Very confused

[bixy]

Goodness knows where I heard it but I have thought for some time that we would have one year from the time of moving to France in which to officially import our car. I had also read in this forum that French insurers are quite happy to insure UK registered cars. Imagine my panic on reading SDs post on importing and registering a car, when I learnt we would have only one month! I did some more trawling around and found this on the EU commission site:

"if you are moving to a different Community Member State, you must

register your vehicle in that country as soon as possible after arrival

and, at any rate, within six months of moving."

This is the url: http://ec.europa.eu/youreurope/nav/en/citizens/living/car/delivery-registration/index_en.html

Now I'm doubly confused. So which is it?

Patrick

[Benjamin]

If I was driving a Brit registered vehicle in France I think I'd follow what the French say and not some directive issued by the EU Commisssion says.

Secondly I'd trust S D with my daughter......if I had one. [:D]

[Cassis]

Definitely have to change within 6 months.  I don't know to which post of SD you are referring.  In another thread SD said:

"As defined in EU Directive 83/182, a resident of a Member State may

temporarily import their vehicle into another Member State for up to

six months in any twelve month period without having to register it in

the other Member State. This period is considered to be sufficiently

long to enable citizens to exercise in full their right of freedom of

movement in a Member State other than the one in which they are

normally resident. This exemption covers such situations as holiday

visits, cross border business travel, etc."

This does not conflict with what you have quoted - i.e. you must register within 6 months at most.  In theory, you should re-register as soon as you can if you are permanently importing your car; but as you are allowed to temporarily import for up to 6 months, in practice I guess that is the maximum grace period if you are permanently importing as well (as it would be hard for the police to prove you were intending to import permanently rather than temporarily).

[Dick Smith]

Isn't the difference that the 6-month period is for non-residents, and residents must re-register within one month of becoming resident?

[Val_2]

We were given 3 months only to re-register a car by the prefecture back in 94/95.

[Cassis]

[quote user="Dick Smith"]Isn't the difference that the 6-month period is for non-residents, and residents must re-register within one month of becoming resident?

[/quote]

Could be.  I think I recall SD saying something of the sort.  Whatever, I would just get the thing registered and not procrastinate.  If I put it off I would only forget!

[bixy]

The SD post I was quoting is the FAQ at the head of this section - sorry for the confusion.

Patrick

[Sunday Driver]

The EU directive mentioned by Bixy is a general "dictat" that each EU member state must incorporate within their own national legislation.  It's the national legislation that applies, wherever you may live.

However, national governments may vary the terms of their own legislation.  For example:-

If you are resident in France, you have one month in which to register a foreign registered car here.  This is extended to four months if the vehicle requires a single vehicle type approval inspection.

If you are resident in the UK, there is no period of grace allowed and, other than for a pre-arranged visit to a MOT or VOSA testing station, a foreign registered vehicle may not be driven on the road at all.

The six months rule mentioned by Cassis is the rule governing residents of one EU member state who are temporarily visiting another EU state (eg, on holiday or for short term business trips).  They are not required to reregister their car if they don't stay there for more than six months.  It only applies to visitors, not to residents.

 

 

 

 

[AnOther]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]If you are resident in the UK, there is no period of grace allowed and, other than for a pre-arranged visit to a MOT or VOSA testing station, a foreign registered vehicle may not be driven on the road at all.[/quote]You should try telling this to a near neighbour of mine in UK who has had his French Merc parked outside on the public highway pretty well permanantly for a couple of years.

I honestly don't know if he has any connection with France or not but either way, it clearly shouldn't be on a public road.

Where it is parked is bang in the middle of the village and facing a "T" junction so you stare straight at it when you approach the junction and when you pull up, it's French plate in full view. The cops cannot have failed to see it hundreds of times and even the Community Officer, who walks around checking tax disks, completely ignores it.

Nothing personal, I hardly know the guy, but I think if I saw it being driven around locally I'd probably shop him.

[XLeblanc]

I have now registered two vehicles in France now and the process is not difficult. You just have to make sure you have all the correct bits of paper when you make the trip to the prefecture. Once at the prefecture the process takes less than half an hour.

There are a great number of people driving around in British registered cars some of whom I know for a fact have not returned to the UK to renew their MOT certificates and display no control technique stickers on their windscreens. Therefore there is a strong possibility that their cars may not even be roadworthy. I wonder also how their French Insurance Company would view this situation should they have an accident.

 

[bixy]

Well, that's pretty clear then. I suppose what reinforced the idea that you had up to a year to re-register was the fact that so many people I know who have moved to France have been driving around on UK plates. In fact in two cases I know personally the people I know have moved over, then sold up and gone back without ever changing their plates!

As a postscript both Mazda and Honda say they do not charge for a certificate of conformity.

Thanks to everyone who replied.

Patrick

[YCCMB]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]

If you are resident in the UK, there is no period of grace allowed and, other than for a pre-arranged visit to a MOT or VOSA testing station, a foreign registered vehicle may not be driven on the road at all.

[/quote]

Not that it's any skin off my nose, but I hope that somewhere out in the ether there's a Polish or Czech or Slovakian site called "Total Britain" with its own guru like SD who is pointing this out......although observation tells me there isn't[:D]

[Salty Sam]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]

If you are resident in the UK, there is no period of grace allowed and, other than for a pre-arranged visit to a MOT or VOSA testing station, a foreign registered vehicle may not be driven on the road at all.

[/quote]

The DVLA states the following;

"A visitor to the UK may use a vehicle displaying foreign plates, provided that all taxes (including vehicle excise duty) are paid in their country of origin.

If a vehicle bearing foreign plates is stopped by the police, it is the responsibility of the keeper to demonstrate that he or she is eligible to use the vehicle in the UK without registering and taxing it.

European Union vehicles

It is the responsibility for the driver to prove how long the vehicle has been in the country. This can be achieved by producing ferry tickets. Used or unregistered vehicles brought into the UK will be allowed to circulate freely for six months in any 12 month period without the need to register. Certain vehicles will be required to display a temporary 'Q' plate. Temporary visitor status is not appropriate to these vehicles.

A 'brand new' vehicle can be driven to GB and registered as 'new' provided the vehicle:

• is registered in GB quickly after collection - this is taken to be 14 days but may be extended to one calendar month at peak periods (eg prior to 1 March and 1 September)

• only have reasonable delivery mileage

• not have been previously permanently registered "

One can be employed outside the UK, maintain UK residency, and return to the UK with for example - a French registered vehicle which has been registered in your own name. No offence is committed if the vehicle doesn't remain within the UK in excess of 6 months within any 12 month period.

While working for NATO, I travelled Europe extensively in my own vehicle, which was not UK registered. My residence was classed as within the UK although I probably only actually spent 3 months within the UK per year. The vehicle was used within the UK as well as Europe. The DVLA were aware and weren't in the slightest bit interested because the vehicle wasn't within the UK for longer than 6 months in any 12 month period.

The problem lies in the interpretation of "Visitor" and "Resident".

[Sunday Driver]

This thread is about people who are permanently resident in one EU country and wishing to import and use a foreign registered vehicle.

Salty Sam's DVLA quote refers to vehicles which have temporary visitor status, which is an entirely different matter.  His own particular situation is covered by the regulation which allows cross border movement for the purposes of employment.

 

[Salty Sam]

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]

This thread is about people who are permanently resident in one EU country and wishing to import and use a foreign registered vehicle.[/quote] Then why quote the following which only confuses further?

[quote user="Sunday Driver"]

If you are resident in the UK, there is no period of grace allowed and, other than for a pre-arranged visit to a MOT or VOSA testing station, a foreign registered vehicle may not be driven on the road at all.[/quote] So, if I purchase and register a vehicle in France, spend 50% of my time in France and 50% in the UK where I maintain residency, you are saying that upon return to the UK with vehicle I cannot drive it on the public highway?

[Sunday Driver]

I'm sorry if you found my quote confusing. 

If you go back to the beginning of this thread, the original question concerned someone moving permanently to France who had incorrectly read that he had a year in which to import his vehicle.  He went on to quote an EU directive which had left him confused and I responded by clarifying the basis upon how that EU directive was translated into national law and the examples I gave were to illustrate the local variations which fell within the wider ranging scope of the directive.

Given that other posters had mentioned the six month rule for temporary imports, I also provided clarification that this did not apply to the original poster.

You then appear and introduce yet another variation on the theme, which again, does not apply to the original question concerning someone permanently resident in one country. 

To answer your final question  - yes you can. As I've already said, your own particular situation is covered by the EU regulations which permit cross border movement for employment purposes.