Portuguese travel question.

[knokinonabit]

I'm sorry if this has been done to death elsewhere, but my wife's cousin and her husband have asked me to try and find this out for them.
Before lockdown was imposed across Europe they had to leave their MH in Faro, Portugal due to a personal mishap. It has been in storage on a site since then.
They are flying to Faro on Monday to try and get it back to the UK before the MOT runs out, as they won't be covered by the 6 months grace.

The question they are asking is, is anyone moving around in Portugal and will they be able to transit Spain and France to get back home ?

Thanks in anticipation of a raft of answers from a very knowledgeable bunch. I hope !

 

[2657]

I'm sorry if this has been done to death elsewhere, but my wife's cousin and her husband have asked me to try and find this out for them.
Before lockdown was imposed across Europe they had to leave their MH in Faro, Portugal due to a personal mishap. It has been in storage on a site since then.
They are flying to Faro on Monday to try and get it back to the UK before the MOT runs out, as they won't be covered by the 6 months grace.

The question they are asking is, is anyone moving around in Portugal and will they be able to transit Spain and France to get back home ?

Thanks in anticipation of a raft of answers from a very knowledgeable bunch. I hope !

We are leaving Tavira tomorrow for France, obviously transiting Spain and not expecting any problems.

The Spain/France border was opened around the 23rd June, the Portugal/Spain border was opened on the 1st July. We crossed into Spain at Ayamonte on the 1st and returned to Tavira without problem, no sign of any officialdom on either side of the bridge.

 

[knokinonabit]

Thank you matamoros

 

[gus-lopez]

Yes ,shouldn't be any problems everything is open.

 

[knokinonabit]

Thank you gus-lopez

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[knokinonabit]

matamoros did you manage to travel through France ok ?
Our relatives are flying out on Monday and have heard France may be a problem.

 

[Pete5996]

Our relatives are flying out on Monday and have heard France may be a problem.

No problems in France or crossing the border wuith Spain either way at present

 

[knokinonabit]

Many thanks Pete5996

 

[2657]

matamoros did you manage to travel through France ok ?
Our relatives are flying out on Monday and have heard France may be a problem.

No problems in France, stopped for a for a routine customs check after we had crossed into France over a small road over the Pyrenees, no paperwork, asked how long we were staying in France and on our way.
One night on an Aire and we are now back at our static van near La Baule.

 

[knokinonabit]

Thank you matamoros.
I’ll pass all the info on to them

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[Lynne Roy]

I'm sorry if this has been done to death elsewhere, but my wife's cousin and her husband have asked me to try and find this out for them.
Before lockdown was imposed across Europe they had to leave their MH in Faro, Portugal due to a personal mishap. It has been in storage on a site since then.
They are flying to Faro on Monday to try and get it back to the UK before the MOT runs out, as they won't be covered by the 6 months grace.

The question they are asking is, is anyone moving around in Portugal and will they be able to transit Spain and France to get back home ?

Thanks in anticipation of a raft of answers from a very knowledgeable bunch. I hope !

my friends have just travelled back from their home in Alentejo Portugal back to Wales ferry from Caen, absolutelyno problems at all x

 

[Dorset Diver]

I think the only problem is that your travel insurance may become invalid as you enter Portugal as, for the present, you would be traveling against Foreign Office advice.

 

[JJ]

I think the only problem is that your travel insurance may become invalid as you enter Portugal as, for the present, you would be traveling against Foreign Office advice.

If true then the Foreign Office must be run by a bunch of idiots...

If true then the insurance companies are run by a bunch of thieving, greedy crooks.


JJ

 

[knokinonabit]

Thank you Lynne Roy.
I've passed that on to them.

 

[billym]

If true then the Foreign Office must be run by a bunch of idiots...

If true then the insurance companies are run by a bunch of thieving, greedy crooks.


JJ

Well it certainly is true so make of that what you like

Foreign travel advice - GOV.UK

Get advice and warnings about travel abroad, including entry requirements, safety and security, health risks and legal differences.

www.gov.uk

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[jumartoo]

It's always been possible to travel through borders to get back to your home country.

It shouldn't be any different (even easier) now.

Good luck to your relatives

 

[Dorset Diver]

If true then the Foreign Office must be run by a bunch of idiots...

If true then the insurance companies are run by a bunch of thieving, greedy crooks.


JJ

You could be right in both cases but there are also many idiots that sign up to an insurance contract without reading and understanding to what they have agreed. Most travel insurance contracts exclude travel to areas against Foreign Office advice. Of course there are always exception.

 

[knokinonabit]

You could be right in both cases but there are also many idiots that sign up to an insurance contract without reading and understanding to what they have agreed. Most travel insurance contracts exclude travel to areas against Foreign Office advice. Of course there are always exception.

I have no idea as to the rights and wrongs of what they are doing, but the MH was in Portugal before the Lockdown started, so technically they aren't travelling to Portugal in it, but are going to retrieve it.
Either way, if the MOT runs out before they can get it back (it doesn't qualify for the exemption 6 months) it won't be insured anyway and will be even more difficult to get back.

It's just a mixed up situation anyway and I don't think anyone is really right or wrong under the circumstances.
I know if it was mine I'd be doing the same thing to get it back.

Thank you to all who have taken the time to reply with all comments considered seriously.

 

[mikebeaches]

I have no idea as to the rights and wrongs of what they are doing, but the MH was in Portugal before the Lockdown started, so technically they aren't travelling to Portugal in it, but are going to retrieve it.
Either way, if the MOT runs out before they can get it back (it doesn't qualify for the exemption 6 months) it won't be insured anyway and will be even more difficult to get back.

It's just a mixed up situation anyway and I don't think anyone is really right or wrong under the circumstances.
I know if it was mine I'd be doing the same thing to get it back.

Thank you to all who have taken the time to reply with all comments considered seriously.

We found ourselves in a not dissimilar situation, when we left our van garaged at Alicante flew to UK on 5th March, then couldn't get back again as planned on 18 March.

Our MOT did get extended at the end of June, but we weren't sure if it would be.

But in any case, we decided to get the van transported back on a low loader and it arrived home mid-June.

Commercial transport has been able to operate throughout virtually the whole of the lockdown.

 

[knokinonabit]

We found ourselves in a not dissimilar situation, when we left our van garaged at Alicante flew to UK on 5th March, then couldn't get back again as planned on 18 March.

Our MOT did get extended at the end of June, but we weren't sure if it would be.

But in any case, we decided to get the van transported back on a low loader and it arrived home mid-June.

Commercial transport has been able to operate throughout virtually the whole of the lockdown.

Thanks. I'll pass that on to them, but they are Yorkshire folk and too tight to pay someone, too stubborn to listen to advice, and too untrusting of anyone to take the same care of their stuff that they do.

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[mikebeaches]

Thanks. I'll pass that on to them, but they are Yorkshire folk and too tight to pay someone, too stubborn to listen to advice, and too untrusting of anyone to take the same care of their stuff that they do.

Kind of understand. I guess a lot of folk would think we were a bit daft paying for it to be transported.

And, if we'd hung on a bit longer until now, I suppose we could have flown down to go and get it.

But I'm not quite sure we are ready for flying just yet, although hope to be towards the end of the year.

And we could offset the transport cost against the flights and travel (diesel; camping; tolls & and of course mileage on the van saved etc), although it obviously was a bit more than that.

Also, we have an important - to us - date-specific trip to Scotland planned this month, which we couldn't change.

But the firm that did the job was excellent. Looked after the van, picked it up on a Thursday evening, sailed from Santander to Portsmouth and arrived outside our front door on Monday lunchtime. They can handle vans of any size and move quite a lot to and from all over the continent, but particularly Spain and Portugal.

S G Haulage of Lincoln: https://www.sghaulageltd.co.uk/

 

[2657]

I have no idea as to the rights and wrongs of what they are doing, but the MH was in Portugal before the Lockdown started, so technically they aren't travelling to Portugal in it, but are going to retrieve it.
Either way, if the MOT runs out before they can get it back (it doesn't qualify for the exemption 6 months) it won't be insured anyway and will be even more difficult to get back.

It's just a mixed up situation anyway and I don't think anyone is really right or wrong under the circumstances.
I know if it was mine I'd be doing the same thing to get it back.

Thank you to all who have taken the time to reply with all comments considered seriously.

I am in a similar situation, my mot runs out on the 14th August and was under the impression that my mot had been extended by 6 months, the gov then changed there mind!!

I have driven from Portugal to France and had already booked a crossing to the UK for the 27th August, I have booked the van in for a service and test on the 28th which you are allowed to do.

I think it is a myth that not having an mot invalidates insurance, if you look at the policy I am almost certain that the wording will be along the lines of 'must be in roadworthy condition'.

 

[knokinonabit]

I am in a similar situation, my mot runs out on the 14th August and was under the impression that my mot had been extended by 6 months, the gov then changed there mind!!

I have driven from Portugal to France and had already booked a crossing to the UK for the 27th August, I have booked the van in for a service and test on the 28th which you are allowed to do.

I think it is a myth that not having an mot invalidates insurance, if you look at the policy I am almost certain that the wording will be along the lines of 'must be in roadworthy condition'.

I am not sure how the MOT will affect the insurance, but I believe that "in a roadworthy condition" means that if it is subject to MOT rules then it has to be MOT'd. I think, and stand to be corrected, applies to specialist vehicles and vintage/veteran vehicles. I own steam vehicles that MOT's don't apply to, regardless of age.

 

[autorouter]

I am not sure how the MOT will affect the insurance, but I believe that "in a roadworthy condition" means that if it is subject to MOT rules then it has to be MOT'd.

Book it in for an MOT at your usual garage. Or maybe one in the UK port of entry. Then you can drive it from where it is located (Faro) to the MOT station. You could have a local garage in Portugal do a safety check of all the items needed to ensure it is in roadworthy condition, if you wanted peace of mind.

 

[Julie P]

Tell them to check their MOT now we have just taken ours to be MOTd as it runs out this month. When I tried to tax the vehicle to take it Down to Bicester for said MOT during the first week of July our mot hadn’t been extended. Just checked now and it’s been extended to January 2021. No help to us as we won’t be in uk then and need to get ours done and dusted now but at least theirs should now have been extended and in which case their insurance will be valid on the vehicle to get it home.

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[mikebeaches]

Tell them to check their MOT now we have just taken ours to be MOTd as it runs out this month. When I tried to tax the vehicle to take it Down to Bicester for said MOT during the first week of July our mot hadn’t been extended. Just checked now and it’s been extended to January 2021. No help to us as we won’t be in uk then and need to get ours done and dusted now but at least theirs should now have been extended and in which case their insurance will be valid on the vehicle to get it home.

Apparently, 31 July is the latest MOT date that will be extended.

But there has been much rumour for weeks and weeks that the extensions were going to be withdrawn at any time. Until Government clarified.

Trouble has been recently, that your MOT extension has only been confirmed on the Govt website a few days before expiry.

So for us and others, it was a case of 'will it, or won't it' be extended?

 

[Sundowners]

Your family will of course have to go in quarantine for 14 days on their return.

 

[Ukbandit]

If true then the Foreign Office must be run by a bunch of idiots...

If true then the insurance companies are run by a bunch of thieving, greedy crooks.


JJ

I thought all insurance Companies were a bunch of evil crooks.

 

[knokinonabit]

Tell them to check their MOT now we have just taken ours to be MOTd as it runs out this month. When I tried to tax the vehicle to take it Down to Bicester for said MOT during the first week of July our mot hadn’t been extended. Just checked now and it’s been extended to January 2021. No help to us as we won’t be in uk then and need to get ours done and dusted now but at least theirs should now have been extended and in which case their insurance will be valid on the vehicle to get it home.

Their MOT doesn't run out until August, so they are outside the extension cut off date, hence wanting to get it back to the UK before it does.

 

[knokinonabit]

Your family will of course have to go in quarantine for 14 days on their return.

Yes they are aware of that thanks.
It won't bother them as they will be in York preparing their student let for the new intake to move into.
They will be there for at least two weeks.

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