Foreign Vehicles and the Dartford Crossing Charge

[HKF]

I've searched online for a definitive answer but can't find one. Do foreign vehicles have to pay the Dartford Crossing charge, please? Thank you

PS I'm not looking for a moral lecture about whether you should or shouldn't. I just want to know if you have to.

 

[DavidG58]

Foreign vehicles and Dart Charge

Response to a request for information made under the Freedom of Information Act about the number of foreign vehicles which have used Dart Charge.

www.gov.uk

 

[Robert Clark]

They do have to, but apparently 40% don’t according to local TV news

 

[HKF]

Foreign vehicles and Dart Charge

Response to a request for information made under the Freedom of Information Act about the number of foreign vehicles which have used Dart Charge.

www.gov.uk

Thanks but this from 2015 and pre-Brexit, so things could be very different now and this is what I'm trying to establish.

 

[MichaelT]

Thanks but this from 2015 and pre-Brexit, so things could be very different now and this is what I'm trying to establish.

Perhaps submit a new FOI request?

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[Abacist]

What's to stop us checking up on their vehicle registration at the port of departure and impounding the vehicle until all fines paid. I am pretty sure hire companies can recharge any credit card so they can collect any dues that way?

 

[Ian Bosman]

I've searched online for a definitive answer but can't find one. Do foreign vehicles have to pay the Dartford Crossing charge, please? Thank you

PS I'm not looking for a moral lecture about whether you should or shouldn't. I just want to know if you have to.

Yes, they do. All vehicles are subject to the displayed charges as appropriate

 

[K R B]

Big yes I entered a letter wrong in my registration
They sent me a fine to my address in france.
But did cancle it when I explained

 

[kev54]

I don't believe any vehicle is exempt - it's simply a matter of whether they track you down. (see KRB's reply)

 

[Gaston aires]

Foreign vehicles have to pay. Wether or not they do or don’t?
Phil

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[jumar]

We have Spanish registered vehicles, both are registered with the Dart crossing...

 

[HKF]

Thank you, everyone, for your replies

 

[Vipar]

Interesting thanks, and It never got political

 

[HKF]

Interesting thanks, and It never got political

 

[nicholsong]

My vehicle is now registered as a 'Vintage' vehicle in Poland and has a government issued number plate which, as well as alphanumeric of two letters and followed by 2 digits and a letter, has a subsequent depiction of a 1920s car.

I wonder what ANPR cameras make of that?

Geoff

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[Ridgeway]

Yes, somehow i know

 

[Madcaravanner]

I don't believe any vehicle is exempt - it's simply a matter of whether they track you down. (see KRB's reply)

Foreign vehicles have to pay
the only vehicles that are exempt are those UK ones that are registered as VED free due to a Disabled registration

 

[nicholsong]

Yes, somehow i know

Know what?
In answer to which post?

 

[Brains]

I know that some vehicles that had incurred speeding fines on the ANPR cameras were stopped from boarding a Dover until the fines were paid.

Whilst I don't think they'd bother for the £2.50 for the Dart charge, it could save you a lot of grief if you pay on line or register the vehicle.
(Note: The vehicle has to use the crossing at least once a year, otherwise you drop off their database)

 

[Ridgeway]

Know what?
In answer to which post?

The OP question

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[nicholsong]

The OP question

Your post #16 followed immediately after my question in post #15, which is why I asked about what and which post.

 

[gus-lopez]

We have Spanish registered vehicles, both are registered with the Dart crossing...

Same here.

Note: The vehicle has to use the crossing at least once a year, otherwise you drop off their database)

No they have changed it now. You can choose 'keep account open'

 

[BreweryDave]

Yes, they have to pay. There is a section on the payment page with a drop down box to select a country then enter the reg.
I drove to the U.K. in my Portuguese registered car last August, used the time tunnel once, and completely and honestly forgot to pay. Tried to when I got back and remembered, but couldn’t as it was a week later, so thought no more of It.
In December I got a letter demanding a penalty fee. It was postmarked Sweden, and was from a company there, but also had the U.K. dept of transport and DRC logo on it. It included a photo of my car, so I know it wasn’t a scam.
……..I’ll not be commenting on here about what I did about it just in case…….

 

[jumar]

Yes, they have to pay. There is a section on the payment page with a drop down box to select a country then enter the reg.
I drove to the U.K. in my Portuguese registered car last August, used the time tunnel once, and completely and honestly forgot to pay. Tried to when I got back and remembered, but couldn’t as it was a week later, so thought no more of It.
In December I got a letter demanding a penalty fee. It was postmarked Sweden, and was from a company there, but also had the U.K. dept of transport and DRC logo on it. It included a photo of my car, so I know it wasn’t a scam.
……..I’ll not be commenting on here about what I did about it just in case…….

Another Iberian man (Van) on the wanted list...shame on you fellow Iberian resident..

 

[nicholsong]

I just tried to rgister my Polish vintage registration and it does not recognise it - so far so good.

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[grumps147]

My vehicle is now registered as a 'Vintage' vehicle in Poland and has a government issued number plate which, as well as alphanumeric of two letters and followed by 2 digits and a letter, has a subsequent depiction of a 1920s car.

I wonder what ANPR cameras make of that?

Geoff

There is always a nerd when you need one.

There are two basic types of ANPR. Firstly, optical character recognition. Secondly, neural networks, a type of trained intelligent system.

OCR just relies on digitising from a common set of characters, it’s advantage is it is cheap to implement, it’s disadvantage is it even reads signwriting on vehicles. Neural Networks rely on the scanning of a large number of true plates and training the software to recognise characters and groupings they are permitted in.

In the early 2000’s when it was being rolled out around the world the USA provided many challenges for neural network. Each state has its own system, colours, shapes and additional images on the plates. Invariably the images do not mean anything, it’s getting the characters right is the key. They also have a huge number of personalised plates, which also had to be accounted for.

Reading plates has become easier with the newer digital cameras. From one camera per lane, some newer systems can now read four lanes with one camera.

Even the original camera specifications for the UK required them to be able to read Schengen country plates. In the early days Belgian plates caused issues because of the red lettering, but that was soon addressed.

Most problems arise partly because of poor software and site testing at both implementation and regular follow up accuracy checks, but mainly because of the poor implementation of associated business processes - operators not checking actual images with the computed numbers.

The answer to the question is a good system will read your plates with no issues.

 

[nicholsong]

There is always a nerd when you need one.

There are two basic types of ANPR. Firstly, optical character recognition. Secondly, neural networks, a type of trained intelligent system.

OCR just relies on digitising from a common set of characters, it’s advantage is it is cheap to implement, it’s disadvantage is it even reads signwriting on vehicles. Neural Networks rely on the scanning of a large number of true plates and training the software to recognise characters and groupings they are permitted in.

In the early 2000’s when it was being rolled out around the world the USA provided many challenges for neural network. Each state has its own system, colours, shapes and additional images on the plates. Invariably the images do not mean anything, it’s getting the characters right is the key. They also have a huge number of personalised plates, which also had to be accounted for.

Reading plates has become easier with the newer digital cameras. From one camera per lane, some newer systems can now read four lanes with one camera.

Even the original camera specifications for the UK required them to be able to read Schengen country plates. In the early days Belgian plates caused issues because of the red lettering, but that was soon addressed.

Most problems arise partly because of poor software and site testing at both implementation and regular follow up accuracy checks, but mainly because of the poor implementation of associated business processes - operators not checking actual images with the computed numbers.

The answer to the question is a good system will read your plates with no issues.

There is always a nerd when you need one.

There are two basic types of ANPR. Firstly, optical character recognition. Secondly, neural networks, a type of trained intelligent system.

OCR just relies on digitising from a common set of characters, it’s advantage is it is cheap to implement, it’s disadvantage is it even reads signwriting on vehicles. Neural Networks rely on the scanning of a large number of true plates and training the software to recognise characters and groupings they are permitted in.

In the early 2000’s when it was being rolled out around the world the USA provided many challenges for neural network. Each state has its own system, colours, shapes and additional images on the plates. Invariably the images do not mean anything, it’s getting the characters right is the key. They also have a huge number of personalised plates, which also had to be accounted for.

Reading plates has become easier with the newer digital cameras. From one camera per lane, some newer systems can now read four lanes with one camera.

Even the original camera specifications for the UK required them to be able to read Schengen country plates. In the early days Belgian plates caused issues because of the red lettering, but that was soon addressed.

Most problems arise partly because of poor software and site testing at both implementation and regular follow up accuracy checks, but mainly because of the poor implementation of associated business processes - operators not checking actual images with the computed numbers.

The answer to the question is a good system will read your plates with no issues.

So even if the camera can recognise the number, what use is that if the computer does not recognise it, as per my post #25, so as to connect with me and my address? Is the company going to pay the Polish authorities to provide it, assuming the computer even recognises the plate as being a Polish vintage one, although I suppose the camera can pick up the small 'PL'

P.S Never used the Dartford Crossing in the MH in 12 years. Now with the hassle of trying to pay if I were going North again I would probably go west-about to the M40 which I prefer to the M1.

 

[diddydave]

A word of warning re the Dartford crossing- if you have an account with them and you have not removed a previously owned vehicle and it crosses, you are charged. I called them up as I couldn’t remove a car I used to own as you have to have one vehicle on the account, and I couldn’t add my recent MH as it was registered with the last owners account. Being the good guy I am I got in touch with the previous owner and he cancelled it on his account so I could add it to mine!
Government websites eh