Tax disc upon return to the UK

[Owen White]

I got some really good advice on this forum when i moved out to france 9 months ago, and now ive got to move back, so was hoping someone might be able to help me.

 

here's my situation:

I've got french insurance here - it runs out in july, from what i understand it would be OK for me to drive in the UK on this insurance.

My UK road tax disc ran out in decmber 06 - i had to declare my car off the road as i couldnt get a tax disc with out proof of UK insurance. Whilst ive read that i probably should have exported the car, the fact that i knew i was going back to the UK meant i wasnt keen on doing this.

 

So the issue is what to do? seeing as ive paid for a few more months of french insurance, i'd like to avoid getting UK insurance in this period if possible. however, i'll need to get a tax disc obviously, so does anyone know how i can do this? can i just insure my car for a few days/weeks, get a tax disc and then carry on with the french insurance?

 

cheers for any help

[Bob T]

Owen, It seems that you have broken the rules by not registering your car in France in the first place. Are you now asking if it is OK to break the rules and get UK insurance for a few days just to get a tax disc? Do you want people to stand up and tell you how they get around the rules?

I may sound a bit harsh, but I think that people who don't bother with rules because it doesn't suit them should have the car confiscated.

[Will]

I don't know if anybody else can find a way round the situation, but the problem as I see it is that all the time a vehicle carries British number plates it is supposed to comply with British law - i.e. road tax, MoT etc. So you should have either exported the car or kept up the British road tax.

People will tell you that as no road tax is required in France than as long as the vehicle is insured in France nobody will bother, and regardless of the rights and wrongs of this, that's how it seems to work - all the time the vehicle is in France. But of course, you need a tax disc to drive legally in Britain. As you need British insurance to get a tax disc I can see no alternative to cancelling the French insurance, then getting British insurance, re-taxing the car - and having to answer awkward questions, and possibly paying back tax and a fine - because of the gap between when the tax ran out and the new tax disc.

Sorry if it isn't what you want to hear, but I don't see any other solution.

[BJSLIV]

The only thing you can do to retrieve the situation is to seek a refund on your French insurance.

You will then need to take out UK insurance ASAP and tax the car. In the meantime you will need to cross your fingers that you aren't picked up by a number plate recognition teams. The equipment can identify any vehicle that is either untaxed or uninsured. If you stopped the car will be immediately impounded , and you will have to pay fines, back tax etc, before you can retrieve the vehicle.

Incidentally one of the prime places where the NR system is deployed are the UK ports of entry. So you may be well advised to arrange tax and insurance before you leave France, unless you want to walk home from Dover.

 

[dogwood]

Hi

This is my favorite subject[:@][:@]

There are loads of people that will tell you different, But If you take out French Insurance then you MUST be actively engaged in the process of changing over to French registration!!!!!! Most Insurances will give you 1 month for this some will give you 3 if you are lucky.After this you have No Insurance!!!

Your problem as I see it is this.....Your car has been in France for 9 months. You appear to have made no attempt to change to French....Illegal!!

You have declared it with a SORN saying it was off road!!! but you ARE using it on road.....Illegal!!!!

Cars that have NOT been exported can only be used in France for a max of 6 months before returning to ther UK yours has been here 9....Illegal!!

You say there is no tax on this. Do you have an up to date MOT or CT? Please say yes [:@]

There are plenty of forums that will tell you how to get your car registered in France. Beleive me it is NOT difficult

I will end by saying PLEASE STOP using this car. It is not just that you apper to be using it illegaly but if you have an accident would you be able to pay out of your own pocket?

Dogwood..[:@]    I hope this is ok moderators?

 

 

[Sunday Driver]

[quote user="Owen White"]

I got some really good advice on this forum when i moved out to france 9 months ago,......

 

 [/quote]

 

Pity you didn't follow that advice and legally register your car when you moved out here.  There again, if you "weren't keen on doing this", then breaking the law clearly doesn't matter to you, so why is it suddenly important now? 

 

So you're thinking of obtaining a UK cover note from some unsuspecting broker, then welching on the deal by cancelling it?  Of course, it'd save you having to actually pay for something.  Then you could drive around thinking you're covered by your obsolete invalid French insurance - after all, you've paid good money for it.

 

Make sure you retax the car before you come off the ferry otherwise, as BJ says, the ANPR cameras will snap you and you'll be prosecuted for fraudulently declaring SORN and fined £1,000, sent to prison for two years and have your vehicle crushed.....

 

On the other hand, you could just ignore all this advice again.....[8-)]

 

 

 

 

[Bob T]

Harsh words, but true. It makes me want to tell people that I am German or Dutch, as I would hate to be tarred with the same brush as any other Brit who spends all thier time breaking the rules.

[Eslier]

[quote user="dogwood"]

Dogwood..[:@]    I hope this is ok moderators?

[/quote]

Dogwood, not only is your post OK but it is very good advice.

This vehicle is illegal to drive in France and is illegal to drive in the UK.

[Chezstevens]

Another Brit giving the rest of us a poor image - this has been discussed so often now it is boring.  The chancers in life will also, no doubt, be claiming unemployment benefit from the UK and, or, France.  If you can't abide by the legal requirements then b***er off and annoy another country.  That way then hopefully you won't run over our children in an uninsured vehicle - ''Oh I didn't know'' does not work nowadays.

Rant over but they are such ''t****rs''.

Vern  

[dogwood]

Hi Sunday Driver

Here we go again!!!!!

I'm getting realy fed up with this arn't you.

I wonder just how many people there actuly are out there running round thinking this is OK [:@]

Keep it shiny side up, and watch out for the others

Dogwood

[Dick Smith]

And now we've got someone asking if it's OK to do electrical work in French homes with no registration and certification...

[Will]

We'll have somebody from the BBC saying you can work in France while paying social security to Britain next... [;-)]

[Chezstevens]

With a car empire named after him surely he can buy a new car.  Here is some suggestions for his 5 other posts:

1.  How can I claim unemployment benefit in the Dordogne?

2.  How can I work on the black whilst claiming the above?

3.  How can I avoid paying maintenance whilst doing 1 & 2?

4.  How can I avoid paying any social contributions whilst doing ........?

5.  Any suggestions for this one?

 

[Owen White]

wow! i really didnt expect this kind of response.

i feel compelled to write a little in my defence

the original thread i created is here http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/677982/ShowPost.aspx#677982

Sunday Driver wrote:

"If you are resident in the UK and intending to visit France, then you may bring your UK registered car over for up to 12 months.  Any longer than that, then you'd be obliged to permanently export it.  There is no requirement for short term visitors to register their vehicles here.

Whilst driving abroad, your vehicle must be UK road legal so make sure it has a tax disc and MOT valid for this period.  If not, it'll cause you some hassle. For example, if your tax expires whilst you are over here,then you can apply to have a new tax disc sent to a french address but you'd also have to produce a current UK insurance certificate as normal. If your MOT expires whilst in France, then you'd have to return to the UK to visit a testing station (nearest to the ferry port) on a pre-arranged appointment."

I am officially resident in the UK - i am in france on a 9 month work placement but go back often for work & social reasons. therefore, following Sunday's point, i thought i didnt have to re-register my car, as it wouldnt exceed 12 months.

My car is fully MOT'ed - the reason why i did not renew my tax disc was the after hours of phoning and emailing the DVLA and explaining the situatuion i was refused one as i did not have UK insurance. i couldnt afford to get UK & French insurance - i am 24 and just starting out with my career and so was not another rich brit going abroad to a 2nd home, but neither was i be 'claiming unemployment benefit from the UK and, or, France.' as Chezstevens would like to believe.

Having read the posts above, it seems the only course of action left for me is to:

Get UK insurance b4 i return to the UK

Declare the car back on the road

Get a UK tax disc - either sent directly to france or to my UK address and then forwarded on to France

I really am not trying to dodge any systems - i was simply trying to follow the advice i received on here and from friends as best i could.

[Chezstevens]

You shouldn't be surprised - You know you have taken the proverbial out of both systems.

[Dago]

Owen, you now realise that each and everyone on this forum is 'whiter than white' and have never ever done anything wrong especially when young...you will discover that they all have learnt French, all pay their way, all do their renovations to the French normes, they all did their 'homework' on moving to France and are such pillars of the community. Good luck with your return to the UK, at least yours is not one of the hundreds of UK registered cars left blocking up spaces in the various airport carparks.[6]

best regards

[IMG]http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g130/dago49/Dago3.jpg[/IMG]

[dogwood]

Hi Dago

Was there any real point to your post?????????????????????

The reason why I get annoyed at people without insurance is my wife was run over by some one who thought they had insurance when they did not.

She go no compensation because of this. She nearly lost her leg, and now can hardly walk. We are not "rich brits with a second home" just living on our pentions, We manage to stay legal why cant others?

Question for Owen. Why did you take out French insurance in the first place? You should have stayed with the English.

You say your only course of action. Well you have 2 courses You could still get it registered in France.

Either way stop using it untill you have got it sorted you are using illegaly remember. I realy dont care if you end up in nick. I am more concerned if you hit someone. Please think about it!

Dogwood

[Dago]

Ah, so now there has to be a point in a posting on the forum, what a breath of fresh air. I am sorry for the accident to your wife, of course we should all be legal, I totally agree with you. I don't understand why you have brought up the 'rich brits with a second home' line though, what is YOUR point exactly?

best regards

[IMG]http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g130/dago49/Dago3.jpg[/IMG]

[Will]

I think the point is that there are an awful lot of things you can get away with - like working on the black, using an untaxed UK-reg vehicle etc - until something goes wrong and you get found out.

If you have insurance I think it highly unlikely that an insurer would fail to meet legal obligations to third parties, but if driving a vehicle that the insurer considered illegal you would certainly not have any more than the bare minimum of legal cover. So your own vehicle would not be covered, and you could find that you were denied cover in future with that insurer, which would make life difficult with other insurers unless you made a false declaration.

[dogwood]

Hi Dago

You should read all the posts.

Owen wrote:

" i am 24 and just starting out with my career and so was not another rich brit going abroad to a 2nd home,"

That's why! [:@]

Dogwood

[Dago]

[quote user="dogwood"]

Hi Dago

You should read all the posts.

Owen wrote:

" i am 24 and just starting out with my career and so was not another rich brit going abroad to a 2nd home,"

That's why! [:@]

Dogwood

[/quote]

Hands up to that one.

best regards

[IMG]http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g130/dago49/Dago3.jpg[/IMG]

[Russethouse]

Dogwood, I have twice read that your wife was hit by an uninsured person FWIW my god daughter was the victim of a hit and run accident and sustained a broken neck - luckily with the help of a lump of metal work holding her neck together, she has virtually full mobility however does considerable ongoing pain - in her mid twenties this is rather a depressing road. Thanks to witnesses the police traced the owner of the car, who refused (and still refuses) to say who she had lent the car to. This means the claim for damages is dealt with by the MIB (Motor Insurance Board) I wonder why this wasn't the case with your wife.

I have asked this before but I wonder if French insurers have a similar organization?

 

[Sunday Driver]

In France, vehicle owners are deemed responsible for all traffic offences unless they disclose the identity of the person driving the vehicle at the time. If they don't know or won't say, then they have to take the rap themselves.

Furthermore, continuous insurance is a legal requirement which covers claims arising from instances where a vehicle was being driven without the owner's knowledge or consent.

 

[Russethouse]

So if it was a hit and run and the driver was never found would it be a case of 'tough' ?

Sorry about going off topic, but I think its relevant

[cooperlola]

[quote user="Russethouse"]

So if it was a hit and run and the driver was never found would it be a case of 'tough' ?

Sorry about going off topic, but I think its relevant

[/quote]You are, after all, the arbiter - or one of them - of what is off topic and what is not!  There have to be some perks.  Anyhow, I agree it is relevant (even if we have covered this before several times.)  It's not a question of everybody being "whiter than white" at all, but simply the fact that those who make the effort and take the time to stay within the law get a bit short tempered with those who don't.  And for good reason if you happen to get on the wrong end of an uninsured and illegal vehicle, by the look of some of the posts in this thread.