Buying UK Registered MH in Germany With Expired MOT (1 Viewer)

Bobndebs McKay

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Hi all, I am considering buying a UK Registered Motor Home here in Berlin from a friend. He brought it here two years ago and has basically not used it since. The MOT has now run out (obviously) and I am looking for guidance on the legality of booking an MOT in UK and driving it home to have it done. Has anyone any experience or knowledge of how I would stand legally with this please?

Thanks
 
Jan 26, 2010
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In the UK, you can drive a vehicle to and from an MOT testing station for the purposes of the test. You will probably be chancing it abroad. You should speak to your insurance company as well because they may have an exclusion if it does not have a current test when you use it on the road. Is trailing it an option?
 
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Geo

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Insurance is your main concern here, get that wrong and your vehicle will be impounded for sure.
As already said but a Pre Booked MOT must be made and all vehicle details recorded by the MoT station doing the test
Your Insurance company Must be aware of exactly what you are doing, and contain no clauses re driving without a current test.
The paperwork V5 should be filled in by your mate and Only the green portion given to you.
In order to be legal in Germany your vehicle should of course be Taxed,Tested and Insured ie fully legal here in the UK
You may argue what you are doing is legal here
Trailer /Recovery would be the Most legal solution
Contrary to popular belief trade plates wont help they are nothing more than a universal Tax disc they are NOT a substitute for anything else
IE Insurance or MoT test.
The rules covering driving to a test station without a current test never really envisaged a trip from abroad, therefore a a set of rules for this is not available, there is not to my knowledge any distance to the station to be used set in stone either so you need to be confident of making a challenge to the police officer if stopped.
The offence of No Mot is not endorsable and is merely a fixed penalty fine
circa £100.
Having No /or Invalid insurance is a hanging offence these days
and your vehicle WILL be impounded
G
 
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normanandsue

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Could you not register it in Germany have it taxed and given a German MOT. Change details when in Uk and apply for a tax refund when you get home to UK. MOT in Germany will at least highlight any defects that would have to be picked up and rectified back here anyway. So no real cost it would be money you would have to pay anyway and with the low exchange rate it might work out cheaper in Germany than back home.
 
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Oct 20, 2010
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I am currently going through the process of importing a second hand vehicle from Germany.
The vehicle is currently French registered, and is getting a German MOT (TUV) prior to collection, it will then be exported from Germany on German Export plates which include very basic 3rd party insurance.
It would seem that you can get a German MOT on a foreign registered vehicle or one that has German export plates. Worth a try ?

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DBK

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I think any UK insurance company would want some sort of reassurance the vehicle is roadworthy if it has been standing unused, as I would even to drive it! Giving it a full service by a local (German) dealer might work.
 
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Bobndebs McKay

Bobndebs McKay

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Why not register in Germany.. or are you coming back to live in the UK ?
Hi Jim I plan to return to Uk next April then set off round Portugal and Spain for a year or so returning to uk to mot etc. the van is a Hobby that was imported in the first place and LHD. If I TUV it here, I have to insure it here, which is stupidly expensive ( my Merc diesel is 720 Euros) and either re register it again in UK or return here to TUV it. Although the van is a good price I would have to weigh up financial implications of getting it legal. It's only done 32.k and is a beauty!
 
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Bobndebs McKay

Bobndebs McKay

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I am currently going through the process of importing a second hand vehicle from Germany.
The vehicle is currently French registered, and is getting a German MOT (TUV) prior to collection, it will then be exported from Germany on German Export plates which include very basic 3rd party insurance.
It would seem that you can get a German MOT on a foreign registered vehicle or one that has German export plates. Worth a try ?
Hi Tremybach, that sounds like a plan, do you know whether the TUV would then be invalidated once re registered in UK? I will look into that one, as can then insure it in UK, as I say that's the big thing, insurance is horrendous here as we Brits only go to 9 years No Claims, in general, however the German System goes to 35 years for full no claims! So I currently pay the same as a 26 year old

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Oct 20, 2010
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I am not sure but I don't think the German TUV will be acceptable in the UK, so you will need to get a UK MOT.
I have just had a call from Darren at AIB who was trying to find full insurance cover for the import while in transit and prior to UK registration, he was unsuccessful and could not get any insurance without UK registration.
I did get a quote from Safeguard but the cover would only be on entry to the UK and only 3rd party until UK registration, so no better than the German 'Ausfuhrkennzeichen' (export plates).
So it looks like a very scary and careful drive home. :shake:
 
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Bobndebs McKay

Bobndebs McKay

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I am not sure but I don't think the German TUV will be acceptable in the UK, so you will need to get a UK MOT.
I have just had a call from Darren at AIB who was trying to find full insurance cover for the import while in transit and prior to UK registration, he was unsuccessful and could not get any insurance without UK registration.
I did get a quote from Safeguard but the cover would only be on entry to the UK and only 3rd party until UK registration, so no better than the German 'Ausfuhrkennzeichen' (export plates).
So it looks like a very scary and careful drive home. :shake:
That sounds a bit of a downer, but the van I am looking at is already on UK plates, just been here and the MOT has expired so may be slightly different. I have just mailed AIB for their advice, will keep you posted. !
 
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May 16, 2014
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The excemption for going to a pre=booked MOT is an excemption that would only be valid in the UK as no Member State can overrule any local laws. Likewise, the German TUV would have no standing in the UK. Only other part option (which is not all that attractive) is to trailer the vehicle to a port and, once it is in the uK, book a British test at a British MOT station.

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Bobndebs McKay

Bobndebs McKay

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Hi again all, after a bit of research and then talking to a German friend who is in the Polizei, I have the answer to my question, I have posted the link for future reference for anyone else who may need to know. This is valid Europe Wide from Germany, with a few exceptions, hopefully it will be useful to some. Cheers all.
http://www.transit-plate.com/startseite.html
 
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Snowbird

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Hi again all, after a bit of research and then talking to a German friend who is in the Polizei, I have the answer to my question, I have posted the link for future reference for anyone else who may need to know. This is valid Europe Wide from Germany, with a few exceptions, hopefully it will be useful to some. Cheers all.
http://www.transit-plate.com/startseite.html
That is what all buyers of vehicles in Germany use. Just remove the UK plates and fix the transit plates. Once back in the UK before going to the MOT station refix the UK plates.
 
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Snowbird

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Can those plates be used for vehicles bought other than in Europe. So for example buying in France and driving to UK?
Am not sure about that, I would not have thought so. It says on the link they are for 4 days, but I have had them for 30. The longer you have them for, the more expensive they become.
 
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Jul 5, 2013
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i mabe wrong but i thought frogyland was in europe !!!!:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: STAN
Yep you are right. But these are German plates and I am questioning the legality of using them when Germany forms no part of your journey. Snowbird suggests no, but I would welcome others thoughts

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Bobndebs McKay

Bobndebs McKay

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I would have thought that you would need an address in Germany to have them delivered to, then use them anywhere. Maybe France has a similar set up though?
 
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Snowbird

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To be honest, I did not know you could order them online. I always collected transit plates from the local office when importing from Germany.
 
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Jul 5, 2013
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I would have thought that you would need an address in Germany to have them delivered to, then use them anywhere. Maybe France has a similar set up though?
The website is very clear that they can be delivered to anywhere in Europe on next day delivery. They only then last for 4 days. I am just looking for the catch though.

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Bobndebs McKay

Bobndebs McKay

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The website is very clear that they can be delivered to anywhere in Europe on next day delivery. They only then last for 4 days. I am just looking for the catch though.
Sounds like there's your solution the peter, to be honest I didn't read about the whereabouts of delivery as I live in Berlin and will be using them from here to uk . Hope it works for you mate. Cheers
 
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