Polish vehicle bought by UK resident

[LeftmostAardvark]

In a moment of eBay madness (that has I think paid off...), I bought a 1978 Dnepr MT-12 motorcycle sidecar combo.

I've filled out a NOVA application, but I've since sorted through the paperwork and found what I think is full polish MOT. I've got it insured on the frame number. Question: am I legally allowed to ride it on the road with the polish plates and MOT and frame number insurance? If so, is this until NOVA paperwork is sent to me, until 6 months is up or until end of MOT?

Thanks.

[TooMany2cvs]

LeftmostAardvark said:

Question: am I legally allowed to ride it on the road with the polish plates and MOT and frame number insurance?

No.

Apart from the small detail that a UK resident (of whatever nationality) can't use a foreign-registered vehicle over here, the UK frame-number insurance won't make it Polish-legal, which it'd need to be. B'sides, is it registered in your name in PL?

You've got to wait for the UK plate, with the one exception of taking it for an MOT.

[mygoldfishbowl]

Can't help but cool bike

[wolf1]

Make sure you have proof of it's age as any combination post 1981 has to have the chair on the left.

[LeftmostAardvark]

wolf1 said:

Make sure you have proof of it's age as any combination post 1981 has to have the chair on the left.

Thanks - that bit covered very well by documentation. 1978 registration, clearly stated on many bits of paler

[TooMany2cvs]

wolf1 said:

Make sure you have proof of it's age as any combination post 1981 has to have the chair on the left.

You'd have to have proof of age (presumably, Polish V5-equivalent) to register it anyway, so shouldn't be a problem.

[anonymous-user]

What documents dod you get with it?

You should have a little red book which looks like a passport, I think its called a Karta Pojazdu, This is effectively the vehicles logbook,

You also get another small document which is usually inside a little plastic folder.(you must carry this whenever you are using the vehicle) There should be some stamps on the middle page which is the Polish MOT, Insurance stays with the vehicle as opposed to the owner meaning its covered for anyone to drive/ride. This is usually in the form of a little business card sized piece of paper with the word "ubezpieczenie" followed by the letters OC- for third party only or OC+AC which is Fully comp.

As for the legality of using it the rules are a little bit of a grey area, Technically if its insured and has a valid MOT (Badanie Technizne) then its legal however as a UK resident you aren't really allowed to ride it under UK Law but are allowed under EU Law,

Personally I would just wait to save any hassle.

Is it on normal numberplate or historic vehicle plates?

[Rushjob]

Awesome combo!

[EU_Foreigner]

TooMany2cvs said:

Apart from the small detail that a UK resident (of whatever nationality) can't use a foreign-registered vehicle over here

Don't think that is correct.

As a UK resident, I am perfectly entitled to drive any family / friends car from NL on their insurance (as the car is insured, not the person). I am also entitled to drive a foreign registered rental car here.

[Red Devil]

EU_Foreigner said:

TooMany2cvs said:

Apart from the small detail that a UK resident (of whatever nationality) can't use a foreign-registered vehicle over here

Don't think that is correct.

As a UK resident, I am perfectly entitled to drive any family / friends car from NL on their insurance (as the car is insured, not the person).

If it's a NL registered vehicle you're not unless you fall into one of the exempted categories - http://www.hughesguides.com/foreignvehicles.pdf
Do you? If you are stopped by the police you risk having the vehicle seized. Either that or you do not fall under the relevant definition of UK resident.

EU_Foreigner said:

I am also entitled to drive a foreign registered rental car here.

Correct.

[SS2.]

EU_Foreigner said:

TooMany2cvs said:

Apart from the small detail that a UK resident (of whatever nationality) can't use a foreign-registered vehicle over here

Don't think that is correct.

As a UK resident, I am perfectly entitled to drive any family / friends car from NL on their insurance (as the car is insured, not the person).

In the context of the original question, the point is a little moot.

I completely agree that, despite many claims to the contrary, there doesn't appear to be anything in domestic legislation which prevents a UK resident from driving a loaned vehicle that is registered in another member state on UK roads. Indeed, even an EU ruling confirms this to be fine, subject to the loan being 'short term'.

However, the OP is a UK resident who has purchased a foreign registered vehicle and intends to bring it back to the UK. That's a completely different set of circumstances.

[Red Devil]

SS2. said:

EU_Foreigner said:

TooMany2cvs said:

Apart from the small detail that a UK resident (of whatever nationality) can't use a foreign-registered vehicle over here

Don't think that is correct.

As a UK resident, I am perfectly entitled to drive any family / friends car from NL on their insurance (as the car is insured, not the person).

In the context of the original question, the point is a little moot.

I completely agree that, despite many claims to the contrary, there doesn't appear to be anything in domestic legislation which prevents a UK resident from driving a loaned vehicle that is registered in another member state on UK roads. Indeed, even an EU ruling confirms this to be fine, subject to the loan being 'short term'.

If by loaned you mean a vehicle rented/hired from the likes of Hertz or whoever in another EU country, then yes, but that's not the scenario he's talking about. On digging further I found this - http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/vehicles/regi... - which could be what EU Foreigner is relying on. That makes it very clear that his relatives/friends can't lend/loan him the vehicle and the owner must be in it with him at the time.

Vehicle registration differs from insurance as you don't become resident for that purpose until 6 months have elapsed.
http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/vehicles/regi...

There is LHD an orange Focus ST near me on a Hungarian plate which goes back and forth on a regular basis. For the last 4 years it has disappeared after a stay of approximately 180 days and then comes back again several months later.

SS2. said:

However, the OP is a UK resident who has purchased a foreign registered vehicle and intends to bring it back to the UK. That's a completely different set of circumstances.

Agreed.

[LeftmostAardvark]

So the consensus is that I don't get to play until I get the MOT booked in, and then not again until MoT passed and registration returned

[Smokehead]

Lovely machine, all it needs is a machine gun.

[LeftmostAardvark]

Smokehead said:

Lovely machine, all it needs is a machine gun.

Plans are most decidedly afoot...

[SS2.]

Red Devil said:

On digging further I found this - http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/vehicles/regi... - which could be what EU Foreigner is relying on. That makes it very clear that his relatives/friends can't lend/loan him the vehicle and the owner must be in it with him at the time.

This has cropped up several times and I'm still interested to know what law would he be breaking if he short term borrowed a [road legal & insured] vehicle registered in another member state and drove it on UK roads..

[Crocodile110]

Op apologies for going slightly off topic but recently I was looking at purchasing a polish vehicle that was in the Uk myself, my concern at the time was that I obviously wouldn't be able to hpi check the car and to check whether it wasn't a stolen vehicle, my instinct was that surely it is very easy for someone in Poland to drive a car over here and sell it on autotrader for 10k cash but then claim the car was stolen in Poland and claim on insurance or the car wasn't there's to sell in the first place, what process did you go through to make sure the bike was legitimate.

On the topic of registering the bike in the Uk, what steps did you have to go through or what are you currently going through to make it Uk road legal?

Thanks for your help

Edited by Crocodile110 on Sunday 26th June 23:00

[Cooperman]

[quote=TooMany2cvs]

No.

Apart from the small detail that a UK resident (of whatever nationality) can't use a foreign-registered vehicle over here, .....


That is not strictly true, although it is true in this case.

Certain temporary resident students may drive foreign registered cars in the UK.

Non-EU nationals can temporarily import a non-EU registered 'means-of-transport' into the UK for up to 6 months for their own use and these may be also driven by UK residents who must be named on the HMRC Form 308 at the time of import so long as the importer is within the EU at that time.

[danzltiu]

I like the slick spare tyre!!!

[LeftmostAardvark]

Crocodile110 said:

Op apologies for going slightly off topic but recently I was looking at purchasing a polish vehicle that was in the Uk myself, my concern at the time was that I obviously wouldn't be able to hpi check the car and to check whether it wasn't a stolen vehicle, my instinct was that surely it is very easy for someone in Poland to drive a car over here and sell it on autotrader for 10k cash but then claim the car was stolen in Poland and claim on insurance or the car wasn't there's to sell in the first place, what process did you go through to make sure the bike was legitimate.

On the topic of registering the bike in the Uk, what steps did you have to go through or what are you currently going through to make it Uk road legal?

Thanks for your help

Edited by Crocodile110 on Sunday 26th June 23:00

With the nature of this vehicle (38 years old, paperwork handwritten in Cyrillic etc.), it was a case of cross-referencing engine and frame numbers as best as possible, following the audit trail of what was paid where and when and almost doing a 'manual' hpi, and then doing some substantial due diligence on the seller. I was satisfied (through some digging), that the person selling was both legitimate and easily traceable, so should anything have gone wrong I could trace them fairly easily.

The registration process is: http://www.cossackownersclub.co.uk/dating.html