Importing a car from the UK with no Tax/MOT

commited · 01-09-2004 12:47pm #1

Hey folks,

How risky is it to drive a car accross the UK (approx 200miles) with no Tax/MOT (Tax ran out yesterday and car is being driven to a ferry in 2weeks)?

Will it be checked at the ferry ports?

Anyone had any trouble at ferry ports due to no tax?

Someone recommended that I go to holyhead as the customs arent as strict - is this true?

The car looks fully road legal and should bring no cause for concern from the police.

Cheers
Mark

commited · 02-09-2004 12:11am

no one?

John R · 02-09-2004 12:38am

AFAIK it is illegal to drive it here without tax from the country of origin.

Merrion · 02-09-2004 7:05am

IIRC my tax disk was checked at holyhead by the loading chap. It was in order but I have no idea if I would have been refused travel otherwise...but my brother wasn't checked recently so this must be on a spot check (or dodgy looking car/persons) basis.

alias no.9 · 02-09-2004 7:46am

Can you get it taxed for a period shorter than a year? They are pretty strict. As for the MOT book it in for an MOT in Northern Ireland and have some documentation to this effect, you can legally drive it to an MOT center to have it tested, and sure the hollyhead to dublin ferry is on your route.

ShiverinEskimo · 02-09-2004 4:15pm

you'll be grand. If you show the cops the ferry booking. tell them your exporting the car to be imported to the republic of ireland. I assume the ferry is one-way booking. show them that. tell them the car has been purchased or some ****. make it up they are only human. I doubt you'll even get noticed.
You do have an old tax disc yea that you can stick in for anyone thats glancing you.

you could do a dellboy: "Tax is in the post"

ShiverinEskimo · 02-09-2004 4:21pm

alias no.9 wrote:

Can you get it taxed for a period shorter than a year? They are pretty strict.

You can get it taxed for 6 months. instead of a year.
As for strictness? who knows, i guess its luck. once your stay on the motorways and don't do anything to bring attention to yourself (speed) you'll be fine. They tend not to stop anyone without good reason on a motorway because stopping someone is dangerous.

btw, i recommend pembroke, quieter, and the people at the port seemed reallynot to give a ****. been through there twice in the last month. Only hassle is getting up from rosslare. Dun loaighre obviously would be better.

ShiverinEskimo · 02-09-2004 4:23pm

sorry, this should all be in the one post.

Are you planning to import into ireland?

Brenner · 03-09-2004 6:43am

don't you get a "grace period" like you do in Ireland during which time you are supposed to pay but can drive about without valid tax?

PBC_1966 · 03-09-2004 8:03pm

The letter of the law here says that to drive a car on a public highway you must have a valid tax disc, with few exceptions. Legally, there is no grace period allowed, although in practice police in the past have generally turned a blind eye to a vehicle displaying a disc which expired within the last one or two weeks. With the change in licensing in the last couple of years that may well have changed now though.

The main exception has already been mentioned: You are legally entitled to drive to a pre-booked MoT inspection (and home from it again even if the car fails) with no tax and no MoT, and there doesn't appear to be any distance limitation.

I'm not sure about booking a test in Northern Ireland though. Driver licensing and vehicle registrations in N.I. are handled separately from the U.K. mainland, so there might be a catch in there. You could always book an MoT in the Holyhead/Pembroke areas which would see you safely across England and Wales if stopped. By the way, no tax is generally treated far more seriously here than no MoT. Even if you are driving legally with no tax disc, it's still not a bad idea to leave an old expired disc on the windshield so that a passing patrol car at least sees something there -- Why invite being stopped and quizzed?

But if you apply for a certificate of permanent export from the British DVLA, there may well be another exemption that allows you so many days from the issue of the export certificate to get the car out of the country. I had a quick look at the export section of DVLA's website, but couldn't find anything specific on this. It might be worth e-mailing them to check on the actual legal position once you have an export certificate in your possession.

DVLA vehicle enquiries: vehicles.dvla@gtnet.gov.uk

Importing a car from the UK with no Tax/MOT

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