Use of a French Registered car in the UK?

[Philouis]

Please, could anyone advise me that if a car is registered and insured in France, how long could one use it in the UK before it becomes illegal?

[Pickles]

[quote user="Philouis"]Please, could anyone advise me that if a car is registered and insured in France, how long could one use it in the UK before it becomes illegal?[/quote]

If the driver (note: not the owner) does not live in the UK (ie the driver's main residence is outside the UK), then IIRC, the car may be driven for up to 6 months within the UK (as long as the car is properly registered, CT'd and insured in its country of origin - in this case France).

If the driver lives in the UK, then technically, the driver cannot drive the car in the UK at all, and ought to arrange for the car to be delivered from the port of entry to his/her home either on a trailer or else driven by a non-UK-resident driver.

Regards

Pickles

[Philouis]

Thank you Pickles! If anyone has any further information on this subject which differs, please write in!

[AnOther]

Pickles is correct so I don't know what other answer you might be looking for [blink]

If you'd care to tell us of the purpose of the inquiry we may be able to advise further.

[bigears]

hi

Uk residents who take a french reged vehicle to the uk for a short stay should not have a problem.  I have done it a couple of times to bring a load back to france.  If you are in that position, have a return ticket to hand.  As long as you are not trying to get out of paying road fund tax you should be fine.  If stopped you can always say you are in the process of moving to France. 

[AnOther]

I admire your confidence bigears but is this the voice of 1st hand personal experience or simply a boast that you got away with it ?

The DVLA are very clear on this point and having a return ticket is not listed as an exception.

[cooperlola]

One forum member (or their o/h anyway) got into deep water over this and was arrested because he did not have a temporary address in the UK, and no proof of his travel dates to and from his home in France, and stayed in prison over a long weekend until a judge deemed him to have been perfectly legal and he was let go.  I don't know if there was ever any compensation but the police said he was using the car for work and therefore his insurance was invalid.  They didn't know much  about the legal ins and outs but that didn't stop them from locking him up until somebody in the know put them right.  The moral is - register the registration number of your vehicle with the cross chanel carrier (this is now an option for the Chunnel on line bookings) and try to have an address (hotel or relative etc) in the UK where you're staying - be aware that not every policeman you encounter will know the law as well as some on this forum do!

[Will]

Most police forces are perfectly OK with visitors, and even seem pretty lenient about long-term use of foreign registered vehicles. Since the incident mentioned by Cooperlola I've been watching a few foreign vehicles; a German neighbour has now registered her car, but there have been a Polish (I think) minibus and a French Mercedes in constant use here in a certain town in West Sussex for at least four years; both are kept at very expensive houses so it's not a matter of being impecunious expats returning.

In some other counties, notably Northamptonshire, you can fall foul of the 'six month rule' in that if a foreign vehicle is noted twice by police, more than six months apart, you are deemed to be in breach of the law, regardless of whether or not you are foreign resident, or dual resident, and can prove you have returned 'home' in the meantime. If you doubt this, look up 'Operation Andover'.

[PaulT]

[quote user="Philouis"]Thank you Pickles! If anyone has any further information on this subject which differs, please write in![/quote]

You are perfectly OK resident in the UK and driving a French registered vehicle in the UK.

Is that what you want to hear - even though it is totally erroneous.

Paul

[Will]

May not be erroneous. I remember something somebody wrote to Honest John in the Telegraph about a year ago:

"Regarding the

matter of a UK resident driving a foreign registered car, previously

deemed illegal by the DVLA, I received last week a letter from DVLA.

Amongst other comments the letter states that 'In the circumstances

where a UK resident is using an EU registered vehicle in the UK on a

temporary basis, on a visit from their holiday home, for example, they

are entitled to use the vehicle when visiting the UK."

Allegedly the DVLA web site was going to be updated to that effect, but I can't find it if it has. The actual article seems to have gone from the Telegraph website, in company with much of HJ's other archive material, but the above is a second-hand copy from another discussion.

There was some pedantic discussion at that other place about how could a 'resident' be 'visiting' but allowing for the possibly unfortunate choice of words it could apply to a lot of people, myself included. We keep two cars, one UK-registered and one French-registered, so we should be able to cover all eventualities, but I am sure some clever s0d could deem us to be illegal in some way or another.

[Chancer]

Actually that is exactly my situation regarding visits to the UK.

Not that I have ever let it bother me and as I dont have a tendancy to be agressive towards les flics or the old bill I shall continue to be insouciant despite what legal experts write on forums.

[Sunday Driver]

Latest DVLA website version:

Temporarily importing a vehicle

Visitors to the UK can usually use a vehicle displaying foreign numberplates for six months provided all motoring taxes are paid in the originating country. This can consist of one single or several shorter visits in any 12 month period.

 

European Union vehicles

EU vehicles brought into the UK can be used for six months in any 12-month period. You do not need to register the vehicle in the UK as long as you can show that the vehicle complies with the registration and tax requirements of its home country. It’s the responsibility of the driver to prove how long the vehicle has been in the country. Producing ferry tickets can do this.

If the keeper of the vehicle becomes resident in the UK, the vehicle must be immediately registered and taxed in the UK.

UK residents are not allowed to use a foreign registered vehicle on UK roads. The exception is when a UK resident:

• is employed or self-employed in another EU member state 

• uses a EU registered company car temporarily in the UK for business purposes

 

So, other than clarifying the 'business use' exemption, there's no change really......

 

[bigears]

hi

the trouble is its difficult to prove where you are resident.  You can be tax resident in more than one state at the same time.  What docs do you french resident x-pats carry on you when you drive to the uk?  In practice I've not had a problem, if asked I would say I'm french resident. 

[Dog]

[quote user="Will"]Most police forces are perfectly OK with visitors, and even seem pretty lenient about long-term use of foreign registered vehicles. Since the incident mentioned by Cooperlola I've been watching a few foreign vehicles; a German neighbour has now registered her car, but there have been a Polish (I think) minibus and a French Mercedes in constant use here in a certain town in West Sussex for at least four years; both are kept at very expensive houses so it's not a matter of being impecunious expats returning.

In some other counties, notably Northamptonshire, you can fall foul of the 'six month rule' in that if a foreign vehicle is noted twice by police, more than six months apart, you are deemed to be in breach of the law, regardless of whether or not you are foreign resident, or dual resident, and can prove you have returned 'home' in the meantime. If you doubt this, look up 'Operation Andover'.
[/quote]

Thanks for the info - I visit The Rose of the Stalinistic Shires and have been known to accidently trigger the odd stealth tax camera each visit.

The blue coated early retiree easy work picking on middleclass stealth tax website doesn't quite say it as you have but it would be best to keep a low profile in Norfhamtunshire.

[AnOther]

I agree that residential status may not be immediately demonstrable to UK plods satisfaction but on the day the onus would be squarely on the driver to prove any claims but I really don't know what document or documents, if any, might be deemed conclusive to that end. I'll wager that the average woodentop will possess next to zero knowledge of the niceties and nuances of French residency, even those of us who live here and therefore hopefully should have a reasonable idea still constantly bicker over it [Www]

I could imagine being in possession of a UK driving licence bearing the address of a retained UK property or one of convenience might present a significant hurdle in convincing someone that you are not UK resident so on that premis I'd say that a French licence might be useful starter for 10 [;-)]

 

[bigears]

hi

I know ex-pats resident in france who still retain uk property and of course we are told that there is no compulsion in changing a uk licence.  So have you ex-pats resident in france driving your french reged vehicles to the uk had difficulty being able to prove to a suspicious pc where they are resident? 

[Bugsy]

[quote user="AnOther"]

 I'd say that a French licence might be useful starter for 10 [;-)]

 

[/quote]

Agreed, and if you only speak french when spoken to, well, no worries. [Www][:D]

.

[bigears]

Bugsy your accent may be good but your uk passport might give you away.  Is it not domicle that you have to prove not residency.  The more you consider these issues the more you realise its a minefield.  Duckers and divers rule ok.  Is ron about to pounce and take me to task, he doesn't like any mention of duckers and divers.

[Chancer]

Yes he's unusually quiet isnt he, I wonder if he has left of his own volition again? [6]

Back to the subject, apart from perhaps the Northamptonshire old bill and even then perhaps only when you have been visiting for over 6 months or get stroppy with the oficer, I dont think it is a case of proving residency or domicile or whatever, just that you and the vehicle are legal, and remember the law is not what the DVLA writes on advice pages of their website or what posters extrapolate on thgis and other forums.

If the vehicle is registered and insured, preferably in your name, you have the documents to prove it and a reasonable explanation do you really think that you are going to be thrown in the cells like the case on this forum a year or so ago?

I would think nothing of borrowing a French friends car or van for a UK visit, its no different to hiring one after all, I dont see where duckers and divers come into it at all and the oracle on that subject seems rather quiet [;-)]

[Bugsy]

[quote user="bigears"]Bugsy your accent may be good but .....................

[/quote]

Well, not sure about that, you know that policeman in 'Allo, 'Allo.  [:P][:D]

.

[bigears]

Hi

Bugsy, my youngest is a successful car salesman in nz, not satisfied with that he is part way through joing the police force.  I told him a long time ago a good policeman has to be able to shop his granny, wonder if he would shop his dad if he stopped me speeding on my next visit.  How do you know its ron?

[Bugsy]

Officer Crabtree

Brilliant [:D]

.

[Gardengirl]

Thanks Bugsy, that was great fun! [:D] If I have to be awake in the night that's an excellent way to pass the time.