These guys have found a loophole to travel into Europe

Swifter

Swifter

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I’ve been really bored so have been checking out some YouTube Van life videos .
Just found this one .
Not sure how they are able to go there as I don’t understand the rules but it seems it is possible ?
Very interesting 👍🏻

 
As we understood it, when you have residency in Portugal, it is illegal to drive a UK registered vehicle (or motorhome) and you have to swap your UK driving licence for a portuguese one. When you do this, your portuguese driving licence will not include the C1 part of your licence if you obtained this through "grandad rights" We did wonder if a way round this would be to actually take a C1 test in the UK prior to residency application, however the matriculation process (post Brexit) seems unclear.

1st situation (imtonline.pt)

BreweryDave posted on another thread

BreweryDave said:
A MH is not too expensive to matriculate. Cost me €1200 in tax, plus €€6-700 in fees and admin, using an agent. ( that was on a 30k value 2012 van).
You can drive a MH up to 4250 on a Portuguese car licence, anything over needs a C1 which you must actually have passed a test for.
If you’re a resident, you must matriculate your vehicle and exchange your licence, it’s illegal as a resident to drive on U.K. plates and a U.K. licence. ( unless the matriculation process has been started)
All the above was pre B, now as a 3rd country national, things may have changed and got more complicated 🤪
Click to expand...
 
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Oscar said:
As we understood it, when you have residency in Portugal, it is illegal to drive a UK registered vehicle (or motorhome) and you have to swap your UK driving licence for a portuguese one. When you do this, your portuguese driving licence will not include the C1 part of your licence if you obtained this through "grandad rights"

BreweryDave posted on another thread
Click to expand...

In my case also the B+E which means I can't tow anything over 750k, which means no caravan.

I could possibly contest this as I held, and took a test for, HGV1 (C+E) in the early 1970's, proving this could be difficult and as I do not intend to tow a caravan in the future it is not worth it.

I do not know if a different medical is needed for B+E, a basic medical is needed for the B licence.
 
I don’t know much about the D7 visa, but I saw that video on another platform and simply held my head in my hands! It does exist, but has its limits and conditions. That fella is suffering from what so many ‘travellers’ do - it’s called confirmation bias.

If you want to relocate to another country, it’s simply a process of getting residency. The procedure is different now for U.K. nationals, but no different to the Canadians, Americans and, South Africans etc who do it, and have done for years.

As I’ve said countless times, there’s not a work around simply to avoid the 90/180! It is what it is! 🤷‍♂️

And residency in a foreign country is a life change, not a snowbird workaround, for so many reasons!
 
BreweryDave said:
I don’t know much about the D7 visa, but I saw that video on another platform and simply held my head in my hands! It does exist, but has its limits and conditions. That fella is suffering from what so many ‘travellers’ do - it’s called confirmation bias.

If you want to relocate to another country, it’s simply a process of getting residency. The procedure is different now for U.K. nationals, but no different to the Canadians, Americans and, South Africans etc who do it, and have done for years.

As I’ve said countless times, there’s not a work around simply to avoid the 90/180! It is what it is! 🤷‍♂️

And residency in a foreign country is a life change, not a snowbird workaround, for so many reasons!
Click to expand...
So you don’t think they will be able to do it ? He seemed very confident and had checked out all the rules so he claimed . Thank you for the input as I know you have experience in this area . It’s a subject I know nothing about 👍🏻

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Swifter said:
So you don’t think they will be able to do it ? He seemed very confident and had checked out all the rules so he claimed . Thank you for the input as I know you have experience in this area . It’s a subject I know nothing about 👍🏻
Click to expand...
He will be able to do it, if he has sufficient income. Having re read it again, it seems this is the way third country nationals get residency now, so in effect, that it what he is doing, applying for residency through the D7 visa scheme, which I gather now is what any U.K. national will have to do.
What also needs to be borne in mind, however, is all of the things that go with residency in another country, like an address, driving licence, vehicle matriculation ( virtually impossible on a self build like his) and personal taxation. If it’s looked at as a ‘loophole’ to avoid the schengen rules for U.K. citizens travelling in a MH then he’s got it very very wrong!
 
Why anyone is looking for loopholes, becoming a resident wasn't difficult pre 1st January, the maker of this video and many others in their situation could have had a simple route....now they have decided to take a different one....I guess he was one of the many of non- believers, perhaps thinking the 90/180 was fake news.....my view only....
 
I was curious about it when people wrote about it before Christmas so read about it. It looks all well and good until you read about the bit about having a test after a few years of your basic written and spoken Portuguese. Darling daughter speaks Portuguese to degree level plus worked in an engineering office in Porto for 6 months so obviously to a high standard. She finds languages easy and speaks a few so I wonder what this test is like because spoken Portuguese is a bit a funny one. It sounds rather like an Eastern European language, written it’s not unlike Spanish so I was fine with menus and directions but beyond obrigado/a I was stuffed. What do they do if you fail the test. Do you just sit it again?

We dithered too long, it only really clicked last christmas that we didn‘t actually have to buy in Spain/Portugal, we could rent. We weren’t quite ready to sell the family home as our youngest is still at Uni so felt we needed to keep a base where all his mates etc were. By the time our plan started to formulate Covid struck.

So yes the easy opportunity was missed and it’s no use crying over spilled milk but one can’t help but be drawn to these other possibilities, the what iffs, I think it’s human nature.

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matamoros said:
In my case also the B+E which means I can't tow anything over 750k, which means no caravan.

I could possibly contest this as I held, and took a test for, HGV1 (C+E) in the early 1970's, proving this could be difficult and as I do not intend to tow a caravan in the future it is not worth it.

I do not know if a different medical is needed for B+E, a basic medical is needed for the B licence.
Click to expand...

matamoros I was in the same position due to loss of sight in one eye, already had hgv subject to medical, so lost all groups except full motorcycle group A,
and B + E upto 3500 kg and trailer over 750 kg.

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😉 So you would probably be OK with your 5th wheeler. 😁 Bob.
 
bobandjanie said:
matamoros I was in the same position due to loss of sight in one eye, already had hgv subject to medical, so lost all groups except full motorcycle group A,
and B + E upto 3500 kg and trailer over 750 kg.

www.fundacionmapfre.org

Blog

Learn all about Fundación MAPFRE’s latest news and events by visiting our blog and remember that, with you, we can multiply the scope of our initiatives.
www.fundacionmapfre.org www.fundacionmapfre.org

😉 So you would probably be OK with your 5th wheeler. 😁 Bob.
Click to expand...

I have lost my B+E so can't tow the 5'er but it hasn't moved for 7 years and when it eventually does I don't think that I will be moving it :Smile:

I still have the hitch for it so theoretically it could be towed but our plan is to eventually sell it on site or for someone to locate on a plot of land or even just scrap it, it's 13 years old now.

I'm not sure exactly why the B+E was dropped but it's not worth the effort arguing the point at the moment as I don't envisage needing it in the foreseeable future.
 
I thought you got it, 😟 I think its drawn out of a hat, apparently no one gets a C licence with one eye in Spain and I except that, but looking at some drivers they are almost totally blind. 🙄
Janie got her C1, I don't know if they do it on age because she is younger, but it's only 3 years and then needs another test and medical so that won't happen. 😁 Bob.
 
Tanya_and_Mick said:
My recent change from UK to EU license in Spain - I kept my HGV (the medical was slightly more expensive though)
Click to expand...
Well that's it then, 😉 we are discriminated against for not being young and good looking. 😁
Well done Mick there are plenty of truckers needed here, 😄 Tanya will have no problems. 😁 Bob.
 
jumar said:
Why anyone is looking for loopholes, becoming a resident wasn't difficult pre 1st January, the maker of this video and many others in their situation could have had a simple route....now they have decided to take a different one....I guess he was one of the many of non- believers, perhaps thinking the 90/180 was fake news.....my view only....
Click to expand...
It wasn’t difficult pre July 2020 In Spain.

After that, you had to prove a certain level of income.

There are lots of other issues with being resident in Spain .
 
Issues...I totally agree....well there's, and there's, and not forgetting the other problem...🤔🤔 cannot think of one single problem being a Spanish resident, enlighten me please...😃
 
Mmm I guess from our view we think that depending on age there is an extra tax / health cost - slightly offset by cost of living; but we’re still crunching numbers and a year of COVID has skewered our spending numbers.....

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matamoros said:
I have lost my B+E so can't tow the 5'er but it hasn't moved for 7 years and when it eventually does I don't think that I will be moving it :Smile:

I still have the hitch for it so theoretically it could be towed but our plan is to eventually sell it on site or for someone to locate on a plot of land or even just scrap it, it's 13 years old now.

I'm not sure exactly why the B+E was dropped but it's not worth the effort arguing the point at the moment as I don't envisage needing it in the foreseeable future.
Click to expand...
Hi Matamoros, That old 5'er, you could send it up to JJ, I have heard that he can sell Scrap!
:LOL::cool:
 
carolyn said:
I was curious about it when people wrote about it before Christmas so read about it. It looks all well and good until you read about the bit about having a test after a few years of your basic written and spoken Portuguese. Darling daughter speaks Portuguese to degree level plus worked in an engineering office in Porto for 6 months so obviously to a high standard. She finds languages easy and speaks a few so I wonder what this test is like because spoken Portuguese is a bit a funny one. It sounds rather like an Eastern European language, written it’s not unlike Spanish so I was fine with menus and directions but beyond obrigado/a I was stuffed. What do they do if you fail the test. Do you just sit it again?

We dithered too long, it only really clicked last christmas that we didn‘t actually have to buy in Spain/Portugal, we could rent. We weren’t quite ready to sell the family home as our youngest is still at Uni so felt we needed to keep a base where all his mates etc were. By the time our plan started to formulate Covid struck.

So yes the easy opportunity was missed and it’s no use crying over spilled milk but one can’t help but be drawn to these other possibilities, the what iffs, I think it’s human nature.
Click to expand...
I think you only need to speak Portuguese if you become a citizen rather than just a resident.
 
EuroTrotters said:
You would still have to spend 6 months consecutively in Portugal or 8 non consecutively.

Same as Spain if you could get a residency
Click to expand...
That's not my understanding regarding consecutive days spent in Spain. I've taken this excerpt from a website but would like confirmation if possible?

If you live in Spain for more than 183 days in one calendar year then this is where you are resident. The 183 days need not be consecutive, so crossing the border for a day does not exclude you from resident status. In any other country you visit or spend time in, you are a non-resident or tourist.
 
There are lots of phrases and misnomers when it comes to staying in other eu countries.
This is a summary😉. ( based on my knowledge specific to Portugal )

Residency. Called either temporary or permanent but they are actually the same thing. Temporary refers to the initial 5 year certificate and permanent refers to the next 10 year certificate. Even with the initial 5 year one, your residency is ‘permanent’, it’s the piece of paper which is temporary. You cannot be resident in more than one country. You have to abide by the rules of that country with regard to vehicles and licensing and taxation etc. You must spend most of your time in Portugal, I believe 6 months consecutively or 8 months per year.

Citizenship is where you obtain a passport for that country. Some allow dual citizenship ( like Portugal) where you can hold both a Portuguese and a U.K. passport, but can still only be a ‘resident’ in one country at a time. In Portugal, you can apply for this , if you wish, after the first 5 year period, and need to satisfy certain conditions, including passing an A1 or A2 language exam.

Tax residency is simply that, for tax purposes, and kicks in after 183 days regardless of your domicile residency status. ( confusing eh!) It does NOT mean you are a ‘resident’ of that country!

Non habitual residency is a tax status for those already holding formal domicile residency ( in Portugal)

D7 visa allows a period in country whilst formal residency is applied for, now post brexit a different procedure for U.K. nationals.

A non eu vehicle can only remain in any Eu country for 6 months, but without residency a person can only be there for 90 days!

Bottom line is, if you move abroad that’s it, you choose to emigrate!

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