for some headlamp units ASAP when we move. Incidentally, does anyone know of any classic car clubs, shows etc. in the Indre or nearby?[I]

Wow! Thanks for the rapid replies, guys! Re: headlamps.... Sorry, but I was under the impression that it would just be OK to re-align them, since it's possible to get the dip over to the right without much trouble. Am I being naiive?

I'm moving (permanently) to the Indre soon, and have a 32-year-old Triumph Spitfire. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has imported a classic like this, especially if they can give advice about registration, getting it tested, how much time you have to do this etc. If I've got a current MOT, British insurance, tax and everything, how long can it wait before I have to change everything? One problem is that I won't have a permanent address for a while as we are going into rented accomodation whilst building our house. Any advice?