strange number plate

[fat tony]

I was wondering if someone can shed some light on this for me? The us a yellow scooby in my village with black plates and I think its 5 or 6 numbers on it. I have seen it on and off for about 12 months. I have seen jersey plates before but not this type. Its rhd. I thought vehicles imported had to ne re registered and have uk plates?

[curr2633]

If I remember correctly, you are able to bring a foreign vehicle into this country as a temporary import and as such us it on it's foreign registration and tax etc. for up to 1 year.

[GreatGranny]

Jersey numbers start with a J and have a max. of 5 numbers I think, Guernsey have a max of 5 numbers and a min of 1, no letters.

Edited by GreatGranny on Wednesday 6th June 14:47

[Cooperman]

That's a Guernsey vehicle.
Although a foreign registered vehicle must (should?) be registered with the DVLA after 12 months, it may be that the vehicle has been in and out of the country during the period you've seen it.
Also, if a person is living &/or working in the UK on a non-permanent basis and has no real fixed abode here, for example is living in hotels for over 12 months, it's impossible for that person to register their vehicle here as the DVLA won't accept a person's permanent address if it's not in the UK, although under EU rules you must be able to move your assetts around the EU without any barriers. It's a grey area really, as covered on another on another thread concerning dual licences.

[fat tony]

cheers guys. they definatly live in a house, and thinking about it they have been around here for a couple of years now. at least i know were they come from now!

[pdV6]

There's several Guernsey-plated vehicles around here that are definitely permanent residents. In fact, at least one of the plates has made it through at least one change of car, so I assume the owner nipped back to GBG to trade in the old one and retained the reg?

[BIG DUNC]

They may be Gurnsey residents, and also own or rent the house that you see them in. Maybe they were born in the Channel Islands and don't want to give up residency, or maybe for tax reasons they have a house there. Possible the family home is on Gurnsey, and their employer has them on a three year ( or longer ) secondment over here.

Iether way, the car could be registered in Gurnsey, and may even go back there a few times a year. That way, each time it comes here, it is only visiting for a few months.

I know someone who has a house in Gurnsey, and one here. She has two cars, one registered at each house, but they often spend many months at the "wrong" location for various reasons.

As said above, it is a bit of a grey area, but unless you see any thing else suspicious I doubt they are trying to get away with anything. You cannot register a car there unless you live there, and thats not cheap, so its probably not low life thinking they have found an easy way of getting out of insurance / tax / MOT etc

[chris_tivver]

BIG DUNC said:

You cannot register a car there unless you live there, and thats not cheap, so its probably not low life thinking they have found an easy way of getting out of insurance / tax / MOT etc

...unless its a fake plate of course. Hard for the BiB to check on and no-one gets the speeding tickets etc

[shuvitupya]

chris_tivverHard said:

Hard for the BiB to check on and no-one gets the speeding tickets etc

Until they get caught speeding, I guess nobody is going to get reported.

Nobody cares anymore unless a car is driving faster than a posted speed limit.

Murderers, rapists, and burglars are only ever caught when speeding.

Edited by shuvitupya on Thursday 7th June 00:48

[streaky]

Cooperman]That's a Guernsey vehicle. [... said:

although under EU rules you must be able to move your assetts around the EU without any barriers.

The Channel Islands are not part of the EU ... nor, for that matter are they part of the UK (they are, however, part of the British Isles) - Streaky

[fat tony]

How can they be part of the British isle and not part of the EU? That then must mean any little island can opt out I guess? I take it if plod do a pnc check it will come up blank? Or would they have to call the island police?

[pdV6]

fat tony said:

How can they be part of the British isle and not part of the EU?

Because the United Kingdom is in the EU. The British Isles is just the name for a geographic collection of islands.

[streaky]

fat tony said:

How can they be part of the British isle and not part of the EU? That then must mean any little island can opt out I guess?

Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are UK dependencies. Alderney, Brechou, Herm, Jethou, Lihou and Sark are Guernsey dependencies. None are members of the EU. They are all self-governing. Other islands within the British Isles - e.g. The Orkneys and the Shetland Islands, and Ynys Môn (Anglesey) - are part of the UK and therefore part of the EU - Streaky