A question for anyone who knows UK traffic law. (1 Viewer)

[Casper46]

We have been waiting since Feb to receive documentation re. registering a car in France. It is insured in France so we have a sticker on the windscreen proving insurance but still running on a U.K. number plate as Covid has delayed everything. It was three years old in March but as it’s classed as nearly French it doesn’t need a Control Tecnique until it’s 4 years old. Our French insurance company ( who have done the registration for us) tell us that we can drive back to UK in it. I think that a traffic car camera will pick us up straight away and stop us for no MoT and no insurance. Any thoughts anyone please as the last thing I need is to get stopped and my car taken away.

 

[Sapper520]

Have you notified DVLA the car has been exported?

 

[Casper46]

I have been waiting for the French number plates to be authorised.

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[Cheshirecat57]

We have been waiting since Feb to receive documentation re. registering a car in France. It is insured in France so we have a sticker on the windscreen proving insurance but still running on a U.K. number plate as Covid has delayed everything. It was three years old in March but as it’s classed as nearly French it doesn’t need a Control Tecnique until it’s 4 years old. Our French insurance company ( who have done the registration for us) tell us that we can drive back to UK in it. I think that a traffic car camera will pick us up straight away and stop us for no MoT and no insurance. Any thoughts anyone please as the last thing I need is to get stopped and my car taken away.

Looks like a loaded question where you are looking for a particular answer

WTF does ”nearly french” mean under UK traffic law?
( is it like partially pregnant.?)

If the vehicle is registered with DVLA ( check their website) then UK Laws apply

 

[Sapper520]

I’m assuming you took the vehicle out of the country some months ago?

 

[phil1946]

As long as you have proof of Insurance you could book an MOT test near to you UK port of entry and you are allowed to drive an untaxed car to a booked MOT test.

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[nicholsong]

Several thoughts come to mind.

Does your French insurance cover that vehicle and if so how is it described - by it French number or the British one?

I think generally the answers will get are how it may be used in France under French Law and how it may be used in UK under UK law.

Have you already informed DVLA that it is 'Permanently exported' by completing and returning to DVLA Section 11 of your V5c ?

Have you interrogated DVLA on-line records to find out its status?

Answers to these questions might help you understand the status of the car and help others to advise.

Geoff

 

[Cheshirecat57]

As long as you have proof of Insurance you could book an MOT test near to you UK port of entry and you are allowed to drive an untaxed car to a booked MOT test.

But not an un-insured one

 

[Sapper520]

This could get technical.

If it’s still on DVLA’s books, it’s likely you’ll need to comply with UK law......MOT, Tax and Insurance.

Doesn’t matter what your French Insurance company say.

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[elamessa]

You hand your v5 over to the French when registering and they send it back to dvla.

I wouldn't drive to the UK on UK number plates as you need UK insurance..

 

[BreweryDave]

It sounds like your matriculation isn’t yet complete, hence you’re still on uk plates, and thus you will be illegal without an MOT as the vehicle must be legal in the country of registration, and it is still uk reg. But, you are in the process of matriculation and have the correct insurance, so you are ‘probably’ legal in France.

My best advice would be, if you go to the uk before your matriculation is complete, just grab a uk mot for the sake of £30 to tie you over whilst you’re there.

Your average cop, traffic or not, will have no clue anyway, but any ANPR camera won’t differentiate and could cause an issue if an automatic fine or summons is sent to the registered uk address ! ( 30 years in the job)

 

[sedge]

But if said vehicle is involved in an accident the first thing the Police do on scene is check driver and owner details with DVLA and then the MID - and Zonk., surely?

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[Jimbohorlicks]

You really need to get hold of your French number plates, to make you legal in the UK.
If you check the dvla site for your UK registration to can see if you are legal or not in the UK, mot and insurance. If not and you are pulled, you will have lots of explaining to do and lots of hassle. Worst case book an mot for when you travel over, and as someone has advised its probably cheaper at around £45 than a fine and subsequent paperwork.

 

[Casper46]

Thank you everyone, you all seem to come to the same conclusion as me. My insurance company are Allianze and I'm afraid that lots of advice given over the phone really depends on the individuals interpretation.
The car can stay in France and I'll travel to UK in the motorhome, I was using the car as it's a quick trip.

 

[filopastry]

You know the rules with insurance, if there is a claim they will search for any abnormality they may use to void the cover, beware of bar room lawyers

phil

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[gus-lopez]

& as soon as you notify dvla of permanent export the Registration number disappears off system more or less immediately.

 

[nicholsong]

& as soon as you notify dvla of permanent export the Registration number disappears off system more or less immediately.

I wonder if it diappears to the eyes of the ANPR cameras and the Police in general? Or just to the public access?

 

[Casper46]

I wonder if it diappears to the eyes of the ANPR cameras and the Police in general? Or just to the public access?

If it disappeared to The Police then they would pull the car for being on false plates. I’m really pleased that I asked in the forum , otherwise I could have had the car taken off me.

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[filopastry]

If it disappeared to The Police then they would pull the car for being on false plates. I’m really pleased that I asked in the forum , otherwise I could have had the car taken off me.

Possibly not so, all foreign vehicles on GB roads will not be on the police data base surely. If I am correct the anpr camera reads the number then checks that against the data bases, if it does not recognise the number it may not be able to do a search.

phil

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

If the ANPR camera cannot read your number you may be pulled in anyway to determine why your vehicle details are unknown .Plenty of the police TV programmes show this to be the case,ie. altered plates,fictitious plates

 

[OldAgeTravellers]

& as soon as you notify dvla of permanent export the Registration number disappears off system more or less immediately.

Out of interest it doesn’t disappear off the system. I turned my MoHo French 4 years ago and it is on DVLA as SORN’d which is good as I will be bringing it back soon so won’t have to buy new number plates.

Casper46 If you are new to France make sure that you scan or take copies of every document you give to anybody. When we were new we didn’t and it has come back to bite us a few times.
Steve

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[Nigel P]

Out of interest it doesn’t disappear off the system. I turned my MoHo French 4 years ago and it is on DVLA as SORN’d which is good as I will be bringing it back soon so won’t have to buy new number plates.

Casper46 If you are new to France make sure that you scan or take copies of every document you give to anybody. When we were new we didn’t and it has come back to bite us a few times.
Steve

Similar position for us, we took one of our cars to Germany when we moved. Registered it in Germany following UK export declaration. Due to a change of plan we moved back a couple of years later and the VIN/registration number were still 'on hold' so DVLA re-registered it with the original number, new V5 but with all the original details 'acquired new' dates etc. It would appear they make them dormant for a while for the 'just in case' scenarios.

 

[Casper46]

Out of interest it doesn’t disappear off the system. I turned my MoHo French 4 years ago and it is on DVLA as SORN’d which is good as I will be bringing it back soon so won’t have to buy new number plates.

Casper46 If you are new to France make sure that you scan or take copies of every document you give to anybody. When we were new we didn’t and it has come back to bite us a few times.
Steve

Thanks for the advice, I have always taken copies of things. We ended making a special trip to get the car back, we brought it home on a trailer. It was still on English plates and as we had kept it road legal for UK we didn't need to do anything except insure it once we cancelled the French insurance. .

 

[TheBig1]

It is actually a tricky one that might land you in trouble if not careful

If transfer has been applied for and sent to DVLA, the registration number is suspended and technically no longer exists. An ANPR camera would detect an unregistered, uninsured vehicle with no MOT. It would be down to you to prove they were wrong and appeal the fines in court. Bringing the car to the UK and presenting for an MOT won't work, as the system checks the registration number against the database for it's records. If it can't find a record, it can't be MOT'd

Much the same as importing a used vehicle into the MOT, it's not on the system so will need to get the registration done before it can be used

Apparently they are at last clamping down on the multitude of eastern European vehicles on UK roads for years without re-registering

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[Speve]

& as soon as you notify dvla of permanent export the Registration number disappears off system more or less immediately.

no not quite I have just searched for our last Motorhome which we exported to Germany in 2018 and the registration does show on the search as untaxed and no mot On the gov.uk website.

 

[busby]

I have been waiting for the French number plates to be authorised.

That's a no then,BUSBY