Driving My Non UK Car in the UK

[NordicCrankShaft]

I'm looking at driving back to the UK over the coming weeks from Norway, aside from my driving license and Insurance, what other documents do I need?

[mgv8]

Do you live in the UK? How long is the car going to be here?

[anonymous-user]

NordicCrankShaft said:

... aside from my driving license and Insurance, what other documents do I need?

Leave the driving license behind but bring your driving licence.

[NordicCrankShaft]

mgv8 said:

Do you live in the UK? How long is the car going to be here?

No I live in the country the car is registered in. Will probably be here 1-2 weeks, haven't decided yet will definitely be driving back.

[Medic-one]

You can use a vehicle with foreign number plates without registering or taxing it in the UK if all of the following apply:

- You’re visiting and don’t plan to live here.
- The vehicle is registered and taxed in its home country
- You only use the vehicle for up to 6 months in total - this can be a single visit, or several shorter visits over 12 months.

I drove over in my Dutch car a few times before i moved here, and i made sure i had all documents (MOT, insurance, tax) handy and i carried a printout of my ferry crossing (showing my Dutch registration and the date i travelled over) so i could prove i wasn't here for over 6 months.

[NordicCrankShaft]

Medic-one said:

You can use a vehicle with foreign number plates without registering or taxing it in the UK if all of the following apply:

- You’re visiting and don’t plan to live here.
- The vehicle is registered and taxed in its home country
- You only use the vehicle for up to 6 months in total - this can be a single visit, or several shorter visits over 12 months.

I drove over in my Dutch car a few times before i moved here, and i made sure i had all documents (MOT, insurance, tax) handy and i carried a printout of my ferry crossing (showing my Dutch registration and the date i travelled over) so i could prove i wasn't here for over 6 months.

Tax?

[Medic-one]

NordicCrankShaft said:

Tax?

I Holland you need to pay "road tax", bit like over here in the UK (which used to be displayed in those round stickers in the corner of the window, but is done all done electronically), so because that was a requirement in Holland i took documents showing i've paid my road tax, but if there's no such system in Norway then obviously that doesn't apply.

You just need to be able to prove your car is legal in your country (so whatever you need in Norway) and that you haven't been driving the car here for over 6 months, and then you're fine.

[RacerMDR]

Medic-one said:

You can use a vehicle with foreign number plates without registering or taxing it in the UK if all of the following apply:

- You’re visiting and don’t plan to live here.
- The vehicle is registered and taxed in its home country
- You only use the vehicle for up to 6 months in total - this can be a single visit, or several shorter visits over 12 months.

I drove over in my Dutch car a few times before i moved here, and i made sure i had all documents (MOT, insurance, tax) handy and i carried a printout of my ferry crossing (showing my Dutch registration and the date i travelled over) so i could prove i wasn't here for over 6 months.

'you're visiting and don't plan to live here' is an impossible thing to prove.

Does this set of rules only count for Europe? If I was importing a car from further afield - can I drive it on the US plates? or SA?

[KevinCamaroSS]

RacerMDR said:

'you're visiting and don't plan to live here' is an impossible thing to prove.

Does this set of rules only count for Europe? If I was importing a car from further afield - can I drive it on the US plates? or SA?

How so? A return ferry ticket from the continent would be reasonable proof.

[RacerMDR]

I was thinking more the part

'don't plan to live here'

Every time I drive to Italy I want to live there immediately

The rest of the DVLA website shuts it down pretty well though.

I just had a look.

[rdjohn]

NordicCrankShaft said:

I'm looking at driving back to the UK over the coming weeks from Norway, aside from my driving license and Insurance, what other documents do I need?

I am here with my French car at the moment, it will stay here until April.

The 3 things you must have are driving license, insurance certificate and registration document (carte Gris in my case). If your car is eleigable you also need a current certificate of road worthiness for your country (Control technique, in my case).

Unlike France, there never seem to be random Police checks here. I have never been stopped in any car, except for speeding etc. In France, random checks for ducments are fairly normal, I usually get stopped once a year, usually with added breath test.

[robwilk]

RacerMDR said:

'you're visiting and don't plan to live here' is an impossible thing to prove.

Does this set of rules only count for Europe? If I was importing a car from further afield - can I drive it on the US plates? or SA?

I improted a pick up from Canada which I had owned in Canada for over 1 year but all I had to do to drive it in the uk was insure it and adrian flux insured it on the VIN number after three months they contacted me saying I needed to get it SVA'd and registered which I did.
So no problem with a personal import.

[RacerMDR]

robwilk said:

I improted a pick up from Canada which I had owned in Canada for over 1 year but all I had to do to drive it in the uk was insure it and adrian flux insured it on the VIN number after three months they contacted me saying I needed to get it SVA'd and registered which I did.
So no problem with a personal import.

thank for that - just means I can use it whilst it's going through

[jondude]

RacerMDR said:

robwilk said:

I improted a pick up from Canada which I had owned in Canada for over 1 year but all I had to do to drive it in the uk was insure it and adrian flux insured it on the VIN number after three months they contacted me saying I needed to get it SVA'd and registered which I did.
So no problem with a personal import.

thank for that - just means I can use it whilst it's going through

Did the same with a motorbike I imported from the USA - insured it on the VIN number while getting the MOT and that.

You should not need anything other than to register it at your local DVLO and then get the MOT. It already has EU type approval and cannot be given duties or taxes for you to pay.

BUT....the MOT tester might not like your headlamps/beam direction and if they cannot be adjusted, demand you change them.

Worthwhile asking the MOT stations first before you put it in. If you can adjust the beam all should be swell.

[RacerMDR]

jondude said:

RacerMDR said:

robwilk said:

I improted a pick up from Canada which I had owned in Canada for over 1 year but all I had to do to drive it in the uk was insure it and adrian flux insured it on the VIN number after three months they contacted me saying I needed to get it SVA'd and registered which I did.
So no problem with a personal import.

thank for that - just means I can use it whilst it's going through

Did the same with a motorbike I imported from the USA - insured it on the VIN number while getting the MOT and that.

You should not need anything other than to register it at your local DVLO and then get the MOT. It already has EU type approval and cannot be given duties or taxes for you to pay.

BUT....the MOT tester might not like your headlamps/beam direction and if they cannot be adjusted, demand you change them.

Worthwhile asking the MOT stations first before you put it in. If you can adjust the beam all should be swell.

It isn't from the EU though - South AFrica.........

[CraigyMc]

NordicCrankShaft said:

Medic-one said:

You can use a vehicle with foreign number plates without registering or taxing it in the UK if all of the following apply:

- You’re visiting and don’t plan to live here.
- The vehicle is registered and taxed in its home country
- You only use the vehicle for up to 6 months in total - this can be a single visit, or several shorter visits over 12 months.

I drove over in my Dutch car a few times before i moved here, and i made sure i had all documents (MOT, insurance, tax) handy and i carried a printout of my ferry crossing (showing my Dutch registration and the date i travelled over) so i could prove i wasn't here for over 6 months.

Tax?

You don't need road tax in the UK unless the car is UK registered, which it won't be as you're only staying temporarily.
With your insurance and license, you need nothing else.

I was planning to drive from the UK to Lofoten next year, I suspect the same thing will be true there.

[Medic-one]

CraigyMc said:

You don't need road tax in the UK unless the car is UK registered, which it won't be as you're only staying temporarily.
With your insurance and license, you need nothing else.

I was planning to drive from the UK to Lofoten next year, I suspect the same thing will be true there.

I thought you have to be able to proof that your car is sticking to all the rules of the country it's registered in. So because road tax is a requirement in Holland i was under the impression that on request i'd have to be able to prove that my car is legal in my country, and that apart from having licence and insurance i can show i'm paying road tax in at least one country.

Though on the other hand, would UK police be able to ticket you for not having paid road tax required in the country of origin, maybe not...

[CraigyMc]

Medic-one said:

CraigyMc said:

You don't need road tax in the UK unless the car is UK registered, which it won't be as you're only staying temporarily.
With your insurance and license, you need nothing else.

I was planning to drive from the UK to Lofoten next year, I suspect the same thing will be true there.

I thought you have to be able to proof that your car is sticking to all the rules of the country it's registered in. So because road tax is a requirement in Holland i was under the impression that on request i'd have to be able to prove that my car is legal in my country, and that apart from having licence and insurance i can show i'm paying road tax in at least one country.

Though on the other hand, would UK police be able to ticket you for not having paid road tax required in the country of origin, maybe not...

Nope.
If it's legal to drive in Norway, it's legal to drive here.

[a.lex]

Medic-one said:

You can use a vehicle with foreign number plates without registering or taxing it in the UK if all of the following apply:

- You’re visiting and don’t plan to live here.
- The vehicle is registered and taxed in its home country
- You only use the vehicle for up to 6 months in total - this can be a single visit, or several shorter visits over 12 months.

I drove over in my Dutch car a few times before i moved here, and i made sure i had all documents (MOT, insurance, tax) handy and i carried a printout of my ferry crossing (showing my Dutch registration and the date i travelled over) so i could prove i wasn't here for over 6 months.

Be careful: This applies only to non-resident visitors to the UK. (As it says on the gov.uk website where that came from: https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/...

It will not apply if the OP becomes a resident (again?) of the UK--in particular the six-month period will not apply to him. Unlike for visitors, there is no "grace period" during which a UK resident can drive a foreign-registered vehicle in the UK--regardless of whether it is taxed, inspected, insured in another EU country or otherwise.

The problem the OP could have in the UK is that if he is a UK citizen and is stopped by the police whilst on holiday in the UK, he may be believed to be a resident by the police and treated accordingly. To avoid this he should keep his proof of foreign residence onward travel with him at all times when driving his vehicle in the UK.

[TooMany2cvs]

NordicCrankShaft said:

I'm looking at driving back to the UK over the coming weeks from Norway, aside from my driving license and Insurance, what other documents do I need?

Exactly the same as you'll need to drive through all the other countries en route.