Timing my tax-disc!, advice appreciated!! (1 Viewer)

Jul 18, 2010
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Hello all,

We are planning to vamooos from these 'ere shores in our motorhome in November for some extended European touring.

Our plan is to time our uk returns (for the usual mot's, servicing, mail collections and family catch-ups etc) for every May - we hope to be away at least 3 years!
My tax-disc currently expires 31/08/2013 and so the timing is out of sync. Even taxing for 6 months does not help. I am after a target start date of 01 June 2013.

Does anyone know how i can get the re-adjustment? (I am not keen on taking the camper off the road as i do not want to lose out on any camping this spring/early summer.) i am prepared to pay for any duplicated months although obviously would like to reduce this to an absolute minimum..

I have sent an email to dvla but in all honesty expect a computer says no response.

Many thanks.
Best regards
 
Aug 27, 2009
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Hello all,

We are planning to vamooos from these 'ere shores in our motorhome in November for some extended European touring.

Our plan is to time our uk returns (for the usual mot's, servicing, mail collections and family catch-ups etc) for every May - we hope to be away at least 3 years!
My tax-disc currently expires 31/08/2013 and so the timing is out of sync. Even taxing for 6 months does not help. I am after a target start date of 01 June 2013.

Does anyone know how i can get the re-adjustment? (I am not keen on taking the camper off the road as i do not want to lose out on any camping this spring/early summer.) i am prepared to pay for any duplicated months although obviously would like to reduce this to an absolute minimum..

I have sent an email to dvla but in all honesty expect a computer says no response.

Many thanks.
Best regards
You can get a refund on you tax disc, then tax it again from your preferred date. The most you will forfeit would be a week or two.
 
OP
OP
sciac2001
Jul 18, 2010
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Thanks Buttons!
I'm not the brightest light in the shop so will have to carefully calculate the timings of when to request the refund and apply the new one!!
I assume that i would have to also apply for a SORN when i send my current tax disc in?
Would i be right in thinking that i should be sending for the refund in early May?
Cheers

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Feb 27, 2011
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You can get a refund on you tax disc, then tax it again from your preferred date. The most you will forfeit would be a week or two.

That's what I tried to do but they rejected the refund....

If I was to do it again now I would get the new tax disk first then request a refund and enclose a photo copy of the new disk and a brief cover letter with what you are doing and why. They are officious buggers and our reasons aren't covered on the form....
 

Jaws

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Orrrrr... do as I do.
Do it on line from where ever we are, and get someone to send the tax disk out to you :thumb:
 
OP
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sciac2001
Jul 18, 2010
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Thanks and i did actually think of that but i can't see me staying put in one place long enough tomhave the mail reach me.

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Feb 27, 2011
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Orrrrr... do as I do.
Do it on line from where ever we are, and get someone to send the tax disk out to you :thumb:

Bit hard to get the MOT done by post so I come back and do them both at the same time:thumb:
 

sedge

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Jul 7, 2009
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Thanks and i did actually think of that but i can't see me staying put in one place long enough tomhave the mail reach me.


I have exactly the same prob with that, but for medical equipment reasons. Nobody in the world except us seems to be able to get their head round the concept of 'no fixed abode' for a few weeks at a time - let alone months!
 

Jaws

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Bit hard to get the MOT done by post so I come back and do them both at the same time:thumb:

MOT was not mentioned apart from being renewed in May so not really an issue

The OP was about the VEL which was needed to either be brought in line with the MOT time and visit back to the UK, or dealt with by some other means
 
Feb 27, 2011
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MOT was not mentioned apart from being renewed in May so not really an issue

The OP was about the VEL which was needed to either be brought in line with the MOT time and visit back to the UK, or dealt with by some other means

They said they were coming back each year (3 year trip) to do MOT and wanted to get the tax in sync with the MOT. Hence my comment:winky:
 

Landy lover

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As far as I am aware you are not able to tax a vehicle that already has tax on it. If you tax on line while away you will get an email in confirmation and any ANPR check will show you are taxed. Would be a bit of an idot copper that wanted to pull you for not showing the disc. You could always claim it was stolen while you were abroad - you could show them the email proving you are taxed

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DP+JAY

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If you are out of the country for a year or three why would it need to be taxed?
Also if it is out of the country for more than six months it should be declared EXPORTED.
 
Last edited:

oldun

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Orrrrr... do as I do.
Do it on line from where ever we are, and get someone to send the tax disk out to you :thumb:

That's OK with the Tax Disc - how do you manage the MOT?
 

Minxy

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If you are out of the country for a year or three why would it need to be taxed?

Because as it would be a UK registered vehicle it has to comply with the UK vehicle regs etc, so HAS to be taxed to remain legal regardless of what country it is being used in. There have been instances of people who do as you suggest and don't tax it whilst abroad but I wouldn't like to try to explain why to someone in a foreign language especially when it is still illegal!

Also if it is out of the country for more than six months it should be declared EXPORTED.
Can't answer that one but I thought this only applied if you were in the same country continuously for that time? I may be wrong though as I've never really bothered to look into this as it doesn't apply to me.

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Addie

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Oct 15, 2011
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If you are out of the country for a year or three why would it need to be taxed?

It's a bit of a grey area this and one which has been done to death on all the forums. DVLA say it should be taxed abroad (but then they would), but none of the authorities abroad cares (apparently?). Some people do this and then tax online before they sail back to the UK which you can do without displaying your disc - you get a 7 day exemption for "failure to display" your tax disc if you tax online allowing it to arrive via post.

BUT - because my insurance company was not able to give me written assurance that they would still consider the vehicle insured in the absence of valid road tax I decided that it wasn't worth the risk for £200. Insurance companies love to wriggle and I don't want to give them ammunition not to pay out. If I could get this assurance, I probably would cash in the disc on departure.

For our 12 month trip abroad when we did www.europebycamper.com we went to the DVLA office, surrendered our tax disc and had another one issued for 12 months. Cheque for the old one came back about 2 weeks later.

Also if it is out of the country for more than six months it should be declared EXPORTED.

This is not correct.

The DVLA state a vehicle should be declared exported when it is taken out of the UK for 12 months:
https://www.gov.uk/taking-vehicles-out-of-uk/for-12-months-or-more
See also: https://www.gov.uk/taking-vehicles-out-of-uk/for-less-than-12-months

And 6 months for using your foreign registered vehicle in the UK:
https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/temporary-imports
 
Apr 13, 2012
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Instead of going on line or contacting Swansea go to your local DVLA office - there is one in Bournemouth - I would tell them that I was going away for up to a year from May (not 3 years) and wanted to MOT and tax the van for as long as possible.:Smile:

DVLA local offices are more likely to help rather than someone on a phone in Swansea
 

adriacoral

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You could apply online, which will register that you are taxed at dvla, but surely you dont need the disc to display abroad??

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scotjimland

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When you return from abroad, you must have a tax disc to be able to drive your vehicle home or you’ll be committing an offence. There are no concessions.
Vehicle tax due to expire while you’re abroad

If you’re going to be abroad when your vehicle tax expires, you can tax online, by phone, tax in advance or get someone to tax your vehicle for you. You can arrange to get the tax disc sent to an address abroad.

More info here from DVLA
 

Jaws

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That's OK with the Tax Disc - how do you manage the MOT?

Look at the original post..

The OP states they are returning to the UK each year to do the MOT and other stuff..
The question was / is about the tax .. The month the tax is due does not coincide with the proposed visit..

Perhaps a reread of the OP rather than a quick scan/guess afore comment ??
 

motor roamin

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Beware of not displaying a tax disc abroad, whilst not an offence many years ago I got stopped in Germany when my tax disc had expired.......it took 3 hours to convince him that the tax disc had nothing to do do with my insurance.......and my tax disc was 3 days out of of date......just something to think about :thumb:

All the best Rick

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Jaws

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Happened to me on a bike.. Had taxed it well in time but just never got around to swapping it over..
German cop pulled me.. I explained what had happened and produced my insurance docs.. He suggested I simply remove the tax disk completely as many Euro countries do not use them and chances were high no one would take any notice !!

Duly did it and never had a problem since ( did it on a car too and still no problem :thumb: )
 

jennyp19

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Sep 2, 2009
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That's OK with the Tax Disc - how do you manage the MOT?

There is nothing to stop you putting an MOT on a vehicle 6 mths early, then again in the month you want to be in this country. That's what we are doing. We want to arrange everything for August, as that is the most likely month we will be at home. You will just lose a few months on the MOT date.
 

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