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Subject Topic: Getting an MOT when not in the U.K.
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PersonRoysiaBoy
27/3/2017 at 8:50am
 Location: El Campello Spain
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If your campervan or motorhome is in need of an M.O.T. but you are long term touring in Western Europe for example, is it possible to have a test done in other countries that validates the MOT in the UK, or do you always have to return to the UK?

Any advice appreciated as we currently have the option to buy suitable vans in the UK, Spain and Germany.


Personbrianconwy
27/3/2017 at 9:06am
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Pre Brexit you need to have an MOT in the country the car is registered in. At least that is my understanding. I don't think there is a EU wide MOT test.

Post Brexit who knows.


PersonOpensauce
27/3/2017 at 9:36am
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A UK reg vehicle has to return to UK for UK Mot test. It cannot be done abroad. A vehicle can only registered in a country where you have a permanent address. If you only have a UK address then your motorhome has to be registered in UK & return to UK for Mot. UK insurance for UK reg van requires that van to be based in UK even if you only return once a year.

If you buy in, for example Germany & you have a German permanent address then van can be 'German' ie reg/taxed/insured in Germany.

There is no permission for a UK reg vehicle to be driven in Europe with expired Mot/tax. You have to arrange your trip so this does not happen

If you buy a van in any European country & you only have UK address then you must drive it straight back to UK on temp export plates supplied by that country or UK trade plates & get it Mot'ed & registered in UK. Then you can drive it in any European country on holiday.

Post last edited on 27/03/2017 09:42:07


PersonRoysiaBoy
27/3/2017 at 10:01am
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Thank you for your informative answers. Looks like a Spanish registered is the only way then. Bit of a shame as could get an almost identical can LHD on UK plates for 7,000€ less money.


PersonOpensauce
27/3/2017 at 10:09am
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If you have an address in Spain there is nothing to stop you buying a UK reg lhd motorhome & then registering it in Spain. I think registering an imported vehicle in Spain is more involved that the same process on import into UK but not that difficult.

If you search online there are websites that offer to do Spanish vehicle registration for you for a fee.


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Personsue.too
27/3/2017 at 10:12am
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I know a couple who had a place in Spain. Their address was at their daughter's house in the UK. Their Spanish place was their holiday address. They bought a car in the UK as they found that it would be much more expensive to buy in Spain. They then drove the car back to the UK once a year for it's MOT.


Personpepe63
27/3/2017 at 10:44am
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Sorry, W-A-Y Off Topic (but prompted by the post by "sue too")

This may not apply in the OP's case but...

When someone is out of the UK for more than 3 months ( ?) I believe that they are supposed to "unregister" from their GP?..(or at the very least, inform them).

Obviously many(most!) won't.


PersonRoysiaBoy
27/3/2017 at 3:45pm
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We have permanent residency here in Spain, but having checked today about using a daughters address to register the vehicle, the insurance would be invalidated and we previously had a campervan on UK plates that I took back to the UK and sold as going back for the MOT was too tying, especially if you are over in Austria or somewhere.
Thank you for the replies and hopefully they will assist others contemplating the same thing.
Now we are looking at a Frankia model that has been well maintained reasonable mileage and lots of extras.


PersonJoe67
27/3/2017 at 5:14pm
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If your campervan is RHD you wont get a Spanish ITV (MOT)

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sent+from+my+brillo+pad


PersonRoysiaBoy
27/3/2017 at 5:50pm
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Hi Joe67, it is LHD


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Personemmitdb
27/3/2017 at 8:42pm
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If you should buy a motorhome from Germany, there is nothing to stop you driving the vehicle to the UK, importing it and registering as a UK vehicle.
In fact, if you buy a new vehicle in Germany, the dealer will supply a set of temporary plates (which come complete with a months Insurance) to allow you to get the 'van back to this country.

There are documents from HRMC that will explain the procedure and get you through the minefield that is importing the vehicle into the country, including (at the moment) the 1% difference in VAT value between the two countries.

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How come when some people visit the fountain of knowledge, they only gargle!!!



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