MarkJ Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 Wonder if you guys can enlighten me. Whats the procedure for buying a car in Europe and driving it back to the UK? Do I need to get it registered in the UK or just continue ownership on its country of origin paperwork? Car in particular is in Italy. Do I need to pay any customs duty for bringing it in to the UK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Rock Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 You can buy it, insure it on the chassis number, drive it all over Europe and onto the ferry/Chunnel: as soon as you get to this country though you are not allowed to drive it and must trailer it to your home, (and the MOT station). Foreigner can drive it in this country though... Register with HMRC with the NOVA form within 7 days, to say you don’t have any duty to pay. Then get the MOT and then fill in the DVLA forms and send off with your cheque. Then tax it once you have the new V5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 I'm pretty sure you won't pay any duty/tax but you cannot keep it in the UK for more than six months before you have to UK register it. Insurance has been discussed here before but it will be complicated for you to insure it until it's UK registered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Rock Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 You can insure on the chassis number. If it was originally registered in the EU then tax/VAT has already been paid at time of purchase. From Italy you may be able to get it trailered back to your house, like you can from Spain... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkJ Posted November 30, 2018 Author Share Posted November 30, 2018 (edited) Thanks Doc and Phil. That bit about not allowed to drive it in the UK is a farce though! How does that work when Johnny foreigner can driver over here for upto 6 months?! Plus who would know once I drive off the chunnel/ferry ? I'm only 40mins ish from the chunnel Part of the adventure for me is going to collect it and driving it back across Europe. Edited November 30, 2018 by MarkJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Rock Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 Nothing to do with Johnny Foreigner driving his own foreign registered car over here. All to do with you, as a UK citizen driving through all the speed cameras on the M25.... If you get stopped by the cops you could lose your car. I couldn’t get Snufkin transported back here from Finland, so drove him back...all the way home. Wasn’t going to spend £600 getting transport from Harwich to mine....🤬 Where in Italy is the car? North or south of Rome? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Bernau Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 Assuming we leave the EU on 29 March, then the tax and customs free position likely changes - keep that in mind as you are then importing from a 3rd country, like I did from Singapore, which is why I got the vendor to export from Sing and pay all taxes on landing, so my purchase was actually in the UK (not helpful unless you know the vendor pretty well though). Then I insured on the chassis number and drove on Sing plates until I had the DVLA stuff sorted, as the Dr describes. Spill the beans on what "it" is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkJ Posted November 30, 2018 Author Share Posted November 30, 2018 Nothing bought yet but have my eye on a rather nice Integrale in Northern Italy (Milan Region) - signed by Miki Biasion! . Just wanted to know in advance if it would be a complete ball-ache to get it back in the UK. Bloody stupid rule that you cant even get it home this side of the water though I was looking forward to a good bonding road trip back across Europe if I did go ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Bernau Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 I know plenty who have bought cars in EU and driven home to their doorstep - just like Fraser. I don't know the legal position (though trust the Dr), but the practical reality may be that it is largely ignored. Maybe just ignorant, because its hardly intuitive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vernon Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 If it helps I have a warehouse in Dover so could store it here safely when you arrive until you can arrange transport home :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkJ Posted November 30, 2018 Author Share Posted November 30, 2018 Thanks for the offer Vernon. Will see how things pan out. ......plots route home using country B-roads Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Rock Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 1 hour ago, MarkJ said: if it would be a complete ball-ache to get it back in the UK. Bloody stupid rule that you cant even get it home this side of the water though It’s not a ball ache at all. It’s an absolute adventure.The rule applies the other way- Frenchman buying a car in the UK is not allowed to drive it in France etc. If you get stopped by the cops, that’s when the trouble begins. I wasn’t up to coughing £600 to transport the car from Harwich to mine when I could drive it at night in 3hrs.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busybee Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 You sure about that Doc. What happens in a hire car situation abroad or if your holidaying across countries. As long as your insurance is good and your car has passed its mot, tva or whatever, it’s a free for all until brexit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Rock Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 7 minutes ago, Busybee said: You sure about that Doc. What happens in a hire car situation abroad or if your holidaying across countries. As long as your insurance is good and your car has passed its mot, tva or whatever, it’s a free for all until brexit? A hire car is not your car. It is a "free for all" until you get to your country of residence. The car is still registered in a foreign country until you get the V5. Go check it out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busybee Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 Sounds odd right. Would making an appointment at your local mot testing station for an mot make it legal? Even if it fails because of lights etc? Must be a work around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Rock Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 3 minutes ago, Busybee said: Sounds odd right. Would making an appointment at your local mot testing station for an mot make it legal? Even if it fails because of lights etc? Must be a work around Its what I read when researching last year. You can't even drive the car to the MOT place. It's only legal when MOT'd, insured and taxed. ie when you have the V5 and it is registered in your name in this country with DVLA in Swansea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busybee Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 Flipping eck. Bit strict that. Get the Italian to drive you home Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
World Citizen Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 I bought a car in Italy this year but wouldn't recommend doing what I did to get it out of the country Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Rock Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 56 minutes ago, Busybee said: Flipping eck. Bit strict that. Get the Italian to drive you home Mark See post 6. Bring the Italian with you and he can drive it in this country: you can drive it across Europe. Simples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Rock Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 https://expatriates.stackexchange.com/questions/50/how-long-can-i-drive-a-eu-registered-car-in-the-uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mean in green Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 I’d see it as more likely that you’d get stopped at night, and would not risk driving uninsured at all. If you don’t have access to one renting a trailer or self drive car transporter is cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Rock Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 4 minutes ago, mean in green said: I’d see it as more likely that you’d get stopped at night, Why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny Hart Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 2 hours ago, World Citizen said: I bought a car in Italy this year but wouldn't recommend doing what I did to get it out of the country Bit off topic but I know of a plane buff who bought an F16 cockpit in the US. It was mounted on a wheeled chassis and exported as an old racing car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkJ Posted December 3, 2018 Author Share Posted December 3, 2018 Blimey, they don't make it easy do they Could always get the Italian wife to meet me at Folkestone and switch into instant 'confused Italian' with lots of wailing and arm flailing if we got stopped But how would I get the car pre-insured for the drive back from Italy without a UK V5? Not sure they would insure me on a foreign plate car registered in Italy. (I assume). Guess I could hire a trailer and tow it back in the Freelander but what a long boring drive that would be Only started searching abroad because all the uk versions aren't that great (rust or high miles) for the price they are asking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Rock Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 I managed to find a UK insurance broker that would register Snufkin on the chassis number, so drove back with Finnish MOT and registration and plates. Car was tax free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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