Dutch Transfer plates

[dave21478]

Hi, Im looking to buy a LHD van and found a suitable one in the UK, but the seller says its on Dutch transfer plates. He says its easy to register it in UK, (MOT it then pay DVLA £38) but what about registering in France? Or would I be best registering in UK first then to France normally?

Thing is, I read in an old thread here when I searched for this subject that Dutch transfer plates are only valid for 2 weeks? This van has been in the UK for longer than that.

[Sunday Driver]

The Dutch transit plates were only valid for the trip from Holland to this guy's place of residence/business in the UK.  Now that they've expired, the vehicle has no current valid registration and can't be driven on the road without being registered with the DVLA.  However, if you are not resident in the UK, then you can't register the van there in your name.  That means that if he wants to sell it to you, he'll have to do that himself. 

Although he claims it just needs an MOT and the £38 registration fee, what he didn't tell you is that to comply with UK Construction and Use regulations, it will need RHD headlamps and a mph speedo to be fitted before it can be MOT'd and registered.  I suspect he doesn't want to pay for these himself, so I think he's trying to offload the van onto you in its present (non legally driveable) state and leave you holding the baby. 

There are plenty of vans for sale here in France - and without the hassle and uncertainty of this deal.... 

 

 

[dave21478]

Hmmm, the price its at is really unbeatable though, no chance of getting the same age/condition for anywhere near it in France.

I knew about needing RHD headlights, The tail lights will need changed too due to the foglight being on the other side. Fortunately, its a model with plenty of parts available in UK breakers yards, so price for this will be low.

I am still a Uk resident so Uk registration is possible, I only stay in France on a part-time basis for now.

[derf]

 "it will need RHD headlamps and a mph speedo to be fitted before it can be MOT'd "

I have to disagree with that, I was a Mot Tester in the UK and we could pass a foreign vehicle, if they had put tape on the headlights to mask the full beam, no mention of the speedo being in MPH.

 

[Sunday Driver]

According to the DVLA:

Registering a previously used vehicle

As part of the registration process, DVLA will need to be sure that an imported used vehicle, that is less than 10 years old meets both European Type Approval standards and UK Construction and Use and Road Vehicle Lighting legislation. Cars, motorcycles and light goods vehicles first registered in another European member State will need to have a certificate issued by VCA under the Mutual Recognition Scheme. Larger goods vehicles will need full UK Type Approval before they can be registered.

In order to successfully register a vehicle in the UK, the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) needs to be sure that the vehicle in question is suitable for use on UK roads. The Mutual Recognition process (which is also sometimes known as the Commission Notice Procedure) requires that the person seeking to register the vehicle makes a number of declarations about the suitability of the vehicle for use in the UK roads, and provides evidence of any alterations made to the vehicle.  Alterations may be necessary to ensure compliance with the UK Construction and Use legislation, and the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations.

Following receipt of all necessary paperwork and the appropriate administration fee, the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) will issue a certificate that can be presented to the DVLA in support of their request for UK registration.

According to the Vehicle Certification Agency:

MUTUAL RECOGNITION – ‘LIGHT’ GOODS VEHICLES, i.e. VEHICLES WITH A GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT LESS THAN 3500 Kgs

As with cars, this scheme can only be applied to light goods vehicles that are less than 10 years old from the date of first registration. If your vehicle is more than 10 years old, please contact the DVLA for further instructions.

The following will be required in order to process your application::

1)The original foreign registration document

Please note it must be the original foreign registration document and not a copy.

2) A Commission Notice letter from the vehicle manufacturer or authorized UK representative

The Commission Notice letter compares your vehicle with the UK Type Approved specification (or its nearest equivalent). If you need to contact the manufacturer then VCA holds a list of contact numbers.

3) A written statement from the applicant confirming that the following items are fitted to the vehicle:

That a fog light has been fitted to the rear offside, or centre line of the vehicle.

That headlamps have been permanently adjusted to be suitable for use on the left hand side of the road, namely that the beam is adjusted to dip left. Please note that stickers, beam deflectors and other non-permanent changes are not acceptable.

That a speedometer has been fitted which is capable of indicating speed in both miles per hour and kilometres per hour, either simultaneously, or separately by the operation of a switch.

That a tachograph has been fitted, if required. (The tachograph need only read in kph).

On this basis, I don't see how an MOT tester could pass a vehicle which did not comply with UK Construction and Use regulations....

 

 

[Will]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]

On this basis, I don't see how an MOT tester could pass a vehicle which did not comply with UK Construction and Use regulations....

[/quote]

They are obviously less well informed than SD, because they do [:D]

[derf]

Because having an MOT done and registering a vehicle are two different things, anyone can present a vehicle LHD or RHD for an MOT  and no questions need to be asked if it going to be registered in the UK, it just needs to meet the current MOT regulations nothing to with type approval etc.